Thursday, July 3rd began
like any other day except that my sister & I were planning to travel up to
the Poconos for the long Independence Day holiday after I set up my new work
computer & phone, hopefully, by early afternoon.
Unfortunately, I had some
issues setting getting the phone to link up through the internet. I put in a
tech call to Alabama and then waited for someone to call me back. Meanwhile, I
repacked for the weekend in the Poconos. My sister had gone out to run errands
while I waited (patiently) for the tech guy to call me back. Around lunch time,
I headed down to the first floor to grab something to eat. As I was walking
down the stairs, I started to hear something. Drip, drip, drip …. OH NO!!!!
There is a leak in the kitchen ceiling from the 2nd floor bathroom!!!! Quick ….
Grab a bucket, paper towels, anything to mop up, but the drip continues.
YIKES!!! Where’s the shut-off??? Go to the basement …. YIKES ….. all these
valves and nothing is labeled!!! Where’s the main shut-off valve??? I don’t know!!!
What to do??? What to do???
I called my Dad, but, unfortunately,
he was over 2 hours away and couldn't help me. My sister came home and she
couldn’t find the shut off valve either. We looked to see any neighbors were
around, but alas, no one was home. To make a long story short, my friend Wendy
saved the day and came over and found the valve to turn off all the water in
the house. And we tried to relax & enjoy the rest of the weekend in the
Poconos.
On Monday, we called the
plumber and he came and assessed the damage and gave us an estimate. Since we
didn’t have a lot of time, we agreed upon the price and he advised that the
destruction company would be there on Thursday to tear out the kitchen ceiling,
bathroom floor, kitchen floor, etc. What a mess!!! Plus, they brought in about
6 industrial strength dryers and dehumidifiers to make sure there was no mold,
etc.
Meanwhile, we moved in to my sister’s old bedroom that has a day bed that converts to two single beds. This is not how I wanted to start working from home, commuting across town – for everything from a bathroom break to a meal break to dinner & sleeping. But, I’m thankful that my parents only live across town and they had the room to let us stay for as long as we needed.
Once everything was dry, they
began to work on the plumbing. I was truly amazing to think that the plumbing
that they fixed had been in the house for almost 100 years!!! Then, they came
and dry-walled the ceiling, and put down the new kitchen floor, bathroom floor
and vanity.
The blessing in all of this
was we really needed a new bathroom floor and a new kitchen floor. It wasn't the way we planned to do a bathroom & kitchen remodel, but God is good …
All. The. Time!!!
 |
| New kitchen floor |
 |
| New bathroom floor |
On July 12th, I attended the
beautiful outdoor wedding of Lauren & Craig. I met Lauren & her family
when we first came to Fellowship Alliance Chapel. She was in Elementary Sunday
School when I started working at the church. We became friends and remained
friends throughout the years. I was so honored that I was invited to celebrate
her special day. She’s a beautiful young woman inside & out. Craig is a
very blessed man!!! During the reception, I was seated with my choir director,
Jerry & his lovely wife, Lynne, two of their three children, their spouses
and their children. It was a fun reception, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a
chance to dance!!!
On July 13th, one of my
bff’s, who lives in Germany, along with her husband and two kids (my “niece
& nephew”), drove up from the shore to see me & my family. We had a
picnic lunch in the park and watched the kids play for a bit. Then it was back
to my parent’s to spend some more time together and watch the final of the
World Cup Soccer match between Germany & Argentina. We all were happy
Germany won. Then it was time for them to get the kids in the car and say
good-bye to my family. I knew I would see them again in a couple of weeks, but
my family wouldn’t.
I don't know whether it was
the bed or a cool summer breeze during the night, but I spent a week with a
terrible lower back ache. I felt like such an invalid!!! One night, I even
found Ben G. and asked him to give me a back massage. Finally, after about a
week, I was pain free!!!
On Sunday, July 20, was our church picnic and baptism service at our church camp. There was an abundance of food and good weather. But the best part was that over 25 people were baptized!!! They all came from diverse backgrounds and all had great stories of how Jesus Christ saved them. Praise the Lord!!!
The last weekend of July, I
drove down the shore to see my bff & her family. The drive down seemed to
take forever because of traffic, but once there we had a great time. The
weather wasn't fantastic, so we went over to where the Cape May ferry terminal
is located. They have a nice little play area and free mini-golf. We had fun.
Finally, the sun came out for a while on Saturday afternoon, so we hit the
beach. I sat on beach, soaked up some sun and watched the kids on their boogie
boards. After getting the kids ready for bed, we went down to the “mall” for
some ice cream and some girl time. Sunday morning, we went to church and
relaxed at home. For dinner, we grabbed some hoagies, etc. and headed to a
picnic area near the beach. After dinner, we tossed a disk around and watched
the sunset. Again, after the kids were in bed, we took a walk around the neighborhood
and had some more girl time. Monday morning came way to fast. It was time to
say good-bye. Hugs & tears were all around. I miss them so much. The kids
are growing up way too quickly. And I miss them calling me Aunt Fuzzy due to my
new hair growth.
Tuesday morning, July 29, I
went to get my blood test in anticipation of my doctor appointment on August 4.
It was great seeing my nurse friends, but thankful that chapter of my life is
done.
Part 3 – August - coming this weekend!!!
Only by His Strength,
Sandy
