SeaTac

I guess we've done all we can do.  Here is some of the last damage that had to be torn up.  When the "fiberglass that won't hold water" was taken out under the nursery floor - water poured.  There is now standing water on the moisture barier again... over a month after the original leak was stopped.  It is going to be really slow going -but....

It seems that we aren't needed for anything hands on, decisions from here can be made over the phone so...

We drove up to Bremerton on Saturday.  With all the nasty weather all over the US - we had a beautiful drive.  The sun was shining - no rain, wind, sleet, or snow.... no where!  Here is Portland in January!!

We arrived late Saturday evening - much to the girls' suprise - they got out arrival and departure dates crossed.  We had a nice couiple of days with them.  As always I amamazind at the rate those babies grow and mature!!  Makk looks SO GREAT.  Better every time I see him.  His face is filling out and he is getting a bit of meat on his bones.  WONDERFUL!  Jaleel is taller than I, playing basketball, and very much into his appearance... he is sooo funny to watch!  Everything has to be jjjjuuuusssssttttt so!  The girls are getting taller and prettier with each trip... both of the older ones have feet bigger than mine - and they are both quite a bit taller than I also!  I'm gonna put cinderblocks on their heads!

Tetee and CB are both getting so big so fast.  Tetee is maturing as only our little girly girl drama queen can.  She is like a little doll with all that long,dark curly hair and those beautiful brown eyes.  Like a little china doll.  CB is talking better all the time.  His favorite at this point seems to be singing.  He too is a little doll.  He looks more like his grandpa Tink every day.

So after a nice visit, we had lunch at the mexican restaurant and S'te drove us over here to the Holiday Inn next to the airport.  We head out tomorrow morning - back to FL.

I hope that the insurance assessor gets some information to me pretty soon.  I am still waiting for word from her.  Work on the house is progressing and hopefully will continue to do so! 

Into the fair blue skies tomorrow!  Hope none of the storms get to us!!  Would make for a bumpy ride.

The Waiting Game

I really wish I was better at waiting.  Patience has not ever been attributed as one of my stong suits!  I pray for patience very often.

We met with the field agent for our insurance over a week (10 days) ago.  We are sitting in a motel in town because the house is not habitable.  I have been told often that an estimate would be 'expidited' - not a clue what that means - as I have yet to even get a rough estimate from them. 

Patience, patience......

and of course, tearing into it, some of the structure needs repair - so . . .  I know the insurance won't cover that part (and it would have to been done eventually) but I would love to know about how much cash we are going to have to find!!!

The say change is good for the soul.... I think I'm about to argue that.   I am ready for the drama to be over and just live a nice quiet boring tranquil life.... (LOL)  at least for a bit!!

A flight, a really short visit, some shopping, and . . . .

On Friday Sharen and hubby Jack, as well as Keith and I, headed north - not to Alaska - but it might as well have been!  It was the coldest weekend on record in Orlando.  But we braved it - Had a great ride up, and stopped at Keith's favorite pit stop, the Lone Cabbage at Coco.  We had lunch and watched for gators.  Since it was so cold, we were totally out of luck for this trip!  Sharen and I had stopped before and this is where Ladaria, Brayana, and I took the air boat ride when they came out to visit a few years ago.

We made our way to Orlando and Sharen came up with a wonderful place to visit on this really cold night.  So we found our way, I love my Tomtom!,  to Gaylord Palms Resort where we toured the atriums.  There is an atrium for each of the seperate venues in the great state of Florida.  Key West, St. Augustine, Emerald Bay,  and the Everglades are featured in an amazing array of live plants, foggy bottoms, calypso music, live alligators and even a statue of Hemmingway gracing the banks of one ot the many koi ponds.  I could probably have toured for hours - but flights don't wait and the Rea's had an early one.

We had a good flight to Seattle.  Our flight was a bit late arriving at DFW so we had very little of a wait before taking off again.  Sweet S'te met us, timed absolutely perfectly, and took us back to thier home to spend a day before heading down to peruse the water damage.

On the day we were to leave, she and I decided to go window shopping.  at Lowes.  I was looking for replacement ideas for the damaged items and ended up with 4 new exterior doors (I said I was going to get a new front door someday!) and 3 storm doors.  We will be the best dressed house on the dirt road! LOL

So, then Keith and S'te had to take the pick up down and load the doors, that, of course, didn't fit just quite right, and it was pouring rain, and the doors had to be wrapped in plastic, and then we had to put our luggage on top of the plastic, and, guess what!  It all worked out wonderfully.  When we stopped at Woodburn for the night, I backed the pickup right up to a fence - so all was safe and hunky dory!

We made it safely to Coos Bay and saw some of the water damage, and then some more damage, and smelled the dank mold, and I am still trying hard to keep a cheerful thought in my head.  So the meetings with the contractor are done, the insurance adjuster meeting is over and she has all sorts of lists, receipts, and pictures, and I've spent my days on web sites trying to find the really neat things that we saw at Lowes in Bremerton.

Yesterday saw Tim hustling around and getting one of his doors hung.  I love the look of a window'd door.  They look so much more inviting than the solid styles.  So one of those doors is already up!  Yay!  and last night S'te and I shopped together.  Between us (mostly her) most of the items that I liked were found and are now on a list waiting for the contractor to approve before sending it off.

So a full week has already gone by - and I've still got loads to do before we head back out!

PRAY!!

Can you just imatine what it would be like to not be able to find your loved ones under collapsed rubble, or have any running water, toilet facilities, a roof over your head, and your home collapsed from a sudden tradegy - like a 7.0 earthquake!  And then for it to be colder than you are used to and .... to have it rain.  Haiti has had a really rough decade - political junk aside - they've had storms, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and about everything else possible happen to them just in the last few years.  Political corruption robs the humitarian aide - and  - the people have still survived! 

Most of us have few troubles compared to this.  We don't get our 'wants', "would likes',  or things that we think we need - but we are warm, dry, overweight, clothed, fed, hydrated, and so terribly lucky!  Even when we here in the US have a 'natural disaster' - WE have our government, our organizations, our infrastructure to bail us out.  Can you imagine?  I guess - if I walked out into the street - and that was it - no car, no home, no food stamps, no welfare, no insurance (no hospital because it collapsed too), no medical care, my clothes gone, my food ruined, not even a toothbrush, maybe then I might feel 1/100 of the pain they are feeling - because deep down I KNOW that my friends, family, neighbors, countryment, and yes - our government - have something - somewhere - to assist me.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like there - and all I can do is PRAY.  PRAY that the nasty comments and negegative junk I've been reading is just junk - not the way people really feel.  We live in the best country in the world - even if we do want everything for free!  We are spoiled brats - that is what we - as a nation - have become.  I am sorry for us - but truly heartbroken for those in Haiti.

God Bless them - and please - if you can do nothing more for them - PRAY,

A flood and a lot of work

While we were on our cruise, we got a disturbing cruise from Clint.  Pipes in the bathroom had burst and flooded parts of the house.  Beings as there is only so much you can do - from out in the ocean - we depended heavily on Clint to take care of the mess - and he did a great job of it too.  I was really sorry to have to dump so much on his shoulders right with the holidays, company, Sallie's surgery, and all of the other stuff he had going.  He and Sallie came thru as only real true friends can.  They got the furniture and clothes moved out of harm's way and into a storage unit and numerous other untold things.  I don't know what we would've done without them.  The damage could have been much worse had it not been for all of the things that they did to try to get rid of the damaged and wet material and dry out the house.  Clint even met with a contractor and the insurance adjuster for me.  Shawn took pictures that I was able to look at when we finally got back on US soil - so we got to see the scope of the damage.  All of the new flooring in the kitchen was ruined, standing water soaked thru the carpets, wicked up and through the walls, and generally did lots and lots of damage.  I haven't seen the new kitchen cabinets for myself yet - but some of the pictures show water damage to them also.  I want to just cry!!!

Needless to say, we will be headed out to the West Coast this weekend.... to see what we can see, do, or get done. 

God works in mysterious ways... so I have put it out there for Him.  I can't do anything else but depend on others ~ and pray.

New Year's Party and 2-0-1-0

Happy New Year's came to Lakewood this year in the form of a grand party at the Clubhouse.  As usual, Sharen & I were all ready to go and Keith & Jack were kind of bah-humbugging it.  But they bellied up and went.  Keith must've gotten determined to have a good time because he

danced

and danced

and danced

and even

He even danced with me a few times - but no pictures of that!  Sharen and Jack headed for the hacienda before officially welcoming in the New Year - and she was waiting up to say Happy New Year to us when we got home.

Jessie and John had all sorts of decorations up and it was really fun to see all of those whom I hadn't seen since last April.  Robin came dressed in his native attire and looked very spiffy at that.

And great fun was had by all!!

For New Year's Day - we watched the Duck's lay duck eggs and the rain come down.  A dreary way to start what I know will be an excellent year.  I wish a Happy, Health, and Prosperous 2-0-1-0 to all of my family and friends!

Loxahatchee River and Trader Jack's

Sharen and I took ourselves down to Hobe Sound yesterday.  We had a blast.  You can read and see the pictures on her Rea's Place. 

I had a blast.  On the way back the sun was shining, we put the top down (pinned her hair back), and just cruised back up the highway.  While on the road, my cell rang, and it was Dad.  Sharen was trying to yell into the phone that it wasn't me, it was her, with the wind howling!  She finally put her head in her jacket and yelled at him for awhile.  It looked so funny that I laughed until I cried!!! And she never did get the idea thru to him - that he wasn't talking to me!!! LOL

We got home safe and sound, a bit windburned and I can tell that I got some sun.  We did good!!!!

Oh, and the tree branch that I tried to take Sharen's head off with is the low one right behind me! LOL