Joys and Pains of Home Ownership

There are plenty of things to love about owning a home. It's great and I'm happy we have been able to do it, but sometimes you're reminded that with all the joy of control comes the pain of responsibility. Home damage... it doesn't happen very often, but when it does it's a huge pain in the butt. Even with homeowner's insurance it's an inconvenient expense and a hassle. Especially if you're like most people and have something like a $1000 deductible, which means you have to magically find $1000! lol So, here's what happened. We were chilling out, giving ourselves a day off. The sun was out and I was working on the garden. I took a walk around the yard and noticed some water dripping from under the deck, through the overhang ceiling... right above the kitchen. We traced it up to the refrigerator. The water line that feeds the ice maker was spraying water like crazy straight into the wall and down through the floor thanks to what appeared to be a curious rodent. So, that's what we've been dealing with.

There's an incredibly loud fan and pump in my kitchen that's been running non-stop for 4 days. My fridge is pulled out into the middle of the floor, blocking access to my cabinets. I have a long tube running across my floor up to my kitchen sink. I can see outside through a hole in my floor behind the fridge. Bonus, I now know exactly where the shut-off valve is to my fridge line! Also, we caught it very very early so there's no structural damage or anything, just new insulation and a bit of drywall and plywood will be needed. I'm learning things :)

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Very bad day today

I got a horrible phone call early this morning from someone I used to work with. A friend of mine, who was stationed in Iraq, was killed yesterday in her sleep when her trailer was hit. SGT Trista Moretti was an amazing person. She had an impact on so many lives in so many places. It's going to be tough for everyone (like me) who can't make it to Jersey to say goodbye. I've been crying off and on all damn day. It seems so unfair. I hate this war and don't agree with it, but I don't think she died in vain. She died for everyone else out there. They fight for each other, not a cause, not their government. That's what I miss about the Army. I miss my comrades. Trista was hilarious and beautiful and had this great Jersey accent. We used to play word games and gossip and eat lunch together every day. We would laugh all day long while we "worked" haha. I remember when she first got to the unit I told everyone some bitchy chick with an accent was in the...

Hurricane Sandy

This will be a gleefully uneventful post, but I thought I should at least inform everyone of our whereabouts during Frankenstorm. On Friday the landfall predictions were further south, which had the eye passing near our tiny town after obliterating Dover, DE. We happen to be surrounded by water. The Patuxent River on one side, Chesapeake Bay on the other, plenty of swamps and creeks in between. Not a good prospect. Josh and I had gone out that night to try and secure supplies and already, there were no batteries or flashlights. We also don't have a grill and thought "we'll try Lowe's tomorrow"I mean, most people already own grills... right? Everything in our house is run on electricity (including the water pump for the well) except for the fireplace. I don't know what builders are thinking when they do that. I at least want a gas stove and water heater! So, anyways. We got a few hours of sleep before trying to brave the crowds...

Hiking on the Guadarrama Trail

As promised yesterday, I actually left the house and went on a hike with Mama C and Goober! YAY! I was a bad Mommy and ill prepared to shield us from the hot Spanish sun so we all have a touch of sunburn. Whoops. It was fun though. OK so here's where we began our journey. You can see the bridge between the roundabout and the little house with a red roof (which is a restaurant). All the cylindrical buildings were a plant nursery. We walked over the bridge and past the nursery where we crossed the street and then started up the dirt path. The other little building is literally a Gypsy Keep. Here's what it looked like from the road... and it was so ridiculously creepy, yet fascinating. I don't know why there is always tons of junk in trees around gypsy places. There was a gutted van in the backyard, a stroller jammed into a wall, shorts in the trees. We both wanted to trespass, but the kids would have inevitably fal...

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