On Being In A Flood Today

It seems we are now two-for-two in disasters. 

Yesterday's car accident.

{you can read about it here if you're so inclined.} 

Today. 

A FLOOD. 

A mere 12 hours later, almost to the minute, I awoke to an alarm and realized it was our water alarm letting us know that water, was indeed, flooding in our basement door. 

 {Jack lovingly refers to it as our 'lower level'-- he's not fond of the less classy 'basement' lingo.}

This flood was fast and furious. 

We desperately tried to save the carpet. 

To no avail.

  

 Talk about instant wake up and instant adrenaline rush. 

Mercy. 

Jack and I jumped into action and spent hours  

{and I am so NOT exaggerating} 

shoveling water up the back steps out into the yard. 

With a snow shovel. 

 This guy to be exact. He's my new BFF. 

We spent hours getting to know one another today.

  

 I kept telling myself, 

"I guess you don't have to go to the gym to cross-train today. So that's a plus." 

Long and short of it all? 

It's a bit disconcerting to wake up and see water just billowing in your back door. 

But I will say that I'm SUPER thankful that I heard that little alarm go off because had we not had that we would have woken up to FEET of water in our basement. 

We had one pair of rubber boots between the two of us. 

My cute ones. 

Whoever was out back in the almost-knee-deep water shoveling got the boots. 

I'd like to go on record stating that Jack looks rather sassy in black floral wellies. 

{Don't tell him I said so. He might be embarrassed.} 

It poured for hours. 

Massive lightning and thunder. 

At one point, while standing mid-calf deep in water with a metal shovel in hand, and a metal table beside me (also in the water) the thunder ROARED so close and I SCREAMED so loud and thought,  

"This is it. I'm going down with the ship." 

{I exaggerate a smidge.} 

But I did scream and I was a wee little bit scared. 

But I pressed on. 

Oh and Coco was scared. 

Bless her little heart. 

She just heard loud thunder and Jack and I racing around and Maddie wouldn't let her out of her room {on our orders}
 

 Everything that was in our basement is now either in the garage.  

 Or on our main floor.

   

 Or on the back porch.

  

Let's just say our backs are achy achy. 

Who are we kidding. 

Our whole bodies ache tonight. 

We bleached like nobody's business. 

We shoveled. 

We mopped. 

We broom-ed water into the drains. 

We carried loads of stuff out to the garage. 

We cut carpet and the pad underneath and hauled it out. 

And in the midst of it all, our dear friend Eric showed up and began carting heavy wet carpet out to the garage and alley. 

And he and Jack lugged all the heavy furniture out because, well, I'm not strong enough. 

 And I'm okay with that. 

He is our friend-of-the-day! 

Oh, he AND his wife.  

Becky showed up later in the afternoon with dinner for us. 

She wins friend-of-the-day, too!

  And she even brought paper products as she guessed that we didn't really want to be washing dishes. There's only so much water a body can take in one day. 

I can't even tell you what it meant to have them show up and help in such tangible ways. 

The food was delicious.

 The strong arms were a life-saver for me and for Jack. 

But deeper than that was the sacrifice of time, effort and friendship love.

True blue friends that come to your aid when you need help.

Because up until that point it was Jack and I against the storm. 

And there was some adventure in that, 

but honestly, 

I have no desire to re-live the hours between 4am and 2pm today. 

They were physically grueling!

I do have to tell you one 

SUPER SCORE BONUS 

of today's flood. 

 I think we will FINALLY be getting rid of this AWFUL couch.  

OH MERCY I HATE THIS COUCH.

This sad-excuse-for-a-couch came from Jack's bachelor days. 

I've wanted to rid the awful thing since before the beginning of time but SOMEHOW it continues to show up in our basement after each flood. 

But not this time. 

It's going in the garbage FOR GOOD. It sat in water {and not tap water mind you} for hours this morning before it was moved. So long ugly blue couch!

And as a bonus to you, here's what I learned about marriage today. 

Crisis, if you let it, can bring you together. 

 There's a bond when you're fighting a battle together. 

We were both needed today. 

We both had to dig deep and work hard and not give up. 

We had one minor spat and that was only because I said a jerky sentence or two. 

But Jack forgave quickly and we moved on. He's great like that.

I also learned, once again, that there's nobody else on the planet that I'd rather go through a crisis with than with my Jack Man. 

He has what it takes. Period.

He's calm in a storm. 

He doesn't panic. 

He doesn't get mad. 

He works harder than anyone else I know.

He keeps us safe.

As I was outside shoveling water like a mad woman, 

I knew that I knew that I KNEW that he was inside, working even harder. 

So today was another memory made.

I'd just prefer that we not make any more memories that involve floods or accidents. 

Okay? 

 Okay. 

And they say bad things come in threes. 

I'm not even going to try to anticipate what might show up tomorrow. 

You might not want to come near me lest you get struck by lightning.

Take away from today:

God sustained us and gave us the strength to push through the hours and hours and hours of unanticipated work. Thanks, Lord. You didn't answer our prayers to stop the rain {and believe me I was begging Him to stop the downpour as I was shoveling water up and out}

 BUT you did what you promise to do. 

You were WITH US in the midst of the storm.