The Disaster of the Downstairs Deluge at Dempsey Junction

Dear Scooter Baby,

Last Tuesday we discovered the downside of home ownership when our hot water heater burst and soaked the entirety of the basement. My soccer game that evening was cancelled so I came home early to find the carpet in the family room soaking wet and the sound of rushing water coming from the utility room. After stemming the tide of rushing water and beginning to start bailing the water off the floor, I called your mother so that she could buy a wet/dry vacuum on the way home. The wet/dry vac was missing a piece so worked for about twenty minutes before it met its end. I managed to stop the water from spreading while your very pregnant mother hurried our belongings to dryer ground. It was a nightmare! 

"A handy indicator to determine when a new water heater is needed is when the side of the existing water heater explodes." -Manufacturer's instructions

Fortunately your wonderful Grandpa was on the scene in no time to help with the plumbing and to restore heat. Your mom had a disaster restoration service out that night and they sucked up the remaining water. Grandpa put in a temporary water heater and the next day the disaster restoration service tore up all the carpet and molding that had been affected and the insurance adjuster was out the following day to take stock of what damage had been done. Our lovely, finished basement went to unfinished in a matter of moments and will take a long time to get it back to a comfortable setting. 

Like the mountains stand against time and change so too stands the pool table

However, far from doom and gloom, your mom and I have been able to see the positives more often than not. It was a learning experience and we are grateful for so many things that went right when something went wrong:

-Thank goodness your Grandpa is a master plumber

-Thank goodness your Papa, Uncle Pat and I built shelves three days earlier so that there were very few belongings on the floor

-Thank goodness my soccer game got cancelled so your mother didn't have to initially deal with the flood by herself

-Thank goodness your mom stays calm when I'm not and took care of the insurance company and disaster restoration service

-Thank goodness you hadn't arrived yet! 

Your play area will be that lovely section of plywood

It will take some doing and some extra money to get the basement back in shape but we're grateful that it wasn't worse and it's easy to look forward and past the basement when we think of the fact that you'll soon be with us! I've never been very good at moving on from things as I have a tendency to dwell on situations I cannot change but I can tell you that it's not a good way to live. It's better to find the positives and let go of what can't be changed. Hopefully you are more like your mother in this regard than I. 

Your mother is never one to hide from adversity or a challenge

One positive that was easy to see at the end of a horrible week was a visit from Nana's sisters (also known as your crazy great aunts). Aunt Christine, Aunt Dree and Aunt Maria stopped by the house to survey the flood damage like so many visiting dignitaries in the news and then we visited a lovely coffee shop in town for some caffeine and conversation. Uncle Pat also came by so, aside from the absence of flu-ridden Papa, it was a perfect visit with the perfect company!  

Mom, Uncle Pat, Aunt Dree, Aunt Maria, Nana, Aunt Christine and me

We don't see your crazy great aunts as often as we'd like so we really enjoyed the afternoon and look forward to seeing them again when they come to meet you.

Love,

Dad