The Great Christmas Flood of 2010

well, loyal blog followers I am deeply sorry for the long delay. I have a valid excuse...actually several. As I patch these stories together please keep in mind that I could have never in 19328734 years have predicted the series of events that unfolded over the holidays. Alas, we begin with the flood:

Due to Christmas falling on a weekend David and I both worked most of the week leading up to Christmas. I was packed and ready to depart with my side kick Brooks on the long journey to Maryland to celebrate with my family. Alarm is set for 5:15AM Christmas Eve and I had brave plans to be on the road before 6:00AM and the rest of the holiday idiots. Well, around 4:30AM I am woken by what I think is the shower running or the kitchen sink. After about 20 minutes of sleepy investigating from the bed I decide to get up and really see what that rushing water sound is (side note: if you hear water get up immediately) two feet lazily slide off the bed and into about 3 inches of freezing cold water-in our bedroom! After being shocked completely awake by this sensation I begin to holler some not so lady like words and David is quickly at my side in the freezing flood.

We fling open the bedroom door to discover that yes-water is in the entire house. Our horrible fake floating wood floor is literally floating. The waterfall is located in our laundry room and David quickly runs to the street to cut the water to the house (this was not as smooth as I just described, more bad words, hunting for tools, standing at the street in PJs in 30 degree cold) but yes, the water is off and let me tell you how quiet the house seemed after sleeping for HOURS to the nice sounds of water rushing by the bed. I slip on my trusty yellow rain boots and begin to assess the damage. Front door wide open at 5:15AM I realize I have not seen our guard dogs yet. Fearing they drowned I go back into the bedroom to find them both on one round dog bed shaking I could tell the puppy Banks must have thought she really made a mess now. After some cooing they tiptoed through the water over to me...we went outside where is was dry and I fed them breakfast and assured them that no, they were not responsible for this mess. For once, they were off the hook.

I begin flying through the house picking things up off the floor and determining how wet, ruined or salvageable the items were...one of the first things I grabbed was, you guessed it, my Vera Bradley luggage all packed up and ready for MD now completely soaked through. At this point I decided to make the call...Mom I am going to be late.

These two pictures are of the sunroom in our house...that white wall is the backside of our bedroom. the water is coming out of the bedroom under the new drywall and into the sunroom. In the second photo you can see the stream of water coming down off the main living room of our house.

note the water line on the curtains and the dog hair that seems to have floated out of the floor...EVERYWHERE!

this is actually the garage-the water poured from the house through the garage and into the driveway.
So you are probably wondering what the outcome of all this was...

Our floor in the driveway. I have been living on the concrete slab of my house for 2 months now. It is a very cold dusty feeling but the upside is you don't have to clean it. Really--What's the point? I am pretty sure the dogs love it. sigh.
Well like the floors of my house, Christmas came and went. I very hesitantly drove back to the destruction that awaited me in NC and prayed things in 2011 would be better but we weren't through it yet...