Earlier this week I received a call from the State Dept of Health that my immunization exemption is being denied (for a third time). I argue and tell them that I am going to legally fight them because they cannot take my personal objection right away. Later I do my normal "second guessing" and wonder if I should just redo my forms again. Moral and legal meeting nose to nose again. Governmental oversight creeping into my home to tell me how to parent. So, we agree to disagree and we decide to push forward. The director is gathering their information to prove to me they have the right and I am gathering mine to prove they do not have the right. The school says my children cannot attend past Tuesday if I don't have my exemption ready. I decide to continue to fight them all.
So on Valentine's Day....................................................
I get a call from my realtor frantic that my house is flooded. She tells me a couple and their agent was at my home to take a second look and they find the house full of water and ceilings caved in.
I guess the water is running down the street of the neighborhood because it is so bad. The realtor admits that she has not checked on the home in over 10 days, even after an ice storm.
So, I'm mad I am thinking a pipe broke in the attic. I start calling my brother who sold me an insurance policy. He tells me that I need to call the agency because he was fired from them and they won't talk to him. Sheesh! So, I call them and they refer me to another number. That number gets me to an adjuster. That adjuster tells me they are assigning Mariposa (whoever that is).
In the meantime, I end up having a carpet cleaner suck out water all day from the house. I have a water restoration company go in to assess the damage. So, apparently here is the damage report so far:
1. The utility room, bathroom and hallway are a total loss.
2. The back bedrooms are wet up to 6 inches on the wall.
3. The master bedroom, bathroom and closet are supposedly wet on the floor to 6 inches up the wall.
4. The water made it's way out to the front of the house and the drywall is wet to 6 inches up the wall.
5. The living room carpet is wet but not the wall.
Then I get the most beautiful bouquet of flowers ever from my love and best friend....my hubby. But I don't even care, I just tell the guy to set them down and leave. Because I'm in the middle of chaos. Well, back to my chaos!.......
So, the repair guys are looking at it and they are pretty sure a pipe didn't break. So, I say....what happened? They say "we think your instant hot water tank upstairs malfunctioned, it looks like a 1 inch valve". Oh well that will make anyone feel so much better right? Not me. :(
So, now I have a carpet bill for two days worth of work. I have a $3,000 restoration bill for work. And when it is all done, I'm going to end up with a dried out house, that has no hall, no bathroom and no utility and no closet in one of the bedrooms where the bathroom wall backs up to it. Oh, and I'll have to figure out the hot water tank situation upstairs. I don't want to forget that the house will have no carpet. But, somehow the upstairs is totally dry!
The plumber is coming out the next day (which is today).
So, I will need to hire a drywaller to go in and redo all the walls.
I call the city water department and ask when the leak started. They tell me they don't know, but they sent me a letter the day before, and that I should feel lucky because the lady worked overtime to send out leak notices and she mailed mine at 8:30pm. They had their water crew check the house and it didn't seem right. Apparently, the water running out of the house and down the street through the garage and front door of the home and yard didn't tip them off that they needed to shut the water off. So, they left it on for another day and reported back the meter reading.
I should feel lucky though. My friend visits my house and says "there's no sugar coating anything, its really bad". Later she tells me that she revisits and my house "just smells so good and clean". I'm speechless. Also, the people that like the house still like it and are serious about buying it.
So, I find out at the end of Valentines day that:
1. My realtor is not responsible for the damage. Somehow, I am, since I'm the homeowner.
2. My insurance will not cover this damage because it isn't on the policy.
3. My brother is ultimately responsible because he sold me the policy.
4. My friend has taken over monitoring all the repairs on my home.
Right in the middle of it all, the health department calls me again, to tell me they have decided to work with me to resolve our dispute. So, they are not going to kick my kids out of school quite yet, but are still gathering their legal stuff to compose their letter showing me where they have the right to judge my personal objection. I break down on the phone and tell them "if you have bad news today it's gonna have to wait because I can't take anymore".
So, on the way home I turn up the radio and jam out while driving. I decide to leave the world behind me for the day. I know that a mom in a suburban driving with her kids in the car at 8pm home, jamming out to the radio, must look real special. So, almost home I get a call from the adjuster that has been assigned to my claim that is not covered. I'm at first speechless then I just freak out on the guy. I am just not getting why I'm talking to him. So, he tells me that he is just the claims adjuster and I just tell him to email me and I'll get back to him when I can.
Everyone wants to know what I want to do. God is silent today and the world is not working.
Apparently the world doesn't work, because the world doesn't know what to do unless I tell them what to do!
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." New Living Translation Romans 12:2
Big Sugar to all my five fans!
