October 1, 2012

Flood gates

So, It's been about a month since my last posting....not too bad considering I went for two years prior to then.

Where to begin....well, we're in the middle of football season, we've dealt with the typical illnesses that back to school brings, and have had some really close games though none have been wins. However, the latest incident to strike the Jenkins' household happened over the weekend. I'll try to paint a picture for you.....

It was Friday afternoon around 5pm. I had just finished feeding the children and had put them in the tub so that I could get them bathed and dressed for bed before the baby-sitter got there, and before I had to leave for the game. I had gone into the other room to get the children's PJ's when all of the sudden I heard some screaming and squealing coming from the bathroom followed by a "mommy come quick! water is coming out of the toilet." Those are never words you want to hear from your 4-o year olds. So, I ran into the bathroom to see both of my children peering out of the tub at the now lake of water that was collecting on the floor in their bathroom. Caroline had apparently gotten out to use the bathroom and when she flushed, well, the toilet overflowed. This is not an uncommon situation....I am sure everyone has had this happen before. What happened after that was definitely a sight to behold.

After a brief moment of panic, I quickly went into emergency mode, grabbed some towels and the plunger, then began to go to work. First, I placed the towels on the floor to soak up the water and stop it from crossing the threshold. Next, I took the plunger to the toilet and proceeded to get the water back down to the appropriate level...careful not to cause any of the contents of the toilet to spill out onto the floor. (I know you can read in between the lines, so I will spare you those details) While this is all happening, the twins are laughing hysterically and Brody is teasing Caroline about clogging up the toilet etc.......you can imagine that, I know. As I am working quickly, I keep hearing this sound coming from somewhere....it sort of sounded like the shower was on........

.......well, turns out, there was a shower going- and rain shower of sorts....and IT WAS COMING OUT OF MY CEILING DOWNSTAIRS......I stood there in total  disbelief while watching the Niagara Falls that was coming out of my ceiling.  The water from upstairs had somehow found its way downstairs via the vent where the airconditioning also comes out. Lucky for me, it was raining directly into the kitchen sink. So, I grabbed some more towels, my large dutch oven that I use to cook soup in, and proceeded to place it under the leak. After several pot-fulls of water it finally stopped. All of this  happened in a matter of about 10 minutes.....I have never seen anything like it.

Well, needless to say, we now have inustrial size dryers placed all over our house in order to dry up the moisture in the celining etc.....it sounds like we are in an airplane....next to the wing.

As I was going to bed last night, I had to laugh and think.....life sure is interesting sometimes, isn't it? While this is something I wouldn't wish on anyone, I am at the least thankful that the roof/ceiling didn't cave in and it is something our homeowner's insurance will cover.

It's definitely been a trying start to the school year with illnesses, a struggling football team, and stressful,heavy work load at school. However, in these times, I am thankful I can laugh at the adversity.... I for one am  thankful for the laughter....sometimes it really is the best medicine.