The Pains of Homeownership

As last posted, we recently bought our first house. We've been here for two months and two days and have thoroughly enjoyed the perks of having a home: both cars in a garage therefore there's no scraping frost off in the morning, a large closet, 2 sinks in the master bathroom, a dishwasher, etc. However, this morning we awoke to the downside of owning a home. When things go wrong, you're in charge of fixing them.

Our backyard had flooded and there was water EVERYWHERE. Any place you couldn't see water, you'd step and sink into the ground because it was so soggy.

Immediately we were able to find the source of the leak. That entire area was bubbling.

Jonathan was able to reach his arm into the lawn and feel the pipes.

So, we pulled back the mud and scooped about 14 gallons of water out the hole.

Jonathan was tempted to drink some because it looked so much like chocolate milk.

Then, we found the problem. Not just a crack in the pipe, but the entire hose had come apart. No wonder it was bubbling.

So, after a lot of digging, a trip to Home Depot and a few new parts we thought we fixed the problem.

But we were wrong. Once we turned the water back on, it burst again. Within about 15 seconds we had a now bigger hole filled with water. Back to the beginning.

After two more trips to Home Depot , 8 hours of working on it, another burst pipe and some blistered hands we had replaced that line of sprinkler. For those of you who have worked with sprinklers before probably are laughing at how long this took us but neither of us had ever done this before so we learned a lot and felt proud of our work.

When we turned the water back on just before dark we were thrilled we didn't have another hole full of water. We do however still have a leak. Looks like we need to replace it again with a slightly different part. Next Saturday....unless the ground is covered in 2 feet of snow. Then it will have to wait until the Spring. But for now, the water is turned off.

***Yes, my camera is still missing and I don't think I'll ever get it back - these pictures were taken with our old camera which we replaced with the new camera that was stolen***

Homeowners

Today we became homeowners.

Camping

When I was about 4 years old, my parents made my sisters and I a house. My dad put it together with PVC pipe and my mom sewed a red and white cover for it. We loved to playing in this.

One night we decided to take the house into the backyard and sleep in it. We had only been out there a little while when we saw a shadow creeping near the house and heard a loud RROOAAARRRR! We all ran inside and needless to say we slept inside that night.

21 years later....I've never really been camping. Girls camp in Iowa consisted of cabins, a huge cafeteria, showers, a swimming pool, and stage complete with a costume closet. I only did girls camp in Utah one year and that was real camping, but I slept in my mom's suburban each night.

Last weekend was our ward campout. We decided to go and I must say camping isn't the worst thing in the world. Granted, it helped that another guy in the ward helped Jonathan set up the tent, we had four inch pads to sleep on, dinner was ready about 20 minutes after we got there (and we didn't have to do anything to get it ready) and breakfast was served as soon as we woke up (again, nothing we had to do). My favorite part was making a dessert for the campout :)

Happy Father's Day

Anyone who knows my father knows that he loves to golf. So, this year for Father's Day I thought I'd make a treat that highlighted his favorite past time. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Happy Father's Day!

Busy

• A broken dryer
• Ongoing mouth surgery
• Dealing with insurance that is not paying for the ongoing mouth surgery
• A totaled car
• Buying a new car
• Dealing with insurance who should be paying for the new car
• Planning a 5 day family reunion for 38 people
• Presenting at a conference this summer with my principal
• Teaching a class on how to use a Word Wall to new teachers
• Moving classrooms and preparing for a new grade
• Hopefully purchasing our first home this summer
  
  I'm feeling very busy.

A Hassle

Jonathan got in a car accident today.

No one was hurt.

It wasn't his fault.

His car was towed away however. It happened on his way home from work. He was turning left onto our street and the other car was turning left onto State Street. Jonathan was in the turning lane and the other car just wasn't looking and drove right into him. It happened about 2 hours ago. It took about an hour for the tow truck to come. Jonathan is still on the phone with insurance companies. He did nothing wrong and now we have to spend a ton of time cleaning up the mess.

What a hassle. At least no one was hurt.

Moving Up

It's official. After being in first grade for three years I'm graduating and moving up.

Next year, I will be teaching 3rd grade.

I am SO excited. I'm excited for the opportunity to try a new grade, work with new people, learn a new core, read new stories, organize a new classroom, and perhaps have a few repeat students (in some cases).

Wish me luck!

Spring Break?

When I think of Spring Break, this is not what I think of.

Pea Coat

A pea coat (or pea jacket, pilot jacket) is an outer coat, generally of a navy-colored heavy wool,[1] originally worn by sailors of European navies.[2] Pea coats are characterized by broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, often large wooden or metal buttons, and vertical or slash pockets.[3] Although it first appeared in the early 18th century, modern renditions still maintain the original design and composition.

That is how wikipedia defines a pea coat.

Here's my definition. You have a pea coat when a first grader sits at your desk to work on a computer program and wets their pants all over your coat which is hanging over the chair. This is the ultimate "pee" coat. Awesome.

It's now at the dry cleaners.

Implanted

Earlier this week I got my implants. It was less painful than I anticipated but I'm glad I was sedated. The periodontist said it went very well and there was no need for a bone graft. He also said because it went so well I would probably not have to wait 6 months to get my crowns, but more like 3. Apparently I have a good jaw bone.

Here is a picture...

It's very difficult to take pictures of the back of your mouth.

Implants

Mark you calendars. March 24th at 8:00 AM I will be getting 2 implants.

I've always hated going to the dentist. However, in the past 2 months I have been to the dentist 5 times. Over the next 4-6 months, I will go about 6 more times. Why? Because I still have two baby teeth. One of the baby teeth has started decomposing from the inside out. The other, has no roots left and it's only a matter of time before it falls out. How does this get fixed? Implants.

On March 24th at 8:00 AM I will be put under. My baby teeth will be pulled, I will have 2 possible bone grafts, and two implants will be put in. I will then have holes in my mouth for 4-6 months. After the 4-6 month "healing" period I will have crowns attached to the implants. This is not my idea of fun.

Although I am not looking forward to this one bit, I must say I am grateful there are procedures for situations like this. I am grateful for the little dental insurance I do have. And finally, I am grateful these teeth are in the back of my mouth and hopefully it won't be too noticeable to others.

Sunday Afternoons

With the new year church has been moved from 1:00 to 9:00. It's great. I come home, eat dinner, take my nap, wake up and I still have more of the day left than I did before with 1:00 church. The past two Sundays I've been filling the extra time with cake decorating projects. I'm not sure how long this will last, but here are my two creations.

1 - Snowman Village

I stole this idea from one of Wendy's friends who made this for her on her birthday. I made it for my sister-in-law Cherilyn last week for her birthday.

2 - Superbowl Sunday

We didn't have a Superbowl party, nor really watch it (it's actually going on right now) but I felt like making a Superbowl cake. It was my first attempt ever at really decorating a cake more than just tossing sprinkles on it.