Did I ever tell you about the time we drove to California for Christmas (about 12 years ago) and came home to a flooded house? Yes, we’d been driving for hours with an 18 month old, finally arriving at home at about one in the morning, and saw a bunch of ice in our driveway that seemed to be coming from inside our house. “That’s weird,” we thought.
Come to find out, a pipe had burst probably two days prior and had created so much pressure that it busted a hole in a wall and began shooting water with great force directly into our kitchen. For two entire days.
It was a terribly disheartening thing to come home to. Our house was very little, so pretty much every room had water damage. The kitchen was completely destroyed.
Insurance took care of us, we worked very hard and slowly but surely we put our house back together again.
We learned a few things during that pipe bursting fiasco. First…turn off your water when you go on a trip. (Don’t ask me why we didn’t know that already.) Second…make arrangements for someone to check in at your house from time to time to make sure all is well and that water isn’t shooting through walls.
Recently we’ve been on an extended trip to California visiting Matt’s family (more about our trip as soon as I gather my wits about me). (Has anyone seen where I put my wits?)
I can’t tell you how comforting it has been to know that our house has been well looked after while we’ve been gone. Our friends Adam and BryAnna (Remember them? They’re married now and one of the sweetest couples ever!) (I still like to try beating Adam in Nertz.) (I usually win.) (Not that it matters.)…
Anyway, our friends Adam and BryAnna have been so wonderful to pick up our mail, check things out in our house, call us with updates. It’s a huge blessing to be looked after since we’ve been so far from home.
I’m very thankful to be so well taken care of (and I’m a whole lot thankful for no busted pipes). :)
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Awe man! Leaky pipes are no fun at all. So happy there wasn’t a repeat for you this year! Happy New Year!
Ah! When we got home from our Christmas trip after being gone for 10 days, we walked into a 37 degree house! Attempting to get four small children to sleep after a long car ride was difficult, but falling asleep myself was even more difficult! After a visit from a service technician on New Year’s Eve, we discovered (thank goodness) the problem was our thermostat, not the furnace. Whew! Got a new one the next morning.
What a blessing to have your house so well taken care of while you were away!
It’s amazing to have such wonderful friends who you can trust to look after your home!
That happened to us the day before our wedding – we signed the papers on a foreclosure Friday morning, and while at the rehearsal dinner I realized the electric had been turned on. Called our neighbor who ‘broke’ into our house to check on things and the washer valve had been left on and was flooding our garage….. would have been a lovely mess to come home to after the honeymoon.
LOVE GOOD NEIGHBORS!
So great to have such awesome friends! We have been so blessed to discover that our neighbors are wonderful people, who offer to plow our drive when it snows and look after things when we’re gone–I can’t tell you how much this means! Good neighbors and friends are such a huge blessing!
Thank you for hosting this blog hop every week. Those snowman pretzels look very cute and I can’t wait to try them! My 4 year old son will enjoy making those with me. That’s what I’m thankful for – my son liking to spend time with me in the kitchen. We always have so much fun.
Oh my goodness, I can’t even imagine! Good friends are such a blessing.
I am thankful for the song I heard this morning, Gratitude by Nichole Nordemon. It was the background song for a video put together for a family who’s house burnt down the week of Christmas. I couldn’t imagine. My condo may be small and I definitely long for a bigger place but I have a roof over my head. God always provides our needs. It was good to be reminded and pray for someone who has a greater need than my own.
We’ve not ever had a serious mishap while away on vacation — yet. It’s always a good idea to have someone you can trust (like your good friends Adam & BryAnna) house sit for you while you’re away or at least stop by to check on things. Good friends are a blessing indeed! And a safe and sound home is as well. Happy New Year!
I am thankful that my daughter is turning 10 today. My family in the past few years have been surrounded by young people who have had a short life on earth or have been very sick. It has made me much more appreciative for the time I have with my children. There is never a guarantee that they will be here for their next birthday. So today we will celebrate the fact God has allowed her to be in our lives for 10 wonderful years. I pray that we have many more birthdays, but if not I will remember today the day she turned 10.
I am so thankful to be living to celebrate another birthday today!! Thirty years! WOW, how time flies! I am also thankful to be blessed with a godly husband who loves Jesus and our 3 absolutely precious boys!!
Laura, I enjoy your blog SO much! Thank you for putting such hard work into it…and teaching us so much about healthy eating!
I am thankful for you Laura. Your website has touched so many women. I appreciate all the thought you put in to everything you write about. God has certainly blessed your ministry.
Love you.
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog – thanks for sharing so much good information!
I have a blog too if your interested in checking it out – it’s http://www.getwelllivewellbewell.blogspot.com
Thanks again!
I am grateful to live in a neighborhood where we know each other and watch for any dangers or anything unusual.
Wanted to let your readers know that Tropical Traditions has maple syrup on sale and is offering free shipping today (january 4 only). I am grateful for that too!!
Busted pipes are the worst. I live in Florida and about 20 years ago, our pipes froze, flooded my kitchen….all on Christmas Day. I can laugh about it now. But I learned how to prevent it here in Florida. We wrap up outside pipes, and leave a thin stream of water flowing to prevent freezing. Your post brought back memories.
Shalom and blessings to you and yours,
Gail
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I am thankful for the hospitality of friends! Also thankful I have this site to come visit and learn from Laura!
So nice that you have good friends to rely on. We too, have wonderful friends who keep an eye on our house (and animals, and plants…) while we are away. We also care take for the house in front of ours as it is a second home for the owners. Last year, before Christmas, we discovered the same thing you did – as we skiied by the house, my son noticed that the windows looked fogged up. I went over and heard water gushing in the kitchen. My husband investigated to find 4 feet of water in the basement and the whole first floor had to be renovated. It was bad b/c it was the start of ski season (and that is why they have the house) but at least it was not their primary home (and it did not happen a few years earlier when we lived in it!)
We just got our house put back together 5 months after the first two floors were flooded by a broken pipe! I feel ya sister.
Thanks so much for hosting this each week. It is great to dwell on things to be thankful for.
A similar thing happened to my mother! The pipe going out of the hot water heater (which was in the garage) ruptured approximately 1 inch and the pressure of the water was so great that it blew a hole through the wall into the kitchen. Hot water flowed freely through the kitchen, dining room, living room and entry way, then cascaded in a lovely waterfall to the basement. Mom noticed something was wrong when she drove up to the house in January after a long weekend away and noticed the garage door windows were steamed up. Needless to say, 9 months later her home was finally back in order.
She was content to accept her damage when she heard of someone else in town who had a pipe rupture while they were on a 6 week vacation and the interior of their home was a total loss!
Excellant advice! I throughly enjoy your positive and uplifting blog!!