A week in review

Hello everyone! Well it has been a little over a week since we first got to the house. It has been a ridiculously busy week. I thought we would post a quick update and a link to some of the photos so that people can start to see what the house looked like. I think it is best to just start at the beginning and go day by day. The beginning will be a small recap for the new people.

Monday
The husband and I were able to finally get into the house late Monday afternoon, where we found out that we had about 4.5 feet of water and sewage in the house. The water had all drained from the house, but left a disaster in its wake.
We were able to get to the house and begin removing furniture and trying to grab the things we could save. We called the insurance and registered with FEMA (who ever thought we would be doing that.) Thank you to Detroit friends for helping us register long distance.
Tuesday
We started bright and early removing the rest of the furniture and most of the carpet, tile, and trim board. We also met some of our neighbors that had made contact with a contractor that was willing to work solely for our street. We were able to get the contractors name and called him to discuss the possibility of helping with our house. He indicated he would be in the area early the next morning.
Wednesday
The contractor called early on Wednesday and we met him around 7am. The contractor and his crew started to work and helped us get the last stuff out of the house. We started to tear out drywall and insulation and our interior doors were all removed.
The contractor also took the Husband and I to Lowe’s to start picking out things for the “new” house. We selected very pretty granite known as “St Cecilia Ext”, it is a yellow granite with black, brown, and copper flecks, a beautiful beige tile, and cabinetry. I think it is all going to look really good together…it is just crazy to make all of those decisions in less than an hour!
Thursday
The contractor and his crew got an early start and were able to remove all of the drywall up to 6 feet and all of the cabinets and appliances. By the end of the day we had decided to take the drywall off all the way to the ceiling…just to be safe with the mold concerns.
Friday
We got the house and the contractor had his crew working to remove the last of the drywall and insulation. The Husband then power washed all of the exposed 2x4 to remove any remaining debris. The contractor then came in to spray the first round of anti-microbial material.
Saturday
The contractor sprayed the house for a second time with the anti-microbial material. The car insurance guy came and totaled out my car. Friends from Little Elm came down and helped get the last bit of work finished with the shed and the entire yard. We were able to get everything onto the debris pile. Saturday night, the Husband spoke with the flood insurance people. The insurance people said we could get rid of the pile and that they would be out on Friday morning.
Sunday
We rested!!!!
Monday
I returned to work and the Husband returned to his volleyball practice. He was able to stop by the house and get started on salvaging some of the hand tools. He was also able to remove the big sign that read “DO NOT REMOVE DEBRIS” which is very exciting!
I spoke with the car insurance company and will hopefully be able to get into a new car by early October.
Mom started with dishes and we are going to be able to save most of our everyday dishes and china.
Tuesday
So as of today the contractor was spraying the house for a third and final time and spraying the shed. The contractor was also going to get the building permit, so that as soon as the flood insurance people finish he can start hanging drywall.

I think we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am almost convinced it is not the train! We have slowly started to go through the clothes that so many wonderful friends and nearly strangers were able to wash for us. Many things are not going to be salvageable but it is nice to at least have some of our clothes still be good. We were able to go shopping on Sunday for some new shoes and clothes.

Overall things are looking up and we hope to continue to bring good news as we start to rebuild our home and our memories.

The link to the pictures is:http://www.flickr.com/gp/26839164@N04/988c3j

Thank you all for your love and support. We have truly appreciated your kind words, willingness to listen, hugs, drying of tears, and gifts. We will be in touch soon with more news!