3 Days Left with a Suprise

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Just after lunch, the truck arrived. We all ran to see the massive 26ft long truck. I felt light-headed just looking at it and the amount of stuff we had to put in there. Then, Johnathan informed me that one of his friends was coming to help load the truck. My burden was suddenly manageable, the sun was brighter and the mood lifted tenfold. I was thrilled, not just to have another hand at this daunting task, but, also to have a friend around while we spent our last days in Sioux Falls.

The day couldn’t have gone any faster and smoother than it did, my Grandma and Sarah came over to clean and continue packing in the house. There was bearly a squabble amongst us thanks to our friend, we listened to upbeat music, teased, and laughed together. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We worked from noon until 9 pm, and we were tired-but not done. We had probably filled 3/4 of the truck and Landon, (who was the one who did most of the strategic placement and organizing of the boxes and furniture) was starting to wonder whether or not we would fit it all in.


  

They were best buddies

 

Boys will be boys!

Ahh, those dressers were no easy task, but they managed!

Landon, Tetris Master.

August

     Everything was going well, supper was almost done. Then we would have cake to celebrate my sweet 16 birthday. It was raining and one could barely see out the windows. I was video recording the rain poring down outside not knowing what disaster awaited me in the future.     

    I hurried in to the kitchen and continued to set the table for dinner, when there is a scream of terror coming from the basement. It was Joseph and he was yelling “the bathroom is flooded!” In no less than a minute Landon and I were down scooping gallon buckets out of the sump-pump and dumping them outside through the garage steps. The basement was being flooded again. The sump-pump could not keep up with the rain that we were getting. I hustled into my room to look for water and the carpet was floating by the window. I began to throw towels on the wet carpet, but with every towel I threw they became saturated. I gave up.

     I started to throw everything I could into the nearest box only stopping to comfort the traumatized Dominic who was most upset. He was very concerned that we were all going to die. I told him the rain was going to stop and the water was only going to get an inch high, showing him with my fingers how big that was. Then he started to calm down. Landon was calling me back to help him with the rising water in the sump room so I told Dominic to go back upstairs to wait where he would not be in the way. But that just made him more upset that I was not coming with him. He said, “But I’m scared!” Then to the rescue came Sarah who had a headache at the time so she could not help carry water. She took his hand and led him up the stairs along with Claire.

     Quickly I went back to shoveling water with Landon. At around 11pm(about three hrs after Joseph screamed) we had probably taken 30 gal of water out of the sum-pump. “Happy flood day to you,” Landon said. I had to laugh about that for a while. For the next two hours we used the shop-vac hose to suck water out of the carpet which was not very effective.  There was just too much water to keep up. Dad came home with a second smaller vac to help. At 1:30am we decided we would have to pull the carpet up in the morning. This was a very distressing thought for me. The entire time I was scooping water a flash back was playing in my head when  five years ago, we flooded for the first time. Every detail was replayed in my head like it was presently happening.

 

That will be the most memorable birthday ever.

To be continued…

 

July

Sarah left for Alaska for two weeks after some major packing. It was different being without Sarah for so long, especially in the mornings when she would normally get up and turn on the light while I was still sleeping. And just not having her presents around was a little strange.  But, two weeks later she was home and everything was back to normal, the light was turned back on and under my grunts of displeasure I was pleased she was home.

Advent

Ohh, my goodness its already Advent and Sarah is talking about next semester classes, Ohh boy my head is spinning. Time is going so fast. We just finished Thanksgiving cooking and cleaning and pretty soon we will need to start Christmas cooking and cleaning and standing around in the kitchen for nine hrs, Great.

 

 How long of a vacation off of school do you guys have? I don’t know how long mine will be but all I know is Sarah has THREE WEEKS CHRISTMAS VACATION, THREE WEEKS I am so jealous.

  

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving all my blog readers. How long did you guys spend in the kitchen cooking,cleaning, and having panic attacks about what ingredients you forgot at the grocery story? I spent about nine hours total the day before Thanksgiving in the kitchen, and there was mom, me, Sarah, and Landon in the kitchen at the same time. Now can you imagine families leaving ALL the cooking and cleaning to mom? Thats not fair.

What did you have at Thanksgiving dinner? I had turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, some sort of corn dish, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, pecan pic, apple pie, banana pudding dessert, and punch.

 

Be thankful for what you have, count you blessings and write them down on a piece of paper and put the list next to your bed.

The Bead Battle

Sarah and I where given a jewelry beading kit for Christmas.  We made most of the designs in our kit so we went out to hobby lobby and spent $20 on more beads and supplies.  A  few days later we decided to sort all the different colors of beads into their own little bag, which was a hectic “Bead Battle.” So many beads, millions of beads.  Then Dominic came over to see me, and of corse he wanted in on the acton.  Him being there went better than I expected,  I  thought he was going to throw my beads on the floor and eat them, but he just sat there on my lap while I sorted the beads in to their color piles.  He put them into the bag one bead and a time and it actually went faster than before. 

More “Bead Battle” 

When I was making one of the bracelets in my kit the beads kept  falling off.  When I had finally finished putting on all the beads I tied the ends together and pulled them very tight.  With a sigh of relief I put the bracelet on my wrist and then bracelet shattered!  The beads went flying and some beads even broke.  I fell to the floor with my hands in the air.

 

 

P.S. I did eventual finish the bracelet after a hectic”Bead Battle”

 

Sleeping Beauty

Sarah and I are in the performance Sleeping Beauty that Dance galley puts on at the orpheum theatre.  If you want to come and see the show you better go online and by them fast or there may not be any open seats. 

 

I think the price for children is $10 and Adults is $12

It is going to be a fabulous show. 

 

Friday, January 18th at 7:00 pm

Sunday, Janaury 20th at 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm

TICKET LINK

God Supplied Me With All My Needs And Wants

This last Saturday Sarah and I went shopping for jewelry at the mall.  We left around 4:00.p.m.  First we went to Yonkers because I had a gift card and I picked out a ring and a pair of earrings.  It is kind of hard to find  stuff in yonkers for earrings.  Most of the earrings they  have are for ages 18 and up. Then we went to the Icing store (another jewelry shop) and I did not find anything there.  Then we went to Maurices and I found two pairs of earrings there. Last, we went to Clair’s and macys, I found nothing there.  We left around 5:30 and started home.   I thought “I’m very thirsty” from shopping and I looked down and there was a water bottle with cold ice water in it.  Then I was hungry and I opened the cubby, there was a mostly eaten chocolate bar.  God surely supplied me with all my needs and wants.