Nervous Nellies

Last weekend we had our first real thunderstorms of the season, and it made us realize just how NERVOUS we are living in this house. I mean, when it's sunny out and the ground is dry, it's easy to think that maybe we could go on living here, it's a nice house after all. But when the rain is coming down in sheets and the neighbor's yard is forming a small lake and TJ is up half the night tracking the storm and checking on our sump pump, we realize we can't do this. No one should have to live this way. Before the storms started, we realized that there was quite a lot of stuff downstairs...tools, trim, doors that haven't been installed, dehumidifiers, just projects in general that we're in the middle of working on. So we hauled everything up to the attic that hasn't already been permanently installed and we fought the knots in our stomachs the rest of the night. I also took pictures and video of the downstairs just in case all our hard work was about to go down the drain (I suddenly understand that phrase on a whole new level.) The heavens were kind. We stayed dry. However, our sump pump was running for a few days and we came to the conclusion that we need out. I don't care if we make a profit on this house (I would prefer not to LOSE money, but I'm open to anything.) If we can price it low enough and have a really good open house, who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and get an offer. We're headed to KC this weekend but hope to be done with the house in another weekend or two after that. The city's new drains seemed to help during the storms, but it's not enough. This house might not flood this year (please not this year!!!) or next year or in 5 years or in 10 years, but I feel pretty certain that the day will come when it WILL flood again. And that might just be my uneasiness talking since we've seen the worst that can happen, but it's a good enough reason for us to want out. I can't wait for the day when we can just watch the rain without wanting to throw up. I hope we never have a basement again. Ever. I used to think that slab foundations were inferior to basements...now I can't wait to have zero part of my living structure under ground level. We could always build a safe room or a bomb shelter in the backyard for tornadoes. We're leaving tonight for KC, and we can't wait for a few days of fun. My family hasn't seen Topher since Christmas, so they're in for a big surprise. :) Adios! --KC