Happy Thirteenth Birthday, Emma!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we welcomed another teenager into our family.  She's pretty awesome, isn't she?  Not even one complaint about spending her birthday in a hotel.  We tried to keep traditions the same, so Ben got chocolate milk and donuts for breakfast, and I even had our birthday banner on the wall.  She got to open her gifts which included a chocolate pen (you can make designs with melted chocolate), a little panda bank, a dream light, and pug themed pajamas and Mad Libs.

She got to go on a lunch date with Ben, and then after school and tutoring, we went to CiCi's Pizza at her request.  I was able to go to the house while the kids were at school to make some owl cupcakes for her, as she requested.  I hadn't baked anything at our house for a while, but I got it done despite the mess and lack of mixing bowls (still trapped in the attic).

On the day after her birthday, I dropped Benson off with Emma's new Beehive advisor while I ran some errands and got a haircut.  (This family moved in to a brand new house 10 days before the storm.  What a welcome!)  I mentioned Emma's birthday and she wanted to do something for her.  When we got back to the hotel that evening after eating dinner with some friends, we found this on the hotel door: 

All of her Beehive class had come and decorated the door with bees that had things they like about Emma written on them, with some balloons and treats.  Emma thought it was the most amazing thing!

(The kids all have a stuffed animal from the lady we ate with, who let them all choose one from her stash.  They were so thrilled!)

Emma is an awesome friend, and we're grateful that she's ours.

The Slow Death of our House: Movin' on Out (with Facebook updates)

One of the several reasons we didn't want to move out of our house was because all the hotels close by were full, and we couldn't find any rentals or apartments that would legally accommodate the 8 of us, and our cat and our bird and our fish.  We knew some families from church who were commuting a half hour each day back to town to drop kids off at school.  Our insurance company works with a housing company who were supposed to be looking for something for us, but they hadn't had any luck.  On Tuesday of Week 3,  we learned that the mold people might come the next day, so we called the one hotel in our little town and *MIRACLE*--they had two rooms available.  They even took pets for a small fee.  Ben told the kids to pack, and they were so concerned about how to fit two month's worth of clothes in their carry-on sized suitcases until I let them know that I'd do the laundry from time to time... 

We officially moved out that night.  One big relief for our kids was that there was another damaging hail storm predicted for that night, and we got to be away for it.  Ben and Scott actually went back to the house and stuffed both cars into the garage and spent the night there, while five kids and I squished into one room, but they didn't care.  (After that first night, Ben, Emma, Scott, and Caytie were in a room on the third floor, and Gracie, Tessa, and Benson and I were in another on the second floor.)  Thankfully the storm was not as crazy as predicted, although the rain was pretty intense and the leaking into our house was pretty intense, though Ben and Scott couldn't do anything about it, as they were instructed to stay out of the attics.

That Tuesday was a preschool day.  I was furiously trying to finish the alphabet before we ended the class early the next week, and the kids were doing fine with the new house arrangements and faster pace.  My amazing hostess asked a lot about the hotel arrangements, and then left to go shopping while we finished for the day.  Later, she called me and said she had left something for us at the hotel desk, and to be sure to pick it up when we arrived that evening.  Our family was officially stunned when we saw the welcome package(s) she left for us.  You can see in Ben's update below.

April 26 (Tuesday): We have tornados and hail coming again tonight. I saw this and had to take a picture. Brilliant idea. That'll do. Lol.

April 26 (Tuesday): I have to say a huge thank you to a wonderful family who put together a care package for my family and had it waiting at the front desk of our hotel for us. I like being the one who helps out others but when someone does it for me, I'm at a loss for words. I can't say thank you enough. My kids have been so terrified because of this second storm, this package changed everything. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

April 26 (Tuesday): Now that my family is safe, I'm camping out at the house to protect our belongings and cars. I can't believe it. I got the cars to fit. Now to wait for the storm and watch for water coming in. I was told I'm not allowed to go in the attic so I have to let the water pour in. My goal is to move the furniture around so it doesn't get damaged. I've got a HEPA filter going to help out as well.

April 26 (Tuesday): Man, rain just started and it's pouring into the kitchen. So far buckets are working. It's a steady stream. No drips. Lol.  I know I'm not supposed to go in the attic but it's hard to just stand there and listen to the water pour onto the sheet rock.

April 26 (Tuesday): Looks like the worst has passed. Not too bad on the inside. However, I can still hear the water in the attic splashing on the sheet rock and I can't reach it to poke a hole. Anyway, thanks everyone for the support and prayers. Looks like it's going to be okay. I hope everyone else made it okay too. I think the lightening scared me more than anything with this storm.

The adventure continues!...

Focus Group

I had the unbelievable experience of meeting with a second member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in just a few months!  How many sisters from a small suburb of northeast Dallas get that chance?  Not many.  I'm blessed to have this calling at this time, I guess!

This meeting was for the Stake Primary Presidents of our Coordinating Council, which has about 20 stakes in it from the Dallas area.  We met in a Relief Society Room in Allen, with Elder Willis of the Seventy and Elder Robbins, who leads our Coordinating Council, and Elder Holland all sitting in the front.  I was sitting his line of sight, and it felt like most of the time he was looking at me! 

We were told that the point of the meeting was to talk about Primary, and that we were free to ask any questions or bring up any concerns that we might have.  We had some good discussions and were instructed on how to better serve our sisters.  Here are the notes I took:

*In training, sometimes we give the box (address the physical) and sometimes we give the pearl (true message--Spirit)
*Roll up your sleeves and do real teacher training (Primary Presidents).  Give them the vision (like the beginning of EVERY dispensation)
*"Teaching in the Savior's Way" --new--once a month "teacher's council" for all teachers in the ward
*Scouting--we're in 100%.  Keep going, like Nauvoo Temple.  Go get the less actives!  Invite non members!  (Following inspiration that comes to you!)  Make scouting/YW part of FHE.  Helps units that are rural or not functioning well.
*If the kids are loved, growing in skills, baptized, etc., if you don't cross all t's, you're still doing it right.
*One stake holds a Family History Camp during summer, teaching kids 8-11 how to index, etc.

I have a bit of a confession--I came to this focus group with an ulterior motive.  This was two weeks after the storm and we had just found a lot of mold in the attic.  I was facing packing up my house and lots of repairs and I was tired of it.  I was weary.  I didn't want to do any of the mountainous tasks ahead of me.  I felt I was at the fraying ends of my rope, and I wanted someone to just lift all the burdens off my shoulders.  So when I went to that meeting, I thought that Elder Holland would be able to lift me somehow--and not for the Stake Primary, but for my personal unrelated needs.  And he kept looking at me, and I knew he could see into my soul and know that something was not right.  He could know that this sister needed something.  He would know exactly what to say and do to make things right.

When the meeting was over, we all stood up and shook Elder Holland's hand on the way out.  I knew this was going to be the time he'd say something like, "Sister, I can see that something is troubling you.  What can I do to help?"  I came to him, and he shook my hand, and said, "Thanks for coming."  Then he turned to the next sister to shake her hand, and I walked out the door. 

I had a long car ride home to reflect on this experience.  What really amazed me most is that instead of being depressed that I wasn't singled out for a blessing of some sort, I actually felt lifted, in the exact way that I had been hoping for.  I think it's because when he said "Thanks for coming," as he said to all the other sisters, he was the conduit through which the Lord was telling me that I already had the strength that I needed.  I didn't need anything extra, because it was already there inside me, and the Lord was ready to give it to me.  I don't doubt that if I would have spoken up and told Elder Holland what was going on that he would have responded with great compassion, but I wasn't supposed to be relying on him.  I already had the prayers of my family and friends and ward and temple workers and strangers, and I just needed to recognize that and get to work.  That was a turning point for me.  My burdens really were lifted.

Happy Eleventh Birthday, Gracie!!!!!!!!!!!

 This sweet girl deserves every birthday wish she has, and more!

The night before her birthday, we went to Golden Corral to celebrate.  (Wednesday evenings are HARD to get away, with mutual, tutoring, Activity Days, etc., so we went a day early.)  Early on her birthday morning, she opened her gifts--art supplies, a book, a lunchbox, and...a tablet.  Lucky lady!

She requested a cheesecake, which was great, because it was hard to cook anything in our kitchen.  We got these cool candles that had colored flames!

Yep, she's pretty awesome.  I hope this year is the best one yet!

The Slow Death of our House: Week 2, with Facebook updates #2

Well...week 2.  The rain kept coming, and it was scary for our girls.  Caytie was sleeping on the floor under her bunk bed to be safe, as the original storm had leaked onto her top bunk, and a new leak across the room had formed, as well.  On Monday night we took advantage of generous offers and they spent the night at the home of a family in our ward.  Meals were being delivered from the other ward every other day for this week.  I had cancelled preschool the previous week, and moved it to one of my student's houses for the foreseeable future.  It felt like finally admitting the problem of our house was too big to fix on our own, or any time soon.

Wednesday was Gracie's birthday, which was a bright spot in the week, and will have its own post next!

Benson and I kept busy.  He requested these pictures at the library:

Our insurance adjustor came out finally on Friday.  He said right up front that there were so many claims being processed that he was already a week away from doing anything for our claim.  Our contractor was there, as well, and we all did a pretty thorough walk through of everything we could find.  Having never gone through this process before, we didn't know how it would go, but we were all happy that something would finally begin for our house...in a week.

On Saturday, a church in town put on a party for our neighborhood, since we were one of the worst hit by the storm.  They had a free barbecue lunch and bounce houses and games and popsicles.  It was so nice to get out and commiserate with our neighbors!

Here's what the back of my desk, which was against the windows, looked like--shattered glass dust was stuck all over it:

 Typical of the storefronts around us:

And this is nothing to do with the storm--it's just two brothers who are pretty good friends:

On Sunday, I was able to be part of another focus group.  This time it was with Jeffrey R. Holland!  I will write about that in its own post, as well.  Oh--and I found some mold forming in the corner of our kitchen ceiling.  That was pretty concerning.  You can read more on the Sunday update from Ben below.

On Monday we started squeaking a lot louder because of the mold scare.  We contacted the agent that sold us our insurance policy, and she had so much more influence than we thought she would!  She pulled some of her own strings and had the restoration company come that day to check it out (and it wasn't good--they said DO NOT go into the attic again, and that we'd have to move out once work on our home began), and she also got our adjustor to split our estimate so that he could get a check written for our roof work to begin.  He drove to our house to deliver it that evening.  It was so great to think that work might begin soon!

Here are Ben's Facebook updates:

April 19 (Tuesday): Today I woke up in a very good mood. Things are starting to come together and it feels much better. I've come across several options for a car replacement. Holly found an apartment here that might be available. Not sure yet but it's a start. The roofers have been awesome in coming back out and fixing the giant tarps. Our kids slept over at the D. Family's house. I just have to say thank you to everyone that have brought over stuff and have helped us out so much. I'm very grateful to have friends like all of you. Thank you.

April 20 (Wednesday): I can't wait for the day we get a replacement roof. Maybe then I can get some sleep instead of chasing down leaks, putting buckets in place, and emptying full buckets. I'm tired but we're still hanging in there. So much rain.

April 20 (Wednesday): So, my Dad has asked for more pictures and updates on how we're doing. Well, our house smells like something died in it and is falling apart but other than that we're doing awesome. Lol. We've had so many people help us out and have brought us dinner, it's been very helpful. Especially since most of our pots are in the attic catching water. There's another storm coming tonight so in other words it'll be another sleepless night. I took some pictures of our windows. It's amazing how dark a house gets when you board up the windows. :)

April 22 (Friday): It was bound to happen. My big toe found a glass shard last night. The problem is, the glass shard is too small to find in my toe but I know it's there. Also, poor Tessa found a glass shard outside and cut her foot. Even if we move out of the house during the repairs, I think we're going to be finding glass outside (even inside) for years to come. Oh well, life goes on. I'll let you all know what the insurance adjuster says today. We're pretty happy he's finally coming.

April 22 (Friday): Okay, the ball has finally started rolling. Our insurance adjuster was pretty cool but was very picky. We're guessing the repairs are only going to be around $60k but we'll see. Our contractor said he'll work with us so we don't have to move out necessarily but maybe for a few days at a time. At least we get to choose new paint color and they're going to replace all the carpet in the house. Now, it's waiting time because the adjuster said it's going to be another two weeks before we get processed and then another 5 to 7 business days before half the check arrives. I'll keep you all posted when things start happening. Thanks again everything for the help, dinners, support, buckets, friendship, etc. Thanks :)

April 24 (Sunday): I feel like Facebook has become my journal recently. I can't lie saying everything that has been going on has been okay. There are times I feel the weight of everything. I feel like our home is supposed to be a place where I can protect my family. It hasn't been that recently and it feels like a disaster zone. However, I do feel very blessed. No one was hurt and we still have a house. My Dad reminded me that I need to do everything I can to get the roof replaced as soon as possible. Then we'll be able to sleep better. He's right. Since it's going to be a month or more before our insurance will pay out, I've talked with our contractor and we're going to pay him to start on the roof asap. When the insurance finally comes around, the contractor will pay me back. I hope my wife and kids will hang in there and we'll get our lives back to the way they were. I'll keep you all posted as to when they can start on the roof. So far around here, they're able to replace a roof within a day. It'll be fun to watch.

April 24 (Sunday): I appreciate everyone's concerns that have been posted about not paying for our roof to be replaced. Don't worry about that. I am playing it smart. The sales guy I met with said we needed to pay all up front but then they've come back and said it's only a small down payment and then the rest when they finish. Also, other roofers are only requiring $1k down payment and then the rest upon completion. So, yes I plan on holding them to that or finding another roofer. Either...way, I think we need to get our roof replaced asap. I've also contact our insurance company to see what they suggest.

So, why I think this is important? This morning my wife found some mold growing in the corner ceiling above our back door. I cleaned it up and then spent half the day today living in the attic. Wow, I found a huge pile of mold under the insulation. Also, I found another area above our front door with mold growing all under the insulation. Our insurance company said the insulation didn't need to be removed. I've now got proof it does. I've contacted them (left a message and email) and I'm requesting they take out the insulation now. It's hard waiting and not seeing much progress but I guess that's what happens when you live in a disaster zone.

At least the J. Family come over and help us clean up in the attic, kitchen, and rooms. Plus they brought us some yummy dinner. It's so awesome to have awesome friends. Thanks.

April 24 (Sunday): Wow, Safeco just called me and said they are putting my roof estimate in tonight. They said they don't want me to have to pay anything out of my pocket. Awesome! Now as for the mold, they still didn't think my ceiling needed to be all removed. However they are sending a company out tomorrow that will remove the insulation and assess if the ceiling needs to be removed. Yeah! I'm happy they are responding and hopefully they'll get me a new roof asap. No more water (maybe).

April 25 (Monday): Well, Tom B. told me to contact our insurance agent. I called them and they weren't too happy how we've been treated. Within the next few minutes I started getting calls from Safeco and other companies. Safeco drove out to our house today and handed me a check to pay for our roof replacement. However, because of the storms coming they might not be able to replace our roof until Saturday. Anyway, they sent out a company called Rainbow Restoration. They came within 10 mins. That's the good news. Bad news is we have to leave our house. Apparently I wasn't supposed to go try to clean up the mold in the attic. They said if we need to come back for anything we have to wear the white zipper suits and masks. It's going to be just like the E.T. movie. lol. Our house is basically going to become a containment unit. This will be fun.

April 25 (Monday): We went and saw Jungle Book for FHE (family home evening) tonight. Wow, that's a pretty good movie. Very well done and looked awesome. Loved it.

The Slow Death of our House: Facebook updates #1

After our first posts on Facebook about the hailstorm, there was understandably concern from family and friends, and Ben began documenting lots of details.  I'm going to copy some of his posts and pictures (with some of my notes in italics).  Here's a picture from right after the storm, which got posted on a news website, as well:

April 12 (Tuesday): So, I'm told we got hit with an F1 tornado. I'll post some more pictures. The hail did the damage by being thrown horizontally. (*Note from Holly--it was never classified as a tornado, because it didn't touch the ground, though there were pictures of a funnel cloud.)

April 12 (Tuesday): Love my little 4 year old boy. Amazing after the terror he went through he saw so much of the good out of it. (Ben shared a post I had written earlier in the day)

After the hail storm, Benson, my 4 year old, kept pointing out everything that was still OK-- "The clock is OK! My room is OK! The fish are OK!" He asked Scott if Jesus lives above the clouds. Scott told him yes, so Benson replied, "Then Jesus was OK, and he got a blanket to cover up and be safe." Thanks, Benson, for helping us look for the good--and thank the Lord for wrapping us all up in a blanket and keeping us safe.

April 13 (Wednesday): NBC just came over to our house and did some filming. They asked me a bunch of questions. I probably will look like a dork on the news but oh well. They said I'm going to be on tonight at 4, 5, and 6. We'll see what happens.  (They only showed it at 4.)

April 13 (Wednesday): Here's the video Holly took when I was on NBC today. They came to our house at noon and asked me a bunch of questions. Honestly, I sound like a dork. I think I hate being on TV.  https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.roper.5/videos/10209336539521273/

April 14 (Thursday): Well, they're tearing off all the base boards and cutting holes in the ceiling. Our cat and bird are freaked out. It's been a busy day gathering things up and throwing them in the center of rooms. Next is figuring out how to box everything up to move out (maybe). We're trying to stay here if we can. It's just easier.

April 14 (Thursday): It sounds like a jet engine in our house. How many fans do we have? I've counted 24 so far. Dang, it's going to be a long night.

April 14 (Thursday): Had to get out of the house. I guess that means dinner at Rosa's Café.

April 17 (Sunday): How does that saying go? Rain, rain, go away. Don't come back...? What a way to spend a Sunday. I'm sure others are in the same situation we are in. The rain is coming down hard. My son and I are climbing through the attic putting buckets in place. Building memories.

April 17 (Sunday): Well, our tarps came off tonight in another storm. It's very loud in our house and my kids are pretty scared. I wish I could get up there to nail them down but it's too steep to walk on. All I'm doing is trying to get as many buckets in the attic and hope more of the ceiling doesn't fall.

April 18 (Monday): It's been a long night, not too bad though. I'm sure everyone else that got hit is having the same issues. We found more leaks and I just finished crawling through the attics again placing more buckets and emptying more. I kept singing spiderman, spiderman... as I did it to keep myself awake and focused. Can I cry yet? Wait, real men don't cry. Secretly I want to cry. I guess that's public now. (No sleep)

April 18 (Monday): On a good note, I took my two youngest camping Friday night. Holly took the older kids to a concert. It was a great campout. We smashed into a small tent but slept well. In the morning I made a Dutch oven mountain man breakfast. It was really tasty.

Well, I think that about catches us up.  More to come!