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Monday, April 22, 2013

Without the rain, there would be no rainbows

Mother natures certainly is an unpredictable lady, isn't she?

At least once a year, we own 'lake front property'.  This is nothing new to us.


This past Thursday, a storm came through dropping over 6 inches of rain in less than 3 hours time.

In addition to flooding my street, this storm turned my house into an island leaving both the front of my house and the back of my house completely flooded.  This was the first time in 7 years our backyard flooded. And, oddly enough, none of our neighbors' yards flooded.


It took over 8 hours for our island to dry out.


2 sump pumps ran non-stop and were barely able to keep up with the water we took in.


After about 16 hours, our lake front property disappeared.


Our street returned to normal.


Throughout the storm, I tried to remember to count my blessings, as my basement and town slowly flooded. 


Things certainly could have been a lot worse. 

In the end, we saved our basement (!) and tried to keep things in perspective.

The birds loved our backyard turned bird bath.


Grace, was rescued from bailing water and wet vac duties by her aunt.  She had her first sleep over with her cousins and made some very happy memories.


Rain is something that seems to weave its way into my life.  On my wedding day, it stormed.


And, just like on the day that I got married, I try and remember without the rain, there would be no rainbows.

24 comments:

  1. Leave it to you to keep things in brilliant perspective Amy! How fun for Grace to have her first overnight! Looks like she did alright! Funny that only your backyard flooded. I love the wedding pic with the umbrella! So glad you saved your basement. I guess that muck is really a stinky mess!

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  2. I hope you are drying out. AND THAT YOU GET NEW CARPET!

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  3. I LOVE that wedding picture! I know that the mid-west is pretty flat, which can lend itself to flooding if there's too much rain. Glad you're drying out!

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  4. I'm so glad that the rain is gone and that you were able to get all that water out of your house. Grace looks like she had a great time at her sleepover. :) Love the wedding picture...so pretty!

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  5. What a fantastic perspective. I, on the other hand, would be stomping around and cursing Mother Nature while shaking my Wet Vac at the sky.

    It's pretty wet and damp where I live (it's pretty much a rainforest here, so it rains a LOT for about 10 months of the year), but we've been lucky enough to have escaped any sort of flooding.

    I'm glad that everything is dry now. Water can be so lovely, until it decides to do whatever the heck it wants. Then it's scary business.

    p.s. It poured down on our wedding day too. :)

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  6. Oh my goodness that's a crazy amound of water! Glad you guys survived it okay. :)

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  7. You have the best attitude ever! So glad you have moved on from the rain to the rainbow.

    I also have to note how much Grace looks like her cousins!! So cute :)

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  8. i am so sorry amy, but like you've said it could have been worse :) i like how positive your outlook is...

    that wedding photo is just the cutest♥

    rea

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  9. ...and without the rain, beautiful things could not grow;) i'm glad you did not let the water get the best of you. somehow i think grace was the lucky one... a sleepover with cousins, the best!

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  10. I love your attitude and that you made the best of it.
    I do love your wedding photo. :-)
    May SUN be on the way!

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  11. ur front yard looks like ours when it rains here, we jokingly call it lake Michelle. did anything get ruined? and in ancient cultures rain on your wedding day was a good omen. grace looks so happy! glad she got to have a sleepover with her cousins

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  12. well, you know what they say in Italy: sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata! (wet bride, lucky bride)...don't ask me why

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  13. Love your attitude about it all and the picture of your wedding day is beautiful! Glad that Grace had a good time at the sleepover. We needed rain to end help bring an end to the drought we've been in and it's been raining on and off for days...but I need some dry weather by Friday when I set up for the fair. :)

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  14. I'm so glad you're all well and good ... and in good positive spirits! And I just adore that wedding picture of yours!

    :) Linda

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  15. Holy moly! I'm used to rain up here in the Pacific Northwest, but it is just a constant drizzle for days on end which occasionally becomes a downpour. And hey, some of our best friends got married on a rainy day in the desert (much less common) and my mama said it was good luck. Not sure where she got that, but she is a wise, wise woman, so I'm sure it's true!

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  16. Wow you certainly did have your very own lake! A lot of homes in my area looked just the same... that day my friend (who also lives in a condo) and I were thankful we lived in a condo... upper levels! Almost every morning we go out for coffee together... that day our coffee date turned into an adventure as it was difficult to find a street that was not flooded that would lead us to our coffee... eventually we found our way to our coffee. we couldn't just stay home that day. :P

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  17. Oh my! Having your property flood must have made for a few stressful and busy days. I'm so glad that you were able to save your basement and that your lake dried up. I can't imagine dealing with a flooded house. Hoping for sunnier days for you!

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  18. Well I am sure thankful your house was in the center of the island and not closer to the bank!

    Bliss

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  19. Way to keep things in perspective Amy! So glad it wasn't worse.

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  20. I'm so glad you got everything dried out. Grace looks like she was having the time of her life with her cousins. Hopefully this will be the last time you have an Island, very weird about the neighbors not having their backs flooded

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  21. I love your felt pineapple, but I just read this post and I had to smile! We, like you, occasionally have lake front property - I always tell the kids "well, you keep asking for a pool"... LOL!

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  22. Dwelling on joy...that's my girl! SO happy your family and house are safe :)

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  23. Oh my gosh Amy! I totally missed this post. You have such an amazing perspective. I'm so glad it wasn't worse, and you got everything dried out.

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