About a week before the eclipse, I started hearing about all of these people in my ward who were going out of town for the eclipse. They wanted to see the whole thing. I thought it was great....interesting.....happy for them. But really?! Ok. I can see the draw. But personally, didn't really care. I put it on my radar anyway and did a little bit of research (like read CNN) about when it would occur. Then since two of my children still wouldn't be in school and it was early enough in the morning, I thought I would make sure they had an opportunity to check it out. This was the view from our house:
Totally and completely fogged in!
This is what Drew's aunt got:
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| copyright: Karen Larsen photography |
She is an amazing photographer and very creative!!! I LOVE her work! And of course, she is super talented!
Well, so much for the eclipse.
On to more significant matters in our home.
The dishwasher has been down for at least a month. About two days after it went down, we bought a new one and brought it home and put it into the kitchen. Instead of installing it, it kind of became a kitchen island by default. People started piling things on top of it.
I called my plumber friend. He was really busy and didn't give me a time table.
Now in the mean time of washing dishes by hand, somehow, the garbage disposal was backing up into the dishwasher and the water was then stagnant and disgusting and it wreaked! Eventually I would notice when it started leaking onto the kitchen floor. Finally after the third or fourth time I bailed out the bottom of the dishwasher I was just done with it. I called some random guy in the phone book and asked if he could install it. He agreed but said he didn't have his calendar in front of him but he would call me later to schedule the time and we agreed on Tuesday.
Then, I didn't hear from him----not Saturday when I called him, not Sunday, or Monday or even Tuesday morning. By then, I was really done and decided I could probably manage the task by myself!! (And save myself $140.00 in the process....).
Let me back up. My dad is a plumber and my uncle is a retired contractor. I grew up watching them do things like this and helping them as I got older. So before I called people in, I watched some youtube videos about changing out the dishwasher. Then I decided that I really didn't want to do that so I called for help. Then after waiting for a moth, I decided I was done with that and made the decision to do it myself! Grumble!
Monday I had purchased all of the supplies I thought I would need so they would be available for the repair guy. So on Tuesday when he still had not called, I decided to just dive into it. I removed the dishwasher from the box, laid it on its back and hooked up the electrical cord, recognized it came with a drain hose (Awesome!! I can return that!), and then attached the 90 degree adapter and water supply hose to the bottom of the dishwasher. As I was evaluating, I recognized that the hose I got was too small to reach to the water turn off valve under the sink---back to the hardware store to replace the hose. I replaced the hose. Then I turned the water under the sink off and flipped the circuit breaker and unplugged the old dishwasher and unhooked it from the water supply. I took the front plate off of the old dishwasher and realized they had laid the wood floor in front of the old dishwasher and it was going to be obnoxious to get the old one out. (This entire process had taken me two and half hours---but I had blocked out the day for the dishwasher guy anyway, so I might as well spend my time wisely!) At this point, I laid on the floor, a bit overwhelmed at the process.
I decided that I would eat lunch, feed my kids, and after lunch reevaluate my position.
Guess who called at 11:30? The handy man guy. He told me that he had lost my number and hadn't been able to find it and did I still want him to come over and take care of that dishwasher today. At this point, I was thinking, look, I have done most of the work. All that is left is taking the old one out and putting the new one it. I am not paying $140.00 for you to come and finish it off. So I told him I was good and half way through the job. It wasn't until I got off of the phone that I realized, 'Wait a minute! You lost my number? I texted it to you!! It was in your phone! You mean to tell me that your phone has been missing for three days? Or are you just so disorganized that you couldn't manage it? Or were you lying to me?' Either way, I don't think you are the guy I want doing this job. Sianara!
After lunch and my phone call, I was much more resolved to tackling this dishwasher!! I managed to lift the dishwasher in its place and screw in one foot. YES!! Then it took another hour to screw in the other foot and I had to recruit Smiley because I couldn't lift and screw at the same time. We finally got it done and then we tried to pull the old one out. It went pretty well, until we noticed that the water supply line I unhooked was actually the refrigerator supply line. The dishwasher was hooked up behind the dishwasher!! What? That is crazy! Oh well. I turned that water supply line off and unhooked the dishwasher. Out it came! Easy. Then I saw all of the rat droppings under where the dishwasher had been. Fabulous! It took me another hour to find disposable gloves and clean up that mess. Gross!!
I moved the old dishwasher and positioned the new one, shoving hoses and the power supply line through the holes in the cabinets. Then I hooked up the dishwasher drain line to the garbage disposal. I went to plug it in and thought that I probably should hook the water up first. As I went to hook up the water, I realized my supply line fitting was 3/8 inch but my pipe which supplied the water was much bigger. Great! They don't fit! GRRRRRR!! Now I have to go and find another hose! Back to the hardware store!
I found the plumbing guy and explained my problem. He didn't quite understand what I was talking about. But I was prepared for that because I am a woman and not very many men believe that I am the one doing these things at my house. I had a photo!!! So I showed him the problem.
Hmmmm.... he was stumped and started doing the things I had already done, like looking for a hose that is 3/8 on one end, but 3/4 on the other.....(because I measured the pipe before I went to the store! Bright thinking!). Then, in the store, I realized that if I could just find a pipe adapter, then I could use that instead of buying a new hose! So we started looking for that......but we couldn't find one. He gave me another 90 degree elbow, 3/4 on one end and 3/8 on the other and told me to use that. That counsel didn't sit right with me. So I googled plumbing supply stores (remember we are a very little town!!) and went to a building supply store nearby. They were no help. I texted my plumbing friend. He sent me to a different store. I went there.
They were much more helpful!! He validated that my feelings that the first hardware guy solution wouldn't work was correct and he got me all the parts that I needed to make it work, including another hose...but 1/2 on one end and 3/8 on the other. As I was driving home from all of this running around, my daughter called to remind me that she had music rehearsal in fifteen minutes and would I be home soon? Really??!!! Yes, I am on my way. At this point, I was ready to cry!! How am I going to get this finished so we can just manage dinner!!
I picked her up to take her over there and as I was pulling away, saw my six year old, totally dejected on the sidewalk. I think he had come running out to see us at the car and we pulled away before we saw him. Then Sun said, Mom some truck was just pulling up to the house as we pulled away. What?? I had better go around the block and make sure Spike Spike got into the house and some random stranger doesn't think that we drove away leaving him alone!
When I pulled around the block, and parked behind the truck, I realized it was my plumber friend!!! Yea!!! Heavenly Father loves me!!! I ran in, gave him the run down. And he said, well, you won't need this or this. But this should fix it! And then he stayed and finished installing my dishwasher!! It took him half an hour!! I was so grateful!!! I offered to pay him. He said no. I told him I would make him bread for six weeks!!! He said, Deal!
Then Drew took me to Costco to pick up dinner and get some ice cream to celebrate! Today I have to return all of those unnecessary hardware products!
But here is what I know: Heavenly Father loves me and listens to me.....and even when I don't ask, He is aware of me and what I am struggling with. I had been waiting for the dishwasher to get fixed for over a month. I had been trying to contact my plumber friend for a month! I am capable of doing hard things....even when I don't know how or think I can. There are people who can help me if I ask. And when I am up against things I don't understand, Heavenly Father will send someone to help...especially if I am at a breaking point. When I try to take care of the things He wants me to do, He has my back even when it is just silly things that I want to do. I am so grateful that He loves me!!! He loves you too and He will do those things for you!
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| A sunset at our house...when it isn't foggy. |
