You know the feeling when it seems like all is right with the world? The job you've been hoping to get is in the bag; a long waited for trip is around the corner; that remodeling project is almost done; your relationship is finally on the right track. Then there's that twist, just like in a good crime novel or movie, that changes everything. We've experienced that a couple times this week.
The first didn't directly involve our family, but still hit close to home and brought feelings of shock and grief. A young man from our town, who graduated two years ahead of my daughter Amy, joined the Marines and was happy to be serving his country. He did a tour in Afghanistan, and returned last year to serve stateside at Camp Lejeune. A young woman who we've known well for many years through church and youth group waited for him. They were married last October and have spent the last months settling into life together, planning for a wonderful future. Tragically, over last weekend Mark was taken from this life far sooner and far more suddenly than anyone expected. His bride Maria is a widow at 21. My heart aches for what she and both of their families must be going through. Imagine your daughter being hundreds of miles from home and getting what must have been a horrifying phone call from her, knowing that her world had just been turned upside down and there's nothing you can do to make it better.
On a far less dramatic, but more personal note, we had a minor crisis at our house. We've been working on completing a small apartment for Amy in the finished basement. New wood laminate was laid, just waiting some finishing of trim and putting new quarter round on the baseboards. She's had her bedroom set up for a few weeks, with furniture in place and pictures on the walls. Most of her clothes are moved down there, with the exception of hanging items because we need to install closet rods in an alcove. The living room area is still a jumble of furniture and boxes until the final edging of the wood is done.
Last night, when she got back from an evening with a high school friend, she said there was something wrong with the floor in her room. She showed me where water was seeping up through the cracks between the laminate pieces. The basement is humid, as most basements are, but we've never had problems with that kind of moisture, and it has been very hot and dry all week. Lo and behold, when I opened the door to the utility/storage room I found water all over the floor from a broken water heater. So, a day off work to contact a plumber, a new water heater, and several hundred dollars later, we are looking to tear out the laminate. Even if it would somehow miraculously not need to be replaced, we need to dry out the concrete floor underneath. But, wood laminate is not known for reacting well to being wet, so it looks like after just a month we will be installing new floor yet again. At least the trim and quarter round weren't down yet. And at least the old carpet wasn't still there. It was in less than pristine shape anyway (hence the replacement with laminate) but it would have been a soggy mess to tear out and drag upstairs.
We finalized vacation plans last week. Rather than a cruise, we opted for five days in Cancun in mid-August. Here's hoping the next seven weeks go smoothly.
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