Home Study Culture Shock / Is our plumbing OK?

It has been pretty hectic around here so I am going to try and catch up on some things.

We met our home study person Monday. She was very nice. A little freaked out that we would take 5 kids, but still nice. The last week has been full of people just a little freaked about us adopting. Being pretty laid back, this is amusing about 99% of the time, the other 1% is pretty annoying.

"Kaza....what did you say?"
"Why do you want to adopt kids, just have some."
"I don't think that's really smart." -this was BY FAR the most annoying comment of the week.

Back to the home study meeting:

We generally do not talk about our REALLY personal life with other people.
Finances=Accountant
Will=Lawyer
Health=Doctor
Car=Mechanic
Cash=Banker

You get the picture. This will be an interesting experience to say the least. I am looking at the outline for an autobiography they want us to write. Good Lord. Good Lord. Good Lord.

Describe the community you grew up in. (pretty standard)
How has marriage changed you? (ok, still Dr. Phil type stuff)
How much dating did you do? (who is reading this, do I have to really answer that, what is the definition of "dating" anyway?)
How did your parents handle sex education? (you CANNOT be serious)
What hardships have you faced (ok, back to standard fare, yes)
How did you deal with them? (wow, the dark side rears it ugly head again)

I am relieved that we don't need to worry about,"spelling, handwriting, or getting a grade." Thank God. Just ask my 10th and 11th grade algebra teacher. Same teacher. Same class. Same result, both times.

We talked alot about why we wanted a family, and how we have arrived at this juncture. Again, at times it is really weird for us to talk to a person about such intensely personal decisions. I guess this is just part of the process.


On a lighter note, we are having all of our plumbing torn out and redone. As the bathroom renovation went ahead it exposed some pretty serious issues with our plumbing. Now believe me, I am no plumber, but I do recognize 60 years of corroded nastiness when I see it. Thankfully, our basement is tall enough to stand in, and all of our mechanical systems are easily accessible. This dude named Rex is handling it all. Nice work, clean and methodical. Everything I want in a surgeon. And in a plumber.

But tonight I came home and we had issues.

"Hey baby"
"Yes?"
"We don't have water pressure"
"What?"
"We don't have water pressure"
"We better"
"We do....sort of"
"What are you talking about?'

So the search begins.

We have water leaking out somewhere and I can't find it. It has to be outside, the new line from the meter to the house. I bet I broke it some how. Maybe working in the flower bed. I don't know, but I bet I did. Get a shovel. I've got to dig along this line and see where I broke it. Get a flashlight too. And a beer. This may take awhile.

Maybe we should get a hotel.

Enter my next door neighbor. Lance and I went to high school together. He is SOLID people. Carpenter by trade, and really good at what he does.

"Man, are you sure you don't have a valve turned off in the basement?"
"Dude, are you serious, I already looked"
"Alright man, are you sure?"
"Yes man, I'm sure."
"Cool"

Exit Lance
15 minutes of mud digging in the almost rain..
Enter Lance

"Man I've been thinking about this, are you sure you don't have a valve cut off?"
"Yes, I looked like twenty times.
"Alright man, you need any help?"
"No, it's cool."

"I'm done with this, we're going to a hotel. Call somewhere we can take the dogs. I'm going in the basement to put the shovels away."

"Hey baby.'
"Yes"
"Cut the water on."
"OK"
"How does that work"
"Good, what did you do?"
"Cut this VALVE ON"
"Hey baby"
"Yes"
"Would you get me a beer please?"