"This would ONLY happen to you." That is exactly what my sister Amy will say after reading this post.

It has been an interesting 2 days here. Things keep breaking. Like, BIG things. I keep reminding myself, "Things don't matter, people do."

I had to bring my perfectly fine running vehicle to the DMV to pass an emissions test. It failed. So I made an appointment to bring it to one of the "state recommended" facilities. (Dumb idea #1. I have a mechanic I love. WHY didn't I call him??) I talked to the guy at the mechanic place a few times yesterday. I cringed every time the phone rang, because I an not even kidding, I felt like every time he called it was going to cost me another few hundred dollars. Thursday evening we were scheduled to pick up the vehicle. Then they called and said they needed it another day. Today, he called and told me he brought it back for the emissions test and it FAILED. But he was sure once I filled up the tank with gas and drove it around this weekend until it is between 1/2 and 3/4 full --does that sound hokey to anyone else?-- that it will pass. SERIOUSLY? So tonight, we picked up the SUV and on the drive home, guess what light comes on? I heart (not) Check Engine!

Last night during the MONSOON (ok, slight exaggeration there...) Jeff noticed there appeared to be some water pooling on Julia's ceiling. I jumped up on her changing table, stuck my finger up there and part of the ceiling came off on my thumb!

(THIS is NOT ok with me!)

Water freaks me out. Partly due to this. And this. (How did I not get a pic of the mold that resulted from this and made Amy's eardrum - she is allergic - explode?) Partly because Jeff's family seems to have some type of water curse on them. Not kidding. His parents house has flooded now at least twice since we have been married. Jeff has so many more bad water memories as a kid. One, he remembers going on vacation as a kid, coming home to 3 ft of water and the family cat sitting on the television to stay dry. A few years ago, his parents bought a 5th wheel (If you don't know what that is..I didn't!..it's like a fancy RV. Internet and satellite television, and custom drapes, but it is still camping in my book.) and not long after doing so it was in a flash flood and totaled. Welcome to the family.

Anyways, so last night Jeff decides to head up in the attic to try and find out where this water is coming in. (He is thinking some vent pipe from the bathroom to the outside via the roof is our culprit). WOW. Now I know why basement storage is so popular, and people don't seem to use attics anymore. I took one peek up there and tried to forbid him to enter. It looked like a dirty snowstorm had come through. Insulation everywhere. In mounds...like dirty cotton balls all over. Oh..and our attic does NOT have a floor. So he climbed from one side of the house to the other with a flashlight strung around his head swinging from 2x4 to 2x4. What a way to make a wife nervous! I sat upstairs waiting for him to come falling through the ceiling. My prayer life got a great workout!

Oh..and then tonight Jeff ran into Home Depot to grab some part to fix something in our shower. (It was seriously something so small I never even noticed there was an issue). I am reading bedtime stories to the kids, and hear him SCREAMING in the bathroom for me to run and turn off the water to the house. Ok, SERIOUSLY. Turn off the water to the house? Honey, do you KNOW me? This, I did not learn in my Desperate Housewives 101 class. I run into our bathroom with the kids trailing behind me to find Jeff soaking wet (and the entire bathroom, for that matter) and the water shooting out that thingie that you use to turn on/off the water and control the temperature.

Shooting is an understatement. I mean, like think about how you would expect the water to shoot out of a fire hydrant. Yes, you are getting close. The fact it didn't blow him to the ground is absolutely shocking. It's a good thing we have a seat in the shower. =)

We have a FANTASTIC small group. Each of the guys in our group (how do I not have a pic of all of us, again? I will get on this!!) either called or emailed today to see if they could do anything to help. Aren't great friends AWESOME??

...So, the roof is still leaking...it is supposed to rain like the next gizillion days...my husband is blowing his nose like crazy and insulation pieces are coming out (sorry if tmi!)...the check engine light is on making passing this test and therefore being able to renew our vehicle registration impossible...but people matter, not things...and we have great friends, and a big God. One who DIED for us so so many years ago today. Something, in all this craziness, I have not spent enough time thanking him for!

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

And, this, is what REALLY matters. Yea, God!

**I promise to post pics for this post and the last soon!!***