moving to a tropical island paradise

"Its record setting freezing outside. There's a foot of snow in the driveway. The wind is blowing 50mph. Not sure if the electricity is going to stay on. Man, that Amanda must have it made living on a tropical island. I wish I could move to a tropical island." Kids, moving to a tropical island ain't all its cracked up to be.

This is the one where I explain in whining detail that the grass is just as green on this side of the fence.

So the clouds came in dark and nasty. Fine, something about Christmas day marks the get nasty point of the rainy season. Only draw back- our roof started leaking Christmas Eve (happy christmas to me!). Our landlord is sending a guy around on monday. We've hooked up a tarp system to run the water to the drain and i have buckets and rags on stand by. 5p.m. Jonathan position tarp and @ yells "The water is going down on my shower." I making dinner. Jonathan finishes the tarp and goes to check @'s issue. In fact their is no pressure. I check the kitchen sink and Jonathan check the water pump. No water going to the roof- which is how we get pressure into the house. I bring in a bucket. @ dries off. Jonathan begins opening the housing for the pump. Break for dinner. Rain turns from sprinkles to crazy downpour.

Resume activity after dinner:
@ begins yelling and running- storm fever. Jonathan turns off the shut off to the toilet. I reposition rags/ buckets, sop up water from the floor then bucket wash dishes. Jonathan continues to labor on the pump- getting no where because his tools are upstairs cordoned off by tarp systems catching the bucket loads of rain coming in. While working on the pump the electricity goes out. Now we have no running water in the house, no electricity, flood water rising in the street and a leaking roof. Give up on pump. Light candles. Shut off very noisy battery back up to the computer. Reposition/ Sop up water with buckets and rags. Child is given stern warning that death awaits running, yelling children (death would probably result because of mom and dad spontaneously compusting).

Once family is settled in with the electricity off- Jonathan grading quizzes (mindless activity), @ sitting with Ipod watching old Grinch (God Bless the nice people who made the Ipod), I decide to shower- with my trusty bucket of water.

After getting out of bucket bath by candlelight, lights begin to flicker. Rain is slowing. I check the buckets and rags, wring/reposition/sop. No one moves to turn things on or off for 5 minutes after the power comes back on, don't want to jinx these things.

Good news:
-There is a man supposed to be coming tomorrow to look at the roof.
- After rain stopped, Jonathan went up for his tools. Got the rusted cap off the pump. Primed it- we'll have running water soon.
- Electricity is back on so the AC is cooling off bedrooms- Praise God for AC and beds.
- This is all fairly typical but fortunately it all happened before we went to bed, much better than when you're really at the end of the day and want the AC
- Child calmed down with the end of the rain. These claps of thunder and lightening can be so loud it gets everyone on edge- even otherwise nice children.