Harvey +15, Saturday September 9, 2017

OK, OK, so I missed doing an update last night – sue me.  If you win, you can get my house and I get yours. Deal?  OMG – I crack myself up.

Quick shout out to my family in Miami.  My aunt, who lives in Miami Beach was initially not going to evacuate and when questioned on her safety and the possible surge her answer was “Don’t worry, I have a floatie” (seriously that is what she said).  After that the Vegas Odds were 3:2 – my aunt vs Irma although eventually she saw reason and is now staying with her brother.   Just a little aside, as I thought you want to know that my family is as crazy as me.

Regarding Houston, we finalized our approach to getting the house back together.  On Monday/Tuesday of next week our contractor will finish up the more complicated demo, Wednesday we will have a water remediation crew in, and then about 3-4 days later we will do a final mold treatment.  Once we complete this process we can start the actual rebuilding.  For those that are unfamiliar (like me), the water remediation process will bring a large number of massive fans, humidifiers, and air purifiers into our home to get the excess moisture out of the studs which is critical prior to rebuilding.  Water remediation is necessary because you cannot put up dry wall with moisture remaining in the wood, if you do, mold can grow.  As another precaution against mold, we are having a mold treatment (I know a very creative name) done which, while not always necessary, seems like a wise investment to prevent future complications (and it is easier to do without any walls).

Currently, Lisa and I are on a plane to San Francisco where we will be staying with my brother in Palo Alto.  On Tuesday, 9/12, Lisa will undergo a Lymphnode Transplant at Stanford Hospital.  This is a newish surgery (no, I did not mean Jewish, as it will be performed by a gentile) that is intended to help her Lymphodemia.  Lisa has struggled with Lymphodemia since 2007 which occurred as a result from her treatment for breast cancer.  Due to the aggressive nature of her cancer all lymph nodes in her arm were removed and as a result she has been impacted by Lymphodemia.  She is hoping the surgery will help to correct the lymphodemia and enable her to do more of the things she loves – exercise, her business (sewing and organizing), and relieve some of the stress on her day to day activities.  We will be staying with Eben and Mary (my brother and sister-in-law) for 3-4 weeks while Lisa recovers and has immediate follow up appointments.  We are looking forward to spend time with them and their son Walker.

While this has been planned for several months, it will be nice to be out of Houston and away from Harvey’s aftermath – to not have to worry about the house, to not drive through a constant reminder of the carnage, to be in some nicer weather, and simply to get a break.  Yes, Lisa’s surgery will not be easy, her recovery will take some time, and we will be ‘displaced’ or inconvenienced for a while but given what has recently happened, the timing just couldn’t be better.  We are grateful to my brother and sister-in-law for housing us and glad to be away from “it all” for a little bit.  We know we will need to head back to Houston but for now, a little break is nice.

For now, I will be updating less frequently as there is less to write about and I need to focus on Lisa and her upcoming surgery.  Not sure the exact frequency (I am sure Kenneth knows the frequency) of future updates but I will be sure to post updates on Lisa and our upcoming house rebuild. 

We believe we have a good solid plan to get back on the road to rebuilding.  We have been and are amazed at the incredible outpouring of support from everyone.  We are humbled by our experience and the love we have received.  We are proud of Houston and our community in particular and the way we pulled together.  The were astounded at the way in which our neighbors who didn’t flood have worked after hours and tirelessly to help those that did.  I am proud of our ‘corner store’ which has yet to run out of work gloves, tools, spray bottles, bleach (for mold), food and drinks, and continues to recruit and organize volunteer work crews.  All of this has made what could be a devastating experience an opportuntiy where we have grown closer to our community, our friends, our co-workers, and each other.

Thank you all again for your support.  It has made an amazing difference and each and everyone of you who has reached out has made a difference.

Thanks

Nat