It's been a year ... and quite a year at that.

It's been a year ... and quite a year at that.

I just celebrated my 36th birthday, and this past year was certainly the strangest and most memorable of my life.

On my 35th birthday, we sat in fear and in shock over what was occurring in our city - and we were powerless to do anything about it. We were saddened, and scared, but we were so very lucky. Watching so many people being lifted from their rooftops by helicopters, or rescued from their attics by boats that floated as high as the roof - I knew that was uncomfortable as we were, we were all together, and we were safe.

This last year has been very trying. Not having a home to return to, dealing with contractors and insurance. Living with in-laws for months and months. Stress on our marriage.

From it, we've learned to be stronger. We've learned about ourselves, and we've learned about each other. Our marriage is stronger for it. I hope to never have to go through this again, but in a small way I'm glad I did. (NO - I would NOT choose the same path again, not that I chose a path to begin with, but if I had my choice, the events of the past year would not have happened).

This year, I had planned for my birthday to be fun and uplifting. It is hard when the rest of the city is mourning. The memorial services. The bells ringing all over the city, marking the time that various levies broke. There was no listening to the radio or watching tv, if you wanted to avoid coverage of the anniversary of Katrina. So I watched, and I cried.

Last week, we watched Spike Lee's 4-1/2 hour documentary. I am not a fan of his, but I was EXTREMELY impressed. The documentary was very well done. The interviews covered all angles, and all opinions. It was fair, and balanced. It showed the good and the bad - for everyone. I hope that everyone, all around the country takes the time to watch this. It isn't just about New Orleans, and my city. It is about our country, my country. Everyone can learn from the mistakes, from the tears, and from the warm hearts that opened up across the country. We watched this HBO documentary last week, though it did replay Tuesday night as well. Tuesday night we watched local coverage, even though I had planned not to. Chris said he just couldn't not watch. So of course the tears flowed - for both of us.

Finally, I went to the trailer and watched a cute Chick Flick (In Her Shoes). Something light and fun. That helped. It wasn't a big fun joyous birthday, but it was still much better than last year.

The next morning and Chris and I talked on our cell phones on my way to work, he said "This is it. Today is the day. I am tired of being depressed and it just can't continue." And his mood was much less somber Wednesday night. Things are looking up. This is a new day, a new year.

Well, I give up (not really)

We got a final answer from our flood insurance company. After 6 months of "I'm looking into it" from our adjuster, they finally came back and told us NO. It can't be proven that the problem with our foundation/slab was caused by the flooding during Katrina. The structural report that I have is nearly 6 years old, so there "could have been normal settling over the last 6 years, and we don't cover normal settling". I did not think to hire an engineer during the less than 48 hours we had to evacuate. I know now that it is important to regularly hire an engineer to do an inspection of the house, to prove that it isn't already broken (at the cost of $2,000 each time). The fact that my doors did not slam shut on their own the day we evacuated, and they do now may very well be an indication that the slab moved during the flood, but there is no proof that I'm right in saying that it didn't happen before. The nails protruding out of the wall in my bedroom, and the cracks in the bedroom ceiling ... yep, the titled slab would have caused that. But again, there is absoutely no proof in my possession that shows that these things did not exist prior to the hurricane.

So, we are stuck. The cost to fix this is $30,000. The cabinets sitting in boxes in my living room can't be installed until the slab is level. The countertop can't be measured until the cabinets are installed. The tile can't be installed until the slab is level. The plumbing under the house can't be replaced until the slab is in place.

I did something that we didn't want to do, but at this point I just want my house FIXED and back to its pre-Katrina (pre-K as it is now known around here) condition. The SBA loan won't cover it - I can borrow about $7,000 of it at a low interest, but that isn't enough. We considered just a conventional second mortgage against the equity on the house, or refinancing. But the interest rates have gone up. We have only 14 years left on our mortgage (compared to the 30 we had when we bought the house 6 years ago), and if we refinanced we would have to spread it out further because of the increase in interest. I saved $78,000 when I refinanced and shortened the length of the loan. That is a step backwards.

So, I have 401K money that can be withdrawn without penalty because of our status as a huricane victim. I'll have 3 years to pay the income tax on it. So ... I took out the money to fix the slab. I've been putting into it since I was 19 years old. I'm only 36. I'll be putting into it for another 30 years. It isn't ideal, but it isn't horrible either. And I didn't come close to taking all of it out.

Now, we can move forward again. I've got a call in to Cable Lock to get an appointment scheduled. I've heard that the waiting list is now about 2 months. Maybe if things go right, we'll be back into our house just about a year after we got the FEMA trailer (sometime in mid-January). I'm not holding my breath, but MAYBE????

Still left to do ...
install new carpet upstairs and paint bedroom
level slab
replace plumbing under the house
install cabinets, then measure/order counter top
install tile file
install countertop
have new kitchen appliances delivered and install
install bathroom downstairs (toilet, sink)
finish the trim downstairs, install glass french doors in den
touch up painting downstairs
move furniture HOME!!
work on yard (need dirt/fill, new sod, new patio or deck, re-side the garage)

At least we are moving forward after being stuck with no progress for nearly 6 months.