After 4 months of fatherhood (2 in which I have been the "stay at home", I thought I was doing rather well. My daughter and I had developed a daily routine, 2 naps, 3 bottles, 1 walk, and a whole lot of fun. At this point, my wife was working 6 days a week. This was tough on both of us. She was exhausted from work and I was exhausted from Gracie. Babies are tiring aren't they? Anyways, I thought that I was deserving of an hour of freedom on this early Saturday afternoon.
My brother, Jeremy, lives a few minutes away and is always eager to watch Gracie (when he is not working one of his many jobs). So I called him up and he was more than willing to come over and stay Gracie for an hour so that I could go hit some golf balls at the driving range.
Any "stay at home" knows that there are many duties that need to be completed during a typical day. On this Saturday, I was trying to get a lot done so that Sunday would be a "family day". I dusted and vacuumed, swept and mopped, washed the dishes and did a few loads of laundry. My brother then arrived and I was feeling good. I had accomplished a ton of chores and now I get to hit my new set of golf clubs. I drove off , heading to the range, which is about 15 minutes from the house.
About 50 minutes had passed, I had a hand full of balls left to hit, when all of a sudden the phone rings. It's Jeremy....first thought that comes to mind is Gracie. I ask if she is alright, and Jeremy says "yes, she is fine". He then tells me that the washer overflowed and asks me when I will be back. I had only a few balls and I didn't think much of it, so I pulled out the 9 iron and hit away. I figured it was a few suds of soap, but nothing serious. I then began the drive home, happy with how I hit my new clubs, but preparing to clean up a "little water".
I made the turn onto our street, headed down the driveway and my jaw dropped. There was water flowing from the garage, the drywall ceiling was blocking the spot where I park my car. I run out of the car, the finished basement is soaked, water was pouring from the ceiling. I bolt upstairs, water is everywhere! Gracie's room, laundry room, hallway, kitchen, living room.....all wet!
Needless to say, I was in shock! I had no idea where to begin. I ended up calling a water restoration company, which is still working on our house over a month later. The bills keep piling up, thank goodness for insurance. The bill was over 17,000 dollars! Lesson learned, no matter how efficient or clever you think you can be, never leave appliances running when your not there. I am certain others have made a similar mistake, but man did I feel stupid!
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