Hicks on Holiday 2 - Done Brung the Kin Folk-Sept. 07 w/pics UPDATE 12/10/08 pg 41

[DisneyMom5]

MOM, you would all be so jealous of me. We got stuck on the Safari because two giraffes were blocking our way. I got to see every wrinkled inch close up. When we finally got to move, not that I minded a bit, we moved a mere few feet and were surrounded by rhinos. Interesting but a whole lot scarier. I have never had this happen before. Made me late for an ADR but I did not mind one bit. AK is one of my favorites for the safari, the shows and my favorite parade bench.

SG

That is amazing! Did you take pics?
I've never had to use the excuse "Sorry I'm late, there was a herd of rhinos across the road."

Glad you're back...it was kind of quiet around here.

How is your yard looking? I remember it used to flood every spring. I imagine it got pretty pond-like after all that rain last weekend! Our road was flooded and our neighbor's basement was filled with water (not my mom and dad, but the guy on the other side). I went shopping on Sunday and the road in front of Target was covered with over a foot of water. Little cars were adrift!!

Well, the good news is, we now have lake front property!

It's really, really bad. I'll post a pic later today.
Your old yard is flooded up way past the little trees.
All the apples floated into my yard.
The willow tree was surrounded, and the basement of the garage was full. Thankfully we don't store anything down there.

We have had standing water before last year, but not flooding.
That has only been since they worked on the school behind us, so, the last year.
I am hoping that the storm drain major construction they are doing will help in the future, but YIKES!!!!

 

[DisneyMom5]

Here's the pics:

Keep in mind we don't live near a river or a lake. This is just run-off from all the neighborhood. Sigh.

front yard

side yard from the driveway (that's part of your old yard Heather)

Around the willow tree, before it was even finished rising

Back yard

Back yard at about the highest point (sorry, blurry - we took this one through a window.) Notice the swings are now floating

All of the neighborhood yard trash has now gathered in our yard. Yippee.

Hoping to do a real update tonight!

 

[Hedy]

That's a lot of flooding, Sarah.

 

[DisneyMom5]

That's a lot of flooding, Sarah.

I'm sayin'!

I forgot to add that our over 48 hours of rain were, according to the Nat'l Weather service, courtesy of Tropical Storm Lowell (never even heard of him) on Saturday, and Hurricane Ike on Sunday.
We're in MICHIGAN people. I live here to avoid things like Hurricanes!!!

Boy, do I have a smidgen more compassion for the good folks on the southern coasts!

 

[k_reile]

do you have flood insurance??

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Wow!! We got rain here near Indianapolis, but not anywhere near that!! I had to laugh that we were worried about getting hit by Ike when we were in Disney. Now it's finally hit us - IN INDIANA!!!!

I'm really enjoying your report! I think you're a very brave woman. I'm a teacher, and if I homeschooled my kids, I'd probably kill one of them. I can stay home with them for a while (currently on maternity leave), but I don't think I could be mom and teacher.

Keep going on the great TR!

 

[DisneyMom5]

do you have flood insurance??

Only two weeks until baby is supposed to arrive! Yay for you!

Oh, heaven's no!
We don't live inside a flood plain, so we were told we didn't have to buy it.
Thank goodness it didn't get into the house!!!

The yard will eventually recover. And we won't have to mow in the meantime.

Wow!! We got rain here near Indianapolis, but not anywhere near that!! I had to laugh that we were worried about getting hit by Ike when we were in Disney. Now it's finally hit us - IN INDIANA!!!!

I'm really enjoying your report! I think you're a very brave woman. I'm a teacher, and if I homeschooled my kids, I'd probably kill one of them. I can stay home with them for a while (currently on maternity leave), but I don't think I could be mom and teacher.

Keep going on the great TR!

Tell me about it. Gotta love those midwest hurricanes.

Congrats on the new baby! Girl or boy, and how old?

Patience is something you learn. No one is born with it.
That's the little secret no one tells you. LOL

That said, I'd rather deal with my kids than a classroom of 25,
so I applaud you on that!

Besides, teaching your own kids is a different set of rules.
It is more of a one on one tutoring process, and less classroom control.

Thanks for reading!!!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

MOM, seems that everywhere I go people say it were quiet when I was gone. You all trying to tell me something? My friend who went with me on this last trip commented that I was willing to talk to anyone. I told her that I was like the dirty old man on the street corner. I got slapped occasionally but I also got kissed a lot.

Feel free to use my rhino excuse cause I did and it worked!

Yikes on the flooding but it will make bobbing for apples very easy. It is the season you know. Hopefully it did not invade your interior. We had bad flooding here (south of Indpls (Hi ya Jen!) Hardly anyone had flood insurance because it had never flooded here. Scary. Over a thousand homes were damaged or destroyed.

SG

 

[DisneyMom5]

MOM, seems that everywhere I go people say it were quiet when I was gone. You all trying to tell me something? My friend who went with me on this last trip commented that I was willing to talk to anyone. I told her that I was like the dirty old man on the street corner. I got slapped occasionally but I also got kissed a lot.

Feel free to use my rhino excuse cause I did and it worked!

Yikes on the flooding but it will make bobbing for apples very easy. It is the season you know. Hopefully it did not invade your interior. We had bad flooding here (south of Indpls (Hi ya Jen!) Hardly anyone had flood insurance because it had never flooded here. Scary. Over a thousand homes were damaged or destroyed.

SG

I tease, because I care.

We do have apples bobbing out there...

Which is scary, as we don't happen to own an apple tree.

The neighbors "upstream" do though. LOL

I drove past out local rivers, and it is scary high.
Our little local zoo has water up to the animal cages,
and our farmer's market it flooded out.

I've always been so thankful to be on a higher plot of ground!

 

[HeatherSue]

WOW!! I have NEVER seen the yard like that! That's a huge amount of flooding! I bet the ducks were happy!!

Nobody has flood insurance around here, do they? I was starting to think maybe we should call our insurance agent and sign up for some on Saturday!

ETA: I can't believe how big "my" apple trees are getting!

 

[DisneyMom5]

WOW!! I have NEVER seen the yard like that! That's a huge amount of flooding! I bet the ducks were happy!!

Nobody has flood insurance around here, do they? I was starting to think maybe we should call our insurance agent and sign up for some on Saturday!

ETA: I can't believe how big "my" apple trees are getting!

Shocking, isn't it?

Yeah, like I said, all the apples are floating in the cess pool in my back yard. LOL

Ok, I'm off to sleep now.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Your title caught my eye. Wow what a big beautiful family you have!

 

[arieljasmine]

The flooding looks awful, hope it clears up for you soon For once, here in England, we are having a respite from all the rain.

Laur's

 

[DisneyMom5]

Your title caught my eye. Wow what a big beautiful family you have!

Thanks! Working on a update, but we had 3 soccer practices last night. Hopefully today!

The flooding looks awful, hope it clears up for you soon For once, here in England, we are having a respite from all the rain.

Laur's

I hear it can get rather soggy there. I
suppose Florida's rain doesn't bother you a bit, because you're used to it!

We still have a couple feet at the lowest part, but it has gone down some.

Thanks everyone!

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

I tease, because I care.

We do have apples bobbing out there...

Which is scary, as we don't happen to own an apple tree.

The neighbors "upstream" do though. LOL

I drove past out local rivers, and it is scary high.
Our little local zoo has water up to the animal cages,
and our farmer's market it flooded out.

I've always been so thankful to be on a higher plot of ground!

UUHHHGGGG Flooding! We are purchasing our First house and because there is a little river behind us we have to have flood insurance. FEMA just "updated" all their flood maps and the Currant owners DON"T have flood insurance but we have to, due to the update. Let me tell you it is VERY EXPENSIVE! Our first quote they gave me was a DISNEY TRIP for 5 of us! YES I am not LYING HERE! $5100. My house has never flooding since it was built in 1924, but I needed it! We managed to get the price decreased to 1390 a year! That is still a a down payment on a DISNEY trip.
I hope all the water goes away! I don't suggest that you BOB For apples! YUCK

 

[DisneyMom5]

UUHHHGGGG Flooding! We are purchasing our First house and because there is a little river behind us we have to have flood insurance. FEMA just "updated" all their flood maps and the Currant owners DON"T have flood insurance but we have to, due to the update. Let me tell you it is VERY EXPENSIVE! Our first quote they gave me was a DISNEY TRIP for 5 of us! YES I am not LYING HERE! $5100. My house has never flooding since it was built in 1924, but I needed it! We managed to get the price decreased to 1390 a year! That is still a a down payment on a DISNEY trip.
I hope all the water goes away! I don't suggest that you BOB For apples! YUCK

Holy Cow! Is that a one time only, or a once a year???

I'm not sure I could come up with $5100 at some points in my life, and definately would not have when I bought this house.

We paid $600 out of pocket for this house, along with a gift of $1000 from a relative, and we have NO idea where we got the $600! [It was cheap, and we got in on a first time buyers, no down payment kind of thing]
It was a little here, a little there. It truly was miraculous. We were so poor back then! LOL

God has really blessed us since then.

I have NO desire to move, partially due to cost, and that flood insurance story helps me keep feeling that way. Thanks! LOL

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Holy Cow! Is that a one time only, or a once a year???

I'm not sure I could come up with $5100 at some points in my life, and definately would not have when I bought this house.

We paid $600 out of pocket for this house, along with a gift of $1000 from a relative, and we have NO idea where we got the $600! [It was cheap, and we got in on a first time buyers, no down payment kind of thing]
It was a little here, a little there. It truly was miraculous. We were so poor back then! LOL

God has really blessed us since then.

I have NO desire to move, partially due to cost, and that flood insurance story helps me keep feeling that way. Thanks! LOL

That a once a year thing! YES Now I have to come up with 1390 every year because it has to be paid in FULL can't just add it on to my car insurance!
If you look just past the pool you can see the murky River!

Yes that is going to be OUR pool ! Just need a closing date already! Been waiting a month! The currant owners have said that the water has never reached the pool ... Thank GAWD! but that is why I didn't fight having the flood insurance because I figure if it did the pool would get flooded and I would never be able to replace it!

 

[DisneyMom5]

That a once a year thing! YES Now I have to come up with 1390 every year because it has to be paid in FULL can't just add it on to my car insurance!
If you look just past the pool you can see the murky River!

Yes that is going to be OUR pool ! Just need a closing date already! Been waiting a month! The currant owners have said that the water has never reached the pool ... Thank GAWD! but that is why I didn't fight having the flood insurance because I figure if it did the pool would get flooded and I would never be able to replace it!

Yikes, yikes, yikes. Wow.
Makes basic home owner's seem like a bargain, no?

Hope you close soon! When we were waiting to take possesion of our house, we would stalk it. LOL They probably thought we were nuts.

 

[k_reile]

WOW!! I have NEVER seen the yard like that! That's a huge amount of flooding! I bet the ducks were happy!!

Nobody has flood insurance around here, do they? I was starting to think maybe we should call our insurance agent and sign up for some on Saturday!

ETA: I can't believe how big "my" apple trees are getting!

it wouldn't have done any good calling last sat for flood insurance. There is a 30 day waiting period before flood insurance takes effect.

And DisneyMom...just because you are not in a flood zone does not mean that you could not flood since you are not near rivers or lakes...your subdivision sewer problems can come into your house from the outside too...and since you are not in a "true" flood zone...then it is normally pretty cheap for the year though I do not know what it costs in Michigan...just Ohio since I sell it here. I'm really glad that it did not come into your house. And also it does not cover contents in the basement, just the 1st floor and above. Flood insurance does cover the structure of the baserment though.

We had major flooding here in NW ohio last year and most people did not have flood insurance, so they did not even know that their homeowners insurance did not cover flood. We are now required when we sell a homeowners policy to offer flood insurance or at least let the customer decline the insurance....but it has to be offered either way now because there has been soo many problems.

Ok...enough about flood education....I would just hate to see it happen to someone else and I truly did not know about flood or that it was not even covered on my homeowners policy until I became an agent.

 

[DisneyMom5]

it wouldn't have done any good calling last sat for flood insurance. There is a 30 day waiting period before flood insurance takes effect.

And DisneyMom...just because you are not in a flood zone does not mean that you could not flood since you are not near rivers or lakes...your subdivision sewer problems can come into your house from the outside too...and since you are not in a "true" flood zone...then it is normally pretty cheap for the year though I do not know what it costs in Michigan...just Ohio since I sell it here. I'm really glad that it did not come into your house. And also it does not cover contents in the basement, just the 1st floor and above. Flood insurance does cover the structure of the baserment though.

We had major flooding here in NW ohio last year and most people did not have flood insurance, so they did not even know that their homeowners insurance did not cover flood. We are now required when we sell a homeowners policy to offer flood insurance or at least let the customer decline the insurance....but it has to be offered either way now because there has been soo many problems.

Ok...enough about flood education....I would just hate to see it happen to someone else and I truly did not know about flood or that it was not even covered on my homeowners policy until I became an agent.

Very educational!
Thanks!

Heather will probably never need flood insurance, as she literally lives at the top of a hill, and no where near a river/pond/lake, AND no where near a subdivision or sewer line. LOL

We're on a city line, so if something went wrong with our sewer that was not our fault, would the city be liable?

Anyway, always good to have an education. I suspect the reason Flood Insurance is so high is because of the catastrophic loses that many have experienced over the last 20 years. (St. Louis has had several that I can think of.)

Insurance is a fascinating subject, as I tend to know little about it! Thanks!