What Will the Neighbors Think....

... when the Haz Mat team arrives on Tuesday morning to begin the cleanup process? I keep picturing my neighbors peering out of their windows on Tuesday wondering what their new neighbor is up to.... could it be a trouble making Desperate Housewife has moved into THEIR neighborhood? It is a funny thought... what would you think if you saw a Haz Mat Team arrive at your neighbors house tomorrow morning.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... I would think the worst... it would also scare me.

Seriously, our storage shipment that was delivered the first of August has been declared a Bio Hazard. It is covered in mold and mildew. The claims office finally arranged for a mold/mildew expert to inspect yesterday and the first words out of his mouth were "Hello Mrs. Judge, please get your children out of the garage now". He left after an hour giving me strict instructions to stay out of the garage and to not touch anything.

So... I was trying to pretend that everything was not this bad. I was trying to tell myself that I would be able to salvage a few things that mean so much. This will not be the case. Everything from the shipment has to be "double bagged" in special disposal containers and removed by a special team to a special location. Our new home will then be deep cleaned and chemically treated for any mold spoors left behind. The kids and I will have to move out while this process is taking place.

They will test after the cleaning and we have requested that they retest in 12 months to ensure that the cleaning really "took".

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I am really too overwhelmed to feel much emotion over this. Honestly, when my mom and I were unpacking the boxes, we would only last a few hours a day before we were overtaken with headaches and body aches. We stopped each afternoon to a glass of tea and a handful of Excedrin. I was thinking all along that it was the stress of the whole thing. Nope... it was the mold making us sick.

I keep telling myself that we are only loosing "things". Objects that are not important. But I know this is not true. They are only things... but some things mean a lot. Joey's baby blanket, Daniel's wooden antique highchair, and Holly's dolls among other things. These mean something. If they did not, I would have not kept them and I would have not left in the US for safe keeping.

I am just as upset with the fact that our shipment from Australia is ready for delivery and can not be delivered until the cleanup/treatment is finalized. Enough of living out of suitcases as we have for nearly 2 months.

Day by Day... that is how I am looking at this. I am dealing with today right now and will worry about tomorrow in the morning.

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On another note.... please keep my family and friends in southern Louisiana in your thoughts and prayers. They do not need any bad weather but it appears as if that is just what they are going to get.

My parents have decided to stay with us until the storm has dissipated. I also have a few more family members that will join us tomorrow afternoon. Wish they were coming under better circumstances.

That is all folks... I am so tired I am falling asleep at the "wheel"... or keyboard!!!

Good night!