The Great Flood (of the week...maybe)

Yesterday was my Birthday, a day to be celebrated, kisses in the morning and cake after dinner (a dinner I didn't cook). At least that's how it should have been. Instead it was a day of strife.

It started in the wee hours of the morning , awakening to David wishing me Happy Birthday(NOT). Instead he woke me to tell me he would be flying to Alabama to resolve some outstanding audit issues ON MY BIRTHDAY. I couldn't sleep for all the plans I had to cancel and all the Birthday wishes that weren't going to come true. The selfish child in me kept me awake most of the night.

On the bright side, my relaxing day of sunning and reading by the pool would go on, so the it wasn't a total loss. There was only one glitch- the sun decided not to shine. I guess the weeks of unending sunshine had to end, so why not ON MY BIRTHDAY? Well at least I could read, if I didn't have this obsessive personality that doesn't let me relax in my own house unless everything is done. So basically I spent the day as any other, cleaning, doing laundry, and scrubbing grout.

Thankfully David still had not given on saving some part of the plan and vowed to take us out to dinner before his flight. Thankfully, I have had enough experience with broken promises courtesy of Visteon, that I had a meal ready to prepare in case of emergency.

Sure enough, as four o'clock came and went with no word from David, I trudged downstairs to collect the kids from the bus. As I reached the ground floor, I realized that what had been a gloomy sky, now looked downright threatening in the distance, but thankfully a ways off. What should have a five minute wait for the children turned into 15, then 30. Thunder rumbled and a light rain began to fall. Time to call the bus company to see if all was well. Time to discover that the elevator was not working. Time to realize I was now locked out of the apartment (along with a crowd of other residents who were also locked out).

Before there was time to worry further about the elevator, the sky opened up, and Niagra Falls was rerouted to Sao Paulo, Brazil and we were all on Maids of Mist on the deluxe tour. As I strained to watch for the bus (which is actually a small VW van), I noticed the debri rushing down the street. Within minutes, the street was no longer visible and a rapid river took its' place. Whole bags of garbage, cardboard, small trees, litter, and all else not secured rushed past, while thunder boomed and lightening lit the sky. I even saw a very tiny car parked on the curb, lift up and move forward into the car in front of it. I was terrified for the kids, but more afraid to leave my watch in case they made it home.

After 20 minute of the hardest rain I've ever seen, the little bus creeped down the river and stopped in front of the building. Now to get the kids to safety. I had already rolled up my pants and had on flip flops. In a blur of screaming children, a panicked bus driver, two feet of rushing water, and minus one Haviana (which was ripped off my foot in the current), we finally made it safely into the gate and up to the apartment via the now fixed elevator (thank God for small favors).

Camryn was so upset, she couldn't stop crying. I was so mad over losing one of my new overpriced Havianas, and Aidan thought the whole experience was awesome.

The icing on the cake (that I didn't have), was that David had to take several detours to get around the flood damage and barely had time to kiss us goodbye before heading to the airport.

Apparently these flooding rains aren't unusual and I've just been lucky enough to have been safe inside when they've hit.

So I guess yesterday brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "It was a wash", because my Birthday truly was, literally.