And Right Then The Fun Ended.

While we were vacationing in New England Andie and I received word that our Uncle had been taken into hospital. We were concerned but not surprised.  Each day her mum would email us with updates and we kept my cellphone with us at all times, which, if you know me, is unheard of. When Andie flew home she went to visit him and he was getting better so each day I grew less and less concerned and we continued with our plans. 

After a great day at the water park on Thursday I received an email from Andie telling me Uncle John was home so I left to go for dinner with some people that we met in China when we adopted Rosie in really good spirits. We had a super evening and seeing how much Mei Mei had grown and changed was just wonderful. By the time we got back to our hotel the girlies were wiped out so we put them to bed and they slept really late the next morning. The hotel didn't have a cot for Rosie, well they did but it was missing a part and we deemed it unsafe so we opted for a bed for her instead and the girls slept together in what they called the "tooty" bed. We zoomed down to breakfast and then rushed out of the hotel for provisions before heading back to the park for the day.

We spent another fabulous day at Adventure Island with the girls and just had a really brilliant day. Even Rosie became a huge fan of the lazy river and the water slides and yet again no one got hurt.  We stayed much later than we anticipated because Rosie even took a nap there. Once we returned to the hotel Jacob turned on our phones and the computer and I was about to jump in the shower with the girls when he told me he needed me to listen to a message on his phone and read an email. I could tell by the look on his face that it I wasn't going to like it and I was correct. My uncle had collapsed and died. I think I just stared at him for ages. I still can't really get my head around it and until I get home I don't think I will.

By this time it was almost 11pm in the U.K. and they had called at 2pm.  I rang my fathers house cos they go to bed late and this is my fathers brother so I know he would be up.  My father and his brother were close and always called each other brother John and brother David, never just David and John. Funny huh? We talked and decided there was no point in me leaving right there and then as it was the weekend and everything in the UK closes over the weekend so the earliest anything would happen would be Monday.  I told Lily what had happened, in a child friendly way and we sort of clanged out way through the rest of the evening and headed home first thing on Saturday. 

We finally arrived here around 5ish and had only been home for about 3 minutes when we realised something was wrong. Our phones were searching for a phone line and things just seemed off. The fricking house had been struck by *lightening while we were gone. Of all the times to have no phones, no computers, no wireless....EGADS. As were were bringing the stuff in from the car we saw the roof tiles in the front yard and that is when we realised exactly what had happened. At this point I am really swearing at the bloody 4 leaf clover! Jacob suddenly cracked up laughing and said, " The house got struck by lightening and that is the good news of the past 24 hours." I thought it was really funny as well. So out came the cell phones and we rang my family and told them not to email us or ring the house with details but to keep ringing the cell phones. I rang a friend and retrieved my email via her and Jacob called C0mcast and asked them to come and fix our little snafu but they said there offices were shut until Monday but he said he didn't think so and they needed to get over here fast. They did, but not so fast!

Finally the kiddies were fed, bathed and ready for bed and I was unpacking and getting ready to start repacking so we will be ready to head out again when we need to.

Fathers Day was not going to be the grande affair that I wanted it to be but Jakey was fine with that so we made him brekky in bed and gave him his cards and a few tokens of our thankfulness and then waited for the repairman. Lily and I went to the store to get some necessary things and as we walked back in Rosie came running over to meet us and somehow and none of us know exactly what happened she knocked a lead crystal vase off of the hall table and it smashed into smithereens showering her in glass. I dropped the groceries picked her up and knew instantly she needed stitches. I took her into the kitchen and asked Jacob, in a very calm voice, to get me a clean towel. He was buzzing about like a bee and instead of heading for a towel he literally walked around the island 3 times. As I am applying pressure to a screaming Rosie and waiting for a clean towel to wrap around her arm and hand he is falling apart. Rosie is covered in glass so I can't move her to much as I don't want to cut her any more than she already is. I looked at Lily and asked her to go into her bathroom and get me a clean hand towel or a few washcloths and I didn't mind what she bought. Within seconds she was back and Jacob was still marching around the island?? 

I assessed Rosie and decided we had to go to the E.R. so I asked Lily to get the diaper bag and my purse, Rosies blankie and her bunny and then I asked Jacob to drive. Rosie had stopped crying and I was able to ask her what hurt and she just kept showing me her arm so I figured nothing else got injured. She has one cut on her arm that required stitches and one on her finger that has been taped in this odd plastic wrap typed stuff. She has lots of little cuts where the shards punctured her skin but they are not bad. She was a really brave little girl until the topical numbing agent didn't work and the Dr. started digging around for a piece of glass inside her arm and at that point she let us all have it and then I let him have it. I was polite but I felt I needed to point out that she could obviously feel what he was doing so he waited until she had stopped crying and then poked her with the tweezers while she was looking the other way and when she pulled her arm away and screamed he agreed with me. He was very nice so he is forgiven. At least when the stitches need to come out we will be in the UK so Andie can do them for her and if she doesn't want the job Andies mum Ann is a nurse too so she will be in good hands and caring ones to boot.

So that has been the last 48 hours. I am fried and I just keep repeating, the house got struck by lightening and that is the good news! We are heading over to the UK soon and I am not sure how long we will be gone. I am going to work tomorrow for a few hours because, to be frank, vacations don't agree with me. LOL

*Most of our electronics got fried and in case you don't live in Florida: yes we do have surge protectors but they only protect from electricity surges. When lightening strikes nothing protects you. We obviously have a guardian angel otherwise our house could have gone up in flames or we could have lost all the appliances as well. We only lost the T.v downstairs, the VCR (yay) one DVD player, the phones, the printer, the modem, but that brand spanking new imac was unplugged. Jakey must have had a premonition. Oh yeah, the roof, the one we just fixed the day before we left for vacation...it isn't looking so good.