We Have Water Again!

First thing Monday morning Curtis went to the store to grab the supplies he would need for fixing the water line. We had to level the trench out when he returned and get it ready for laying pipe. After he got the pipe hooked up to the main, we zigzagged the pipe through the trench and held it in place with some dirt. We couldn't cover up the whole thing yet because we needed to get a permit and inspection from the city. It was President's Day, so there was no school and the city was off as well. We weren't going to wait for the city though to hook up the water and start using it. By Monday afternoon around 4:00 I think, Curtis had it all hooked up and we had water again! The boys didn't need to do much with helping that day but I stuck around Curtis to assist him with anything. I learned a little more about plumbing so it was kind of fun.

The view we had of the trench first thing Monday morning from the girl's room upstairs.

And here's the other half of the trench.

I was helping to unroll the pipe as the boys packed dirt on it. Charlotte took this picture.

Drilling a new hole into the concrete for the pipe to go through.

Those white pipes are sprinkler pipes and will have to be repaired later. Curtis tore right through them with the excavator.

Got most of the pipe laid. Going to test the water and clean out the pipe before going further. Surprisingly, there was dirt in the pipe. We drained it out at the gutter on the street.

Now it's through the hole and hooked up. Curtis wrapped the pipe in duct tape to protect it when sliding it through the concrete. We certainly don't need any new holes!

Here's the pressure gauge inside of Jack's closet. Then it goes through the side wall to link up with the existing pipe under the stairs.

We were so thankful to have water again! Curtis had turned the water heater back on about an hour before we were done so that there would be hot water for showers. Jack took the first shower and then I think Garrett. Garrett started the dishwasher while Jack was in the shower, so the hot water went fast. By the time the girls got in to take a bath, there was no hot water left. So, they had to wait another day. Curtis and I showered later that night after it warmed back up.

The next morning, Curtis was able to call the city right away and get a permit. He emailed it to me so I could print it out and tape it to the door. Curtis explained to them that we needed to get the pipe covered as quickly as possible because we were expecting freezing temperatures that night. Fortunately, the city had come and inspected by late morning and said it was okay to cover (they had wrote it on the permit). They never knocked on the door and I was on the couch in the front room resting so that I could hear when they came. At one point, I thought I heard someone open our front glass door and I wondered if it might be them. I didn't check until a bit later but sure enough, it was! That was a blessing! 

My arms and body were feeling so exhausted from having done so much digging over the weekend that they felt exhausted. The very thought of having to do more digging to cover up the pipe literally brought me to tears. Finally, I asked Curtis if we could ask the ward for help and he said sure. I know he likes to take care of things on his own but our family is exhausted and we needed the help. I texted Brother Smith, our Elder's Quorum president and let him know that we needed help getting the trench covered that day before the expected freezing temperatures that night. He stopped by and took a picture of the trench and said he wasn't sure how much help he could get with it being the same day and that I told him 4:30, so most men are still working. I told him that's when we'll start, but even if we have to do it ourselves, we have to get it covered tonight and we'll probably be working on it all evening, so if men can come later and see where were at, that would be great. Brother Smith sent the picture to someone else in the Elder's Quorum and then they sent out a mass text and email to try to get help. We must say, he did very well in his writing to be persuasive. 

The first person showed up at 4:00 (earlier than we had asked) and Curtis wasn't even home from work yet but he was leaving. The first person's name was Matt and he got right to work filling in the hole. I had to call Curtis though and see if there were any special instructions before he got too far. Curtis said to fill 6 inches of clean dirt over the pipe first and he wanted to keep the water main connection uncovered for now. After Curtis got home, other men showed up. I was inside working on making dinner so by the time I took water out to them I think there were 5 guys there helping. It was so great to see that many!

The first crew was there for about an hour before Curtis said he was going to use the excavator to fill in the rest, so he sent them home. Some had to leave anyway. But then more showed up! It was taking Curtis longer than he thought to fill the hole with the machine so thankfully more men and young men showed up to help and could shovel in dirt on the opposite end of the trench. We were able to keep most of the big rocks out but some fell off of the machine when Curtis was picking them up and they fell right into the trench we were covering, so he left them. By the end of all the digging I was out there helping to pick out roots and big rocks and there were about 10 guys. I didn't get an official count but it was about that amount. When Curtis got to a point where all he needed to do was to use the machine to push the smaller mounds of dirt into the trench, then the rest of the men left, including the bishop. Oh my goodness! I would have been happy to get one or two guys to help us that night, but we ended up with about 15! God answered my prayers that day in a big way. We were both so thankful for the help that was received! We'll have to repay them by having a pool party or something this summer. 

Finally, it was covered and we could rest easy. It was such a good thing that we got it covered when we did because the very next morning it was snowing when we woke up. It's never a good time to have to deal with a water line break but having to deal with it during the winter is especially not easy. God helped us to get it done in the right timing. Even though we didn't want to do it right now, I'm glad that we have a new water line now and that we don't have to worry about it anymore. 

I got a picture of part of the 2nd crew of men. There were a couple of kids that tagged along as well, so they were playing with the girls.

Finally covered!

Our first snow since moving here came the very next morning!

The ward answered our call for help and I'm amazed by how many came out. We don't have family here but this ward is quickly becoming like family and we are so thankful! And we know God is watching out for us!