2010. Here we are the last 2 months of the year. I was looking back to what happened in recent months and at present things and what was to come in the future. A lot of things to ponder on.
On Nov. 2 my sister came out for a lunch date with me and brought some treasures. The items she brought were extra things from Mom's possessions and good reminders of her.
On Nov. 3 I received a cheque from the insurance company, they paid out the balance from the fire claim. I was quite pleased with the way the insurance company was handling the claim. God provided much during this time and had people in place to do the job. I never felt like they were neglecting their responsibilites and answered my questions in proper time.
Now with the added funds I could pay off my new belongings and buy other things that I was holding off on until I had my final payment. I purchased a new sewing machine which was good timing (got it at a good sale price) and replaced my George Foreman Grill.
So with that in mind I could also take in some entertainment functions. One function was a play at the P. W. Enns Concert Hall presented by the Flatlands Theatre Company. I've attended several of their past preformances and they've always done a great job. On Nov. 10th was another function at the Concert Hall and it was a Natalie MacMaster Concert. A Concert I was really looking forward to and well worth seeing. It definitely was a highlight moment for me since I've always wanted to see her perform in person.
Then on Nov. 13 we had our CT Staff Christmas Banquet. It sure was early for a banquet, but when you work in retail it has to be done early. It was a relaxed evening with some good laughs along with gifts & prizes. This time the banquet didn't get late and everyone seemed to appreciate going home at a reasonable time.
Nov. 21 Six months since the tragic apartment fire. I took some pictures of the building again to update my album.
As I had bought things to replace the items I had lost I also accumlated a lot of boxes. Now it was time to pack them up and put them out for the recycling truck.
Nov. 25th.. one month before Christmas and we had our first snowfall. Glad I was prepared with proper winterwear and not having to buy things in a rush because of colder temperatures.
Nov. 27th Computer crashed, not quite six months since I bought it and I wasn't happy about it. Since I didn't know what to do and it beng a weekend I would have to wait till monday to place a call.
Dec. 4th my saturday off meant taking my computer into Wpg to get it checked out. The computer tech called back after checking it and it was a defective motherboard. It was under warranty, so now it just meant waiting for the part to come in. They would replace it and make sure nothing else was required before I went back to pick it up.
Dec. 8th... WSO Christmas Concert. A good performance and a relaxed evening.
Around the middle of December I got another cheque from the insurance company and that was extra due to the person liable for the fire (determined between the insurance companies).
Dec. 17th. After working a day shift I drove into Wpg to pick up the computer since it was fixed and ready to go. Being without a computer at home for 3 weeks sure was long enough. Glad the weather and hwy conditions were good. By now I had also done some Christmas shopping, as if I hadn't done enough shopping in the last 6 months. I was thankful for the ability to purchase gifts for the family.
Dec. 19th. First Christmas gathering with sisters and extended family.
Along with it being the busy season at CT and other functions to go to I was experiencing some discomfort in my legs & ankles. It seemed like my ankles had swollen up over night and I had no idea what caused it. Some mornings were slow going and by the end of the day my ankles looked pretty bad. This didn't go away quickly, but eventually they did get better in the weeks to come. Naturally as soon as I made an appointment with my doctor thats when it cleared up.
Dec. 20th had the pleasure of babysitting my grandchildren at my place. My son Diedrich dropped them off in the morning and picked them up later in the afternoon. It was a good day with them.
After a busy week at CT with the last minute Christmas shoppers I was looking forward to an actual weekend off. Boxing Day fell on a Sunday so that meant we would be closed. So glad that was the case.
Dec. 25th Christmas Day was spent in Wpg at Melody & Ryan's since they were on call at their apartment. We had a wonderful Christmas gathering with only 1 granddaughter not feeling good, which was too bad since it was her 1st Christmas. I was also thankful that the weather cooperated this time and not like Christmas Day of 2009.
Boxing Day was a relaxed day at home.
During the month of December I had also checked with the Post Office again as to how long they would keep our mail. They had really gone up and above of what was required. They decided to keep mail until the last day of December since people might be getting gifts & cards in the mail for Christmas. So on December 31st I checked with the Post Office for the last time for any mail.
So long 2010. There were many ups and downs, and I have grown stronger.
2011 will be as good as I allow it to be!
THANK YOU LORD FOR CARRYING ME THROUGH THE STORMS.
Posting the Hymn "JESUS IS ALL THE WORLD TO ME" as a seperate note. Another hymn that speaks to me.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
LIFE GOES ON
The month of September had other challenges to face, but life goes on.
All summer I had been meaning to go to Farmer's Market, but one thing after another always got in the way. So finally on Sept. 2nd I went to Farmer's Market and bought a few things. I like to have at least 1 pot of fresh green bean soup in the summer or fall and now was that opportunity.
After purchasing some new photo albums I was finally able to put my Australia trip pictures into them.
Last holiday of the summer (Labour Day) was spent at a Church picnic in Steinbach. It was a good time of games & fellowship along with some singing, devotional & bbq. The weather even cooperated this time.
During the second week of September a special song (Hymn) came to my mind a lot. The hymn "TELL IT TO JESUS" was an encouragement to me and to keep my eyes focused on Him. I guess other personal matters were a burden on my heart & mind. One situation was the disapperance of my camera. I had retrieved the camera from the fire so was glad I didn't have to replace it, but now it was gone. We determined it was stolen. So here I had to shop around again and couldn't find one similar to what I had. To this day I still miss it and prefer it to the one I have now.
On a saturday off I took advantage of some shopping in Wpg again. I needed to replace my winter boots and wanted to make sure I had warm & good quality boots. This time we shopped at the Polo Park location and since Cabela's wasn't too far from there I decided to check for boots in their store. I did make a purchase in Cabela's at a good price. Dress shopping at Polo Park was difficult again, but did get some other clothes like tops and a skirt.
September 17th I received an envelope in the mail from the insurance company. The envelope was sealed with scotch tape and after opening it and reading the letter I thought someone had tampered with my mail. I read it again and checked the dates and was wondering if something wasn't right. I tried calling my adjudicator with no answer so I emailed instead. The adjudicator was fairly quick in getting back to me and explained the letter. The amount in the letter looked familar and so everything was legit. At first I was quite upset and just wish they had worded the letter differently. It meant reading it several times in order to understand it properly. In another phone conversation with the adjudicator he was reviewing some things on the worksheets. He reassured me that it was being handled properly and that I would get whats owing in due time. He also complimented me on how organized my worksheets had been and that I had been very cooperative.
When I checked my mail I had to check at 2 locations. The main post office was still keeping mail from the Stephen Street address and so I checked with them at least twice a week. They were going past the 3 month period to hold mail, which was very nice of them. I had changed as many addresses as I could think of, but there were some that I did miss.
I also replaced some cookbooks (Company's Coming went on sale) and storybooks that interested me.
So even with all the business of replacing things it was good to celebrate my son & grandson's birthday. Both are in September. The birthday party was at my place this time on Oct. 3rd a few days after grandson's birthday.
The month of October started with a gorgeous day and on my saturday off. So I took advantage of it to clean windows and to give the car a good cleaning. It was good to be at home on my saturday off to catch up on things instead of shopping.
A few days later I picked up a fair size meat package to put into my new freezer. Now I was set for awhile.
October continued on with nice temps and special events. October 9th was a Thanksgiving supper in Wpg with Melody & Ryan at Ryan's dad & step-mom's house. This was something they've done for several years now and always something to look forward to with good times. Since I was in Wpg already I took a little bit of time for some shopping before supper. Ruby wasn't able to join us this time due to her new job.
Oct 11th & 12th were spent on a road trip to Kenora for some time away from home for 1 day and night. It was almost a last minute decision to take a short road trip plus the weather was comfortable.
Oct. 17th Time for extended family gathering for Thanksgiving, which we had in Roland this time. My siblings families are continuing to grow and only 2 of my sisters have a place big enough for famly gatherings. So this time it was their turn to drive a distance for the gathering. We had a wonderful time together.
Oct. 18th Received insurance report in the mail. After reading it through I took it to the insurance agency for signing & verification plus they had to mail it back to head office.
Another thing I had to clean out was my locker at work. I had lost my keys for the locker in the fire, so it meant cutting it with a large bolt cutter. Glad I didn't have any food in it at the time, but I had lots of papers & stuff. Some things had been in the locker for a long time, so it was time for a good clean up job.
It was also time to get the car serviced and then it was ready for winter.
Another special birthday was Ruby's 18th birthday on Oct. 23rd. She celebrated her birthday with her siblings in Wpg.
I had a concert ticket in Winkler that evening. I had purchased a season pkg of the Southern Manitoba Concerts which consists of 4 concerts from October to March. Oct 23rd was the 1st concert of the season.
Oct 27th was my day off mid week and so we took a fun day of shopping for the Christmas Shoe Box. A good thing to do and to consider others instead of myself.
Oct 29th An evening with the grandchildren while Diedrich & Judy went out for supper for their anniversary. Quite the interesting evening with the grandchildren.
Other things that I was replacing as I saw it was musical CD's and DVD movies. These weren't on my high priority list, but just something I kept my eye on as I did other shopping.
Then of course in the middle of all this I get a letter from Revenue Canada stating I couldn't claim Ruby in my income tax return. WELL they had something coming cause I had every right to claim her. It seemed like the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing in regards to their procedure. (In due time that matter did get settled).
At this point life sure wasn't boring, but a good reminder for myself to keep my eyes focused on the Lord. The Lord would guide me through this as well.
By the end of October we saw good progress made at the previous apartment, new windows & doors were put in. So the building was getting closed proper for the up coming winter season.
Shortly after the fire we heard several reports as to how long it would take for them to redo the apartment. It was almost 6 months since the fire and it was obvious that no one would be moving in until spring or early summer. There were only a few people from the apartment that I knew and saw them in passing just a few times besides the 2 women from Church. The one thing I had to work on was my thoughts & attitude when I saw the person responsible for the fire. I prayed about it often that I wouldn't get angry or bitter towards him. Again it meant staying focused on the Lord and how I should act or react.
In closing this post a song comes to mind; "TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS"
CHORUS;
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace.
All summer I had been meaning to go to Farmer's Market, but one thing after another always got in the way. So finally on Sept. 2nd I went to Farmer's Market and bought a few things. I like to have at least 1 pot of fresh green bean soup in the summer or fall and now was that opportunity.
After purchasing some new photo albums I was finally able to put my Australia trip pictures into them.
Last holiday of the summer (Labour Day) was spent at a Church picnic in Steinbach. It was a good time of games & fellowship along with some singing, devotional & bbq. The weather even cooperated this time.
During the second week of September a special song (Hymn) came to my mind a lot. The hymn "TELL IT TO JESUS" was an encouragement to me and to keep my eyes focused on Him. I guess other personal matters were a burden on my heart & mind. One situation was the disapperance of my camera. I had retrieved the camera from the fire so was glad I didn't have to replace it, but now it was gone. We determined it was stolen. So here I had to shop around again and couldn't find one similar to what I had. To this day I still miss it and prefer it to the one I have now.
On a saturday off I took advantage of some shopping in Wpg again. I needed to replace my winter boots and wanted to make sure I had warm & good quality boots. This time we shopped at the Polo Park location and since Cabela's wasn't too far from there I decided to check for boots in their store. I did make a purchase in Cabela's at a good price. Dress shopping at Polo Park was difficult again, but did get some other clothes like tops and a skirt.
September 17th I received an envelope in the mail from the insurance company. The envelope was sealed with scotch tape and after opening it and reading the letter I thought someone had tampered with my mail. I read it again and checked the dates and was wondering if something wasn't right. I tried calling my adjudicator with no answer so I emailed instead. The adjudicator was fairly quick in getting back to me and explained the letter. The amount in the letter looked familar and so everything was legit. At first I was quite upset and just wish they had worded the letter differently. It meant reading it several times in order to understand it properly. In another phone conversation with the adjudicator he was reviewing some things on the worksheets. He reassured me that it was being handled properly and that I would get whats owing in due time. He also complimented me on how organized my worksheets had been and that I had been very cooperative.
When I checked my mail I had to check at 2 locations. The main post office was still keeping mail from the Stephen Street address and so I checked with them at least twice a week. They were going past the 3 month period to hold mail, which was very nice of them. I had changed as many addresses as I could think of, but there were some that I did miss.
I also replaced some cookbooks (Company's Coming went on sale) and storybooks that interested me.
So even with all the business of replacing things it was good to celebrate my son & grandson's birthday. Both are in September. The birthday party was at my place this time on Oct. 3rd a few days after grandson's birthday.
The month of October started with a gorgeous day and on my saturday off. So I took advantage of it to clean windows and to give the car a good cleaning. It was good to be at home on my saturday off to catch up on things instead of shopping.
A few days later I picked up a fair size meat package to put into my new freezer. Now I was set for awhile.
October continued on with nice temps and special events. October 9th was a Thanksgiving supper in Wpg with Melody & Ryan at Ryan's dad & step-mom's house. This was something they've done for several years now and always something to look forward to with good times. Since I was in Wpg already I took a little bit of time for some shopping before supper. Ruby wasn't able to join us this time due to her new job.
Oct 11th & 12th were spent on a road trip to Kenora for some time away from home for 1 day and night. It was almost a last minute decision to take a short road trip plus the weather was comfortable.
Oct. 17th Time for extended family gathering for Thanksgiving, which we had in Roland this time. My siblings families are continuing to grow and only 2 of my sisters have a place big enough for famly gatherings. So this time it was their turn to drive a distance for the gathering. We had a wonderful time together.
Oct. 18th Received insurance report in the mail. After reading it through I took it to the insurance agency for signing & verification plus they had to mail it back to head office.
Another thing I had to clean out was my locker at work. I had lost my keys for the locker in the fire, so it meant cutting it with a large bolt cutter. Glad I didn't have any food in it at the time, but I had lots of papers & stuff. Some things had been in the locker for a long time, so it was time for a good clean up job.
It was also time to get the car serviced and then it was ready for winter.
Another special birthday was Ruby's 18th birthday on Oct. 23rd. She celebrated her birthday with her siblings in Wpg.
I had a concert ticket in Winkler that evening. I had purchased a season pkg of the Southern Manitoba Concerts which consists of 4 concerts from October to March. Oct 23rd was the 1st concert of the season.
Oct 27th was my day off mid week and so we took a fun day of shopping for the Christmas Shoe Box. A good thing to do and to consider others instead of myself.
Oct 29th An evening with the grandchildren while Diedrich & Judy went out for supper for their anniversary. Quite the interesting evening with the grandchildren.
Other things that I was replacing as I saw it was musical CD's and DVD movies. These weren't on my high priority list, but just something I kept my eye on as I did other shopping.
Then of course in the middle of all this I get a letter from Revenue Canada stating I couldn't claim Ruby in my income tax return. WELL they had something coming cause I had every right to claim her. It seemed like the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing in regards to their procedure. (In due time that matter did get settled).
At this point life sure wasn't boring, but a good reminder for myself to keep my eyes focused on the Lord. The Lord would guide me through this as well.
By the end of October we saw good progress made at the previous apartment, new windows & doors were put in. So the building was getting closed proper for the up coming winter season.
Shortly after the fire we heard several reports as to how long it would take for them to redo the apartment. It was almost 6 months since the fire and it was obvious that no one would be moving in until spring or early summer. There were only a few people from the apartment that I knew and saw them in passing just a few times besides the 2 women from Church. The one thing I had to work on was my thoughts & attitude when I saw the person responsible for the fire. I prayed about it often that I wouldn't get angry or bitter towards him. Again it meant staying focused on the Lord and how I should act or react.
In closing this post a song comes to mind; "TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS"
CHORUS;
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Worksheets Submitted & Summer Goes On
(MONTH OF AUGUST)
As I said in my previous post that I had not tallied up my worksheets towards the end of my holidays. After making much progress during my holidays I did tally up the worksheets before going back to work. If I had tallied them up right in the beginning of my holidays I would have been discouraged from continuing with pricing items. I was over my insurance coverage and now didn't know what to do, should I continue on or stop. So I contacted the adjudicator and he advised me to continue with my list. As an after thought I realized I should have changed my insurance coverage when I moved from Winkler to Morden since Ruby was back with me and therefore had more household items. I did continue with my list and it seemed like I was still adding things to it as I tried to remember what was in every room, cupboard and corner. I also rewrote the insurance worksheet pages since they had to be categorized properly . The adjudicator assured me that whatever amount I went over would be submitted to the other party's insurance (person liable for the fire).
My goal had been to submit the worksheets at the end of my holidays, but that didn't happen. So I kept at it for another week and really tried to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I knew there was a good chance I would forget something, it wouldn't be 100% accurate.
As I get back to work after my holdiays I was also needing to adjust to my new orthotics and my shoes were still not the most comfortable. I really thought that after 2 months of wearing the shoes it wouldn't bother my feet, but my toes were hurting from the change. I changed footwear for a few days and tried returning the shoes with no success. So I finally went back to Wal Mart and bought a pair of Dr. Scholl's shoes which I've worn before. (After the fire I needed footwear, so didn't take enough time to try on several pairs of shoes. Another after thought).
August 9th, 10th and 11th were some days off again so I could make final adjustments to the insurance worksheets before submitting them.
August 10th... insurance worksheets completed and were sent off by courier when I brought them to the insurance agency. I had submitted 40 pages plus photo copied receipts of the purchases I had made after the fire. It was a great relief knowing I had finished my part. Now it lay in the hands of the insurance company. I was hoping & praying that I'd be reimbursed in good time.
I had heard stories of other fire victims still dealing with their insurance claims 1 year after a fire incident.
I was really hoping that this wouldn't be the case for me. I did get paid in due time. (More in another post).
We also had a heat wave during these 3 days that I had off, so I was glad to be at home and not at work.
August 11th..... My celebration on finishing the worksheets was going for a pedicure. This was my first time for a pedicure so it was a good treat and well worth it.
Now that I didn't have to do anymore pricing I could concentrate on other things, but just because the pricing had come to an end the shopping to replace items still wasn't finished. As I was continuing to replace things I was observing prices more then usual. Now I was more interested in finding things on sale or waiting for a sale. Plus any larger purchase items would have to wait till I got another cheque from the insurance company. Another thing I wanted to do was take a bit of a holiday away from home. So I checked some tourist spots for Manitoba on the internet.
Besides planning a holiday I also started going through more photos to put into my new albums. My sister Ruth had given me some photo albums that she had extra's of from Mom's belongings. Some of them were useful.
Like I said before I wouldn't be 100% accurate in listing my items and wouldn't you know it there were some things that came to mind in the weeks following. It was too late to add those items to my claim. Once the insurance worksheets were submitted it was a done deal.
After another 8 days of work I was ready for a holiday and just take it easy with no worries of anything. I booked a yurt at Spruce Woods Provincial Park for 3 days August 22nd - 25th. The first day we were there was a very hot day which was a Sunday. After taking a bit of a tour through the park we went to the beach to cool off. Then we went back to our campsite (yurt) for the remainder of the evening. We got settled in and checked out the wood supply for the fire pit. Ruby enjoyed chopping wood and getting the fire going.
On the second day(monday) we toured the area some more and took a walk to the sand dunes. We also took a horse wagon ride that took us to the sand dunes and down another trail. It was a cooler day with a little bit of rain.
There were several trails to walk through in the area so we took advantage of it while we were there. It was quite scenic in the area and therefore had good opportunity to take pictures.
Tuesday was a very windy day so we took a drive to Shilo and viewed the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum. The weather did improve later in the day so we were still able to enjoy the outdoors at our campsite (yurt). We also went for another walk on a different trail. There were maps for all the trails in the area and a person could walk for hours. Some were more difficult then others.
The beds in the yurt were comfortable for the most part, but it cooled off at night quite a bit. Thankfully the yurt had a small heater in it, which we made use of once we had figured it out. It was an electrical sight and the deck of the yurt was covered. It also had a small counter on the deck. So I had taken my toaster oven and electric pot along in case we weren't able to use the fire pit. I guess you can say we weren't roughing it very much with some of the conveniences.
The weather for the most part was reasonable and we weren't confined to the yurt.
On wednesday our last day at Spruce Woods we packed up our things in good time and checked out of our site in time.
I think we did go on another walking trail before heading out to Wpg. We enjoyed our time at Spruce Woods and I would recommend it to everyone for a vacation spot.
August 25th (wednesday).... spending the night in Wpg at River Gate Inn (Bed & Breakfast). We had the Manitoba Room. It's a beautiful house which was only open as a Bed & Breakfast for another week at the time we were there. It was sold and the next owner was turning it back into a private home. All the rooms had a theme during the time it was as a Bed & Breakfast.
Since we were in Wpg we also spent some time with family (Phillip, Melody & Ryan & Lexi).
August 26th.... we had a good breakfast. Then we made use of the pool after awhile before checking out.
We stayed in the city till later in the afternoon with watching a 3D movie at the IMAX Theatre and did some shopping. By supper time we were back home and unpacked some of our things.
The next day was a catch up day with laundry & other things. Seems like the laundry pile is always a lot bigger after camping.
Plus the Corn & Apple was on this weekend 27th-29th and Ruby wanted to take in the rides.
Melody & Lexi were coming out for the weekend as well, our first overnight guests.
Saturday morning the weather was quite dreary, but the parade didn't get cancelled. At the previous apartment (damaged by fire) we wouldn't even have had to step out the door. We could have watched it right from the balcony. Now we had to walk a few blocks and find a spot to watch the parade.
We checked out a few things during the festival before going home. The rainy weather wasn't comfortable.
August 29th...(Sunday). We went to our regular Church service in the morning which meant finding a parking spot... a distance from Church. Later in the afternoon we took in the car show at the Morden Park with the rest of my family. It was a good way to end my holiday with family.
The month of August ended with work & free time. Now that the insurance worksheets were submitted I catch myself thinking "now what ??" since no more pricing needed to be done.
Through the endless hours of pricing and shopping I'm thankful for family & friends that have been my support group in words of encouragement and prayer. The Lord has put them in my life for a reason.
HIDDEN IN THE HOLLOW OF HIS BLESSED HAND,
NEVER FOE CAN FOLLOW, NEVER TRAITOR STAND;
NOT A SURGE OF WORRY, NOT A SHADE OF CARE,
NOT A BLAST OF HURRY TOUCH THE SPIRIT THERE.
STAYED UPON JEHOVAH, HEARTS ARE FULLY BLEST,
FINDING AS HE PROMISED, PERFECT PEACE AND REST.----- HAVERGAL
"YOU WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON YOU."
Isaiah 26:3
As I said in my previous post that I had not tallied up my worksheets towards the end of my holidays. After making much progress during my holidays I did tally up the worksheets before going back to work. If I had tallied them up right in the beginning of my holidays I would have been discouraged from continuing with pricing items. I was over my insurance coverage and now didn't know what to do, should I continue on or stop. So I contacted the adjudicator and he advised me to continue with my list. As an after thought I realized I should have changed my insurance coverage when I moved from Winkler to Morden since Ruby was back with me and therefore had more household items. I did continue with my list and it seemed like I was still adding things to it as I tried to remember what was in every room, cupboard and corner. I also rewrote the insurance worksheet pages since they had to be categorized properly . The adjudicator assured me that whatever amount I went over would be submitted to the other party's insurance (person liable for the fire).
My goal had been to submit the worksheets at the end of my holidays, but that didn't happen. So I kept at it for another week and really tried to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I knew there was a good chance I would forget something, it wouldn't be 100% accurate.
As I get back to work after my holdiays I was also needing to adjust to my new orthotics and my shoes were still not the most comfortable. I really thought that after 2 months of wearing the shoes it wouldn't bother my feet, but my toes were hurting from the change. I changed footwear for a few days and tried returning the shoes with no success. So I finally went back to Wal Mart and bought a pair of Dr. Scholl's shoes which I've worn before. (After the fire I needed footwear, so didn't take enough time to try on several pairs of shoes. Another after thought).
August 9th, 10th and 11th were some days off again so I could make final adjustments to the insurance worksheets before submitting them.
August 10th... insurance worksheets completed and were sent off by courier when I brought them to the insurance agency. I had submitted 40 pages plus photo copied receipts of the purchases I had made after the fire. It was a great relief knowing I had finished my part. Now it lay in the hands of the insurance company. I was hoping & praying that I'd be reimbursed in good time.
I had heard stories of other fire victims still dealing with their insurance claims 1 year after a fire incident.
I was really hoping that this wouldn't be the case for me. I did get paid in due time. (More in another post).
We also had a heat wave during these 3 days that I had off, so I was glad to be at home and not at work.
August 11th..... My celebration on finishing the worksheets was going for a pedicure. This was my first time for a pedicure so it was a good treat and well worth it.
Now that I didn't have to do anymore pricing I could concentrate on other things, but just because the pricing had come to an end the shopping to replace items still wasn't finished. As I was continuing to replace things I was observing prices more then usual. Now I was more interested in finding things on sale or waiting for a sale. Plus any larger purchase items would have to wait till I got another cheque from the insurance company. Another thing I wanted to do was take a bit of a holiday away from home. So I checked some tourist spots for Manitoba on the internet.
Besides planning a holiday I also started going through more photos to put into my new albums. My sister Ruth had given me some photo albums that she had extra's of from Mom's belongings. Some of them were useful.
Like I said before I wouldn't be 100% accurate in listing my items and wouldn't you know it there were some things that came to mind in the weeks following. It was too late to add those items to my claim. Once the insurance worksheets were submitted it was a done deal.
After another 8 days of work I was ready for a holiday and just take it easy with no worries of anything. I booked a yurt at Spruce Woods Provincial Park for 3 days August 22nd - 25th. The first day we were there was a very hot day which was a Sunday. After taking a bit of a tour through the park we went to the beach to cool off. Then we went back to our campsite (yurt) for the remainder of the evening. We got settled in and checked out the wood supply for the fire pit. Ruby enjoyed chopping wood and getting the fire going.
On the second day(monday) we toured the area some more and took a walk to the sand dunes. We also took a horse wagon ride that took us to the sand dunes and down another trail. It was a cooler day with a little bit of rain.
There were several trails to walk through in the area so we took advantage of it while we were there. It was quite scenic in the area and therefore had good opportunity to take pictures.
Tuesday was a very windy day so we took a drive to Shilo and viewed the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum. The weather did improve later in the day so we were still able to enjoy the outdoors at our campsite (yurt). We also went for another walk on a different trail. There were maps for all the trails in the area and a person could walk for hours. Some were more difficult then others.
The beds in the yurt were comfortable for the most part, but it cooled off at night quite a bit. Thankfully the yurt had a small heater in it, which we made use of once we had figured it out. It was an electrical sight and the deck of the yurt was covered. It also had a small counter on the deck. So I had taken my toaster oven and electric pot along in case we weren't able to use the fire pit. I guess you can say we weren't roughing it very much with some of the conveniences.
The weather for the most part was reasonable and we weren't confined to the yurt.
On wednesday our last day at Spruce Woods we packed up our things in good time and checked out of our site in time.
I think we did go on another walking trail before heading out to Wpg. We enjoyed our time at Spruce Woods and I would recommend it to everyone for a vacation spot.
August 25th (wednesday).... spending the night in Wpg at River Gate Inn (Bed & Breakfast). We had the Manitoba Room. It's a beautiful house which was only open as a Bed & Breakfast for another week at the time we were there. It was sold and the next owner was turning it back into a private home. All the rooms had a theme during the time it was as a Bed & Breakfast.
Since we were in Wpg we also spent some time with family (Phillip, Melody & Ryan & Lexi).
August 26th.... we had a good breakfast. Then we made use of the pool after awhile before checking out.
We stayed in the city till later in the afternoon with watching a 3D movie at the IMAX Theatre and did some shopping. By supper time we were back home and unpacked some of our things.
The next day was a catch up day with laundry & other things. Seems like the laundry pile is always a lot bigger after camping.
Plus the Corn & Apple was on this weekend 27th-29th and Ruby wanted to take in the rides.
Melody & Lexi were coming out for the weekend as well, our first overnight guests.
Saturday morning the weather was quite dreary, but the parade didn't get cancelled. At the previous apartment (damaged by fire) we wouldn't even have had to step out the door. We could have watched it right from the balcony. Now we had to walk a few blocks and find a spot to watch the parade.
We checked out a few things during the festival before going home. The rainy weather wasn't comfortable.
August 29th...(Sunday). We went to our regular Church service in the morning which meant finding a parking spot... a distance from Church. Later in the afternoon we took in the car show at the Morden Park with the rest of my family. It was a good way to end my holiday with family.
The month of August ended with work & free time. Now that the insurance worksheets were submitted I catch myself thinking "now what ??" since no more pricing needed to be done.
Through the endless hours of pricing and shopping I'm thankful for family & friends that have been my support group in words of encouragement and prayer. The Lord has put them in my life for a reason.
HIDDEN IN THE HOLLOW OF HIS BLESSED HAND,
NEVER FOE CAN FOLLOW, NEVER TRAITOR STAND;
NOT A SURGE OF WORRY, NOT A SHADE OF CARE,
NOT A BLAST OF HURRY TOUCH THE SPIRIT THERE.
STAYED UPON JEHOVAH, HEARTS ARE FULLY BLEST,
FINDING AS HE PROMISED, PERFECT PEACE AND REST.----- HAVERGAL
"YOU WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON YOU."
Isaiah 26:3
Saturday, 21 May 2011
BLESSINGS & MUCH MORE
A start of a new month (July) and six weeks since the tragic fire happened.
Canada Day (July 1st) consisted of an assortment of things, but not really a relaxed day. I took some pictures of the fire damaged apartment from the outside. The fire/smoke smell still lingered in the area where the fire started. It was a smell that I would probably never forget. In fact cigarette smoke probably irritated me more now then it did before the fire.
I made time to go through the remainder of totes & boxes that I had stored in a friend's garage. One tote had blankets and I was glad that they were not damaged. As I'm going through the blankets I realized they were the ones my mom had made for my children many years ago. The blankets had their names on it.... WHAT A BLESSING. A wonderful reminder of my mom for the children and something she had made with her own hands. I did take the blankets to the laundry mat to give them a good washing and dry. Other things we went through were some more photos and movies. I had quite a few VHS movies from Feature Films for Families, so I gave them to Neufelds since they had a VCR player and could test them for quality. Photo albums were thrown into the garbage after the photos were removed. I also salvaged some fabric from the totes.
The restoration/construction crew was very busy disposing of many items into the dumpsters located close to the apartment. Several windows & patio doors were boarded up as they were in the clean up stage.
As progress was made at the apartment, walls were being stripped and then the building started looking bare. We drove past the damaged apartment several times a week since it was on our way to Church or other down town shopping. Several times I had some sad feelings as I drove past thinking my belongings were still in the apartment when really I knew they weren't. Even though we had only been living in the apartment for 1 year & 3 weeks there were memories for us in that suite.
We were adjusting quite well with most things in our new apartment. Ruby was always able to lock her bike up at the other apartment, but at our new location there was no bike rack. I asked the landlord about it and he immediately looked into getting one, but had to order it in. A change in one appliance was something to get used to and that was the oven. I really missed my own oven that I had in the previous apartment. One of the donated items we received was a toaster oven and it was put into good use even to this day.
The month of July was filled with many things such as continuous days of shopping especially on my days off, so I was never bored. Every day consisted of googling items on the internet and filling out my ever increasing worksheets. Sometimes commercials on TV would jog my memory about an item or similar item that I lost in the fire or conversations about things with others would remind me of something. In those cases I would try to write the item down on paper when possible. When it came to books, cookbooks or movies it was hard to estimate how much I had. Like I said we would google things on the internet. Ruby found the Feature Films for Families website and went through the list and checked off the ones we lost plus checked the price as well. The first cookbook I replaced (which was a must) was the "Mennonite Treasury Of Recipes" and was able to buy it locally. I did add more cookbooks as I came across them at a consignment store or if they were on a good sale. I knew I wouldn't replace all of my books or cookbooks, it would only be my favorite ones if they were available.
There was also the matter of replacing my orthotics which I had in my work shoes. I had an appointment with the foot doctor on July 7th and was able to order the orthotics, plus my car needed a service job as well. So here was another day off consisting of appointments, shopping and pricing. Sometimes I wondered if it would ever end.
Then the day (July 9th) finally came when the furniture store delivered my reclining sofa and Ruby's bed. The first evening of having the reclining sofa I relaxed by watching a rented movie. At last I could put my feet up again after a long day of work. The following week was another week of appointments along with some FUN. I needed to get my eyes tested again at Focal Point to see how I was adjusting to my glasses.
July 15th was my birthday as well as my younger sister's birthday ( 3 years difference), so that was a day set aside to spend lunch with my sisters in Wpg. After lunch it was shopping time with my daughters & granddaughter. It was a fun & full day.
The next day TV cable was hooked up.
Then the following Sunday we had a special lunch fellowship at Church for a newlywed couple. This was Ruby's first opportunity of making a special cake. We were finally getting into a routine with meals & such in our own home. Another event on this day was a staff function at Meadows Minature Golf consisting of a BBQ and taking part of the rides & golf. Another fun & full day.
The following week continued on with pricing, but I also started making photo copies of receipts. The insurance company would require them along with my insurance sheets of all the listed items. Some things I wasn't able to price through the internet so it meant physically having my list with clipboard and do my pricing in the store. Even when I wasn't in my uniform shirt and doing the pricing on my own time customers would still ask me for help. The only place that I wasn't bothered by customers was when I was pricing out my grocery items at Superstore.
Besides being in the middle of summer I also had to think of winter wear and not leave it for the last minute. So on another shopping day I came across some nice winter jackets plus Ruby was with me at the time so was able to buy her a jacket as well. I'm sure the temps were quite high the day I bought the jackets, but at that price I couldn't past it by. Buying used items at the Thrift Store was an option as well, which I did for some toys & stuffed animals that would be available for the grandchildren to play with when they came over to visit.
I took 1 week of holidays at the end of July (26th-31st) so I could make better progress on my insurance worksheets. I had done so much on my worksheets already, so I was seeing light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. We also had special services at Church in the beginning of the week and wanted to take part of it. I was determined to get as much done on my worksheets during the day and then go to the special service in the evening. I knew I would get overwhelmed if I did too many hours of pricing in one day.
July 26th ... received a chq in the mail from the insurance company, which was a nice surprise. I didn't think I would get another chq until I had all my insurance worksheets submitted. The timing of the chq sure relieved the stress on me in wanting to get my worksheets submitted as soon as possible. As soon as I got the chq I called and emailed the insurance adjudicator. He got back to me in a quick manner. It was good to touch base with him and give him a progress report. A few things that he appreciated from my progress was that I wasn't on his frequent caller list. He knew about my situation.... I was on my own and that I needed to work in order to support myself & Ruby, so taking time off from work for pricing etc was limited. Several times he suggested that my children help in the pricing. I knew my children were all very busy with their own work so I only asked for prices on certain items. During our conversation the adjudicator also said what the clean up bill would be which would be noted as a moving expense.... it was at a reasonable cost. As I said in my earlier posts that I felt the adjudicator was keeping me informed about things and he was looking out for me. I never felt that he wasn't taking care of matters. He proved himself many a time. The LORD had people in place for me... for which I was very thankful.
After 2 days of making very good progress I took a break to take a trip into Wpg. Ruby had been at her sister's place for a few days. Since I was in Wpg I also took a bit of time for some more shopping. Clothes shopping was an endless task, but was glad I was able to get dryer balls from Quilts Etc. We also needed to be back home for our first supper guests. It was the final service at Church for the special services and the speaker, his wife & brother-in-law were our supper guests. The services were a real blessing.
July 29th spent part of the day at home pricing my worksheet again. Now it was time for a break away from home, so we took a trip to Steinbach. Before going to Steinbach I drove to my country home by Grunthal to show Ruby where I grew up. The state of the house & property sure had changed and not for the better, it was worse. I took some pictures of the yard. I almost felt like going inside the house since it looked very abandoned, but didn't have enough courage to check the doors. If the inside wasn't kept up it would have been disheartening.
(Just recently we heard that someone else bought the place and are redoing the house. We (us sisters) were glad to hear such news. Hope to take pics this summer again).
Then off we were to Steinbach and stayed at my sister & brother-in-law's place for the night.
Friday (30th) morning we took in the parade in Steinbach. After the parade we did some shopping. Ruby also had a short visit with a friend that she hadn't seen in quite awhile. We were home by supper for a quick meal since I was going to an outside play. I enjoyed a relaxed evening at the outside play "MOSES" with Church friends.
The last day of the month was a saturday so it was a mix of things like shopping, pricing, laundry & cleaning.
Plus my holidays were extended a few more days into August which would help me a lot so I could work on my insurance worksheets some more. At this point I had not tallied up the insurance worksheets, which was probably a good thing.
Another month come & gone. It definitely was a month of challenges, blessings & much more.
So grateful that GOD is GOOD and supplied all our needs in such a timely matter.
"I can always count on God, my heavenly Father,
For He changes not; He always is the same.
Yesterday, today, forever, He is faithful,
And I know He loves me, praise His holy name!---Felten"
Canada Day (July 1st) consisted of an assortment of things, but not really a relaxed day. I took some pictures of the fire damaged apartment from the outside. The fire/smoke smell still lingered in the area where the fire started. It was a smell that I would probably never forget. In fact cigarette smoke probably irritated me more now then it did before the fire.
I made time to go through the remainder of totes & boxes that I had stored in a friend's garage. One tote had blankets and I was glad that they were not damaged. As I'm going through the blankets I realized they were the ones my mom had made for my children many years ago. The blankets had their names on it.... WHAT A BLESSING. A wonderful reminder of my mom for the children and something she had made with her own hands. I did take the blankets to the laundry mat to give them a good washing and dry. Other things we went through were some more photos and movies. I had quite a few VHS movies from Feature Films for Families, so I gave them to Neufelds since they had a VCR player and could test them for quality. Photo albums were thrown into the garbage after the photos were removed. I also salvaged some fabric from the totes.
The restoration/construction crew was very busy disposing of many items into the dumpsters located close to the apartment. Several windows & patio doors were boarded up as they were in the clean up stage.
As progress was made at the apartment, walls were being stripped and then the building started looking bare. We drove past the damaged apartment several times a week since it was on our way to Church or other down town shopping. Several times I had some sad feelings as I drove past thinking my belongings were still in the apartment when really I knew they weren't. Even though we had only been living in the apartment for 1 year & 3 weeks there were memories for us in that suite.
We were adjusting quite well with most things in our new apartment. Ruby was always able to lock her bike up at the other apartment, but at our new location there was no bike rack. I asked the landlord about it and he immediately looked into getting one, but had to order it in. A change in one appliance was something to get used to and that was the oven. I really missed my own oven that I had in the previous apartment. One of the donated items we received was a toaster oven and it was put into good use even to this day.
The month of July was filled with many things such as continuous days of shopping especially on my days off, so I was never bored. Every day consisted of googling items on the internet and filling out my ever increasing worksheets. Sometimes commercials on TV would jog my memory about an item or similar item that I lost in the fire or conversations about things with others would remind me of something. In those cases I would try to write the item down on paper when possible. When it came to books, cookbooks or movies it was hard to estimate how much I had. Like I said we would google things on the internet. Ruby found the Feature Films for Families website and went through the list and checked off the ones we lost plus checked the price as well. The first cookbook I replaced (which was a must) was the "Mennonite Treasury Of Recipes" and was able to buy it locally. I did add more cookbooks as I came across them at a consignment store or if they were on a good sale. I knew I wouldn't replace all of my books or cookbooks, it would only be my favorite ones if they were available.
There was also the matter of replacing my orthotics which I had in my work shoes. I had an appointment with the foot doctor on July 7th and was able to order the orthotics, plus my car needed a service job as well. So here was another day off consisting of appointments, shopping and pricing. Sometimes I wondered if it would ever end.
Then the day (July 9th) finally came when the furniture store delivered my reclining sofa and Ruby's bed. The first evening of having the reclining sofa I relaxed by watching a rented movie. At last I could put my feet up again after a long day of work. The following week was another week of appointments along with some FUN. I needed to get my eyes tested again at Focal Point to see how I was adjusting to my glasses.
July 15th was my birthday as well as my younger sister's birthday ( 3 years difference), so that was a day set aside to spend lunch with my sisters in Wpg. After lunch it was shopping time with my daughters & granddaughter. It was a fun & full day.
The next day TV cable was hooked up.
Then the following Sunday we had a special lunch fellowship at Church for a newlywed couple. This was Ruby's first opportunity of making a special cake. We were finally getting into a routine with meals & such in our own home. Another event on this day was a staff function at Meadows Minature Golf consisting of a BBQ and taking part of the rides & golf. Another fun & full day.
The following week continued on with pricing, but I also started making photo copies of receipts. The insurance company would require them along with my insurance sheets of all the listed items. Some things I wasn't able to price through the internet so it meant physically having my list with clipboard and do my pricing in the store. Even when I wasn't in my uniform shirt and doing the pricing on my own time customers would still ask me for help. The only place that I wasn't bothered by customers was when I was pricing out my grocery items at Superstore.
Besides being in the middle of summer I also had to think of winter wear and not leave it for the last minute. So on another shopping day I came across some nice winter jackets plus Ruby was with me at the time so was able to buy her a jacket as well. I'm sure the temps were quite high the day I bought the jackets, but at that price I couldn't past it by. Buying used items at the Thrift Store was an option as well, which I did for some toys & stuffed animals that would be available for the grandchildren to play with when they came over to visit.
I took 1 week of holidays at the end of July (26th-31st) so I could make better progress on my insurance worksheets. I had done so much on my worksheets already, so I was seeing light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. We also had special services at Church in the beginning of the week and wanted to take part of it. I was determined to get as much done on my worksheets during the day and then go to the special service in the evening. I knew I would get overwhelmed if I did too many hours of pricing in one day.
July 26th ... received a chq in the mail from the insurance company, which was a nice surprise. I didn't think I would get another chq until I had all my insurance worksheets submitted. The timing of the chq sure relieved the stress on me in wanting to get my worksheets submitted as soon as possible. As soon as I got the chq I called and emailed the insurance adjudicator. He got back to me in a quick manner. It was good to touch base with him and give him a progress report. A few things that he appreciated from my progress was that I wasn't on his frequent caller list. He knew about my situation.... I was on my own and that I needed to work in order to support myself & Ruby, so taking time off from work for pricing etc was limited. Several times he suggested that my children help in the pricing. I knew my children were all very busy with their own work so I only asked for prices on certain items. During our conversation the adjudicator also said what the clean up bill would be which would be noted as a moving expense.... it was at a reasonable cost. As I said in my earlier posts that I felt the adjudicator was keeping me informed about things and he was looking out for me. I never felt that he wasn't taking care of matters. He proved himself many a time. The LORD had people in place for me... for which I was very thankful.
After 2 days of making very good progress I took a break to take a trip into Wpg. Ruby had been at her sister's place for a few days. Since I was in Wpg I also took a bit of time for some more shopping. Clothes shopping was an endless task, but was glad I was able to get dryer balls from Quilts Etc. We also needed to be back home for our first supper guests. It was the final service at Church for the special services and the speaker, his wife & brother-in-law were our supper guests. The services were a real blessing.
July 29th spent part of the day at home pricing my worksheet again. Now it was time for a break away from home, so we took a trip to Steinbach. Before going to Steinbach I drove to my country home by Grunthal to show Ruby where I grew up. The state of the house & property sure had changed and not for the better, it was worse. I took some pictures of the yard. I almost felt like going inside the house since it looked very abandoned, but didn't have enough courage to check the doors. If the inside wasn't kept up it would have been disheartening.
(Just recently we heard that someone else bought the place and are redoing the house. We (us sisters) were glad to hear such news. Hope to take pics this summer again).
Then off we were to Steinbach and stayed at my sister & brother-in-law's place for the night.
Friday (30th) morning we took in the parade in Steinbach. After the parade we did some shopping. Ruby also had a short visit with a friend that she hadn't seen in quite awhile. We were home by supper for a quick meal since I was going to an outside play. I enjoyed a relaxed evening at the outside play "MOSES" with Church friends.
The last day of the month was a saturday so it was a mix of things like shopping, pricing, laundry & cleaning.
Plus my holidays were extended a few more days into August which would help me a lot so I could work on my insurance worksheets some more. At this point I had not tallied up the insurance worksheets, which was probably a good thing.
Another month come & gone. It definitely was a month of challenges, blessings & much more.
So grateful that GOD is GOOD and supplied all our needs in such a timely matter.
"I can always count on God, my heavenly Father,
For He changes not; He always is the same.
Yesterday, today, forever, He is faithful,
And I know He loves me, praise His holy name!---Felten"
Thursday, 5 May 2011
MONTH OF JUNE (Full & Busy)
The beginning of another week of work along with continuing with pricing on insurance worksheets. I didn't know if I had a time limit for submitting my worksheets so I was really trying to finish it as soon as possible. In fact the one morning as I'm getting up for the day I didn't feel rested since it felt like my mind had been going all night. So needless to say I felt tired even before my shift at work had begun.
The one evening shift that I was working a couple that I knew came into the store that had experienced a house fire in the winter. They didn't know that I had experienced the apartment fire until I told them. They were still replacing their items. I was able to get some good advice from them and they were quite willing to help me, They've been a source of encouragement to me during this time of loss & stress. Another person that was a source of encouragement to me was Merlin from Friesen Agency. Due to work and his work schedule it took a few attempts before we were finally able to talk. So when I went into the office to talk to him I also brought my worksheets along so that I could show him how I was listing things. He said I was on the right track and told me not to rush things. Merlin had also experienced a house fire, but many years ago when he was a a young adult living at home. He could relate to fire victims and gave some good advice. He even suggested taking note of what other family members would have in their house and compare it to what I may have had. It definitely would jog ones memory. I was also glad I had taken some pictures of the apartment even though it was after the fire, but sure wish I had taken more pictures.
Pricing older items like the rocking chair & stereo was difficult. Eventually what I did for the rocking chair I googled Amish furniture and found something similar and used that price as my replacement cost. Other items I would search on the internet like Canadian Tire, Sears, Home Hardware, Future Shop etc. When I wasn't able to find it on the website I would physically go into different stores to find something similar and price it that way. I also borrowed old CT catalogues from work (general manager had them in his office) to check for items and price accordingly. My computer desk wasn't that old, but wasn't available at CT any more. (I had bought it at CT). Some weeks I did more pricing then other weeks. It all depended on my schedule and other events. So pricing was a challenge and frustrating at times. Along with that trying to get into a regular routine of cooking a meal at home was a challenge.
Shopping for furniture was another challenge.
On June 7th I ordered a reclining sofa but would have to wait several weeks before I got it since the warehouse was out of stock. (I was missing my recliner A LOT).
June 11th. I did some more clothes shopping (an endless challenge). Here too I was missing a lot of my favorite outfits.
June 12th. A BIG shopping spree in Wpg. Shopping on this day consisted of a computer, printer, clothes, beanie bag chair (for Ruby), other miscellaneous items, replaced Ruby's grad shoes and my outfit & shoes for her grad as well. The back seat of my car was FULL(no room for passenger) and the trunk was almost full. I spent a lot of money that day.
June 14th. We went to the seamstress for a fitting on Ruby's grad dress. The seamstress waited till we had shoes before she did the final alterations. After that we did some more shopping. I believe I bought a Samsung TV that day. (I lost a Samsung TV in the fire and wanted the same thing since I liked it). Anything that needed assembling Ruby did and enjoyed it. Never ask me to assemble something cause I suck at it. (Just ask my children, they'd agree). I was also looking forward to my new tupperware that I had ordered from my daughter-in-law's party.
June 17th. Day off so another day of shopping which consisted of larger items like furniture. I had applied for a retail card at Home Furniture the previous week and was approved within minutes. Plus it allowed me time to pay it off since I was waiting for some more insurance money. The furniture that I purchased at Home Furniture consisted of my bed & frame, dresser with mirror/hutch, night table, Ruby's bed & frame, small freezer and desk (for computer). They were able to deliver most of it the next day which was very nice. Ruby had to wait for her bed (not in stock when I ordered). It felt so good to sleep in a normal bed again. Besides furniture shopping I also got a haircut so I was ready for Ruby's graduation.
June 19th. Ruby's dress was ready to be picked up, We were quite pleased with the alterations.
June 22nd. Internet hook-up and glad to have that convenience at home again. It sure was going to help speed up my pricing. I also had to change my email address, which I was hoping wouldn't be necessary.
This was the week of Ruby's graduation from grade 12, so I limited myself with pricing. I wanted to make sure nothing would spoil the preparation for grad.
June 24th. RUBY'S GRAD. What an emotional day. Ruby's friend came to do her make-up and then we went to the hair stylist. I sat in and watched the hair stylist do Ruby's hair. We got into a conversation of different things and ended up telling our experience with the apartment fire. When Ruby's hair was done I was ready to pay, but she didn't take anything for it. The hair stylist said that we should do some FUN thing together. Then I lost it.... the tears flowed out of pure happiness that she would do that for someone that she didn't even know (it was the first time that I met her). (I didn't tell my story for pity sake.) Like I said I had some emotional moments that day, but in all it was a wonderful day. It was a day that I wasn't sure I would ever see since Ruby wasn't under my care for almost 4 years. (That is another story in itself, which I won't go into). After the graduation supper Ruby went along with her sister & brother back to Wpg for the weekend. Now I had time to reflect on many things (good & bad). God knew I needed to see this day. It was an answer to prayer.
June 25th. I went furniture shopping again since I still needed a dining room set. So I went to Eldon's Furniture again and was able to purchase a dining room set which was the last floor model at a good price. They delivered it the same day.
The major furniture purchases were from only 2 stores which was quite adequate. I was pleased with my choice of furniture.
Several people have asked if I had fun shopping for new things. My view on that was mixed.... in some ways it was fun and in other ways it was frustrating. I guess some of the furniture had sentimental values or just very new.
As I was checking mail at the main post office and my new mail box I was pleased with the 1 package that I got from my Aunt. My Aunt from B.C. sent an envelope of pictures as a source of encouragement to me since she didn't know which pictures I may have lost in the fire.
Amongst all of these events during the month of June I was always glad for a day of rest (Sunday).
The Lord was continuing to provide and bless. "BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS." Philippians 4: 6 & 7.
The one evening shift that I was working a couple that I knew came into the store that had experienced a house fire in the winter. They didn't know that I had experienced the apartment fire until I told them. They were still replacing their items. I was able to get some good advice from them and they were quite willing to help me, They've been a source of encouragement to me during this time of loss & stress. Another person that was a source of encouragement to me was Merlin from Friesen Agency. Due to work and his work schedule it took a few attempts before we were finally able to talk. So when I went into the office to talk to him I also brought my worksheets along so that I could show him how I was listing things. He said I was on the right track and told me not to rush things. Merlin had also experienced a house fire, but many years ago when he was a a young adult living at home. He could relate to fire victims and gave some good advice. He even suggested taking note of what other family members would have in their house and compare it to what I may have had. It definitely would jog ones memory. I was also glad I had taken some pictures of the apartment even though it was after the fire, but sure wish I had taken more pictures.
Pricing older items like the rocking chair & stereo was difficult. Eventually what I did for the rocking chair I googled Amish furniture and found something similar and used that price as my replacement cost. Other items I would search on the internet like Canadian Tire, Sears, Home Hardware, Future Shop etc. When I wasn't able to find it on the website I would physically go into different stores to find something similar and price it that way. I also borrowed old CT catalogues from work (general manager had them in his office) to check for items and price accordingly. My computer desk wasn't that old, but wasn't available at CT any more. (I had bought it at CT). Some weeks I did more pricing then other weeks. It all depended on my schedule and other events. So pricing was a challenge and frustrating at times. Along with that trying to get into a regular routine of cooking a meal at home was a challenge.
Shopping for furniture was another challenge.
On June 7th I ordered a reclining sofa but would have to wait several weeks before I got it since the warehouse was out of stock. (I was missing my recliner A LOT).
June 11th. I did some more clothes shopping (an endless challenge). Here too I was missing a lot of my favorite outfits.
June 12th. A BIG shopping spree in Wpg. Shopping on this day consisted of a computer, printer, clothes, beanie bag chair (for Ruby), other miscellaneous items, replaced Ruby's grad shoes and my outfit & shoes for her grad as well. The back seat of my car was FULL(no room for passenger) and the trunk was almost full. I spent a lot of money that day.
June 14th. We went to the seamstress for a fitting on Ruby's grad dress. The seamstress waited till we had shoes before she did the final alterations. After that we did some more shopping. I believe I bought a Samsung TV that day. (I lost a Samsung TV in the fire and wanted the same thing since I liked it). Anything that needed assembling Ruby did and enjoyed it. Never ask me to assemble something cause I suck at it. (Just ask my children, they'd agree). I was also looking forward to my new tupperware that I had ordered from my daughter-in-law's party.
June 17th. Day off so another day of shopping which consisted of larger items like furniture. I had applied for a retail card at Home Furniture the previous week and was approved within minutes. Plus it allowed me time to pay it off since I was waiting for some more insurance money. The furniture that I purchased at Home Furniture consisted of my bed & frame, dresser with mirror/hutch, night table, Ruby's bed & frame, small freezer and desk (for computer). They were able to deliver most of it the next day which was very nice. Ruby had to wait for her bed (not in stock when I ordered). It felt so good to sleep in a normal bed again. Besides furniture shopping I also got a haircut so I was ready for Ruby's graduation.
June 19th. Ruby's dress was ready to be picked up, We were quite pleased with the alterations.
June 22nd. Internet hook-up and glad to have that convenience at home again. It sure was going to help speed up my pricing. I also had to change my email address, which I was hoping wouldn't be necessary.
This was the week of Ruby's graduation from grade 12, so I limited myself with pricing. I wanted to make sure nothing would spoil the preparation for grad.
June 24th. RUBY'S GRAD. What an emotional day. Ruby's friend came to do her make-up and then we went to the hair stylist. I sat in and watched the hair stylist do Ruby's hair. We got into a conversation of different things and ended up telling our experience with the apartment fire. When Ruby's hair was done I was ready to pay, but she didn't take anything for it. The hair stylist said that we should do some FUN thing together. Then I lost it.... the tears flowed out of pure happiness that she would do that for someone that she didn't even know (it was the first time that I met her). (I didn't tell my story for pity sake.) Like I said I had some emotional moments that day, but in all it was a wonderful day. It was a day that I wasn't sure I would ever see since Ruby wasn't under my care for almost 4 years. (That is another story in itself, which I won't go into). After the graduation supper Ruby went along with her sister & brother back to Wpg for the weekend. Now I had time to reflect on many things (good & bad). God knew I needed to see this day. It was an answer to prayer.
June 25th. I went furniture shopping again since I still needed a dining room set. So I went to Eldon's Furniture again and was able to purchase a dining room set which was the last floor model at a good price. They delivered it the same day.
The major furniture purchases were from only 2 stores which was quite adequate. I was pleased with my choice of furniture.
Several people have asked if I had fun shopping for new things. My view on that was mixed.... in some ways it was fun and in other ways it was frustrating. I guess some of the furniture had sentimental values or just very new.
As I was checking mail at the main post office and my new mail box I was pleased with the 1 package that I got from my Aunt. My Aunt from B.C. sent an envelope of pictures as a source of encouragement to me since she didn't know which pictures I may have lost in the fire.
Amongst all of these events during the month of June I was always glad for a day of rest (Sunday).
The Lord was continuing to provide and bless. "BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS." Philippians 4: 6 & 7.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
BACK TO WORK.....(May 31st - June 5th)
My start to the work week included many things along with breaking in new work shoes. My shift for monday (May 31st) wasn't a morning shift which was good. I had several things to do before work and they could only be done during the day. I went to Focal Point to reorder my eye glasses and since my glasses were less then 3 months old I only paid a replacement cost which was half off of what I had paid. I also went to the Post Office to see what the procedure was for picking up the mail and to give them my forwarding address. So every time I needed to check the mail it would have to be during the time that they were open. I also started making a list of people & places that would need my change of address. I had lost my address book in the fire so it was a little difficult trying to remember everyone that I possibly would have had in the book.
I gave myself some extra time for errands before going to work so I wouldn't feel rushed. As I get to work they had hot dogs in the BBQ for staff, so I had time to eat before beginnning my shift. Several people asked how I was doing and so I told them what kind of progress we were making and that we had a place.
My work day went well. As I'm serving customers I see many things that remind me of the items I lost in the fire. What was disheartening about some of the lost items was the fact that some things were quite new.... like my sofa, Samsung TV (less then 6 months old), apartment size freezer, pantry cupboard and some new clothes (or even my favorite clothes).
During the course of the week things were given to us that people didn't need or had doubles. Besides donated items money and/or gift card was given as well, which was appreciated very much.
My home phone was reconnected during the week as well, but no computer purchase yet.
So any pricing that I needed to do for my worksheets was limited since my time on a computer at the library or work was limited as well. Then on my day off during the week I did some major clothes shopping for myself and continued with my insurance worksheets.
There were many moments where I got overwhelmed with my ever increasing list of lost items from the fire.
Besides clothes shopping I also needed to look for furniture. I went to 3 or 4 furniture stores to see what was available and compared prices.
As I make my daily comments on facebook I continue to ask for prayer and also THANK everyone for their prayers & well wishes.
I also called the insurance adjudicator during the week and asked some questions in regards to how things should be listed on my worksheets.
I had started my rough copy list in a scribbler and then transferred to the actual insurance worksheet. Even then I had to redo quite a few worksheets because the insurance company wanted it categorized eg: (furniture, clothing, groceries, appliances etc.) So by the end of the week I was getting a little discouraged along with sore feet. It sure wasn't fun breaking in new work shoes. Glad our temporary beds were comfortable enough to give us a proper night sleep.
It almost felt like I had another full time job (not paid) besides my full time job. It was all very time consuming and lots of leg work. There sure wasn't a thing as free time to do fun things, at least not for awhile. We also checked the things I had retrieved from the fire that I had placed in someone's garage. Most of the photos that I had in the albums were okay, but the albums were finished. So we put the photos into plastic bags & boxed it up until I would have time to put them into new albums. (To this date of writing this post I still haven't put all the photos into new albums... side burner to do thing).
Due to the fire I had also missed out in seeing my cousins from B.C. who were visiting in the Wpg area for a couple of days.
After my day shift at work on saturday (June 5th) my sister & brother-in-law (James & Bertha) came out to see my place & have supper with me at the golf course restaraunt. (Ruby was out with friends). Besides having supper with me they also brought some more things from other family members and 2 large bags of clothes from her friend Betty.
Making meals at the new apartment during our first full week of living in it still wasn't much due to the fact that I lacked in kitchen supplies. I was buying kitchen or other household items several times a week and especially when I saw that it was on sale. Some items that were on sale came at a good time. Financially I was able to do all this since the 1st chq from the insurance company was a large amount, but I was still cautious with some buying. I didn't know when they would send me another chq.
So to close off this week I'm truely grateful for everyone's prayers, support and well wishes. Thankful for what the Lord has done in spite of the loss of material possessions. Again it also means taking 1 day at a time and keeping my faith in the Lord that He will supply what I need. HEBREWS 11:1 "NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN". My Bible that I lost in the fire always opened in the book of Hebrews.
I gave myself some extra time for errands before going to work so I wouldn't feel rushed. As I get to work they had hot dogs in the BBQ for staff, so I had time to eat before beginnning my shift. Several people asked how I was doing and so I told them what kind of progress we were making and that we had a place.
My work day went well. As I'm serving customers I see many things that remind me of the items I lost in the fire. What was disheartening about some of the lost items was the fact that some things were quite new.... like my sofa, Samsung TV (less then 6 months old), apartment size freezer, pantry cupboard and some new clothes (or even my favorite clothes).
During the course of the week things were given to us that people didn't need or had doubles. Besides donated items money and/or gift card was given as well, which was appreciated very much.
My home phone was reconnected during the week as well, but no computer purchase yet.
So any pricing that I needed to do for my worksheets was limited since my time on a computer at the library or work was limited as well. Then on my day off during the week I did some major clothes shopping for myself and continued with my insurance worksheets.
There were many moments where I got overwhelmed with my ever increasing list of lost items from the fire.
Besides clothes shopping I also needed to look for furniture. I went to 3 or 4 furniture stores to see what was available and compared prices.
As I make my daily comments on facebook I continue to ask for prayer and also THANK everyone for their prayers & well wishes.
I also called the insurance adjudicator during the week and asked some questions in regards to how things should be listed on my worksheets.
I had started my rough copy list in a scribbler and then transferred to the actual insurance worksheet. Even then I had to redo quite a few worksheets because the insurance company wanted it categorized eg: (furniture, clothing, groceries, appliances etc.) So by the end of the week I was getting a little discouraged along with sore feet. It sure wasn't fun breaking in new work shoes. Glad our temporary beds were comfortable enough to give us a proper night sleep.
It almost felt like I had another full time job (not paid) besides my full time job. It was all very time consuming and lots of leg work. There sure wasn't a thing as free time to do fun things, at least not for awhile. We also checked the things I had retrieved from the fire that I had placed in someone's garage. Most of the photos that I had in the albums were okay, but the albums were finished. So we put the photos into plastic bags & boxed it up until I would have time to put them into new albums. (To this date of writing this post I still haven't put all the photos into new albums... side burner to do thing).
Due to the fire I had also missed out in seeing my cousins from B.C. who were visiting in the Wpg area for a couple of days.
After my day shift at work on saturday (June 5th) my sister & brother-in-law (James & Bertha) came out to see my place & have supper with me at the golf course restaraunt. (Ruby was out with friends). Besides having supper with me they also brought some more things from other family members and 2 large bags of clothes from her friend Betty.
Making meals at the new apartment during our first full week of living in it still wasn't much due to the fact that I lacked in kitchen supplies. I was buying kitchen or other household items several times a week and especially when I saw that it was on sale. Some items that were on sale came at a good time. Financially I was able to do all this since the 1st chq from the insurance company was a large amount, but I was still cautious with some buying. I didn't know when they would send me another chq.
So to close off this week I'm truely grateful for everyone's prayers, support and well wishes. Thankful for what the Lord has done in spite of the loss of material possessions. Again it also means taking 1 day at a time and keeping my faith in the Lord that He will supply what I need. HEBREWS 11:1 "NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN". My Bible that I lost in the fire always opened in the book of Hebrews.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
WEEKEND (Shopping Day & Sunday)
Saturday, May 29th-----Another shopping day.
Morning. After a reasonably restful night we start our day with a list of things to do. First we went out for breakfast so we could begin doing what we needed to.
After breakfast we went to B & D Music where they were holding donated items for the fire victims. This was my first visit to the site so I wasn't sure what was available. Their backroom was quite full with many good donated items. We started going through the items and managed to get quite a bit. My first piece of furniture was a gliding style rocking chair with cushion (in excellent shape). The other items were micro wave, kitchen items (like a knife block with knives, glassware, cutlery wrapped in cloth, bowls, tupperware), pillows & bedding, some towels and Ruby chose some clothes. I managed to get everything into the car without having to make 2 trips. We unpack again at home and then head to Winkler for other errands and MORE SHOPPING.
One of my errands was to my landlord's (Wall's) house to pay for rent. As we're talking about things around the kitchen table I asked them how long the apartment suite was empty. It had been vacant for 2 months. I truly believe the LORD kept the suite vacant for us. (To this day when I really think about it I'm just in awe of how the LORD works in such mysterious ways... in our eyes). Mr & Mrs. Wall told us how things just didn't turn out for the ones that were interested in the suite. (Again there was a reason for that). I'm thankful for a Christian couple as my landlords.
Another errand was the MTS center. Now that I had a place of permanent residence I could get my home phone reconnected. As we're waiting in line for our turn the gentleman in front of us gives his address which was the same as ours (apartment fire address). I said hello to the gentleman and said we were neighbours. It explained why he looked familiar. We briefly talked as to how each of us were doing.
Before doing our major grocery shopping at Superstore we also check out TWICE AS NICE (Clothing store) and make a sizeable purchase at the store, which was more for Ruby then myself. We also shopped at DOLLARAMA for an assortment of miscellaneous items (cheaper isn't always better though).
In the midst of our many stops during our shopping we probably ate out again.
Finally last stop was shopping at SUPERSTORE. Ruby took a shopping cart and so did I. I can't remember the last time I used 2 shopping carts (last time may have been when the children were little). One cart was for groceries and the other cart was for miscellaneous. As we were shopping Melody text to see how our shopping venture was coming along and asked HAVING FUN?? She also recommended using store coupons. We did look for a sales flyer, but couldn't find one. Now if I had been more persistent and found a coupon I would have got a $20 or $25 gift card for having a purchase of over $200.
After we were done with our shopping it was time for a milkshake treat from McDonalds. Now it was home time to unpack all the things I had bought, it was a car full.
We also borrowed a very used table & chairs from one of Ruby's friends mother. I said it would be used temporarily until I had a new set.
It was a full day and wanting to relax wasn't the same. The one piece of furniture I surely missed was my recliner. Since we didn't have a computer or TV it meant occupying our time with other things, which wasn't too hard to do. I'm sure I continued with my insurance worksheets at every available time.
Bed time probably came earlier as well since the day had been busy. Thankful for a safe and eventful day.
Sunday, May 30th (DAY OF REST)
Morning. I was glad it was Sunday and looked forward to Church service.
The Pastor again announced a need for the fire victims and the donation site. I don't remember the title of the message, but its always good to be in the Lord's house on Sunday. A time to learn more from the Bible, sing songs from the Hymn Book and fellowship with other Christians.
After the morning service we went out for lunch with some friends from Church. This was almost a routine thing to do after Church and was glad that something wasn't out of the norm.
The rest of the afternoon we relaxed at home (at least it was a physical relax time), but mentally I still had a lot on my mind. I may have continued on with some paper work or my worksheet list.
We had evening service that Sunday as well, so we were back in Church.
After the evening service we were informed about the grocery hamper that we could take home. It was a sizeable amount and sure helped to fill our cupboards. The Lord was providing in many ways.
Again it had been a full weekend. Now it was time for bed and my thoughts were on what I would need to do during the week besides going back to work.
Morning. After a reasonably restful night we start our day with a list of things to do. First we went out for breakfast so we could begin doing what we needed to.
After breakfast we went to B & D Music where they were holding donated items for the fire victims. This was my first visit to the site so I wasn't sure what was available. Their backroom was quite full with many good donated items. We started going through the items and managed to get quite a bit. My first piece of furniture was a gliding style rocking chair with cushion (in excellent shape). The other items were micro wave, kitchen items (like a knife block with knives, glassware, cutlery wrapped in cloth, bowls, tupperware), pillows & bedding, some towels and Ruby chose some clothes. I managed to get everything into the car without having to make 2 trips. We unpack again at home and then head to Winkler for other errands and MORE SHOPPING.
One of my errands was to my landlord's (Wall's) house to pay for rent. As we're talking about things around the kitchen table I asked them how long the apartment suite was empty. It had been vacant for 2 months. I truly believe the LORD kept the suite vacant for us. (To this day when I really think about it I'm just in awe of how the LORD works in such mysterious ways... in our eyes). Mr & Mrs. Wall told us how things just didn't turn out for the ones that were interested in the suite. (Again there was a reason for that). I'm thankful for a Christian couple as my landlords.
Another errand was the MTS center. Now that I had a place of permanent residence I could get my home phone reconnected. As we're waiting in line for our turn the gentleman in front of us gives his address which was the same as ours (apartment fire address). I said hello to the gentleman and said we were neighbours. It explained why he looked familiar. We briefly talked as to how each of us were doing.
Before doing our major grocery shopping at Superstore we also check out TWICE AS NICE (Clothing store) and make a sizeable purchase at the store, which was more for Ruby then myself. We also shopped at DOLLARAMA for an assortment of miscellaneous items (cheaper isn't always better though).
In the midst of our many stops during our shopping we probably ate out again.
Finally last stop was shopping at SUPERSTORE. Ruby took a shopping cart and so did I. I can't remember the last time I used 2 shopping carts (last time may have been when the children were little). One cart was for groceries and the other cart was for miscellaneous. As we were shopping Melody text to see how our shopping venture was coming along and asked HAVING FUN?? She also recommended using store coupons. We did look for a sales flyer, but couldn't find one. Now if I had been more persistent and found a coupon I would have got a $20 or $25 gift card for having a purchase of over $200.
After we were done with our shopping it was time for a milkshake treat from McDonalds. Now it was home time to unpack all the things I had bought, it was a car full.
We also borrowed a very used table & chairs from one of Ruby's friends mother. I said it would be used temporarily until I had a new set.
It was a full day and wanting to relax wasn't the same. The one piece of furniture I surely missed was my recliner. Since we didn't have a computer or TV it meant occupying our time with other things, which wasn't too hard to do. I'm sure I continued with my insurance worksheets at every available time.
Bed time probably came earlier as well since the day had been busy. Thankful for a safe and eventful day.
Sunday, May 30th (DAY OF REST)
Morning. I was glad it was Sunday and looked forward to Church service.
The Pastor again announced a need for the fire victims and the donation site. I don't remember the title of the message, but its always good to be in the Lord's house on Sunday. A time to learn more from the Bible, sing songs from the Hymn Book and fellowship with other Christians.
After the morning service we went out for lunch with some friends from Church. This was almost a routine thing to do after Church and was glad that something wasn't out of the norm.
The rest of the afternoon we relaxed at home (at least it was a physical relax time), but mentally I still had a lot on my mind. I may have continued on with some paper work or my worksheet list.
We had evening service that Sunday as well, so we were back in Church.
After the evening service we were informed about the grocery hamper that we could take home. It was a sizeable amount and sure helped to fill our cupboards. The Lord was providing in many ways.
Again it had been a full weekend. Now it was time for bed and my thoughts were on what I would need to do during the week besides going back to work.
Friday, 1 April 2011
MOVING DAY & SHOPPING DAY
Day 8----May 28th (friday)
Morning. So here we were actually 1 week after the fire.
Since the morning of my dizzy spells I was a little cautious as I got up for the day. Glad I was getting stronger every day and I needed it. My day was going to be a full day. As I wait for the restoration office to call I continue with my list. This is how I started making a list of my belongings. I mentally visioned what I had in every room and that's how I wrote it down in the scribbler. Taking pictures of the apartment helped jog my memory as well even though I didn't take pictures of every shelf in the cupboard or every corner. Another list that I started on was a grocery list & immediate household items that we would need.
I also packed up our items that I had bought into a tote which wasn't much but still took a lot of space in the back seat of the car.
Once the restoration office called I got ready to go to the apartment. It was almost noon time by the time I was in the apartment suite. My contact person (Karen) gave me insurance worksheets and a clipboard. I really didn't know where to begin so Karen helped me in starting my list.
(Here is an explanation of what the restoration crew does. They were assigned to removing items from the suites once it was cleared from the head person and after the tenant had signed a release form. Items that could be salvaged would be packed up by the crew and taken to their restoration site in Wpg if that is what the tenant requested. Another option was for the tenant to remove his or her own things at their own cost. Any cleaning that the restoration site would do would still be taken out of the tenants insurance coverage.)
So we started going through my belongings to see if anything was salvageable, if it wasn't worth keeping it went onto a pile. As we did that I wrote it on my worksheet e.g "Samsung TV". Some things you couldn't list or put a price on ... like photos. I did list my photo albums, but I still removed them from the apartment (It was the living room/ dining room area where we started). TIP--The best way to store photo albums on a shelf is to have them stacked on top of each other not beside each other. I had them stacked and by doing it that way the heat of the fire had melted the plastic & sealed the album. I had saved a lot of photos by keeping my albums in such a manner. If there was anything I could keep or would like to keep it was put into a plastic bag or box. Since Ruby wasn't able to help that afternoon her friend Carl came to help with whatever he could. Shortly after I had started listing things on my worksheets Karen gets called about lunch. She asked if I'd be okay on my own and I said yes, so she excused herself for lunch. I was by myself for a little while before Carl came to help. It was slow going and disheartening as I rummage through things. We could have spent hours going through my belongings, but the head man of the restoration crew or security crew put a stop to it very quickly. When Karen came back from lunch the head man came into my suite as well and asked what we were doing here. He also asked about insurance coverage and said I was totally covered with the amount I gave him. He insisted that we get out ASAP and that I would get my full coverage. The reason he said to get out ASAP was because it wasn't very safe again to be in the apartment. The ceilings were starting to buckle from the weight of the water on the floors above our suite. It was quite noticeable in the bedrooms. So we were literally rushed out of the apartment without making a proper list of my belongings. Karen asked if I had taken pictures or made some notes of belongings, which I had the best I could. We briefly check things in the bedroom to see if anything could be removed.
These are the items I removed from the apartment: photo albums, some movies, music CD's, computer tower, jewellry boxes, totes with fabric & blankets, stainless steel noodle machine & stainless steel stock pot. I had a large photo frame of Melody (3 years old) in my bedroom and a 8 x 10 photo frame of Ruby (flower girl photo) in her bedroom that I quickly snatched up as well even though they were slightly damaged. Ruby also had some grad photos in a ziploc bag which didn't look too bad. (Thankfully she had given most of her grad photos to family & friends before the fire). We put all these items into large plastic bags or cardboard boxes that the restoration crew provided. The computer tower was damaged, but I wanted someone to take out the hard drive and see if the info on it could be saved. The photo albums were damaged, but the photos looked okay and the same applied to the jewellry boxes & jewellry. As for the totes they were sealed so I was hoping the contents inside would be fine. We didn't remove any clothes or shoes. Now with the little bit that I was removing from the apartment I needed to store it somewhere so it could air out. I didn't want to stink up someone's place. As we were finishing up at the apartment Ruby came since she was done with her day of school. Before leaving the apartment I had to sign some forms with Karen which stated that whatever was left in the apartment was getting discarded by them, nothing was worth cleaning. The 2 items that I questioned was the rocking chair (which was my grandparents) and the stereo with record player (70's style inherited from mom & dad's estate which I was really holding for son Phillip). In the end I let them go. Now that I had taken what I wanted I needed to make a quick phone call about storing it in a friend's garage, plus a truck to transport the items. Carl called his grandfather and asked to borrow the truck and he was kind enough to do so. We transport the items to a garage which had easy access and then we could go through it on our own time and not be rushed.
After the truck was returned we got some air mattresses from Carl's place and take them to our new apartment. This was Ruby's first time seeing the apartment and she really liked the kitchen area.
Now it was time to do a little bit of shopping, so we head over to Winkler.
First stop was Canadian Tire (my work place). Since I hadn't been at work all week due to how I had felt I thought it would be nice to touch base with my boss (Dave). We go upstairs to Dave's office and let him know how things are going.
Back downstairs we start shopping and it sure didn't take long to get a shopping cart full.
Believe me this was just the beginning of many, many more shoppping days ahead.
As we get unpacked at our new HOME we make due with what we have. We pump up the air mattresses later in the evening as we get ready for bed. The single air mattress was mine, but was elsewhere at the time of the fire and the queen size mattress Carl had picked up from my sister Ruth's house a few weeks prior to the fire.
It was another tiring day and eating take out food as we needed it.
Sleep came quiet easily, but with many thoughts going through my mind again. At the same time thankful for the help that we got that day. The Lord provides & protects. Good night.
Morning. So here we were actually 1 week after the fire.
Since the morning of my dizzy spells I was a little cautious as I got up for the day. Glad I was getting stronger every day and I needed it. My day was going to be a full day. As I wait for the restoration office to call I continue with my list. This is how I started making a list of my belongings. I mentally visioned what I had in every room and that's how I wrote it down in the scribbler. Taking pictures of the apartment helped jog my memory as well even though I didn't take pictures of every shelf in the cupboard or every corner. Another list that I started on was a grocery list & immediate household items that we would need.
I also packed up our items that I had bought into a tote which wasn't much but still took a lot of space in the back seat of the car.
Once the restoration office called I got ready to go to the apartment. It was almost noon time by the time I was in the apartment suite. My contact person (Karen) gave me insurance worksheets and a clipboard. I really didn't know where to begin so Karen helped me in starting my list.
(Here is an explanation of what the restoration crew does. They were assigned to removing items from the suites once it was cleared from the head person and after the tenant had signed a release form. Items that could be salvaged would be packed up by the crew and taken to their restoration site in Wpg if that is what the tenant requested. Another option was for the tenant to remove his or her own things at their own cost. Any cleaning that the restoration site would do would still be taken out of the tenants insurance coverage.)
So we started going through my belongings to see if anything was salvageable, if it wasn't worth keeping it went onto a pile. As we did that I wrote it on my worksheet e.g "Samsung TV". Some things you couldn't list or put a price on ... like photos. I did list my photo albums, but I still removed them from the apartment (It was the living room/ dining room area where we started). TIP--The best way to store photo albums on a shelf is to have them stacked on top of each other not beside each other. I had them stacked and by doing it that way the heat of the fire had melted the plastic & sealed the album. I had saved a lot of photos by keeping my albums in such a manner. If there was anything I could keep or would like to keep it was put into a plastic bag or box. Since Ruby wasn't able to help that afternoon her friend Carl came to help with whatever he could. Shortly after I had started listing things on my worksheets Karen gets called about lunch. She asked if I'd be okay on my own and I said yes, so she excused herself for lunch. I was by myself for a little while before Carl came to help. It was slow going and disheartening as I rummage through things. We could have spent hours going through my belongings, but the head man of the restoration crew or security crew put a stop to it very quickly. When Karen came back from lunch the head man came into my suite as well and asked what we were doing here. He also asked about insurance coverage and said I was totally covered with the amount I gave him. He insisted that we get out ASAP and that I would get my full coverage. The reason he said to get out ASAP was because it wasn't very safe again to be in the apartment. The ceilings were starting to buckle from the weight of the water on the floors above our suite. It was quite noticeable in the bedrooms. So we were literally rushed out of the apartment without making a proper list of my belongings. Karen asked if I had taken pictures or made some notes of belongings, which I had the best I could. We briefly check things in the bedroom to see if anything could be removed.
These are the items I removed from the apartment: photo albums, some movies, music CD's, computer tower, jewellry boxes, totes with fabric & blankets, stainless steel noodle machine & stainless steel stock pot. I had a large photo frame of Melody (3 years old) in my bedroom and a 8 x 10 photo frame of Ruby (flower girl photo) in her bedroom that I quickly snatched up as well even though they were slightly damaged. Ruby also had some grad photos in a ziploc bag which didn't look too bad. (Thankfully she had given most of her grad photos to family & friends before the fire). We put all these items into large plastic bags or cardboard boxes that the restoration crew provided. The computer tower was damaged, but I wanted someone to take out the hard drive and see if the info on it could be saved. The photo albums were damaged, but the photos looked okay and the same applied to the jewellry boxes & jewellry. As for the totes they were sealed so I was hoping the contents inside would be fine. We didn't remove any clothes or shoes. Now with the little bit that I was removing from the apartment I needed to store it somewhere so it could air out. I didn't want to stink up someone's place. As we were finishing up at the apartment Ruby came since she was done with her day of school. Before leaving the apartment I had to sign some forms with Karen which stated that whatever was left in the apartment was getting discarded by them, nothing was worth cleaning. The 2 items that I questioned was the rocking chair (which was my grandparents) and the stereo with record player (70's style inherited from mom & dad's estate which I was really holding for son Phillip). In the end I let them go. Now that I had taken what I wanted I needed to make a quick phone call about storing it in a friend's garage, plus a truck to transport the items. Carl called his grandfather and asked to borrow the truck and he was kind enough to do so. We transport the items to a garage which had easy access and then we could go through it on our own time and not be rushed.
After the truck was returned we got some air mattresses from Carl's place and take them to our new apartment. This was Ruby's first time seeing the apartment and she really liked the kitchen area.
Now it was time to do a little bit of shopping, so we head over to Winkler.
First stop was Canadian Tire (my work place). Since I hadn't been at work all week due to how I had felt I thought it would be nice to touch base with my boss (Dave). We go upstairs to Dave's office and let him know how things are going.
Back downstairs we start shopping and it sure didn't take long to get a shopping cart full.
Believe me this was just the beginning of many, many more shoppping days ahead.
As we get unpacked at our new HOME we make due with what we have. We pump up the air mattresses later in the evening as we get ready for bed. The single air mattress was mine, but was elsewhere at the time of the fire and the queen size mattress Carl had picked up from my sister Ruth's house a few weeks prior to the fire.
It was another tiring day and eating take out food as we needed it.
Sleep came quiet easily, but with many thoughts going through my mind again. At the same time thankful for the help that we got that day. The Lord provides & protects. Good night.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
WHAT A SIGHT
DAY 7----May 27th (thursday)
The morning dawned with much improvement from my dizziness. Along with the dizzy spells being a lot less I was very glad to take a shower and feel refreshed. I felt like I could face the day with making some kind of plans instead of staying in bed.
The last time the insurance adjudicator called he said there would be a cheque for me at the insurance agency. (I'm not sure if it was tuesday or wednesday).
Two phone calls that morning were good news. One was from the restoration office saying I could go into the apartment and view the damage. The other phone call was from a co-worker (Linda) letting me know that her Uncle & Aunt had a 2 bedroom apartment available in Morden plus it was immediate possession. I knew the couple and so I called them. They were sympathetic in regards to my loss and said they would really like me to take the apartment. (Mrs. Wall may have even said we'd love to have you in there. How sweet). So here was an available apartment suite and it was mine even before I said yes and even before I saw it. We discussed seeing the apartment that day, but a time would have to be determined once I was in Morden. (The Lord was working things out for us. PRAISE THE LORD).
Meanwhile before leaving the house to do my errands Ruby called to see what the conditions were like at the apartment. We discuss seeing the damaged apartment together. I didn't want to go in by myself and it was something we needed to do together because we knew it wouldn't be a pretty sight. Plus I was also able to give her the good news about the other apartment.
My first errand that day was to go to the insurance agency for my cheque and deposit it into my bank account. I was very glad that I was able to function and I felt safe driving the car on my own (no driver needed). The cheque was a large amount for the many immediate belongings we would need, it definitely would help.
Before going into Morden I also needed to buy hard hats and rubber boots. This was a requirement from the restoration office for when we were going into the apartment. When I got into Morden I picked Ruby up from the school. Next stop was the apartment and I was nervous. We find a security guard and check with him about entering our suite. As we go inside and to our suite I asked Ruby "ARE YOU READY TO SEE IT?", The security guard opens the door and leaves us alone as we go in. I can hardly describe what we saw next, it was almost unbelievable. I think I was more overwhelmed by the damage then Ruby was. So much was just charcoal black from the fire and very little was in its orginal place. If the items weren't fire damaged they were smoke or water damaged.
(Here are some examples of what it looked like. The TV was totally melted down and the VCR & DVD players were melted together as well (they were individual units) since it was all in the direct line of fire. The recliner's fabric was burnt to a crisp with the coils showing and the sofa was just as bad. Any type of plastic was melted or quite shrivelled depending on the level of the heat and its location. The freezer's coils were visible from the outside. The kitchen cupboard doors were blown off. In the bathroom the shower curtain had melted and fallen into the tub, but the bath towels were still hanging on the shower rod in one piece. In Ruby's bedroom the window shades were shrivelled as well from the intensity of the heat. Our clothes were all smoke filled along with water damage. Our shoes that we had at the entrance were nowhere in sight. It literally was a disaster zone.)
A person from the restoration crew was assigned to our suite, but I had just missed that person by about 30 minutes. I didn't know where to start so we just looked at what we could and took some pictures. We didn't remove anything from the apartment that day. We went back outside and I made a phone call to the restoration office. I was informed that the crew would be back the next day and that someone would call me when they were at the apartment. So that was the extent of our viewing of the apartment. I let the security guard know we were done for the day and that the door could be locked up again. Another thing tenants were informed about was about our mail. The post office was holding our mail and we would have to go in and ask for it.
After seeing the apartment I brought Ruby back to school and discuss what I would do on friday. I also wanted to know how she was doing and how her subjects were scheduled. There were some tests or classes that she couldn't miss on friday so she wouldn't be able to leave until those were done.
Then I call Mr & Mrs. Wall to see when they would be in Morden so that I could see the apartment.
The new apartment was a ground level suite with no stairs except for the outside step into the apartment. Wall's greeted me as I enter the apartment. The thing that appealed to me right away was the size of the kitchen & counter space and I was quite certain that Ruby would like it as well. The bedrooms were a reasonable size, the bathroom was adequate plus there was a nice open area between the bedrooms & bathroom. The storage room had several shelves and a storage cupboard which we could use if needed. The living room looked narrow to me so I thought it might be a bit of a challenge to arrange furniture when the time came. The laundry room wasn't in my suite so I would have to step out to go to the laundry room which was located in the middle of the apartment building. Everyone had their own entrance, no joining hallway. We discuss rent and a few other things, so my decision was YES I'll take it and when could we move in. (moving in with nothing really). They gave me the keys and we were free to move in immediately if we wanted to.
After I was finished in Morden I headed back to Diedrich & Judy's. This time I was able to enjoy a good supper with them at the table. Plus the medication was working and I was starting to feel much better, but still made sure I didn't make any fast moves. I also enjoyed the grandchildren's company as I was up and around them. I discuss my day with them and how things had turned out at both apartments.
In all it was a bittersweet day. Seeing the fire damage was overwhelming and yet securing a new apartment the same day was a blessing and an answer to prayer. THANK YOU LORD for providing in such a timely matter. So much to be thankful for even in these difficult times.
It was a tiring day due to all the emotions so when it was bedtime sleep came quite easily. This was going to be my last night at Diedrich & Judy's. Goodnight.
The morning dawned with much improvement from my dizziness. Along with the dizzy spells being a lot less I was very glad to take a shower and feel refreshed. I felt like I could face the day with making some kind of plans instead of staying in bed.
The last time the insurance adjudicator called he said there would be a cheque for me at the insurance agency. (I'm not sure if it was tuesday or wednesday).
Two phone calls that morning were good news. One was from the restoration office saying I could go into the apartment and view the damage. The other phone call was from a co-worker (Linda) letting me know that her Uncle & Aunt had a 2 bedroom apartment available in Morden plus it was immediate possession. I knew the couple and so I called them. They were sympathetic in regards to my loss and said they would really like me to take the apartment. (Mrs. Wall may have even said we'd love to have you in there. How sweet). So here was an available apartment suite and it was mine even before I said yes and even before I saw it. We discussed seeing the apartment that day, but a time would have to be determined once I was in Morden. (The Lord was working things out for us. PRAISE THE LORD).
Meanwhile before leaving the house to do my errands Ruby called to see what the conditions were like at the apartment. We discuss seeing the damaged apartment together. I didn't want to go in by myself and it was something we needed to do together because we knew it wouldn't be a pretty sight. Plus I was also able to give her the good news about the other apartment.
My first errand that day was to go to the insurance agency for my cheque and deposit it into my bank account. I was very glad that I was able to function and I felt safe driving the car on my own (no driver needed). The cheque was a large amount for the many immediate belongings we would need, it definitely would help.
Before going into Morden I also needed to buy hard hats and rubber boots. This was a requirement from the restoration office for when we were going into the apartment. When I got into Morden I picked Ruby up from the school. Next stop was the apartment and I was nervous. We find a security guard and check with him about entering our suite. As we go inside and to our suite I asked Ruby "ARE YOU READY TO SEE IT?", The security guard opens the door and leaves us alone as we go in. I can hardly describe what we saw next, it was almost unbelievable. I think I was more overwhelmed by the damage then Ruby was. So much was just charcoal black from the fire and very little was in its orginal place. If the items weren't fire damaged they were smoke or water damaged.
(Here are some examples of what it looked like. The TV was totally melted down and the VCR & DVD players were melted together as well (they were individual units) since it was all in the direct line of fire. The recliner's fabric was burnt to a crisp with the coils showing and the sofa was just as bad. Any type of plastic was melted or quite shrivelled depending on the level of the heat and its location. The freezer's coils were visible from the outside. The kitchen cupboard doors were blown off. In the bathroom the shower curtain had melted and fallen into the tub, but the bath towels were still hanging on the shower rod in one piece. In Ruby's bedroom the window shades were shrivelled as well from the intensity of the heat. Our clothes were all smoke filled along with water damage. Our shoes that we had at the entrance were nowhere in sight. It literally was a disaster zone.)
A person from the restoration crew was assigned to our suite, but I had just missed that person by about 30 minutes. I didn't know where to start so we just looked at what we could and took some pictures. We didn't remove anything from the apartment that day. We went back outside and I made a phone call to the restoration office. I was informed that the crew would be back the next day and that someone would call me when they were at the apartment. So that was the extent of our viewing of the apartment. I let the security guard know we were done for the day and that the door could be locked up again. Another thing tenants were informed about was about our mail. The post office was holding our mail and we would have to go in and ask for it.
After seeing the apartment I brought Ruby back to school and discuss what I would do on friday. I also wanted to know how she was doing and how her subjects were scheduled. There were some tests or classes that she couldn't miss on friday so she wouldn't be able to leave until those were done.
Then I call Mr & Mrs. Wall to see when they would be in Morden so that I could see the apartment.
The new apartment was a ground level suite with no stairs except for the outside step into the apartment. Wall's greeted me as I enter the apartment. The thing that appealed to me right away was the size of the kitchen & counter space and I was quite certain that Ruby would like it as well. The bedrooms were a reasonable size, the bathroom was adequate plus there was a nice open area between the bedrooms & bathroom. The storage room had several shelves and a storage cupboard which we could use if needed. The living room looked narrow to me so I thought it might be a bit of a challenge to arrange furniture when the time came. The laundry room wasn't in my suite so I would have to step out to go to the laundry room which was located in the middle of the apartment building. Everyone had their own entrance, no joining hallway. We discuss rent and a few other things, so my decision was YES I'll take it and when could we move in. (moving in with nothing really). They gave me the keys and we were free to move in immediately if we wanted to.
After I was finished in Morden I headed back to Diedrich & Judy's. This time I was able to enjoy a good supper with them at the table. Plus the medication was working and I was starting to feel much better, but still made sure I didn't make any fast moves. I also enjoyed the grandchildren's company as I was up and around them. I discuss my day with them and how things had turned out at both apartments.
In all it was a bittersweet day. Seeing the fire damage was overwhelming and yet securing a new apartment the same day was a blessing and an answer to prayer. THANK YOU LORD for providing in such a timely matter. So much to be thankful for even in these difficult times.
It was a tiring day due to all the emotions so when it was bedtime sleep came quite easily. This was going to be my last night at Diedrich & Judy's. Goodnight.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Gloomy & Miserable Weather; PLUS
DAY FOUR----May 24th (Victoria Day)
The day started off cloudy with very little sunshine and the weather forecast wasn't promising much sunshine. Regardless of the weather we still had a restful sleep during the night.
I had started making a list of my belongings and little did I know how long my list was going to be.
We had an appointment to see an apartment at noon and we had a few options as to which suite we would like. The only thing was that they weren't immediate possession and the one was only temporary. Plus others were looking too and I didn't have first option.
After looking at the apartment we get something from Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's sure became a regular stop for us. We also check with a friend to see if we could use her computer for a little bit.
Since it was a holiday there wasn't much we could do so we headed back to Roland. It had started raining quite a bit while we were in Morden.
The next time the adjudicator called he commented on how calm I had been on saturday. I told him that I had my moments. Again he kept me informed on things before & after we were allowed into the apartment.
We didn't see the inside of the apartment on Victoria Day.
After supper I took Ruby to her friends house close to Morden. She needed to stay somewhere in or close to Morden so that she could continue going to school. As I talk to her friends mother the offer was given to me that I could stay there for the night as well. I declined because I really felt more comfortable staying with family. The next morning I was very glad I had made that decision.
The rest of the evening was a relaxing time with watching a movie. Bedtime came before midnight since I needed to work in the morning.
DAY FIVE----May 25th (tuesday)
As a rule I was able to sleep right through the night before getting up for the day. That night I needed to get up to use the bathroom and the minute I sat up the room was spinning (I was feeling dizzy). I immedialely laid down and the dizziness subsided. I tried getting up several times, but each time the dizzy spell was so severe I couldn't even focus on the doorway. Finally I managed with great difficulty to get myself to the bathroom and then back to bed. As I flop myself back on the bed the dizziness subsides, plus it was better to lay on my right side. I was hoping it would go away by 7 so I could get myself ready for work, but if it didn't I would have to call in sick. The dizziness didn't go away and so I called in sick.
Then when Judy came into the bedroom to pick her daughter up from the crib I told her that I wasn't going to work & why. Judy asked if she should take me to the clinic or hospital. I told her I would try to sleep it off first. I did sleep on and off almost all day, but it really didn't take the dizziness away. I guess my body was reacting to the stress & turmoil of the fire. After a few hours I asked Judy for some water & crackers and stayed in bed all day. I literally couldn't function and making any attempts in getting up just resulted in being dizzy.
(Since the bedroom was on the second floor I didn't hear much noise from the grandchildren at all. I'm glad they were too young to realize what was going on. Plus the cat was my companion that day, which was kind of soothing to a point.)
During the course of the day the adjudicator calls and says no one is allowed into the apartment yet because of the rainy & windy conditions. The conditions made it unsafe for people to enter the apartment. I also told him how I was feeling and said I wasn't going anywhere. Another call was from the lead person of the restoration crew and he also confirmed the state of the apartment (not safe to enter). [I will explain more on this in another post.] They both said take care and rest, just do what's needed in order to get better.
I also text my sister Anne (our family nurse) and told her how I was feeling. Anna suggested some medication that a doctor would perscribe.
Around supper time Diedrich comes up to check on me and asked how I was feeling. There wasn't much change from the morning so he said if it didn't improve in a few hours then one of them would take me to the hospital. Judy was hosting a tupperware party that evening and I would have liked to participate, but it wasn't possible.
My son Phillip & a few of his friends came to their house later that evening as well. Phillip jokingly said "mom don't worry." I told him "I'm not". It must have been around 11 or later when Judy took me to the hospital. The waiting time wasn't too long at the hospital. I explained the situation to the doctor and he checked my ears. He said it was an inner ear imbalance and perscribed some medication. It was exactly the medication my sister had mentioned. I really don't know if it was an inner ear problem and if it was did the stress bring it on. (My view on it was that I crashed due to the stress). They also gave me a pill of some kind at the hospital that was suppose to help with the dizziness until I had my perscription filled.
Judy drove the car up close to the entrance so I didn't have to walk very far. (I wonder if some people would have thought that I was drunk with the way I was walking. Believe me I wasn't). Glad that there were very few patients at the hospital. During the drive to and from the hospital I kept my eyes closed and even when the car took a turn it made me feel dizzy.
Once we're back at the house I went straight to bed. I had no problem sleeping even with the amount of sleep that I had during the day. My prayer that night was that the Lord would make me feel better, so I could function again.
DAY SIX ----- May 26th (wednesday)
Morning comes and I still don't feel the best. The dizziness is still around so I call into work again and I tell Sara (office gal) that I won't be coming to work. The doctor had said it could take a few days for it to clear up so its best that I take the rest of the week off. (It meant they had to fill in my shifts with someone else, which was a bit of a challenge, but they made due). I had no intentions in taking the whole week off, but God knew best. He was working things out at the moment even though I didn't see it.
After breakfast Judy takes me intoWinkler to the pharmacy so I can get my medication. The medication had a possibility of some side effects, but thankfully it didn't bother me.
Once we're back at the house again I eat something as I take the medication. It meant timing my eating with the medication. I go back to bed and practically sleep the day away. The fact that I could hardly function was something I had never experienced in my life. (I don't want to experience it again either if at all possible).
I also called Helen and told her I wouldn't be at Bible Study that evening.
I did have a radio in my room so listening to it on occasion did help to pass the time away.
Glad I had my cell as a communication device for family & friends plus the insurance adjudicator & restoration person were able to contact me quickly.
Eating wasn't a priority for me during the time that I was flat in bed, but still needed something for the medication. At supper time Diedrich brought up a bowl of food for me. I did eat a little bit, but not everything.
Later that evening I did venture downstairs into the living room, but for a very short time.
When I went back into the bedroom I was ready for the night and didn't have a problem falling asleep.
So during these 2 days of being in bed I slept alot, PRAYED in between during my waking time and was really hoping I'd be up on my feet soon.
I was also able to contact Ruby during these last 2 days so that she knew what was going on.
So with being in bed a lot I also didn't know how the weather had been except through what Diedrich & Judy had said & the phone calls from the adjudicator & restoration man. The weather had really taken a toll on the apartment and they were trying to secure it so that the tenants could go in safely to view the damage. So here we were on day 5 already after the fire and no one had been able to go into the apartment with the exception of maybe a few in the least damaged area which was at the west end of the apartment.
In closing this post I would like to share a bible verse that I probably thought about during the time I was flat in bed. Romans 8:26 "LIKEWISE THE SPIRIT ALSO HELPETH OR INFIRMITIES: FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT; BUT THE SPIRIT ITSELF MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US WITH GROANINGS WHICH CANNOT BE UTTERED." Then there is also a promise in the same chapter verse 28 "AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE." King James Version.
The day started off cloudy with very little sunshine and the weather forecast wasn't promising much sunshine. Regardless of the weather we still had a restful sleep during the night.
I had started making a list of my belongings and little did I know how long my list was going to be.
We had an appointment to see an apartment at noon and we had a few options as to which suite we would like. The only thing was that they weren't immediate possession and the one was only temporary. Plus others were looking too and I didn't have first option.
After looking at the apartment we get something from Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's sure became a regular stop for us. We also check with a friend to see if we could use her computer for a little bit.
Since it was a holiday there wasn't much we could do so we headed back to Roland. It had started raining quite a bit while we were in Morden.
The next time the adjudicator called he commented on how calm I had been on saturday. I told him that I had my moments. Again he kept me informed on things before & after we were allowed into the apartment.
We didn't see the inside of the apartment on Victoria Day.
After supper I took Ruby to her friends house close to Morden. She needed to stay somewhere in or close to Morden so that she could continue going to school. As I talk to her friends mother the offer was given to me that I could stay there for the night as well. I declined because I really felt more comfortable staying with family. The next morning I was very glad I had made that decision.
The rest of the evening was a relaxing time with watching a movie. Bedtime came before midnight since I needed to work in the morning.
DAY FIVE----May 25th (tuesday)
As a rule I was able to sleep right through the night before getting up for the day. That night I needed to get up to use the bathroom and the minute I sat up the room was spinning (I was feeling dizzy). I immedialely laid down and the dizziness subsided. I tried getting up several times, but each time the dizzy spell was so severe I couldn't even focus on the doorway. Finally I managed with great difficulty to get myself to the bathroom and then back to bed. As I flop myself back on the bed the dizziness subsides, plus it was better to lay on my right side. I was hoping it would go away by 7 so I could get myself ready for work, but if it didn't I would have to call in sick. The dizziness didn't go away and so I called in sick.
Then when Judy came into the bedroom to pick her daughter up from the crib I told her that I wasn't going to work & why. Judy asked if she should take me to the clinic or hospital. I told her I would try to sleep it off first. I did sleep on and off almost all day, but it really didn't take the dizziness away. I guess my body was reacting to the stress & turmoil of the fire. After a few hours I asked Judy for some water & crackers and stayed in bed all day. I literally couldn't function and making any attempts in getting up just resulted in being dizzy.
(Since the bedroom was on the second floor I didn't hear much noise from the grandchildren at all. I'm glad they were too young to realize what was going on. Plus the cat was my companion that day, which was kind of soothing to a point.)
During the course of the day the adjudicator calls and says no one is allowed into the apartment yet because of the rainy & windy conditions. The conditions made it unsafe for people to enter the apartment. I also told him how I was feeling and said I wasn't going anywhere. Another call was from the lead person of the restoration crew and he also confirmed the state of the apartment (not safe to enter). [I will explain more on this in another post.] They both said take care and rest, just do what's needed in order to get better.
I also text my sister Anne (our family nurse) and told her how I was feeling. Anna suggested some medication that a doctor would perscribe.
Around supper time Diedrich comes up to check on me and asked how I was feeling. There wasn't much change from the morning so he said if it didn't improve in a few hours then one of them would take me to the hospital. Judy was hosting a tupperware party that evening and I would have liked to participate, but it wasn't possible.
My son Phillip & a few of his friends came to their house later that evening as well. Phillip jokingly said "mom don't worry." I told him "I'm not". It must have been around 11 or later when Judy took me to the hospital. The waiting time wasn't too long at the hospital. I explained the situation to the doctor and he checked my ears. He said it was an inner ear imbalance and perscribed some medication. It was exactly the medication my sister had mentioned. I really don't know if it was an inner ear problem and if it was did the stress bring it on. (My view on it was that I crashed due to the stress). They also gave me a pill of some kind at the hospital that was suppose to help with the dizziness until I had my perscription filled.
Judy drove the car up close to the entrance so I didn't have to walk very far. (I wonder if some people would have thought that I was drunk with the way I was walking. Believe me I wasn't). Glad that there were very few patients at the hospital. During the drive to and from the hospital I kept my eyes closed and even when the car took a turn it made me feel dizzy.
Once we're back at the house I went straight to bed. I had no problem sleeping even with the amount of sleep that I had during the day. My prayer that night was that the Lord would make me feel better, so I could function again.
DAY SIX ----- May 26th (wednesday)
Morning comes and I still don't feel the best. The dizziness is still around so I call into work again and I tell Sara (office gal) that I won't be coming to work. The doctor had said it could take a few days for it to clear up so its best that I take the rest of the week off. (It meant they had to fill in my shifts with someone else, which was a bit of a challenge, but they made due). I had no intentions in taking the whole week off, but God knew best. He was working things out at the moment even though I didn't see it.
After breakfast Judy takes me intoWinkler to the pharmacy so I can get my medication. The medication had a possibility of some side effects, but thankfully it didn't bother me.
Once we're back at the house again I eat something as I take the medication. It meant timing my eating with the medication. I go back to bed and practically sleep the day away. The fact that I could hardly function was something I had never experienced in my life. (I don't want to experience it again either if at all possible).
I also called Helen and told her I wouldn't be at Bible Study that evening.
I did have a radio in my room so listening to it on occasion did help to pass the time away.
Glad I had my cell as a communication device for family & friends plus the insurance adjudicator & restoration person were able to contact me quickly.
Eating wasn't a priority for me during the time that I was flat in bed, but still needed something for the medication. At supper time Diedrich brought up a bowl of food for me. I did eat a little bit, but not everything.
Later that evening I did venture downstairs into the living room, but for a very short time.
When I went back into the bedroom I was ready for the night and didn't have a problem falling asleep.
So during these 2 days of being in bed I slept alot, PRAYED in between during my waking time and was really hoping I'd be up on my feet soon.
I was also able to contact Ruby during these last 2 days so that she knew what was going on.
So with being in bed a lot I also didn't know how the weather had been except through what Diedrich & Judy had said & the phone calls from the adjudicator & restoration man. The weather had really taken a toll on the apartment and they were trying to secure it so that the tenants could go in safely to view the damage. So here we were on day 5 already after the fire and no one had been able to go into the apartment with the exception of maybe a few in the least damaged area which was at the west end of the apartment.
In closing this post I would like to share a bible verse that I probably thought about during the time I was flat in bed. Romans 8:26 "LIKEWISE THE SPIRIT ALSO HELPETH OR INFIRMITIES: FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT; BUT THE SPIRIT ITSELF MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US WITH GROANINGS WHICH CANNOT BE UTTERED." Then there is also a promise in the same chapter verse 28 "AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE." King James Version.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Family Time (Sunday)
DAY THREE --- May 23rd (SUNDAY)
It was the beginning of the third day after the fire plus it was Sunday. I was looking forward to a day of some relaxation and spending time with family & Church family. One thing that was not normal for me that Sunday was going to Church in slacks instead of a dress or skirt set. We had several visitors in Church that Sunday and I was glad my sister & brother-in-law (James & Bertha) had come out from Steinbach to take in the service and morale support for us. It was good to get a sisterly hug & we shared some tears as well. Besides me there were 2 more ladies in Church that were in the same apartment. It was good to see them that morning as well and all were doing well. In fact one of them had got a place already just 1 day after the fire. The Lord was working in our midst.
One of the first announcements that morning was in regards to the fire.
(The media "radio & newspaper" had reported quite a bit already about the fire. I was oblivious as to what was being reported due to the fact that I wasn't really listening to the radio and didn't take time to get a newspaper. I also never contacted anyone from the press.)
The Church bulletin had this announcement (*DONATIONS FOR FIRE VICTIMS "OTHER THAN OUR OWN MEMBERS" SHOULD GO TO B & D MUSIC OR MORDEN FRIENDSHIP CENTER. PLEASE CALL THEM IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR SEE DANSELLE.)
Pastor Lyle opened with a prayer for the fire victims. The morning message was on Matthew 24:1-3. (I came across Church bulletin at the time of writing this post).
Details of the message I don't remember since I didn't write down any notes plus my mind may not have been totally concentrating on the message the whole time. Singing songs from a Hymnal is always food for the soul (at least for me it is). I'm sure we sang songs that morning that were an encouragement for me & one of those songs may have been "THE COMFORTER HAS COME". After the service we talked with a few more people.
I had not seen the apartment since friday noon so I didn't know what they had done for security on the building. James & Bertha wanted to see it as well so then we walked over since it was only 2 blocks from the Church. The apartment building was boarded up along with yellow tape around the building, a white tarp was on the third floor due to an open roof and security people were assigned to the site. We didn't know when we'd be allowed into the building and since it was Victoria weekend, it might only happen on tuesday.
We walk back to our vehicles and James & Bertha hand over some things from them and their family. Along with the supplies was a THINKING OF YOU card that my niece & great niece made, very precious & thoughtful. We said our good-bye and thanked everyone.
Plans for Sunday lunch was a picnic lunch in the park with my daughter & son-in-law (Melody & Ryan) & granddaughter & my son Phillip. The weather was fairly nice that day for a picnic. Again it was good to be surrounded by family for part of Sunday and have a leisurely picnic lunch. It was also a good opportunity to take some pictures, especially of granddaughter. After lunch we all went for a walk back to the apartment for Melody & Ryan & Phillip to see the damage. This time as we're walking around the apartment we also take pictures of it. We also talk to one of the security men and I introduce my family to him since I knew him from several years ago. As we're talking it crossed my mind that he (security man) had been injured in a house fire many years ago and we briefly talk about it.
Before my family heads back home to Wpg I show them a new apartment in town that I had a viewing appointment for on monday.
We still had some time to spare before evening service after we said good-bye, so we get something from Tim Horton's and drive over to Stanley Park. While we're waiting inside at Tim's another couple approach us and ask how we're doing,
At Stanley Park I look for a spot to park the car so we can get a little bit of rest and away from other people. Thankfully the weather was holding out, but it had showered a bit in the afternoon.
After the evening service we head back to Roland and wait for Diedrich & Judy to get home. A bonfire in their back yard was another event of the day and close to the end of the day.
Daily events from the day of the fire definitely were out of the norm for us. We couldn't set a routine since everything was so uncertain until we had our own place, but even then it would take awhile for life to feel normal. Besides a routine I had to adjust to not wearing my glasses which I had got just 2 months prior to the fire & since I was still adjusting to the glasses I was managing quite well without them.
To close the day I'm very thankful for the support from family & Church family.
Thank you Lord for a day of rest. Goodnight.
It was the beginning of the third day after the fire plus it was Sunday. I was looking forward to a day of some relaxation and spending time with family & Church family. One thing that was not normal for me that Sunday was going to Church in slacks instead of a dress or skirt set. We had several visitors in Church that Sunday and I was glad my sister & brother-in-law (James & Bertha) had come out from Steinbach to take in the service and morale support for us. It was good to get a sisterly hug & we shared some tears as well. Besides me there were 2 more ladies in Church that were in the same apartment. It was good to see them that morning as well and all were doing well. In fact one of them had got a place already just 1 day after the fire. The Lord was working in our midst.
One of the first announcements that morning was in regards to the fire.
(The media "radio & newspaper" had reported quite a bit already about the fire. I was oblivious as to what was being reported due to the fact that I wasn't really listening to the radio and didn't take time to get a newspaper. I also never contacted anyone from the press.)
The Church bulletin had this announcement (*DONATIONS FOR FIRE VICTIMS "OTHER THAN OUR OWN MEMBERS" SHOULD GO TO B & D MUSIC OR MORDEN FRIENDSHIP CENTER. PLEASE CALL THEM IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR SEE DANSELLE.)
Pastor Lyle opened with a prayer for the fire victims. The morning message was on Matthew 24:1-3. (I came across Church bulletin at the time of writing this post).
Details of the message I don't remember since I didn't write down any notes plus my mind may not have been totally concentrating on the message the whole time. Singing songs from a Hymnal is always food for the soul (at least for me it is). I'm sure we sang songs that morning that were an encouragement for me & one of those songs may have been "THE COMFORTER HAS COME". After the service we talked with a few more people.
I had not seen the apartment since friday noon so I didn't know what they had done for security on the building. James & Bertha wanted to see it as well so then we walked over since it was only 2 blocks from the Church. The apartment building was boarded up along with yellow tape around the building, a white tarp was on the third floor due to an open roof and security people were assigned to the site. We didn't know when we'd be allowed into the building and since it was Victoria weekend, it might only happen on tuesday.
We walk back to our vehicles and James & Bertha hand over some things from them and their family. Along with the supplies was a THINKING OF YOU card that my niece & great niece made, very precious & thoughtful. We said our good-bye and thanked everyone.
Plans for Sunday lunch was a picnic lunch in the park with my daughter & son-in-law (Melody & Ryan) & granddaughter & my son Phillip. The weather was fairly nice that day for a picnic. Again it was good to be surrounded by family for part of Sunday and have a leisurely picnic lunch. It was also a good opportunity to take some pictures, especially of granddaughter. After lunch we all went for a walk back to the apartment for Melody & Ryan & Phillip to see the damage. This time as we're walking around the apartment we also take pictures of it. We also talk to one of the security men and I introduce my family to him since I knew him from several years ago. As we're talking it crossed my mind that he (security man) had been injured in a house fire many years ago and we briefly talk about it.
Before my family heads back home to Wpg I show them a new apartment in town that I had a viewing appointment for on monday.
We still had some time to spare before evening service after we said good-bye, so we get something from Tim Horton's and drive over to Stanley Park. While we're waiting inside at Tim's another couple approach us and ask how we're doing,
At Stanley Park I look for a spot to park the car so we can get a little bit of rest and away from other people. Thankfully the weather was holding out, but it had showered a bit in the afternoon.
After the evening service we head back to Roland and wait for Diedrich & Judy to get home. A bonfire in their back yard was another event of the day and close to the end of the day.
Daily events from the day of the fire definitely were out of the norm for us. We couldn't set a routine since everything was so uncertain until we had our own place, but even then it would take awhile for life to feel normal. Besides a routine I had to adjust to not wearing my glasses which I had got just 2 months prior to the fire & since I was still adjusting to the glasses I was managing quite well without them.
To close the day I'm very thankful for the support from family & Church family.
Thank you Lord for a day of rest. Goodnight.
Friday, 4 March 2011
Coping.... little by little
DAY TWO---saturday May 22nd/10
The start of another day of uncertainty in regards to the state of my apartment suite & belongings.
I was glad I didn't have to be at work at 8:30 in the morning, so I was able to get a proper amount of sleep. My thoughts were on the fire a lot as I fell asleep last night and also when I woke up. So often the questions of WHAT IF, WHAT IF entered my mind along with other unpleasant thoughts. Its those kinds of thoughts that I really had to work at and just ask the Lord to keep me calm. Thankfully Ruby and myself didn't have nightmares about it.
Being around the grandchildren was a good distraction, plus their Siamese cat warmed up to us quite a bit as well.
The insurance adjudicator called again and so I was able to arrange something with him that day. I decided against meeting with him at the apartment since I knew we would be busy at CT and so he was willing to come to the store after inspecting the apartment suite.
I started making a few phone calls in regards to other housing, but wasn't very successful.
Then before going to work I made another short shopping trip at Wal Mart. As I pull onto the parking lot a friend calls to see if I'd be interested in talking to the press (Free Press or The Sun). The Press wanted to talk to someone that had more damage or loss. My friend gave me some phone numbers, but said it was up to me and that she had not given them my name or phone number. I explained to her what my day would be like and I wasn't sure if I would have time to talk to them.
Being at work and being kept busy was probably the best for me at the time. Since the cashier at cash #1 was finished when I started my shift I decided to step into cash #1 until after my supper break. The cashiers in customer service probably realized I didn't want to be in C.S until I had to... plus when the insurance adjudicator came in I would have to slip away for awhile.
The only customers that knew what I was experiencing were the ones that knew where I lived.
A tenant from the apartment and on the same floor as me came through my check out. He recognized me from the apartment and vise versa, so we exchanged some words to see how each other were doing.
Another pleasant surprise was from another friend that didn't live in the area, but came shopping at CT that day. They too knew about the fire and gave some encouraging words and said they'd be praying for us. Something that reaffirmed my thoughts knowing that people were praying.
As I'm kept busy serving customers I'm anxiously waiting for the insurance adjudicator to call and say when he'd be at the store. As soon as he called I called my son (Diedrich) to let him know when the adjudicator would be at the store. Diedrich & Judy, grandchildren & Ruby got to the store just shortly before the adjudicator showed up.
I excuse myself from cash and we go to the customer lounge area to discuss the fire damage. The lounge was a place away from customers and we could talk freely. I also introduced my family to the adjudicator. The adjudicator had taken pictures of my suite and so we were able to see some of the damage, but pictures can be deceiving. The news wasn't good, it was being documented as total loss. At the moment we didn't know when we'd be able to go back into the apartment to see the loss for ourselves and to see if anything could be salvaged. I was glad that Diedrich & Judy had come because Diedrich asked some questions that I hadn't thought of or may have missed, plus the adjudicator welcomed their attendance & questions. He commented on their support. As we discuss the fire loss I felt comfortable & at ease with the adjudicator that he'd take care of things, keep me informed & that I could trust him in what he was saying. (He proved himself in the weeks & months ahead.) The adjudicator also confirmed what we heard as to what started the fire, it was a cigarette butt disposed of improperly on the patio below our suite. After we were done with our meeting I calmly go back to cash. Again my calm state wasn't in my own strength. My faith was in the Lord.
So now I knew what I was up against and needed to make a list of my belongings.
A scribbler definitely was a necessity for what I needed to write down.
My family continued on with their day and I finished my scheduled shift which was till 9 p.m.(closing).
As I'm relaxing a bit at Diedrich & Judy's I think of my recliner which I made good use of after a busy day at work. It was good to be with family though in a time like this.
(Another daily routine would be using the computer before going to bed. Now it was something I couldn't do since Diedrich & Judy didn't have a computer. So I posted some things on facebook from work computer during my breaks,)
We discuss a few more things before going to bed for the night and also what plans they had for Sunday.
Time for bed and sleep didn't come as quickly that night as it did the night before. My thoughts were all over the place and yet eventually sleep did come. Goodnight.
The start of another day of uncertainty in regards to the state of my apartment suite & belongings.
I was glad I didn't have to be at work at 8:30 in the morning, so I was able to get a proper amount of sleep. My thoughts were on the fire a lot as I fell asleep last night and also when I woke up. So often the questions of WHAT IF, WHAT IF entered my mind along with other unpleasant thoughts. Its those kinds of thoughts that I really had to work at and just ask the Lord to keep me calm. Thankfully Ruby and myself didn't have nightmares about it.
Being around the grandchildren was a good distraction, plus their Siamese cat warmed up to us quite a bit as well.
The insurance adjudicator called again and so I was able to arrange something with him that day. I decided against meeting with him at the apartment since I knew we would be busy at CT and so he was willing to come to the store after inspecting the apartment suite.
I started making a few phone calls in regards to other housing, but wasn't very successful.
Then before going to work I made another short shopping trip at Wal Mart. As I pull onto the parking lot a friend calls to see if I'd be interested in talking to the press (Free Press or The Sun). The Press wanted to talk to someone that had more damage or loss. My friend gave me some phone numbers, but said it was up to me and that she had not given them my name or phone number. I explained to her what my day would be like and I wasn't sure if I would have time to talk to them.
Being at work and being kept busy was probably the best for me at the time. Since the cashier at cash #1 was finished when I started my shift I decided to step into cash #1 until after my supper break. The cashiers in customer service probably realized I didn't want to be in C.S until I had to... plus when the insurance adjudicator came in I would have to slip away for awhile.
The only customers that knew what I was experiencing were the ones that knew where I lived.
A tenant from the apartment and on the same floor as me came through my check out. He recognized me from the apartment and vise versa, so we exchanged some words to see how each other were doing.
Another pleasant surprise was from another friend that didn't live in the area, but came shopping at CT that day. They too knew about the fire and gave some encouraging words and said they'd be praying for us. Something that reaffirmed my thoughts knowing that people were praying.
As I'm kept busy serving customers I'm anxiously waiting for the insurance adjudicator to call and say when he'd be at the store. As soon as he called I called my son (Diedrich) to let him know when the adjudicator would be at the store. Diedrich & Judy, grandchildren & Ruby got to the store just shortly before the adjudicator showed up.
I excuse myself from cash and we go to the customer lounge area to discuss the fire damage. The lounge was a place away from customers and we could talk freely. I also introduced my family to the adjudicator. The adjudicator had taken pictures of my suite and so we were able to see some of the damage, but pictures can be deceiving. The news wasn't good, it was being documented as total loss. At the moment we didn't know when we'd be able to go back into the apartment to see the loss for ourselves and to see if anything could be salvaged. I was glad that Diedrich & Judy had come because Diedrich asked some questions that I hadn't thought of or may have missed, plus the adjudicator welcomed their attendance & questions. He commented on their support. As we discuss the fire loss I felt comfortable & at ease with the adjudicator that he'd take care of things, keep me informed & that I could trust him in what he was saying. (He proved himself in the weeks & months ahead.) The adjudicator also confirmed what we heard as to what started the fire, it was a cigarette butt disposed of improperly on the patio below our suite. After we were done with our meeting I calmly go back to cash. Again my calm state wasn't in my own strength. My faith was in the Lord.
So now I knew what I was up against and needed to make a list of my belongings.
A scribbler definitely was a necessity for what I needed to write down.
My family continued on with their day and I finished my scheduled shift which was till 9 p.m.(closing).
As I'm relaxing a bit at Diedrich & Judy's I think of my recliner which I made good use of after a busy day at work. It was good to be with family though in a time like this.
(Another daily routine would be using the computer before going to bed. Now it was something I couldn't do since Diedrich & Judy didn't have a computer. So I posted some things on facebook from work computer during my breaks,)
We discuss a few more things before going to bed for the night and also what plans they had for Sunday.
Time for bed and sleep didn't come as quickly that night as it did the night before. My thoughts were all over the place and yet eventually sleep did come. Goodnight.
Friday, 25 February 2011
Where Do I Begin??
DAY ONE---still friday May 21st.
Its about 7 or 7:30 a.m. and I couldn't sleep anymore because I knew I needed to make some phone calls. Thankfully my cell was partially charged. I called family members and asked them to call others. I called my work place to let someone know what had happened and that I wouldn't be in at my scheduled time which was 1, but I would be in for the evening. My boss text me later that morning to let me know if there was anything he could do to let him know, plus another manager called and said I didn't have to come in at all if I wasn't up to it. I insisted on working the evening cause I really didn't know what else to do since it was the beginning of the long weekend (Victoria Weekend). Plus it was the busy time of the year at CT. Around the time I was making phone calls Helen was up and starting her day of duties. A different day of duties for her something that definitely wasn't on her list of to do things. Since I had left the apartment so quickly in just my nightgown & housecoat during the night I wasn't about to go out in my night attire back to the apartment in daylight. I really appreciated Helen's leg work for me that morning until I felt presentable enough to go out. Several people in the immediate neighbourhood went to the apartment to supply some food & beverages for the firefighters since they were there till noon or later. Most of the firefighters were probably at the apartment fighting the fire for 10 or more hours. On one of Helen's trips to the apartment the apartment manager asked if she would ask me if there was anything I needed immediately from the apartment like meds etc. The fire commissioner would go into the apartment to get the items if possible. I drew a layout of my bedroom where the items were that I wanted like a safe, passport (which was on my dresser under some papers, should have been in the safe) and my cell phone charger. When those items were retrieved the fire commisioner also grabbed my camera & case in passing thinking I might want it as well. I was thankful for his thoughtful act. Blessing #1 my passport was untouched by the fire (THANK YOU LORD). My cell phone charger had a smoky smell, but it wasn't damaged by the heat of the fire and the same applied to my camera. Glad I had the camera & case in the bedroom and not in the living room.
After Helen had purchased some clothes for me I took a shower and felt ready for the most part to venture out & take a look at the apartment. A sight I knew would be painful, but I needed to go to confirm my thoughts. When I got to the apartment the firefighters were sitting on the front lawn taking a much needed break and they were quite the sight. My apartment manager was still there and she gave me a much needed hug. As I stood there looking up at the BIG, BLACK gaping hole at what was my suite my emotions almost got the best of me. Another neighbour lady was at the apartment and gave me some names & phone numbers for possible rental buildings. Now that I had seen the damage from the outside I needed to move on and find another place.
Shortly after lunch my son & daughter-in-law (Diedrich & Judy) with their 2 children came into town to take a look and said we could stay at their place until I found a place. As I'm waiting on the sidewalk for them to show up I literally felt like a homeless person.
My next stop was to buy some shoes for work since I couldn't wear my open toed sandals. After purchasing my shoes I drove to Winkler to Friesen Insurance to report & file a fire claim. I was very glad to have fire insurance. The clerk at Friesen's told me that an insurance adjudicator would be in touch with me and that's all she said. I was a little upset that she didn't offer any other suggestions as to what else to do.
As I was doing my errands before work Ruby was with friends. It was a school skip day for Ruby, but she still went to school in the morning to give them a report. The teachers were very good to her and helped with assignments that were lost in the fire. Ruby's friends also took her shopping and supplied some clothes.
So after reporting my fire claim I went to Superstore to buy a few items. As I step into the store I'm just looking around thinking where do I begin?? I know I need to start all over, but what & where do I start.
Needless to say I bought very little during that first stop at the store. There would be many more shopping days ahead.
As I'm at work getting ready to begin my evening shift several co-workers give their regards and ask how I'm doing & what do I need. A uniform shirt was put out for me & it was the last one in my size. One of the many questions from the female co-workers was "what about Ruby's grad dress?" That I guess was another blessing, Ruby's grad dress was at the seamstress for alterations, but her shoes & purse were lost in the fire.
As the work evening progressed I was kept busy which was good. For the most part I kept my emotions in check during work until a former co-worker and his wife came in and offered some assistance.
Then around 8 p.m. the events of the long night & day were starting to take their toll on me. The general manager noticed I was starting to look very tired so he allowed me to leave work before closing plus I had a back up customer service cashier that evening.
So before going to Diedrich & Judy's in Roland for the night I needed to go back to Morden to pick Ruby up. During the day Diedrich had also borrowed some beds and set them up in his daughter's room so we had something to sleep on. At that time we had no idea how long we would need to stay at their place.
Meanwhile the insurance adjudicator had called my cell, but I missed the call due to work and I didn't know the number that he'd be calling from.
As we get settled in at Diedrich & Judy's bedtime definitely was before midnight that night.
I was thankful to be able to stay with family, it made the stay more comfortable.
So to close the day there were things to be thankful for; glad all the tenants got out safely, for caring people and for the few items that were retrieved from the apartment.
Time to give my mind & body a rest. Goodnight.
Its about 7 or 7:30 a.m. and I couldn't sleep anymore because I knew I needed to make some phone calls. Thankfully my cell was partially charged. I called family members and asked them to call others. I called my work place to let someone know what had happened and that I wouldn't be in at my scheduled time which was 1, but I would be in for the evening. My boss text me later that morning to let me know if there was anything he could do to let him know, plus another manager called and said I didn't have to come in at all if I wasn't up to it. I insisted on working the evening cause I really didn't know what else to do since it was the beginning of the long weekend (Victoria Weekend). Plus it was the busy time of the year at CT. Around the time I was making phone calls Helen was up and starting her day of duties. A different day of duties for her something that definitely wasn't on her list of to do things. Since I had left the apartment so quickly in just my nightgown & housecoat during the night I wasn't about to go out in my night attire back to the apartment in daylight. I really appreciated Helen's leg work for me that morning until I felt presentable enough to go out. Several people in the immediate neighbourhood went to the apartment to supply some food & beverages for the firefighters since they were there till noon or later. Most of the firefighters were probably at the apartment fighting the fire for 10 or more hours. On one of Helen's trips to the apartment the apartment manager asked if she would ask me if there was anything I needed immediately from the apartment like meds etc. The fire commissioner would go into the apartment to get the items if possible. I drew a layout of my bedroom where the items were that I wanted like a safe, passport (which was on my dresser under some papers, should have been in the safe) and my cell phone charger. When those items were retrieved the fire commisioner also grabbed my camera & case in passing thinking I might want it as well. I was thankful for his thoughtful act. Blessing #1 my passport was untouched by the fire (THANK YOU LORD). My cell phone charger had a smoky smell, but it wasn't damaged by the heat of the fire and the same applied to my camera. Glad I had the camera & case in the bedroom and not in the living room.
After Helen had purchased some clothes for me I took a shower and felt ready for the most part to venture out & take a look at the apartment. A sight I knew would be painful, but I needed to go to confirm my thoughts. When I got to the apartment the firefighters were sitting on the front lawn taking a much needed break and they were quite the sight. My apartment manager was still there and she gave me a much needed hug. As I stood there looking up at the BIG, BLACK gaping hole at what was my suite my emotions almost got the best of me. Another neighbour lady was at the apartment and gave me some names & phone numbers for possible rental buildings. Now that I had seen the damage from the outside I needed to move on and find another place.
Shortly after lunch my son & daughter-in-law (Diedrich & Judy) with their 2 children came into town to take a look and said we could stay at their place until I found a place. As I'm waiting on the sidewalk for them to show up I literally felt like a homeless person.
My next stop was to buy some shoes for work since I couldn't wear my open toed sandals. After purchasing my shoes I drove to Winkler to Friesen Insurance to report & file a fire claim. I was very glad to have fire insurance. The clerk at Friesen's told me that an insurance adjudicator would be in touch with me and that's all she said. I was a little upset that she didn't offer any other suggestions as to what else to do.
As I was doing my errands before work Ruby was with friends. It was a school skip day for Ruby, but she still went to school in the morning to give them a report. The teachers were very good to her and helped with assignments that were lost in the fire. Ruby's friends also took her shopping and supplied some clothes.
So after reporting my fire claim I went to Superstore to buy a few items. As I step into the store I'm just looking around thinking where do I begin?? I know I need to start all over, but what & where do I start.
Needless to say I bought very little during that first stop at the store. There would be many more shopping days ahead.
As I'm at work getting ready to begin my evening shift several co-workers give their regards and ask how I'm doing & what do I need. A uniform shirt was put out for me & it was the last one in my size. One of the many questions from the female co-workers was "what about Ruby's grad dress?" That I guess was another blessing, Ruby's grad dress was at the seamstress for alterations, but her shoes & purse were lost in the fire.
As the work evening progressed I was kept busy which was good. For the most part I kept my emotions in check during work until a former co-worker and his wife came in and offered some assistance.
Then around 8 p.m. the events of the long night & day were starting to take their toll on me. The general manager noticed I was starting to look very tired so he allowed me to leave work before closing plus I had a back up customer service cashier that evening.
So before going to Diedrich & Judy's in Roland for the night I needed to go back to Morden to pick Ruby up. During the day Diedrich had also borrowed some beds and set them up in his daughter's room so we had something to sleep on. At that time we had no idea how long we would need to stay at their place.
Meanwhile the insurance adjudicator had called my cell, but I missed the call due to work and I didn't know the number that he'd be calling from.
As we get settled in at Diedrich & Judy's bedtime definitely was before midnight that night.
I was thankful to be able to stay with family, it made the stay more comfortable.
So to close the day there were things to be thankful for; glad all the tenants got out safely, for caring people and for the few items that were retrieved from the apartment.
Time to give my mind & body a rest. Goodnight.
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Apartment Fire May 21/10
Here is my story on what I experienced as the result of an apartment fire. No doubt a life can change in a matter of seconds or minutes. My purpose for this blog is to help others that may have experienced the same thing or as a guide for those that may experience something similar in the future. I'm sure almost everyone knows of someone that has been through a fire disaster. Some may even say it will never happen to me and hopefully it doesn't.
The week of May 21st was a busy week for me at the store due to it being the start of the lawn/gardening season.
May 20th my day off and nothing really out of the ordinary to start my day besides maybe sleeping in a bit. I had nothing planned for that day so I could do what I pleased. I did color my hair that day at home. It was a gorgeous day and summer-like temps had been around for a couple of days. So for supper Ruby (my daughter) & myself walked to Warky's. After supper I went to a Church business meeting which took a couple of hours. That same evening I picked up some movies from Video Stop (thursday nights are cheaper). I believe I also picked up 2 books from the library during the day. I'm thinking due to the nice temperatures and summer holidays I got the books from the library to maybe plan my holidays.
Little did I know that my holidays this summer would be different.
Before going to bed that night, which is never bfore midnight I posted a status from shuttle status which was posted at 12:11 a.m. May 21st. (I checked my FB status for that day). At the time I didn't know that the smoke was forming already underneath my balcony. Due to the nice temperatures that week I had been opening my bedroom window for the night. As I opened the window I thought I smelt smoke, but didn't really look to see where it was coming from so just ignored it. Shortly after getting into bed the smoke smell was getting stronger plus I heard a crackling sound & saw a glow shining into my room. Something didn't feel right so I got up. I went to the window again thinking who is burning so late at night. Thats when I saw the black smoke bellowing from the patio below me. I knew then that it meant getting out. I ran into Ruby's room and woke her up saying "I think we had better get out." I proceeded to call 911 with my home phone to report the fire at approximately 12:30 a.m. After the call I grabbed my purse, cell phone, keys and slipped my house coat on & sandals. Ruby put a light sweater on as well, took her new purse and slipped on her flip flops. As we left our apartment suite Ruby pulled the fire alarm and we headed out the north entrance. The fire was starting to flare up towards the second floor which was our suite. The police were at the scene in minutes and asked for someone's keys so they could get into the apartment to get the other tenants out. Shortly after that the fire trucks were there. At that moment we were on the sidewalk across the street already just watching as the fire blazed up the apartment. As the fire spread we could hear things popping, snapping & crackling cause it was an older building. We just stand there in disbelief thinking this isn't happening, but it is. I think my emotions were numb cause I couldn't even cry even though Ruby did a bit. (Earlier that evening Ruby had asked if she could go to a friends house for the night, but I said no, she could go another time. I'm glad I hadn't let her go).
I'm not sure how long we stood there to watch, but eventually I walked to the south side of the building with another tenant as she was looking for her mother. The tenants parking lot was on the south side of the building. The policemen were there as well and asked if anyone could move their vehicles to do so. I did have my keys so I moved my car to the other side of the street. As I was moving my car Calla. N called me on my cell asking if we were alright and that we could come stand at their corner which was just 1 block from the apartment. We accepted the invite. As I'm walking the one block east the smoke was intense already along the street and I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn't inhale all the smoke.
People were gathered all along the sidewalk already from the apartment to the next block or 2. As I get to Neufeld's yard I get several hugs knowing we're safe. Others had gathered at their corner yard as well. After awhile I walked back to the apartment a different way to get my car and parked it closer to Neufeld's yard.
We stood outside a bit longer until I started getting cold. Neufeld's opened their house for us that night. Once inside we talked for quite awhile probably till almost 3 or 4 a.m. I also called my daughter (Melody) during the night when I knew she'd be up with her newborn daughter. Melody was the first family member to know. I had many things going through my mind knowing almost full well that I may have lost everything in the fire. Sleep didn't come easily that morning and when it did it wasn't a restful sleep, which was maybe 2 hours worth. Morning is almost dawning & a new challenge/journey is upon me. Surprisingly enough I didn't panic or get too anxious. I knew people would be praying & helping. My faith was in the Lord that we would get through this one day at a time.
The week of May 21st was a busy week for me at the store due to it being the start of the lawn/gardening season.
May 20th my day off and nothing really out of the ordinary to start my day besides maybe sleeping in a bit. I had nothing planned for that day so I could do what I pleased. I did color my hair that day at home. It was a gorgeous day and summer-like temps had been around for a couple of days. So for supper Ruby (my daughter) & myself walked to Warky's. After supper I went to a Church business meeting which took a couple of hours. That same evening I picked up some movies from Video Stop (thursday nights are cheaper). I believe I also picked up 2 books from the library during the day. I'm thinking due to the nice temperatures and summer holidays I got the books from the library to maybe plan my holidays.
Little did I know that my holidays this summer would be different.
Before going to bed that night, which is never bfore midnight I posted a status from shuttle status which was posted at 12:11 a.m. May 21st. (I checked my FB status for that day). At the time I didn't know that the smoke was forming already underneath my balcony. Due to the nice temperatures that week I had been opening my bedroom window for the night. As I opened the window I thought I smelt smoke, but didn't really look to see where it was coming from so just ignored it. Shortly after getting into bed the smoke smell was getting stronger plus I heard a crackling sound & saw a glow shining into my room. Something didn't feel right so I got up. I went to the window again thinking who is burning so late at night. Thats when I saw the black smoke bellowing from the patio below me. I knew then that it meant getting out. I ran into Ruby's room and woke her up saying "I think we had better get out." I proceeded to call 911 with my home phone to report the fire at approximately 12:30 a.m. After the call I grabbed my purse, cell phone, keys and slipped my house coat on & sandals. Ruby put a light sweater on as well, took her new purse and slipped on her flip flops. As we left our apartment suite Ruby pulled the fire alarm and we headed out the north entrance. The fire was starting to flare up towards the second floor which was our suite. The police were at the scene in minutes and asked for someone's keys so they could get into the apartment to get the other tenants out. Shortly after that the fire trucks were there. At that moment we were on the sidewalk across the street already just watching as the fire blazed up the apartment. As the fire spread we could hear things popping, snapping & crackling cause it was an older building. We just stand there in disbelief thinking this isn't happening, but it is. I think my emotions were numb cause I couldn't even cry even though Ruby did a bit. (Earlier that evening Ruby had asked if she could go to a friends house for the night, but I said no, she could go another time. I'm glad I hadn't let her go).
I'm not sure how long we stood there to watch, but eventually I walked to the south side of the building with another tenant as she was looking for her mother. The tenants parking lot was on the south side of the building. The policemen were there as well and asked if anyone could move their vehicles to do so. I did have my keys so I moved my car to the other side of the street. As I was moving my car Calla. N called me on my cell asking if we were alright and that we could come stand at their corner which was just 1 block from the apartment. We accepted the invite. As I'm walking the one block east the smoke was intense already along the street and I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn't inhale all the smoke.
People were gathered all along the sidewalk already from the apartment to the next block or 2. As I get to Neufeld's yard I get several hugs knowing we're safe. Others had gathered at their corner yard as well. After awhile I walked back to the apartment a different way to get my car and parked it closer to Neufeld's yard.
We stood outside a bit longer until I started getting cold. Neufeld's opened their house for us that night. Once inside we talked for quite awhile probably till almost 3 or 4 a.m. I also called my daughter (Melody) during the night when I knew she'd be up with her newborn daughter. Melody was the first family member to know. I had many things going through my mind knowing almost full well that I may have lost everything in the fire. Sleep didn't come easily that morning and when it did it wasn't a restful sleep, which was maybe 2 hours worth. Morning is almost dawning & a new challenge/journey is upon me. Surprisingly enough I didn't panic or get too anxious. I knew people would be praying & helping. My faith was in the Lord that we would get through this one day at a time.
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