Seven days without hot water.
Seven days without a hot shower at home.
Seven days without warm water to wash my hands.
Seven days without hot water to wash dishes and bathe kids.
You may wonder how come my family doesn't stink yet. I have been commuting to my mom's house for a shower and baths for the kids. Matt has been taking cold showers every day. Yep. He thinks it's some kind of badge of courage to immerse himself in ice cold water. It reminds him of his mission in Brazil. I try to tell him that was different -- temperatures there were a steamy 80 degrees plus, while here it is a frozen tundra, a wasteland of ice and snow. I refuse to shower in cold water. For one thing, it will take 3 times as long to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair. For another, I don't need to prove my bravery by taking a cold shower. Not after having had 3 kids.
I keep thinking about those pioneers. Who had to boil water anytime they wanted it hot. I should be more tough. But the truth of it is, we have all these modern conveniences that we rely on and so we are able to fill our time with ways to serve in the church and teach our families. Those responsibilities have not relented just b/c my water heater is out.
So after about a month and a half of drama with the pilot light refusing to stay on, we called in a plumber. Who wanted to charge us $900 to fix it. That's more -- by almost double -- than you can buy a NEW water heater for. So we did a little research and ordered a $70 part online. It should work when it arrives.
Still waiting for the part to arrive.
I'm hoping it comes today. Matt doesn't think it will arrive until Thursday. The person who's closest gets the first hot shower. We'll see how much $ we saved on gas bills. I'm betting that, however much it is, it's not worth it!
4 comments:
Ooh, this reminds me of the time my parents had water heater issues when I was in high school. We went a week without any hot water, too. It was around the time Titanic came out and I would try to pretend I was in the movie (and that Leo was going to save me soon). It's so awful to take a cold shower. It gives you the worst headache.
In my next life, I will be a plumber. People are so desperate for your skills, they'll pretty much have to pay what you say (our pipes froze on New Year's Day one year . . . you don't want to know what we had to pay!). Bloody extortionists!
My fingers are crossed the part comes today :)
Cold showers are pointless. That's just terrible. I DID do the Polar Bear plunge once and jump into the Raintree swimming pool in the middle of winter. Oh man. Badge of stupidity?
In an unrelated note: we made your monster cookies and they were quickly consumed. Yum! Thanks again!
Cold shower?!?!? We warmed water on the stove and sponge bathed. ;) Both on the mission and once when for some reason Zach and I didn't have hot water. I remember being so grateful we didn't have kids yet- haha.
Well lame! Hope your part is there soon!
So cold! We always boiled the water and added it our tub on my mission. Here's hoping the part arrives soon!
Post a Comment