..OO.. Wheeling thru - by Asir

Back Blogging ...

Nice to be back blogging! The last seven months, I've been heads down getting our lives back in order (and working on challenges at work). I'll post a brief note on where we are ...

Marriott is My Home

Today, we moved into the Marriott at the Redmond Town Center. Tully's Coffee (next door) is my kitchen. Whole Foods on Highway 202 is my pantry ...

Update - Temporary Living

We moved into Grazkos house (my neighbor). We found a town house (~2 miles from my house) for short term rental in the Lodge at Redmond Ridge. We plan to move in next week.

Through my builder, I located our house truss builder and roof installer, a general home improvement company. Projected ETA for re-construction (including a new truss and new roof) is 3+ months. Service Master surveyed the damages today. Tomorrow, they’ll start cleaning up the mess. My insurance adjuster (flew in from Texas) surveyed the damages several times. I met with him thrice.

Family is doing well. Last night, we had a full night sleep.

Homeless in Seattle

Thursday (12/14) night, gushing winds delivered two 175+ foot trees into our house. One crashed into my bedroom and the other landed on Jazlyn’s bed, a foot away from her. It is a miracle that the whole family is safe and sound.

Photo Courtesy: Ingrid Visser (my neighbor)

Thursday Dec 14th 11 PM, trees behind the master bedroom (on the left) were moving too fast. Winds were gushing in at 70 miles per hour. Caroline, Kaitlyn and I moved from the master bedroom to the guest room on the right. Jazlyn is sleeping in her room next to the guest room.

Friday Dec 15th ~1 AM, a 175+ foot evergreen fir crashed into the master bedroom. I jumped out of my bed to grab Jazlyn. As I rushed into Jazlyn's room, another 175+ foot evergreen fir crashed into Jazlyn's room and landed on her bunk bed. The second tree landed on Jazlyn's favorite sleeping spot. As I entered in, Jazlyn was fully covered with her blanket and I couldn't see where she was. After a few seconds, I found her a foot away from the landing spot. She was protected from the hard debris by the top bunk and from the soft debris by the blanket. I grabbed her and rushed out. We gathered in my office room in the first floor. We were all in our PJs. Windows and doors in the kitchen and family room were all broken and cold air was rushing in. We locked the office room and covered all the holes with Kaitlyn's blankets. I called 911. Given the scale of damages in King County, they made no promises.

Friday Dec 15th ~1:20 AM, power was out. By now, telephone lines were down.

Friday Dec 15th ~2:00 AM, I opened the front door. The landscape of our cul-de-sac had changed. Several trees (~70) disappeared. We were awake all through the night.

Friday Dec 15th 7 AM, I saw Al (my neighbor) stepping out. I approached him. Al and I surveyed the damages. Backyard was too dramatic. We shutdown the gas, water and electrical lines. Neigbors and more help arrived ...

It is a miracle that the whole family is safe and sound.

Our house is badly broken in the back. Residents in my community came together and helped us prevent further damages. They packed our belongings and moved them to the front of the house, boarded all open areas and brought us food. This evening, a local roofing company removed the trees and sealed the top temporarily. We are staying at Kamal's (one of our neighbors) house. I am looking for short term temporary housing.

Caffeine-free Chai?

Have you tried an Indian masala chai that is caffeine-free? Try Numi Ruby Chai. Numi Ruby Chai is a blend of Rooibos, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and cardamon. This is a great chai. I love it.

My Bollywood Favorites

Few of my Bollywood favorites:

Parineeta
Lagaan
1942-A Love Story
Dil Se
Bombay
Dil Chahta Hai
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Black
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham