MOLD INVASION!

Yesterday I saw a notepad for sale that said,

"I try to live simply, but drama just keeps following me around!"

Boy is that true for us this year. Let me show you our latest drama.....

See that disgusting-ness? It's MOLD. and MILDEW. and it's inside our CEILING. 

I know, I know - it looks horrible, doesn't it? I can almost feel my throat closing up just looking at the photo! We knew one room of this house had water damage and some mold and mildew before we rented it, but we were told it would be killed/cleaned/repaired before we moved in. {editor's note: Our move in date was September 1st. It is now September 22.} When the contractor came out today to begin "minor repairs", the section of the ceiling he pulled out looked like this....

... and he stopped on the SPOT and said that this job had just changed from minor to major (which means he needed approval from the owner on a new quote before he could continue). So, tomorrow, he'll be ripping out the ceiling (and mold spores and sheetrock dust will go everywhere in our house via our AC vents), Clorox everything (which should create some super fun fumes for us to breathe), Kilz everything (more fun fumes), and then leave it all to dry for 3 days before putting in a new ceiling.

So, what was going to be a relaxing weekend of watching football, and finishing unpacking and "settling in" to our house, will now have to be spent at a friend's house so we aren't breathing all this gunk. And as for all the "stuff" we have unpacked - it now has to be bagged up in garbage bags or covered in plastic - because I really don't want a moldy couch or bed or pillows.

I am trying not to freak out about this. I just keep thinking about Kirk from The Bachelorette telling his story of how he almost died because of mold in the basement of the house he lived in during college (terrifying!) From what I've read about mold, once it's in a house it is pretty much impossible to get rid of completely (b/c of how mold spores travel). I am really upset about the fact that this ceiling is being torn out (making all that airborne) with all of our furniture, clothes, bedding, etc in the house. The last thing either of us need this year is another illness to deal with! So, would you please pray that God would give our lungs supernatural strength to deal with this exposure? And would you also pray that they kill ALL the mold/mildew during this repair? I have had the sniffles since we moved in, and I am praying they will go away after all this is finished!

Thanks friends! (I promise a happier update on our next blog :)