(Un)Doing it Yourself!

Well...a lot has been going on in the Moore household lately. And when I say a lot...I really mean a lot of dishes. About 2 weeks ago Carson asked me to help in the kitchen...(believe me, I take full advantage of these requests). I had taught him how to put the dishwasher tablet in and hit the start button. The little guy got all excited about his "chore"....but when he pushed the "START" button, nothing happened. So then like most 2 year olds....he kept pushing it over and over and over and over saying "I fixed it!". I then proceeded to tell him that Daddy must have broken the dishwasher (because its funny to hear him repeat it over and over to Travis about how he broke things and Mommy fixed them :)

I immediately began googling dishwasher issues and within 15 minutes, the little engineer in me went to work. Of course I checked the fuse box, the latch, amongst some other things. But then I quickly went into full-out disassemble mode. Screws were flying...wires everywhere...panel taken completely apart mode. And ....nothing. No power....no nothing.

So then we were faced with the question. Calling a repair man...possibly spending $100-300 repairing it...or spending $$$ to have it looked it and have to buy a new one anyway. Or buying a new one...and installing it ourselves. I wasn't in love with our dishwasher to begin with...it was the one appliance that when we moved in I thought to myself "I'll be kinda happy when this guy dies!" What kind of homeowner ever makes a statement like that??

So the cheapskate in me went to work on how I could get the best bang for my moolah! Luckily it was Columbus Day...and if Columbus didn't really discover the USA and was a slave owning Pocahontas killing bastard explorer...at least he DID save me a few bucks by having Columbus Day sales! So I got 20% off...plus I had a coupon for 10% off...then I did what any Clevelander does...and buys Giant Eagle gift cards to get free gas...plus a rebate. So I got a $850 dishwasher for around $500. Not to bad when you consider it would have cost about $100 just to have someone come look at our 4 year old dishwasher. And not to mention...I lurve this guy! Stainless on the inside...no grimy food stains or build up! I hate that. Ok but here comes the funny parts.....and the silly things I learned

1) Not all dishwashers come with a hard food disposal anymore. In fact...most of them dont. In fact again...even the super fancy Bosch brand doesn't have them. Most of them now come with a filter that you have to clean out. I did not know this....so I ordered a dishwasher....then realized this mistake. So I had to cancel and re-order the dishwasher...because I am NOT cleaning out a grimy food filter every couple months.

2) Youtube is super duper helpful in learning how to hardwire a dishwasher and install all the water lines. What would we do without youtube?

3) Ok...so heres the funny part. We hook everything up for the new dishwasher and flip the switch on the fuse box....and nothing. You can just imagine our faces when we just went through all this...and the brand new dishwasher wouldn't power up. I began thinking the power line was bad...which is embedded in our drywall. We would have to knock out the walls to get to the end of where the power line was plugged into. I began searching for other options and I noticed this little switch under the sink. This little switch happened to be in the "down" position. I flipped it "up"....and sure enough the dishwasher powered right up. So what does this mean? This means...that someone may have accidentally bumped the switch into the off position...and there may have been nothing wrong with our first dishwasher to begin with. GASP!

4) Dishwashers are non-returnable.....

5) Live and learn from our lesson. Sometimes its cheaper to do things yourself....(or undo them)...and sometimes it costs ya! Either way..you always learn a lot in the process (like how to install a dishwasher...and that dang little switch under the sink). Its just one of the fun joys of being a homeowner!

6) I thought we could live without a dishwasher (because my mom grew up as 1/6 kids and never had one) but I was mistaken. I think I may have mentioned once that I was going to hurt myself or someone else if we didn't get the dishwasher installed by Sunday evening. 

7) I'm not afraid to admit in public (or the world wide web) that my husband was right (this time)! He wanted to have someone come look at the old dishwasher.

8) I don't really care what people think of me. I'm not afraid to put myself out there and look stupid. I learned a long time ago not to take myself too seriously..and we all make mistakes. And sometimes...they are funny...and fun to share with others.

9) I really like dishwashers with stainless on the inside!

The End!

Dear Dad

Dear Dad
I can't believe it's already been 4 years since we had our last conversation. I even remember what we were talking about and love the fact that it was a hilariously funny convo that had you laughing so hard mom could hear you from the other side of the house. I'll never forget your roaring laugh....it makes me smile just thinking about it.

A lot has happened in 4 years...so much that sometimes it feels like 10 years. I finished grad school, moved back home to Avon lake, started my career in anesthesia at southwest, bought my first house (you would love it), had Carson in march of 2010, and Macie in December 2011. Our family has grown a lot in many ways. You would be so proud of everyone.

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you or talk about you. I'm not just saying that either. You are still so much a part of who I have become. You always told me how proud you were...you always made my confidence soar. You believed in me when I had given up on myself. I'm so grateful that you got to meet Travis and walk me down the aisle. He is such a wonderful husband and father. I just wished you could have met Carson & Macie. I will be sure to tell them all about you. I will call them "wee lassie" and "wee laddie" just like you would have. Even though you are not physically here with us...you are in spirit and your legacy will go on. I'm glad I've healed to the point that I can write this without tearing up. It's a lesson that life does go on. Always remembered and never forgotten....you make us smile everyday Dad.