just curious

A whole week hasn't even passed and I already have a deployment story.

Recently, I was watching "The Expendables 2" (which was rather absurd and the acting was disappointing, in case you wanted to know). Near the end of the movie, I heard a thump outside. My first thought was that burglars will risk making noise once because people usually don't investigate unless they hear noise a second time. The noise didn't continue, but I was still on edge until the movie finished.

At that point, I could hear a muffled sound like water running from the spigot in front of the house. I started walking around the house, wondering where the noise was coming from. I wondered if maybe some kids had pulled a prank and turned on the spigot. At 1 a.m. On a weeknight. (Kids, where are your parents?)

After mustering lots of courage, I finally went outside to check the perimeter of the house. At first, I couldn't see anything.

And then I noticed the spring bubbling up beneath one of the windows directly in front of the house. My first thought was, "I didn't know there was a spring here!" And I was totally think of a cenote, ok? At 2 a.m., this seemed like a perfectly logical explanation for about three whole seconds.

I then spent the next couple of hours Googling "front yard broken pipe" and "turn off main water" and "killeen tx water company." I also texted my friends to ask how to turn off the water and if that was a bad idea. At this point, there was also an entire anthill swarming the window with their eggs in an attempt to escape the miniature fountain, so I kept checking the house to make sure no ants were inside.

I considered calling my dad at 3 a.m. to ask if he knew where I might find the water valve. But, I was afraid that he and my mom would worry, and I told my friend that my mom would probably drive down to Texas herself and pack up the house and take me back to Pennsylvania until Alan returned. I also considered texting Alan to panic/ask what to do, but then I decided that I could figure it out myself and I didn't want to bother him and he probably wouldn't see the text, anyway. But, I did send this:

And then my friend came over to lend moral support and help me traipse around the perimeter looking for the water meter.

Finally, I found it in front of the house but everything was covered in packed dirt, so I could only see the water meter. My friend thought maybe the valves weren't there. We decided to check the garage for the millionth time.

Then, someone arrived to turn off the water. He went over to the water meter hole and stuck some type of key in the dirt to shut it off. It took about one minute for him to get to the meter and shut off the water.

And then I paid him $40.

And then my friend and I talked about the sprinkler system bursting at her home near Ft. Huachuca when she was alone and we commiserated over the fact that I had recently posted something to the effect of, "Hopefully we won't have any deployment stories like [my friend's]!" on Facebook.

And then I went to bed.

Two days later, a plumber from Alsop Plumbing arrived. I called three companies for estimates but one didn't return my call and Alsop seemed less costly and friendlier (because I should obviously judge skill by the friendliness of the receptionist). As frustrating as it was not to have running water, I was super grateful for my habit of leaving half-full glasses of water around the house.