God bless air conditioning

In my last post, I mentioned how our AC was not working upon our arrival. Since it's also the start of summer, all AC repair companies were busy and we could not get an appointment for DAYS. I work from home and my office is upstairs and the second floor was miserable. I got on the phone and started making some calls. My conversation with one repair company phone representative was hilarious.

(after I gave all critical information like address, contact information, etc...)
Representative: Ma'am, you've just found Willy Wonka's golden ticket.
Me: Really! I think you're about to make this pregnant lady very happy...
Representative: We have a technician in your area right now and they will finish up that house in about an hour. Will you be home?
Me: Yes! Yes, thank you so much.

The technician discovered that the AC wasn't even connected correctly and that some wiring was burned. We have no idea why it wasn't connected or how/when the wiring got burned. When the inspector came by in April, he said the AC unit engaged properly, but seeing as it was not even connected, I don't know how this is possible. We also decided to install a hard start kit to lessen the burden on the compressor. The sun beats down on the outside unit for at least six hours a day and the summer heat causes the compressor to overwork to even start. Since we were buying the hard start kit, we also paid for a year "warranty" with the repair company. They will come out in the fall for free and check out the heat pump, vents, the unit and a whole slew of other things. Since we have never used the heat pump, and we were already paying for a service call, we paid a little extra to have the coils cleaned and to purchase the "warranty." This way, we won't be surprised in the fall if the heat pump needs repair. All in, we paid less than $400 to install the hard start kit, clean the coils, have the entire unit checked out inside and out, and pay for the "warranty." It could have been a lot worse and we are incredibly grateful for air conditioning again!

Now, to figure out how to keep the upstairs cooler. Apparently, the code changed in 2005 and all two story residential dwellings built after 2005 were required to have dual thermostats in the dwelling. Well, our builder, Pulte, didn't build these town houses up to code! We have one thermostat downstairs and it stays very cool there. Everyone knows hot air rises, so when the downstairs does start to heat up, the hot air rises. The temperature doesn't get hot enough downstairs to engage the unit, but it's hot upstairs. We could install a second thermostat upstairs and Craig has been playing with the vents in the attic to pump more AC upstairs. Apparently, half of the town houses in our community have installed the second thermostat but the price tag isn't something I am comfortable with right now, especially since there are so many things we need for the new house (and not to mention the baby!).

We have always been provided for and I don't foresee any reason why we will not continue to be provided for, so I am not going to worry about it. Craig constantly mentions how blessed we are and how so many people would love to be in our position. We have two houses. TWO HOUSES. So many people don't have one house to live in and yet we have two. One of which we rarely use. I am honestly conflicted by this and wonder if we are living too lavishly. We are stretched by this, but there is no doubt that the Lord is providing for us.

Oh, and the box springs are still downstairs... ha ha!