September 2025 - 359 days after Helene

Can you believe we’re coming up on the one-year mark since HELLene hit? I can hardly wrap my head around it. But here we are—still standing and slowly but surely making progress.

After what felt like hurdle upon hurdle (upon hurdle), we finally have our house plans in hand and all the permits approved to rebuild. HOORAY! Huge credit goes to Shep for tackling that exhausting permitting process—it felt endless, and he got us through it.

Amid all of that, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Blanca. She now rests at the property, where she’ll be watching over us from dog heaven for years to come.

This week brings another big step forward: a team is coming to dig a water well and install a new septic system. Before the hurricane, we were on spring water, but with no house in the way right now, it’s the perfect time to get a well put in. The septic situation was a whole saga of its own—our old system worked fine, but since we’re rebuilding a three-bedroom home, the county required a brand-new one. Definitely an expense we didn’t anticipate, but it’s a non-negotiable. (Because let’s be honest—poop is serious business, friends!)

We finally feel like real progress is happening, and we’ll have much more to share soon. Thank you for being on this journey with us!

A, J, E, T