Minor Flood

We got to RH Friday at about 5:30pm.  We had the suburban loaded full to the roof again!  We just took one car on the 4 hour trip this time.  We pull up, get out and first thing we always do is let the dogs out into the back yard and I get their water bowl to fill it up.  I look into the kitchen and see tons of mold on the floor.  What?!  So the filter with the clear plastic tubing that is in the back, it has sat on the counter next to the fridge since we owned it.  I guess it is too tight a fit to put it behind (but why not above it, under the upper cabinet where it is out of the way/out of sight?!).  Anyway, last time we were here I moved the filter but DH says that would not have made it leak.  He said it just sprung a leak, these things happen.  Oh the joys of home ownership.  It is sort of ironic that we have had this RH for 4 years and have literally 2 more loads to move in and this is when our leak happens.  Our hardwood floors were up from the glue and warped, standing water on them for a week.  We immed put down towels and 2 fans on them, but it was too much water, too late.  So we went to look at tile.  The old hardwood floors go up against newer engineered floor that the recent owner put it - it did not match well and we did not really like either floor.  But at least it sort of flowed.  Oh well, we cannot match either now - too old.  I would not put wood in kitchen again anyway.  So, we considered a tile that would minic wood but the mess and the dust made me pause.  The flooring guy at Lowes said he just put in waterproof stainmaster vinyl strips with a lifetime guarantee and they were really happy with it.  So, the more I thought about it, the more this appealed to me.  Someday, if I decide I want to put in expensive floors, I will do the entire house.  But that time is not now.  We need to get this move done, have some work to do on the outside of the house (some trim to replace and patch/paint).  We are just going to do this nice clean vinyl, it is grayish wood look with reddish tones to compliment the reddish oak engineered it will but up against and we think it will look pretty with the white cabinets and gray walls.  Plus, it will lighten up the interior kitchen a lot.  I am still struggling though with the decision.  So, I have a week or two to ponder it.  The kitchen and utility room are this same older hardwood, so we will replace utility floor too - even though it was ok.  We will still have the same diff look in the dining room and living room - but that was the case before this leak, so that is that.  Someday I do dream of replacing the tile in the front part of the house (hall, guest bath, 2 guest rooms).  But I am not sure I will ever undertake such a messy expensive project.  At least it is tile, it is neutral and light - but it is really ugly.  Now is not the time to tackle that.  If we put inexpensive vinyl tile in the kitchen/utility now - IF we ever change it, it is not such an expensive/messy choice to change.  Anyway, have a great Monday.  I am back in the city, back to work and as I reminded DH, we have one weekend left in our CH and then we have to say goodbye to our view and my beautiful walk route and our lovely neighbors...but also all the things that don't work for us anymore (2 houses, CH expensive taxes, hard to heat and cool, too big and has carpeted stairs, noisy, people walking around our backyard to fish in the lake and makes our dogs bark, crowded pool, cars parked all down the street for the pool, no fenced yard for the dogs, and the traffic due to the growth of the already large neighborhood, and kids that just roam the neighborhood and ring doorbells and break in cars...just to name a few).