'Done Done' May Finally Happen

Cathie and Pat Freilinger, who were flooded out along Old River Road SW along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids during the Flood of 2008 hope they stay high and dry now.

Just like then it's graduation time again. Hopefully that doesn't portend to more bad luck. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

In 2008, it was Dillon, now 20, who graduated. His party was held June 8 that year. The floodwaters came four days later.

Now it is Riley, 18, who graduates from Prairie High Schools. His graduation party won't be held until July 31 because the family wants to finish the house they built to replace their flooded home.

While some people might think it would be too much coincidence to have another flood after another graduation, consider that the Freilingers are used to coincidence.

Both boys, even though they're two years apart, were born on June 5.

"I call them my two year twins," jokes mom, Cathie.

Plus, dad, Pat, started his business Done Done Services, in 2002 with the idea that a lot of people just never seem to finish up a project. His company could be hired for any job, large or small, to finally get that project done.

So it was the family had just finished remodeling their old home, including laying 22,000 square feet of sod, when the Flood of 2008 hit. They had planned to take the summer off to relax and, instead, wound up cleaning, planning and starting a new home.

Hopefully this year, when the Frielingers finish their new home by July 31, they will be done, done.