Only 8 more days...

and I'll be in VEGAS with the girls!  I can hardly wait.  I get to be an adult there with no children.  No one wakes me up at 3 am because the monsters are under their bed.  I can order and eat whatever I want without worrying about finding something on the menu that my picky eaters will eat.  I can have rum and coke for breakfast.  I can eat breakfast at 3 pm.  I can go shopping at midnight.  I love that place.  I love the time I get to spend with my best girlfriends.  We giggle and laugh until we pee our pants.  We eat until we can't stuff another thing into our mouths.  It is the best time. 

I can hardly wait.  Did I already say that??!  I can hardly wait.

More upbeat news

With so much craziness going on I need to focus on the fun stuff we have done and are doing.

Last week the kids and I went to the zoo for the afternoon and had a blast.  Afterwards we attended a free concert in the park near the zoo.  Sunday, O had his first baseball game.  He has moved up to the coach pitch division but this season they are using a machine to pitch because of too much inconsistency with the coaches pitching.  It is a huge leap in skill level for all of the players but especially for those who have not played before.  The team did well even though they played a team who had obviously been practicing longer and more intently.  It is difficult at this level because we feel like the kids should be learning the basic skills and the basic rules of the game in a fun way.  This other team seemed to be quite a bit ahead of O's team in many ways and therefore really rolled right over O's team.  How can you learn when the other team overwhelms you?  I have no problem with them practicing and having better skills but it seemed that the coach was taking advantage of the weaknesses on our team which just didn't seem fair at this level.  For instance, one of their batters hit a double that brought 2 of their guys home.  Our 3rd baseman had the ball and the hitter was on second on his way to 3rd.  He obviously stopped when he saw that the 3rd baseman had control of the ball.  While the umpire hadn't officially called the play over, it seemed that it in fact was over so C told the 3rd baseman to throw the ball to the pitcher to get ready for the next play.  When the player did that, the other coach yelled at his player on 2nd to head for 3rd!  Yes, I understand that is how the game is played and I totally understand that the ump had not called the end of the play but, seriously.  Was that necessary at this level? 

I already know that I have a bias with this.  I hate competition.  I really don't know why.  It is healthy and such a positive thing for so many people.  So many people thrive on it.  I totally do the opposite and shut down.  If I get pushed in a competitive way, I will quit and walk away.  I honestly hate it that much.  It is not fun to me.  I don't get it at all.  I am trying so hard not to let O see that side of me and encourage him as he competes in sports and life in general.  He struck out both times he was up to bat and cried both times out of frustration.  I could totally feel for him as I was quoting the Tom Hanks line to him from "A League of Their Own," "There is no crying in baseball!"  I really have to get a grip on this issue I have because it is only going to get worse as he gets older.  The competition I mean.  I HOPE NOT the crying!

M is still loving dance class and is so very cute to watch.  She and her little classmates have fun together.

As is usual with me, I had a whole list of things I wanted to post about but kept getting distracted by things around the house.  I swear I have ADD.  More later....if I can focus long enough!  

This past week

I was going to post several times last week but it seemed like we were on the run a lot.  I'm trying now to remember what we did exactly.  Hmmmmm.....

We didn't leave the house until Tuesday morning when M had her dance class.  Since I had been home from Thursday evening until Tuesday morning (except for venturing out for dinner on Friday evening) I was feeling pretty much back to normal.  Except for the pile of debris piled on our front curb and all over our neighborhood and, of course, O home from school, things didn't really seem off.  More like a holiday vacation causing a change in routine for us and everyone else in the area.   

However, once we left our little bubble, I was able to see first hand much of the destruction that I'd heard about.  Street lights, buildings, trees...it was a rather shocking and stunning realization for me.  Traffic was/still is moving slower than normal but people were/are really getting the hang of these 4 way stops where the lights still aren't working.  4 way stops at very busy intersections are not very common around here so there was certainly a learning curve!  

I headed back to school last week and we all just picked up where we left off.  The only glitch was the kids' childcare place was closed all last week and will be closed this week at least until Friday as well.  That puts a kink it our routine but we'll work around it.  The building that houses the child care place sustained some significant water damage after several large windows failed during the storm.  They have been replacing drywall and carpeting and supplies.  I certainly don't envy them.

Our friend, TG, who is the only person we know who currently lives on Galveston Island was able to return home on Wednesday for the first time in 10+ days.  Unfortunately she found nothing but a mess and lost pretty much everything.  Our hearts go out to her as she deals with this over the next several months and, probably, years.  There are so many sad stories going around right now and we just hope the best for everyone who is going through all of these challenges.

UGH.  I typed this up yesterday and was feeling down from reading all of the local depressing news.  I think I'll quit this post and start again.  I would just delete the entire thing but there are a few details that I'd like to remember in the future.

It has only been two weeks

While things are nearly back to normal in our little corner of the world, there is sadness and upset all around us.  While the media turns to other big stories like the economy and the political race, there is still a lot going on post-Ike around here.

(click on the purple words to link to the news story) 

Tooth Fairy

Here is O proudly posing with the $1 coin the tooth fairy brought him.  The little white stuffed tooth with the red pocket is a hand-me-down from C's family.  You put your tooth in the pocket and put the entire thing under your pillow so as to prevent losing the small item.  Then, when you wake up, there is a coin in its place.  In my day, I had a tiny little container that, if I remember correctly, was clear plastic with a hinged lid.

Anyway, the tooth fairy stuck O's tooth in his baby book on the teeth cutting page.  The tooth fairy did that for my first tooth too.  The rest of the teeth went wherever the tooth fairy has her collection.

  

The whole tooth fairy/santa/easter bunny thing has always bothered me.  On one hand, I remember as a child loving the mystery of it all.  Even after I learned the truth it was fun to play along for my younger sisters.  However, I am uncomfortable with the charade.  I have so far just acknowledged these characters to the kids because they are so much a part of our culture but I don't make a big deal out of them.  If you don't believe that these characters are a huge part of our culture, hang out with a kid sometime and see how often adults talk about them.  Friends, family and total strangers love to ask the kids, "what did Santa bring you?"  "Are you being good so Santa will bring you gifts?" "I see you lost a tooth.  Did the tooth fairy come?" and so on.  Others make a big enough deal of it that I don't have to!  

I strive to make it more about the tradition we are trying to establish be it the family time that the holidays bring or the ceremony of celebrating the lost tooth milestone.  I never use these characters to bribe for good behavior and I try to focus as little on them as possible. 

It IS possible to keep the mystery and fun in these things without letting the whole charade get out of control.

Thanks CB

Special thanks to my friend CB who reminded me of the name of the type of depression I believe I have:  Dysthymia  or maybe even Cyclothymia although I have never been officially diagnosed.

I am grateful to CB and all of my other family and friends who are always there to support me.  You are all the best and I sincerely appreciate you all!

Funny tree

This tree is in our back neighbor's yard.  It is very tall and used to stand parallel to the power pole that is also pictured.  Since Ike came through it has been permanently blown to one side.  It makes me laugh for some unknown reason.

First Lost Tooth

We were watching tv and I just happened to look over at O about the same time his tooth fell out.  He was messing with his mouth, got a funny look on his face then picked something out of his mouth.  I knew in the instant that I saw him do that that it was his tooth.  We weren't aware at all that it was loose.  He had been upset for some time beginning last spring when his friends and classmates were losing their teeth and he wasn't.  Lately, it had become an almost daily question, "when will I lose my baby teeth?"  "When your baby teeth are ready to come out."  Today, the first one was ready.

Kemah photos

So many of you who visit us inevitably end up at Kemah Boardwalk.  Here are some photos of the damage Ike caused:  

It takes all kinds...

As we were staying in Austin because we were safe and sound and did not wish to add to the strain of those trying to help those in need, people were already taking advantage...

 

Photos from our attic

A few photos from our attic.  This is where the insulation was blown back, the brick exposed, and a little bit of water got inside.

The other two photos show how the force of the wind pulled the 2x4s apart.  These gaps were not here pre-hurricane.  I wonder how much more force it would have taken for the entire roof to go flying off?

A few photos

Around the neighborhood:

The church in our neighborhood had some roof damage and the cross fell over at the top of the steeple.  Not sure what other damage might have happened inside because of the roof damage.

PC's clinic where I work:

Power to the clinic is back on as of mid-day today.  Now that C and PC have had a second, closer look at the wall, they've discovered that the damage is more extensive than they first thought.  It seems that the pressure inside slid the wall along with the very large, very heavy piece of exercise equipment (white machine) about 3-6 inches towards the middle of the room!  The wall moved back to its original position but left much damage to the wall itself that may mean replacing it.  The exercise machine is 3 inches out of place which is amazing.  C and PC are over there now trying to do repairs so that PC can open on Monday.  The insurance company has advised him to make whatever repairs he can make in order to open his doors for business.  As you can see, all of the ceiling tiles and insulation need to go back up.  However, they need to rig up a support for them in order to keep them up.  On the other side of the wall is an empty space that has not been built out yet. 

Downed power lines along Highway 3.

Of course photos can't do it all justice.  I need to get out and get more photos around the neighborhood so you can see the amazing piles of debris people are cleaning up and setting on the curb.  I'll try to do that tomorrow.

Depression

WARNING!!  I am only venting in this post and probably will not be good at following a train of thought.  Read at your own risk. 

I am in the throes of a really strong depressive episode.  I've dealt with depression my whole life (not realizing it until I looked back in time) but it seems to get worse the older I get.  That may just be my perception though and not reality.  Perhaps I am just more aware simply because I have more than myself to deal with at this point in my life.  I have a husband and kids to interact with and care for.  When I was younger and single with only myself to worry about I could hole up for a day or two on the couch and get through it.  These days, if I camp out on the couch, I have multiple interruptions in my R&R:  I have two children who need feed, clothed and cleaned; I have a husband who would like to have more of a conversation than me grunting a few angry words in his direction; I have a dog who has to go outside to pee on a regular basis; I get hungry; I have to go to the bathroom; the phone rings; there is nothing on tv to distract my mind......it all really pisses me off.

I get some comfort being by myself.  I also get some comfort when the cats come and lay on top of me--Jetta on my head usually and Rusty on my chest.  Cats have an energy about them that is so calming.  Its like they know you are having a crisis and they just want to lay there with you and support you.  I don't have to pet them or really even interact with them.  They just are there with me.  

The people in my life are not as easy to deal with.  The kids are loud.  The kids are full of energy.  They have grown used to entertaining themselves because they know I won't play with them.  If they are running around yelling, laughing, bouncing off the walls, it grates on my last nerve.  I can't stand the noise.  I can't stand the activity around me.  I have to ask them to leave the room.  They aren't being bad, I just cannot deal with them in that moment.  I can see the concern and questions in my husbands eyes.  I just don't have the energy to talk to him.  Typing on the computer takes much less effort for me than talking.  Plus, I can edit what I type and not what I say.  Unfortunately, hugs and caresses from my people aren't as soothing during these episodes as the physical touch from my cats.  People have different energies, emotions and needs that come across in their touches.  I usually find it irritating.  Or, I usually only want it on my terms.  If my husband wants to give me a hug, I have to determine the length of the hug I can handle.  If I try to pull away and he holds me longer, a bolt of resentment rushes through me and ruins the entire moment.  If the kids want to cuddle, I enjoy it for just a short time until their fidgeting irritates me more than it should.  It is easier to just stay away from all of them which makes me very sad.  At a time when I need them the most, I spend my energy pushing them away.

I've spent hours and hours upon hours trying to figure out what sets me off.  There seems to be a bit of a cyclical pattern that I haven't bothered to track.  If I eat too many carbs and not enough protein it seems to get worse.  If I take my Advocare Products on a regular basis, I don't notice a huge difference.  However, if I STOP taking them like I did this past week during our hurrication, I can feel the difference.  I think that missing my Fem 40+ right before and during my PMS phase was not a good thing.  I wasn't sure if it was making a difference but, without it, I'm a mess emotionally, mentally and physically.  My energy level is low and my mental clarity is poor without my MNS Max Energy .  I swear I am NOT doing a sales pitch here.  Just a personal observation on the products that seem to have helped me cope over the past several months.  I know it is more than just the products.  There are things that I can control:  my time, my diet, my exercise...all of those choices I make in those realms.  The parts I cannot control, hormone levels and other glandular dysfunctions, seem to respond to the Advocare Products that I take along with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture.  Then when stressful situations arrive in my life, I can better deal with them if I'm feeling good.

It seems like I spend too much time and way too much money trying to find products that help me cope with life.  When I find the right balance and I'm feeling great for awhile then something comes along to throw it all off then it takes me months to get back on track.  That is why I am always amazed at people who achieve so much in life.  Do they not deal with these issues?  Are they just strong enough to get past it?  What is wrong with me?  

Any time western medicine has stepped in, I've been less than satisfied with the results.  I took the antidepressant Effexor for a few months about 7 years ago and I hated the way I felt when I took it.  Plus I had incredibly difficult side effects coming off of it.  I know that there are other antidepressants on the market but that one and only experience made me swear off them all.  That is why I prefer alternative treatments like herbs, vitamins, acupuncture...  Any blood tests I've had from western medical doctors have shown all of my levels "within normal range".  How do you treat someone when western medicine doesn't recognize that there is a problem?

I found a good explanation once describing what researchers found to be a chronic, low-grade depression.  I don't have the desire or the energy to look up that info right now to share with you but it helped me feel that at least I'm not the only one who deals with this.

So, this specific episode seems to have all of these combinations:  stress/adrenaline rush, poor eating habits, lack of activity, all from the hurrication; plus, PMS, a cold causing runny nose and general body ache symptoms just enough to piss me off.  Since I arrived home I have lots to do to get things back to normal around the house and in my life but I just cannot find any motivation to do those things.  I'm still in evacuation mode and I'm still good living out of boxes and bags.  I have, however, gotten the kids clothes, my clothes and the dog's stuff put away.  The kitchen has been clean then messed up and is now somewhere in-between.  I have a box of food that needs to be put away.  However, that would mean organizing the pantry in order to make it all fit.  The trash needs to be collected and taken out.  The floor needs attention from all the leaves and debris that blew in under the doors.  I'm sure there is more but just those few things on my to do list makes my brain just shut down.  It is too overwhelming to deal with.  

Thank goodness that the clinic didn't have power this morning.  I had to cancel the two appointments that I had on the books.  I don't think I could have done a massage if there had been power.  I just feel run down and overwhelmed.  

But, I am feeling better for having vented.  Thank you for listening.      

Home

As of about 8 pm last night we are all home.  Along with electricity the day before, the boil water ban was lifted yesterday so we returned to a fully functioning home last night.  That was a huge relief with all of the kids in tow.  O usually gets his own water out of the fridge dispenser so we were trying to figure out how to help him remember not to do that.  But, as it turned out, there is no need.  That helps a lot!

ZCM and CM were so kind to have dinner ready for us once we arrived home.  They had a couple of things to celebrate:  they had their power restored yesterday PLUS (and this was even better news for them) their place on Galveston Island looks to be in really good shape!  A friend of theirs was able to make it onto the island during the "look and leave" fiasco on Tuesday and was kind enough to go everywhere he could go taking photos of everyone's property that he could.  We saw the pictures last night and they were so lucky as the same type of town homes just around the corner from them had a lot of damage.

So, good news all around from our little part of the world.  We realize that there are so many people who are not doing as well and our hearts go out to them.  I can't imagine not having anything and not having any resources financially to push through it.  Probably nearly half of our subdivision is still without power.  Life as we know it won't be returning for awhile.

My school is closed until Monday because they still don't have electricity.  O's school district is holding off starting school until Monday the 29th.  C is reporting for work on Monday the 22nd.

That is where we are at this time.  I will post some photos of our area some time today.  C took many photos on Tuesday when he returned and I'm sure we'll head out at some point, if not today, then over the weekend and take the camera with us.  More later.

   

Love these stories...

From the Houstonist blog

These photos are amazing as well.

(Hint, those of you who aren't blog aware, click on the words that are a different color or underlined to go to the link)

POWER!!!!!

The boys called this morning and the power came on about 2 am!!  YAY!!  The cable is on as well.  We'll give the boys the day to finish up the work that needs to be done around the houses and have them get together a list of perishables we'll need upon our return.  T and I will gather our belongings along with the groceries we need and probably head back to Houston tomorrow.  It still looks like JSC won't open until Monday and the schools until Tuesday but if they are getting power back on in the area then they may move that up.  However, they may want to give people plenty of  time to return, clean up and settle back in before we start back to the normal routine.  Area schools and businesses are good about that.  And it being already Weds, why not just give everyone the weekend to get it all back together?

Check out Spacemama's Journaling for photos of their place.  For more dramatic photos of Gilchrist, TX click here

We'll let you know when we get back home.  Thanks so much to DH and RH and J for our Hurrication! 

The latest in updates

C took the cameras back to Houston with him to photograph the area so I'll have no more photos of our time here in Austin.  Unless, of course, he and PC get tired of living there without power and head back for the weekend!  

The latest is that JSC won't open until Monday the 22nd and CCISD won't reopen the schools until Tuesday which, they say, is subject to change.  O's school looks to have power and is in good condition after an inspection.  My school is scheduled to begin classes on Thursday evening  at this point but I doubt I will be there.  They are confident that they will have power back by then.  We'll see.

C and PC check out the clinic first.  In general (from C's explanation), the front part of the office (reception area, my massage room and PC's office) were fine.  There was obviously some wind blowing around because papers that PC had in his office were all over.  The biggest damage was towards the back of the clinic in the large PT room.  Seems the wall is bowed inward pretty badly and may have to be replaced.  Also, there was some damage to the A/C units on the roof--mostly the bank's unit located next door to us.  Still no power there.

They then ventured to our house.  There are lots of tree branches and pine cones down along with missing leaves and flowers.  Inside, there is a spot in the family room upstairs where the roof leaked a bit.  Upon further inspection (crawling up into the attic space) C and PC found that it looked like some force was working hard to pull the roof off of our house!  Many of the 2x4s were broken where the roof attaches to the house.  I'm sure C can explain it better than I can but that is how I see it when he describes it.  We may need to have some repair work done but it is certainly livable.  Still no power.  Also, the fence needs attention.

PC and TR's house had no issues except for the trees in their yard.  They lost a pair tree which landed on the fence so there will need to be some repair there.  Plus, a pine tree in the front yard lost a large part of the top portion but didn't damage anything when it came down.

LW also headed back with the guys and after checking out the clinic with them, headed off to her place and found it in great condition.  Without power, of course!  

So, in short, it could have been much, much worse.  There was some talk about TR and I heading back with the kids in the next 2 days or so.  However, now that JSC isn't opening until next week and the schools aren't in session until next week we may just take a few more days.  She had to take AMR to the doc today and came back with antibiotics.  The poor girl had a sinus infection!  Poor baby!  I hope she sleeps well tonight for both their sakes.

So, it was a bit quieter here this evening with the guys and LW gone.  OH, and they took the cats back with them as well.  We all thought they would be more comfy in familiar surroundings even though they were doing really well here in Austin.  But, with 4 cats and 2 dogs in the house all together, even though they were all doing really well, it is good to get the extras out of the house sooner than later.

Ok, it is getting late.  I need to hit the sack.  I'll update anything that I may have forgotten tomorrow.

Good night!

The plan for today

It was posted last night on the khou.com updates that our zip code can return.  There is still no electricity as far as we know and we've heard that it could come back as soon as Thursday or as late as 4 weeks from now.  That narrows it down doesn't it.

So, C, PC and LW are headed back to Houston today.  They are hoping to find a generator here in the area, pick up some groceries and supplies/gas this morning to take with them.  They will head back about mid-day so they can start clean up at our houses, help out the neighbors and help out wherever else there is need.  TR and I will stay in Austin with the kids since we are comfy here.  We don't want to head back until there is power or at least until it isn't such a scramble for people to get food, ice and gas.  No need to put the kids into that situation if we don't have to.   

ZCM and CM were at our houses yesterday and cleaned out the fridges for us before things started to rot.  Thank you so much Z & C!!  No major damage at any of our places and things look fine.  Z & C's place in Galveston may be badly damaged though but they won't know for sure until they see it for themselves.  Too many conflicting reports to draw a conclusion.  We are hoping for the best for them that it isn't too bad.

I guess that is about all the excitement here.  Yesterday we went shopping for groceries and TR, the kids and I went to the zoo for the afternoon.  We had fun.

I'll update again later when there is something more to say.  

More of things to do

AMR, TR, M and O riding the train at the zoo on Monday.

All of the excitement just got to M while she was eating a snack.
It is nice to have a buddy to cuddle with during a nap!  M and Brody snoozin'.
Here is the crew sleeping this morning.
O sleeping this morning.

Things to do

So what do evacuees do to pass the time?

Guitar Hero Marathon:

TR and LW enjoy their turn at the game.

PC and C actually stand up and get into it!
Even the kiddos are getting good at it.
See?  Miranda can play behind her head already!
Then there is always the Austin Zoo.

M feeds a deer.

More pool pics from today

Just took these photos.  They are having fun!  

Now watching live video from a news helicopter of Kemah Boardwalk.  Lots and lots of water.  It is one of our favorite places to go.  Looks like we'll have to wait a bit before we head back to play there.  I'm sure they will be up and running ASAP!

Enjoying the pool Friday

Probably fine

Just got a call from our next door neighbor, LB.  A friend of hers drove by our houses and said that everything looks fine upon drive by so that is a relief.  That report combined with what we can gather from watching the news and reading comments on various web sites makes us feel like we won't have too much to deal with upon our return.  At this point the return is more of a question as there are many routes blocked and under water.  We will be staying put until we know the way is clear.  

If you've left phone messages, we haven't gotten them as our reception is poor and we finally just turned the phones off.  We have given the number to the house to a few people in case they need to contact us.  Otherwise, we are just working on email and blog comments to keep in touch with folks.  

Thanks to all of you for your concern and comments.  The kids and daddy are in the pool right now with PC and AMR.  Some of us are napping and just laying around.  Most everyone slept well last night.  I refused to turn off the tv in case I missed something so I didn't sleep long enough or soundly enough.  I took a good nap this afternoon so am feeling better.  RH, DH and J are taking really good care of us, cooking for us and doing laundry.  It is such a big help!  We really appreciate their hospitality.

The excitement so far today was Brody (our dog) rolled in something very stinky so C and I had to give him an unplanned bath.  He took it pretty well and is much more pleasant to be around!

That is all here.  We'll keep you updated.

Nothing new

Nothing new to report here.  We are just glued to our lap tops and the tv watching and waiting for Ike to hit.  Waiting to see how bad it will get, watching all the stupid people who thought they could ride out the storm then panic and call for someone to rescue them.  THAT is another story that we've talked extensively about this evening so I won't even go there.

Anyway, we spent a nice afternoon with some of the group playing in the pool, eating hot dogs and hamburgers and enjoying our time together.  No specific plans for tomorrow.  We will just be waiting to see what the affected areas look like in the day light.  I have a feeling it will be another night with very little and disrupted sleep.  Maybe we'll just sleep tomorrow!  

Bye-bye house

This is what our house looked like when we left yesterday evening around 6:45 pm.  We made it safely to Austin & TR's mom's house around 1:45 am.  We stopped on the drive to eat and stretch our legs for roughly 1 hour.  The rest of the time was spent in the car in a lot of traffic.  Fortunately, the traffic kept moving and we rarely were at a complete stop for long periods of time.  Of course the time we spent in the car on the way to Austin last night pales in comparison to the stories we've all heard from the Rita evacuation 3 years ago where it was taking 24-36 hours to get from Houston to Austin.  It is good to have that drive behind us and we are safe, sound and very much enjoying the hospitality of DH and RH.  I have to say, it is a much more comfortable feeling watching the weather reports from our current location as opposed to watching it at our house yesterday afternoon!  Stay safe ZCM and CM!!

We chose to go to Austin because it looked like Lafayette would have more severe weather.  At any rate, we will be here until we hear that JSC is reopening their operations.  Then we'll know for sure we will be headed back to safe conditions with electricity and other utilities back in place.  No need to head back with the kiddos any sooner if we don't know what we will be encountering.  

Rest assured we have all of our hurricane party provisions ready plus the fine retail establishments in and around the Austin area to replace our consumed inventory.  We are doing well and hope all of you are as well.

Leaving

The order came across this morning for our zip code to evacuate beginning at noon today.  We will spend the morning gathering our belongings and securing our house.  The plan is to meet at TR/PC's house at 2 pm ready to go.  At that time we will check out the storm track plus the traffic situation and choose a direction.  Right now we are leaning towards Lafayette because there will be more room for us there, the flooding potential is less and the location we plan on staying is in town.  Our housing option in Austin is much further out of town and space is limited.  

So, that is the plan for now.  Thanks for all the phone calls and emails this morning.  Know that we are safe and we have a good plan.  I'll catch you all up when I can.

Big hugs all around!

Still no decision

Well, as of the 11 pm update things are not looking so good for our date with Ike.  JSC officially closes at noon tomorrow (Thursday).  The school district has officially closed for Thursday and Friday.  No mandatory evacuations have come across for us at this time so C and I have just been sitting here debating the pros and cons of sheltering in place or evacuating.  If we evacuate we would head out with TR, PC and LW who we spent the week with when we evacuated for Rita back in 2005.  We had it better than most people and really have quite fond memories of the event.  Plus we would probably add ZCM and CM with their beagle as well as AMR into the mix.  Let me tell you, if you are going to have to evacuate for a hurricane, these are the people to do it with.

So, back to the pros and cons...

Option 1

Being in 2 separate cars for multiple hours (I'm guessing at a minimum 10-12 hours if we are lucky) with 2 children, 2 cats and a 75 lb lab along with a few irreplaceable belongings to drive to Austin or Lafayette, LA......sucks.  Oh, and just for the record, both Austin and Lafayette are part of the cone that will most likely see severe weather from this storm so we will really never get away from it.

Option 2

Staying home and securing the house as best we can knowing full well that we could be stuck here for days, even weeks without electricity and all of the nastiness that would land in our front yard with the storm surge plus dealing with 2 children, 2 cats and a 75 lb lab......sucks.

So, in short, we aren't liking either of our options.  But at this point, at least we still HAVE options.  I had a sobering experience driving to class tonight (school is a 40 minute drive for me).  On the way to class I saw at LEAST 50 charter buses with full police escort heading, I'm assuming, to Galveston and areas south to evacuate those folks with special needs.  And if that wasn't eerie enough, on the way home I saw 6-8 ambulances traveling with lights and sirens at full speed northbound on 288 toward the medical center.  I'm sure they were full of seriously ill patients from hospitals south of us along the coast that needed to be evacuated to other hospitals for their continued care.  Not a pleasant thought for sure.

The bright side of the evening was that because of the hurricane situation they were waiving the tolls on Beltway 8.  Sometimes you gotta look really hard for the bright side but it is always there!  I saved 8 bucks tonight!  

We'll update you by mid-day on Thursday as to what we decide to do.  Thanks to all of our friends and family who are keeping us in their thoughts this weekend as we have our date with Ike.   

Hurricane Links that we are watching

www.wunderground.com/tropical/

www.tropicwx.com/

Not running yet!

I've been taking lots of emails and phone calls this morning from friends and family wondering what we are doing in the face of hurricane Ike.  So, to keep you informed, nothing at this time.  We've been told that we will probably get some strong wind and rain where we live but nothing worse than a tropical storm.  Of course, this hurricane could easily take a hard right at the last minute similar to what hurricane Rita did in 2005.  In that case, we'd be screwed.  Hope that settles your fears for us!!  We'll keep you posted. 

Trying this out

Since I need to stop sending novels through email I thought I'd try the blog thing.  Maybe I'll be better at posting more often.  Maybe I'll have a better record of stories about the kiddos.  We'll see how it all plays out.