Hurricane Ike

This has been a very exciting weekend for us. I can actually say I have lived through a major natural disaster. Fortunately for us, it was a hurricane and you can see those coming. We made all the necessary preparations ahead of time. Mark was amazing getting the house, yard and garage ready for the storm. It was not easy work. I bought food and batteries, did laundry, and packed a suitcase. On Thursday, I was seriously considering driving myself and the girls to see my mom but my body talked me out of it. The thought of driving the 7 hours alone, pregnant with two screaming children made me want to take a nap. So, I decided to take my chances with the storm in hopes that the electricity would not be out very long. We spent the night with Mark's sister Friday night and I hardly slept at all. I have never heard nor seen such terrible wind and rain. The girls were scared and woke up at 5am. Of course we lost power earlier that morning. We got out our flashlights, ate some breakfast and played until the light came through the windows. The storm started to settle and the excitement began to wear off around 9am when we all crashed. Fortunately, the weather had cooled enough to make living with no a/c bearable. So we all hung out and played until about 6pm when the lights came back on. Mark and I surveyed our home and found that we had passed through the hurricane with minimal damage to our home. We have been incredibly blessed!! Seeing all of the images on t.v. and hearing that there are still so many millions out there without electricity saddens me. I am grateful Heavenly Father is so mindful of each and every one of us.

Mark has spent the last few days clearing trees and fixing fences. The city is on its way to recovery; however, when I drive the streets, I realized how much work there is to be done. It is surreal to see gas stations with no gas or huge mile long lines of people waiting to fill up. To see grocery stores completely wiped out of food, water and ice. To see major retailers boarded up and closed down. Power lines and trees down--debris everywhere. That is only in our neighborhood which came out relatively unscathed. I cannot imagine how the people further south are feeling as they survey their damage.