Not Normal Yet

Even though we are/were lucky, things are still crazy out where we live.

Two days ago, the grocery store shelves were empty, but people were lined up to buy anything they could. Last week, I didn't buy any perishable items. We went to the store on Monday figuring that most people would be buying ice and canned foods. We made the loop along the sides of the store and found that the refrigerated sections were 95% empty. I forgot that stores here don't have a back-up generator. They probably had to throw everything out. The only items on the shelves were from local companies like Blue Bell Ice Cream (my favorite). I went again yesterday because Jordan loves Yobaby yogurt and we are out. I'd say the shelves are back to 50%, but still mostly stocked with local Texas products (no Yobaby).

The gas stations have long lines, but nothing compared to other parts of Houston. We hear that most places have 4 - 5 hour waits. I haven't needed gas, but I've seen the lines and they don't go on for miles. I would say there are about 8 cars for each pump. I think people from other places are coming here.

Schools even in our area are closed the whole week, which means that kids in Lexi's class will be doing the whole first week crying again next week. Fortunately, Lexi was fine and will probably be looking forward to playing with the kids again.

Some neighborhoods around us still don't have power. People are buying ice and going out to eat a lot. We only know one couple that is still in the dark, but I'm assuming that they are staying with their daughter who has power.

Steve had to report back to work on Monday. His office didn't have electricity so everyone sat outside for about 5 hours just chatting. Suddenly, the big bosses thought it would be a good idea for them to head to Galveston to help with clean-up. Once they discussed it, plans changed. While that is a nice idea, it would have been better if they started that morning. By the time everyone would get down there, they would have to turn around because of the curfew. Steve's normal projects are in the Medical Center, which is still not letting most of the employees back to work. He was asked to take over a store renovation project for another guy who needs to focus on his house.

With all these upside down things going on, there is one good thing - the weather is GREAT! After a whole summer of 95+ temperatures & humidity, we're so happy that the high yesterday was only 79 with low humidity. It almost felt chilly. It is slowly going to increase, but will still only be in the mid 80s this weekend. I hope they are able to restore power to most people before it gets HOT again.

Lucky Ones

I just wanted to do a quick post to let everyone know we are doing very well. Our neighborhood was extremely lucky and only suffered minor damage (our property had NONE). We only lost power for about 15 hours. A friend who lives a couple of subdivisions away invited us over when they heard we were without a/c. They didn't lose power, so we were spoiled. We actually had a nice time there. Lexi loved it, because they have twins her age.

Some of my friends & their parents who live just a few miles northeast of us were not as lucky, but still did well. The older neighborhoods in Katy lost big trees, fences and a few shingles from their roofs. We spent yesterday helping. Steve helped the most of course. Lexi picked up a few leaves. I did only minor things because there wasn't any place for me to put Jordan down.

For us, besides the power (which isn't an issue now), phone service hasn't been very good. Calls only go through about 50% of the time. We're supposed to stick to text messaging when we can, but they have been taking over 2 hours to go through. If you have friends and family in the Houston area that you can't reach, don't jump to the worst conclusion. For now, we'll all be praying for them.

I'll post more later.

Hunkering Down

The theme for this hurricane is "hunkering down." That is what they are preaching on television anyway. In Miami, that is what everyone does normally. I guess here the tough Texans need to hear it repeatedly.

Tonight, I'll be sleeping in Jordan's room. I hope I get some sleep. I am only doing it because of a story I heard a few years ago. My cousin & her husband woke up after a night with a hurricane to find that a tree had crashed through the wall of their nursery and was sitting only inches away from their baby's crib. They actually slept through that! I am a very light sleeper, so I can't even imagine how it could happen. The story still bugs me though, so I'll sleep in Jordan's room, which is right next to Lexi's. Trying to sleep in high alert mode is always a treat.

We only have a few more hours before the eye makes its way onto land. Out where we live, it hasn't been bad YET. I haven't noticed any rain and the winds only started picking up around 4pm. Now (9:30 pm), they are really whipping.

The good news for us is that the eye looks like it will fly by to the east of us. Actually since the eye is 60 miles in diameter, I should say that the middle of the eye will be east of us. The eye wall might catch us (oh fun!). Back to the good news, we are NOT on the dirty side of the storm. Most of the spin-off tornados will hit the east side of Houston. I feel sorry for them, but glad they will not be attacking us.

The bad news for us is that they expect over 5 million people to be without power. This may be my last post for a while. More than internet, I'm going to miss A/C and all the wonderful comfortableness that goes with it. Second on the list will be cooked food. We do have a propane grill for some things. Hopefully, our suffering either doesn't take place or doesn't last too long.

Bye for now. I'll catch you all when I can. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Ike Comes Closer

Still keeping an eye on the storm...YIKES! By the way, I don't think anyone here has hurricane shutters. In fact, I don't see many people preparing yet. Maybe today? They are talking about the storm, but acting like life goes on as planned. I guess I am used to Miami where everyone knows they will be bunkering down for a few days maybe more. We'll all be learning the hard way, especially if it hits as a Cat 4 like they were talking about last night.

In the Cone

This is the time of year when Southerners suddenly become a lot more interested in the Weather Channel and sites like weather.com. This past week, we've been tuning in a bit more often. See the little red star in the cone of Hurricane Ike? That is where we live.

Before living in Florida, I would have never guessed that I would actually turn to the Weather Channel and watch for extended periods of time. That just seemed boring. I am guessing that if I hadn't lived there I would still not be able to have it on for more than a few minutes.

Should I even admit that when I lived in Miami I actually wished for hurricanes and tropical storms to come near? I guess since I wrote about it on my blog back then, it isn't a secret. I didn't want them to damage any homes or hurt anyone. I mainly wanted the county to be scared enough to shut down. That was my only chance for a day off of work due to weather. Some of those days turned out to be quite pleasant.

Now that we are living in Houston, have kids, own a place (that I still need to get home owner's insurane for the interior on), and don't have hurricane shutters; I have can't see any personal benefit of hurricanes. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I am working at home? That means that as long we have power & internet, I must work. I am definitely NOT going to wish for the power to go out. The temperatures are still reaching the mid 90s here. We would melt!

I know I have a laid back attitude about the storms, which isn't a good thing. In my defense though, it is a good balance to my husband. The worst hurricane I have been through was Katrina & Rita (in Miami where they hit as a Cat 1). My husband was living in South Florida when Andrew hit (Cat 5). He helped with the clean-up and re-building. Because of that, these storms seem to cause a bit of fear for him. He wants to go out and buy a generator, plywood or shutters, and all of that. I just make sure we have gas, water, and food.

...So, it looks like over the next few days we will be tuning into the weather channel. I just hope we don't make the national news because of the damage it causes. Oh & Jim, you seem nice, but feel free to stay away.