Catching up

So, it's been a while. Things are finally getting back to normal around here. We got the roof fixed, the ceiling patched up and everything is getting somewhat back to normal. We had some money left over from the insurance settlement so we had a patio poured. We've been working on it the past few weekends, getting it landscaped and ready for company. Saturday we are celebrating my husband's birthday with about 15 friends. This will be the first party we're having at our house and I'm a little nervous! I'm sure after a couple of glasses of wine, I'll be having a blast! Everything is relatively back to normal (short of some missing grass in the front yard, 2 tree stumps in the back yard and a broken window) and we're looking forward to having some fun this weekend. I'll post pictures of the patio and our fun weekend later!

Moving on

We're finally getting back to normal and getting cleaned up after the storm. My mom still doesn't have power so she's staying with us. Let's just say I hope her power comes back on soon. She's fine to have here but I want my house back to myself. The trees came off the roof on Saturday and now we're waiting for the insurance company to send us a check to get the roof and window fixed. The school is back open today and I think the routine of going back to work will be healing. I'm praying for a great day back.

Recovering

Wow...this one hit hard. I'll get into more detail later because I really want to journal what happened the night of the storm, more for my own good than anyone elses. We're OK, just got power back yesterday. There are 2 large trees on the back of my house, 1 of which came through the ceiling and left 2 5-inch around holes. God has been so good in that the temperature has dropped to the low 80's making it bearable for the people who still don't have power. We're just waiting for the grocery stores and gas stations to get back to regular operation so we can get rolling again.

The saddest thing that happened to us in all of this is that we lost our beautiful 14 year old dog Charlie yesterday. We had to have her put down because the stress of the storm and the power outage just made her weaken. We know she's in a better place but it's so hard for us because we've had her since she was 6 weeks old (only 2 weeks after we got married.) We'll miss her and there will be a hole in my heart for a long time.

The best part is that we are all safe and relatively comfortable. We're just waiting to see when we'll go back to work and school. We should know more later today. Thanks for all of the prayers for the people of this region of Texas. I think He heard your prayers.

Hurricane Ike

Ike is definitely coming to visit the Houston area and we're getting ready. We plan on staying home because we're so far inland but the forecast says that we're on the dirty side of the storm so we're expecting some pretty bad weather. The only thing that we worry about are the large pine trees that we have in the yard. I'd hate to have one of them fall on my house. I don't know what we're going to do with my mom yet. She says she wants to sit home but I think she'll be scared. My husband is going over there this morning to clean up her yard and put her lawn furniture in the shed. I'd love to have her over here but that comes with another dog in the house and I don't know if I can take it. My dog has such a hard time with storms that adding another one to the mix may push me over the edge. We're going to figure everything out tonight and get our plan made. Wish us all luck! It's going to be a rough couple of days!

Here we go again....

We skirted Gustav without even a drop of rain. Here comes Ike.

Looming

So the new hurricane is brewing out in the Carribean right now and we're all gearing up for another big one. My family from New Orleans are making arrangements to evacuate when the time comes, some of them going to Mississippi and others coming here to Houston. The models are showing about a 300 mile length of the Gulf Coast that could possibly hit and they say we'll know more this weekend. This weekend I will be filling up the car and making sure we have batteries and groceries in the house. We NEVER get prepared for storms but I have a bad feeling about this one. I don't want to be caught off guard.

So far so good

So I'm back to work and school and everything is flowing good so far. The first day of Kinder is such a trip. The kids come in so excited about starting school but terribly nervous and missing their moms. By day 2, they're a little more confident but totally physically exhausted from the day before. We'll see today how day 3 goes. It's such a long day for those little guys and without a nap.

My classes are going good so far. I feel a little overwhelmed but like I said before, if I stay organized, I should do OK. We'll see!