Snow days

I thought we were off to a great start for the school year....until Ike took a turn. Tuesday I checked the my hospital's weather alert and Ike was no longer a concern. Wednesday at work by noon ....essential personal were being called in by Thursday pm... and by the time I left people were being asked if they felt like making a trip to Austin with the babies.....

I stopped on the way home and topped off my tank. So decisions needed to be made .... stay or go. We couldn't get to plan A due to Gustav and 2 members of the family were going to have to work Thursday so we stay. I did call my folks with a Plan B but it didn't go very far..... I woke at 3 am made a quick inventory of supplies needed( we were dangerously low on green tea and sodas.....we also stocked up on junk food. nothing makes the hours pass like chips and dip) and made a Walmart run. Great timing....shelfs were being restocked. The cashier mention that it just slowed down.....I just knew there was no way I was going to be in a store on Thursday day. Folks are CRAZY the day before a hurricane. Come on folks.....you live on the gulf coast prepare early. Why are you fighting over food and water when you should've had on your shelf 2 months ago.....

OK. I digress......Unloaded the car and it was already hot. Of course it is going to be the hottest day in weeks when we have work to do....so instead of going to sleep I start on the yard. The garage is a jig saw puzzle....how do I put all the yard stuff in it and still have room for a car. While working I think of Plan C and then my folks pull in the driveway... Plan C is shot down. Plan C was a GREAT plan......Little kids, Big Sis' and grandma head out of town.... The rest of us get the houses ready. Grandma refused to go to the location. BAH!

Ok we stay...

Rita we left. Charlotte was a newborn it was a no brainer. I was in a maternity fog and wasn't aware of such mundane things as hurricanes( I kinda missed the Katrina ordeal ) until we recieved the call that we are going to be under a mandatory evacuation order starting 12 noon tomorrow. I don't even think we boarded up the house. We received the call at 7pm and we were on the road by 4am. We also didn't have family members that had responsibilities. We missed all the humanity that was the Rita evacuation.

Yesterday... DH and oldest son headed off to work. I fielded phone calls and did all I could without them. Dh came up and we pulled up boards and started putting them up. It is hot.....steamy.....red in the face hot.

Surreal moment number #1 - We are struggling with a board and about to throw in the towel and wait for the young male in the family to come home to help us when they evacuate the nursing home down the street. A fleet of ambulance and buses file down our street. THEN we see the helicopters that are evacuating the hospital that I work at..... We laugh and get our game faces on.

Surreal moment number #2- Oldest son returns home. He spent the day boarding up 4 buildings for his employer. He has obviously done a man's work today and he is visibly glad that he isn't boarding up the house tonight. He does inspect our job to make sure it is done properly.

Surreal moment number #3- Dinner was a M. Night Shyamalan SIGNS dinner. What do you want that's in the freezer and cannot be cooked on the grill. Guess what.....that's what we are having for breakfast and lunch today as well......

So now 7 am. All day yesterday we received numerous calls....advise to shelter in place....actually I think the term they used might of been hunker down. Only in Texas. I just received a call today with the advise to follow your family plan. Apparently we are getting the direct hit.

Gotta go bake.....I am my mother's daughter. She bakes in the hours before a storm comes a shore.....