Before and After the Hurricane . . .

Here are some pictures of our backyard the day before Hurricane Ike hit . . .

And, here are some pictures of our backyard afterwards . . .

Here is a video of Stephen the morning after the worst of the storm had passed . . . he was worried about our neighbor's pool as it was overflowing and slowly inching it's way towards our house. So, he decided to go out and shovel some rocks around in order to help the water drain better . . . love the jacket babe!!!

Wow! What a week this has been! We had all just gotten into our new "school routine" and then Hurricane Ike hits! The girls keep asking me when are they going back to school - they have really missed it alot. I ended up coming to Huntsville yesterday and I have been doing laundry ever since. I just couldn't take it anymore . . . when my mom called and said she had power yesterday....I didn't even hesitate. I threw our 5 laundry baskets full of dirty clothes in the back of the van and off we went. I drove all over town trying to find a place open to stop and get us something to eat on the way. Taco Bell and Whataburger were the only two places I could find in our area and the line to get into the drive thru was UNBELIEVABLE! I guess everyone was sick of eating peanut butter and jelly like we were. We eventually found a Taco Cabana that was open and we had scarfed all our food down in no time because it tasted sooooooo good! Speaking of food during the hurricane, check out our totally sparkling clean refrigerator.... thanks to Ike we had to throw everything out, but it got the best cleaning it has ever had!

When we got to Huntsville yesterday, my dad asked us if we would like to try an "MRE - Meal Ready to Eat" for dinner. He then showed us his box of MRE's he had received at one of the POD locations......let's just say there ain't no way I'm eatin' any of that stuff. I would have to be pretty desperate! He said he tried a few of them and that they were actually pretty good - frito pie, pork rib sandwich, and an egg omelet that my mom says looked as if it were alive. That's just nasty! My dad says you open these pouches and then stick them down in this water pouch that has hydrogen in it and it begins to boil and heats itself in seconds and is ready to eat. My dad claims these are also the same meals that the army eats when they're on front line duty - you know things must be bad when the government starts handing these things out!

I am ready to get back into a normal routine again very soon.....for those of you who know me well know that I suffer from anxiety/panic disorder which I gratefully keep regulated with meds. Varying from our daily routine has really done a number on me so this whole past week has just about put me over the edge. I don't know what I would have done if I had lived in Galveston - I'd probably already be locked up in a looney bin somewhere. Not sure at what point I started to lose it . . . maybe it was when our fence flew apart and our neighbors decided to have a 'free for all' everyday in our backyard with their wild dogs and their kids who unhesitantly chose to play on our playset whenever they wanted.........or, maybe it was when Lauren fell in the neighbor's pool due to the damage in the backyard and had to be rescued......or, maybe it was when the police made three separate arrests on our normally safe and quiet street due to looters looking to break into homes that were vacated due to the storm. Who knows? I also found out today that I have to go to work on Monday even though our school is closed due to no power. Since I am a "team leader" I have to go to a nearby elementary school and possibly work in the cafeteria, direct traffic, stand in the hallway....... twiddle my thumbs basically. Not sure why I'm being required to do this since I still don't have power at my own house and have no where for my three kids to go - plus no one else that I teach with has to go. My friend Sarah is going to let us borrow her generator this weekend and I am ever so grateful. We were about to break down and go buy one tonight, but she called and said she had one we could use! We could have bought one before all of this happened, but would have never thought we would be without power this long. Thank God for good friends who can help out in a time of need! Thanks Sarah for help keeping me sane - you rock girl! If you're wondering how the girls and Logan did through all of this......well, they did fine for the most part. Logan slept through it all and nothing ever has phased him one bit - he had his Pooh to snuggle with so he was good to go. I'm just glad we are all okay and that this whole ordeal will soon be behind us.