Our neighborhood

I think this will be my last post about the hurricane. I am ready for life to get back to normal. We got power restored Thursday evening and now we're back home.

Gary has been back at school this week, but every other day has been out with LDS work crews. That was today and it will be tomorrow too. It is interesting how even church is put on hold so people can be helped (I guess it is practicing what we preach).

Here are a few pictures from the neighborhood:


Our House
Our walk to the park.

Miss L's future elementary school:

Aftermath

We are safe and alive, and currently relocated to my cousins, the Warnocks. We have been without power about a week now, and it should be back on next Monday (we hope). We had some shingle damage, a small roof leak, and a big tree fall over, but other than that we are good.

We've had some blessings the last few days:

#1 we are cleaning up the tree after the storm, our 4 Indian neighbors came over with hacksaws, and just started chopping away with us. We had the tree thoroughly pruned and in place within 15 minutes.
#2 My friends left town and threw away their food, and then got power, so I was able to move all my meat to their empty freezer. Probably was time to clean out my freezer anyway.
#3 We were afraid we'd have to go through insurance to get the roof fixed, but the damage was not nearly as bad as we thought (we will find out for sure with the next rain) and Gary and I replaced all the shingles we needed to, Tuesday (took us about 2 hours). I thought it would be really hard and was kind of afraid to do it, but it was really, really easy, and I learned how to roof. This is probably our biggest blessing because I know we would have had to wait 6-8 months to find a roofer, since everyone needs it done. Plus we are set for the next rain.
#4 After holding the flashlight in my teeth to change a dirty diapers, having my carpet nasty, and having way too much laundry, we decided to relocate for a couple days to my cousin's home in North Houston. They are so VERY generous, and Miss L is having fun getting to know her cousins. Our clothes are clean and our water is COLD!!!!

We have been very blessed, and Heavenly Father does look out for this little family. This is the worst natural disaster I have been through. We didn't get the worst, and yet I don't know a single person in our ward that doesn't have some kind of damage. It is leaves us is awe.

ps. I am not going camping in a REALLY, REALLY long time.
pss. Lots of crazy pictures to come...when power returns.

Hurricane Prep

I have never been through a hurricane, the part I guess that the most anxiety laden part is just waiting. It should hit this evening. The area that I live has not been evacuated and we have been told to stay put to allow those that need to evacuate to do so.

So with all this anxious energy and no where to go, we at he W* household came up with our own hurricane prep...

1) Make sure you have a supply of toilet paper accessible throughout the house.

2) Refill that storage water you filled up two years ago. You may actually need it.
3) Assure Children there is enough Applesauce to last through said hurricane.
4) Pack the freezer full of anything and everything and shut the door for approximately 4 days. (They say that is our worst concern...no power, no water).
5) Make Homemade rolls and Sweet Rolls. Because who doesn't need sweet rolls during a hurricane? (I figure since I will be eating canned food for a while, might enjoy my food before Spagettios kick in?)
6) Make Certain our Cinderella coloring book has enough pages colored before the storm.

7) Eat single green pepper left in garden and tear out tomato cages which the news says can become "projectile objects" during the storm. You served me well little guys.


8) Use neighbors leftover plywood to turn master bedroom into a hurricane proof bunker.
9) Attempt to tell my poor little orange tree he is on his own. (I am sad about this one, I fear he won't make it)




10) Plan several neighborhood barbecues for the next few days when the power is out and we have no water.


ps. to my family, cell phones and landlines didn't work for a while (a week) after Rita was here, but texting did. I don't know how to text, but I'll learn the lingo quick...IKE=:(