We made it...

Sorry for the lapse in posting. We have been w/o power for far longer than I ever expected! Not that I can complain...we had a trip planned before Ike was ever even a thought in those open Atlantic waters...and escaped good ol' ravaged TX as soon as the cool front started to leave- good timing, huh?!? So we are now enjoying the benefits of electricity and cooler weather once more! :)

Ike was really something! I don't even know how to describe it...but let me just say, that it is very humbling to see what wind alone can do to a neighborhood (or even a country!) - my bro-in-law lost power way up in Ohio due to Ike! So crazy! We got through the storm pretty well. I had no idea what to expect, so we all slept in our closet that night and I have to admit...it was pretty quiet in there! We felt really safe and secure! I woke Steve up a couple of times to go peek out the windows with me and it is crazy to see the trees in your yard bending completely to the ground! I always knew what hurricanes were...but I could never fathom the power behind it all until I saw it first-hand! And this was just a category 2 hurricane...I can't even imagine a 3 or 4!!! It was amazing and frightening all at the same time! My biggest regret was that I didn't go out during the eye. I woke up because it was so eerily quiet, but the kids in the closest with us were stirring on and off during the whole eye...and I didn't want to risk waking them and then us all being up for the rest of the night in a tiny little closet! But I know that I will regret that forever...when do you get that chance to experience that eery calm - hopefully not often! :)

We had the expected damage...our little trees in our front yard completely knocked over and such...but we also had a big tree come down in our backyard. We are just so grateful that it blew opposite of our house and landed on the fence instead of our roof! Steve and a bunch of guys from church came and worked their magic with the chainsaw and got it taken care of easily! The only problem now is, Steve is convinced that he 'needs' a chainsaw! He had so much fun out cleaning the wreckage...that he is wanting to buy yet another power tool to add to our collection! And let me just add that he openly admitted that the remaining 5 large trees in our backyard would be in serious jeopardy if he were to get one though...I can just see him bored at home one day and would be just itching to try out his new saw...and our perfect backyard shade trees would be toast! We'll have to see about that! Steve also, on his exciting, chainsaw-yielding work party, came into contact with some serious poison ivy or poison oak or something and is pretty miserable about now...but at least that will give me a few extra weeks to push the importance of keeping our shade trees! :) Poor guy!

Anyway, I didn't mean to write so much...I really just wanted to check in and let everyone know that we were still alive and kicking! :) I'll write more regularly when we get back home and when they ever decide to turn back on our power! Seriously, this coming Thursday is the latest report! That's two weeks w/o power in the heat of a Texas summer! Luckily that cold-front lasted almost a week...and I have never been more grateful for anything in my life!

Hope everyone else is doing well!