Anyway, we stocked up and as usual the hours leading up to the storm were pretty exciting. Kyle & I have grown up in Baton Rouge, and hurricanes have typically been fun for us--relatively mild damage to the city and always a few days out of school. In fact, there were a few hurricanes while I was in college when everything shut down & the weather was absolutely beautiful. However, we knew what Baton Rouge had suffered with Gustav & figured there was a chance something similar could happen here. Kyle got off work around noon on Thursday, so we enjoyed hanging out with friends and really just doing nothing. I started to get a little nervous on Friday afternoon. I've experienced hurricanes before, but there is something different about it when you have a baby. You wonder if you are making all the right decisions since they don't just affect you anymore. Part of me wondered if the officials really thought we needed to evacuate but only chose to evacuate the lower lying areas because the Rita evacuations were such a nightmare. I think they said there are about 5.6 million people in the Houston metro area (can't remember the exact number), so you can imagine the scene. Anyway, we really just didn't know what to expect. We contemplated going to Baton Rouge or North LA, but decided we better stick with our house to make sure everything was OK. After making that difficult decision, it was on to preparing to hunker down. I just love saying that because it sounds so "countryfied".
We got the closet ready for all 3 of us to sleep in Friday night. Jackson went to sleep early, and I was jealous of his ability to fall asleep not knowing or understanding what was coming. I got pretty antzy and kept text messaging with our friends. Everyone was somewhat nervous. Kyle finally decided to go to sleep, & I made him go in the closet. Although the storm shifted some to the east, I was still nervous about torandoes more than anything. I kept going in and out of the closet, calling mom every now and then. I eventually decided to go to sleep. There was nothing more we could do than be in the closet anyway. Also, earlier that night I decided to flip my scripture calendar to see what it said for that day. Amazinly enough, the scripture was Psalm 4:8, which was says "I will both lie down in peace and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in SAFETY." Do you have chills? Wow...I did. You can't convince me that was coincidental. The Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He allowed the scripture to be the one that was placed on September 12th's page. It gave me both comfort and peace, and it reminded me that the same God who created the fierce winds of Hurricane IKE was holding us in His hands. How much more secure can you get?
The wind and rain finally did start around 10 or 11 PM. Our power flickered many times as the wind got stronger, but it didn't go out until about 2:45 AM. I woke Kyle up to go look outside. The storm was loud, but not near what I expected. Kyle and I went back to sleep, but I woke up off and on throughout the night. When the winds were really loud, I would try to close the closet door because I was scared the bedroom windows were going to blow in on us, but Kyle said it was too stuffy in there. I just went back to sleep and tried not to think about what was going on outside. I really wish it had been day light so we could have seen everything.
We did not sleep very late because we were crammed in the closet. So, we got up, ate breakfast, and really just hung out. The house stayed very comfortable all day, so it was bearable. One of the big selling points about our home (which we didn't care about at the time) was that it was an Energy Star home. It seems to be insulated very well because it kept the cool air in excellently. We eventually got out and rode around to survey the damage. Initially, it didn't seem that bad; however, the more we drove and talked to people, we realized we were hit harder than we thought.
We realized that since downtown was hit pretty badly, there was no way Kyle would have work on Monday. We figured maybe we should leave in case it did get too miserable for Jackson. We packed up our stuff, all the while feeling guilty about the thought of leaving since it really was bearable and we knew there would be a lot of clean up for people around town. We really struggled with what to do, so we kept packing and talking and really stressing over it. Kyle felt that we needed to leave, so we set out and did not drive far before turning around. It got dark quickly and with no power, the streets were too dangerous. Not to mention there was a curfew in place. We turned around and slept at home, all 3 in our bed. The sound of generators outside was truly annoying, and I was wired. I laid there for a long time before falling asleep. Jackson and Kyle were both breathing really loudly, too. That didn't help. haha. Anyway, we stayed around the house again on Sunday, not sure of waht to do once more. We were still OK and had plenty of non-perishables to eat. I was very adament about not leaving because I felt selfish doing so while everyone was in the same boat. Jackson started to get pretty antzy, so we figured it would only get worse for him.
We headed for North LA. As we drove by all the debris and downed trees, I felt so sad. I know I have only been here 5 months, but this is our home now. I am sentimentally attached, and it hurt my heart to see the beautiful trees down and just all the craziness happening to our area that happens after a big hurricane. I felt so many emotions as we left. I wanted to leave in case things did get bad for Jackson's sake. I wanted to stay because I knew people were suffereing and didn't want to put myself in a better situation than anyone else. Why did I deserve to be comfortable if they weren't? I also wanted to help with clean up. Kyle convinced me (and he always had good judgement) that it was best for Jackson for us to leave. I still feel guilty, but know after hearing from friends who also have babies that we did the right thing by leaving. I don't want to sound irresponsible or that I wasn't putting Jackson first because I was; it was just really hard to decide to leave when things were so crazy around here.
We evauated to North LA and stayed with my grandparents. I must say, we were quite pleased with our accommodations! Evacuees have never had such good treatment. I don't want to make too much "light" of our time post-IKE because, again, I feel selfish, but it was wonderful to visit family and have such a great time even under the circumstances. The weather was beautfiul, and Gran & Pap were able to show us some neat things we have never seen before: Granny's father's home that he grew up in (beautiful!), some of our family land tha tI've never seen, old churches and homes, an old stagecoach inn, and many other beautiful sights not far from their home.
Aunt Jan even came over from Shreveport to hang out with us on Wednesday, so that was a treat. It really was a great time, and I'm glad we were able to go. I will post some beautiful pictures I took of those historic places along with all the others I need to post when I have time.
We teased Gran and Pap the whole time we were there about how we were evacuees and didn't expect to have to do anything for ourselves. After all, aren't evacuees entitled to such treatment? They did not disappoint, and we fully enjoyed our stay. If only they were on the list of "FEMA approved hotels" and we could thank them monetarily...Just kidding.
Nick & Jaime called Wednesday afternoon to tell us that our house had power. We headed home so that Kyle could go back to work today. We got in pretty late, and were happy to see that our house was doing fine. We are of the lucky 42% that have power restored, which also makes me feel terribly guilty. I do hope that those of you in our area that still do not have power will feel free to come use or house to shower, sit in A/C, use the computer, or whatever you may need. We have plenty of room & would love to have you. Seriously. I know cell phone reception is spotty, so just show up if you need to. You have our address. Babies welcome. =)
Anyway, Kyle went back to work this morning. He said getting to downtown was relatively easy. He drove as the buses are only leaving on the hour and half hour, and he knew they would be crammed full. He said after seeing footage of downtown on the news after IKE, he was surprised at how quickly things are "bouncing back". Of course there is still glass in the streets, and the JP Morgan Chase building had a lot of damage, but all in all things looked OK. The windows of the Chase building that were blown out were all boarded up. Here is a picture he emailed me of the building:
Well, I guess that is it for now. Things are getting back to some resemblance of normal here, and we are very thankful that we are OK as well as all of our friends. Many are still without power, so please pray for them as they try to recover from IKE.Love to all & thanks for your prayers!
~ LINDZ
PS - How to get rid of a stinky fridge (knowledge from my wise Granny):
1. Scrub down with half a sink of hot water and 6 T of baking soda. No need to rinse, just wipe down after you scrub.
2. If the smell is still there, place a few pieces of charcoal (it won't hurt anything) somewhere inside your fridge. This will absorb the smell. You can place it in a drawer or on a shelf, etc. If you don't have charcoal, kitty litter also does the trick.
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