Enough already.

I know, I know. But I have to get it out. Please bear with me through one more post about Hurricane Ike.

Here's one of my journal entries:

In the wee hours of the morning Saturday, September 13, 2008 hurrican Ike blew through our neighborhood. We knew it was going to pass though, so we did our best to make sure that our pantry was well-stocked. We put the kids to bed in our master bedroom closet, Pippi in her princess sleeping bag, and Bardo on a crib mattress. Bardo had a hard time settling down and would only fall asleep beween the Warlock and I, in our bed. In our bedroom we could hear our windows creak and flex. When the wind howling became a little too noisy (and scary) to allow for sleep, we moved to the closet where it was virtually silent. Occasionally we would hear the bending of the house. The Warlock was up all night, roaming the house, checking for leaks, listening to the storm, protecting us all. We made it through the night, all windows intact (though one was leaky). No trees fell on our home, though our three front trees had been blown over by the wind. The following day, when the storm finally subsided we stood them back up. I think they'll be fine. Our roof also suffered a minor leak. Nevertheless, I cannot complain about the way my home weathered the storm. So many were less fortunate.

Now, here are some additional thoughts:

I'm not the greatest at well, anything, but in this case, I'll note that I'm not a great pantry stocker or food storage guru (yet). But, every little thing (stock up on flashlights, put the kids in our silent closet, bring all tools and repair supplies into an accessible place, gas up our cars) that the Warlock and I did to prepare for the storm blessed us. Over the course of this time, we used 40 D batteries. We had 24 on hand, and did not need to purchase more until we were well into our second week without power. For the days after the storm, when travelling was difficult, gas stations and grocery stores were closed, our family did not need to go anywhere. We had more than plenty of food and water to sustain us. Our trip to San Antonio was not necessary, except for maybe to save the Warlock's sanity.

I will start storing plywood. Ike was only a category II. I can't imagine the damage it would have cause if it had been greater. I also think that I would evacuate for anything greater than a category II. (Can I come to your house Jess?) Hopefully that will not happen again for a very long time. The storm was scary, and I'm not anxious to relive it. But, during the whole thing, I never felt unsafe. I knew the Lord would take care of us, and he did. Pippi, before the storm, offered a simple prayer: "Please bless us that the storm won't harm us too much." I thought that was pretty inspired.

And will I get a generator? Not yet. But I think we'll start saving for a good one so we have a refrigerator and a washer and dryer if we have to go through this again. The more children we have the more critical this preparation will be.

And life without power? Well, I like life with power better, but we were okay without blogging and TV and AC, for a little while. I washed a load or two in the sink and hung them to dry on a makeshift clothes line. I cannot imagine doing all our laundry that way, all the time. Anyway, we're back (as of Saturday morning) and appreciating it big time.

I was impressed by how well my children handled this. Bardo definitely was stressed out the night of the storm, but the powerless nights both children handled the dark and the lack of AC very very well. In fact, I think they slept better than ever. What a blessing that was to my pregnant body!

I'd also like to note that my dog did not freak out during the storm and slept soundly through the whole thing on the floor by my bed. But he did get stinky. I think I bathed him twice last week. It doesn't sound like a big deal? You try to bathe a 100 pound lab. I dare you. You will get wet.