Take a hike, IKE!

That was one of the many slogans I saw around the city, on plywood boarded up windows. Why do we name them? I know, to keep track of them I'm sure, but it's as if we're giving them a soul... a personality. For whatever reason, Ike was a fun name for people to work with.

We did not stick around to see if we liked Ike or not. At the last minute, we evacuated to avoid anything scary (or uncomfortable). Why not, when Grandma and Papa live just a few hours away, and they are shamelessly BEGGING for us to come visit.

We had a fun time, going to the Children's Museum of Austin, going to San Marcos (OF COURSE), and seeing their new house. We wanted to get back as quickly as possible though, we were worried about friends and our house. Cell phone reception was next to nothing, land lines were down, water was not safe, gas was nowhere to be found and there was no power in the WHOLE city of HOUSTON, fourth largest city in the US! Well, we braved the aftermath, amidst signs on the freeway saying, "DO NOT TRAVEL TO HOUSTON" (don't tell mom about those signs...)

Upon our return we were fascinated by the destruction. Not in a good exciting way, but in a humbling, awestruck way. I always knew hurricanes were forces to be reckoned with, but seeing humongous trees weighing over a ton laying flat on the ground, root system up, was an eye opener. It was frightening to realize this was only a category 2 storm. Never before have I witnessed first hand how powerful Mother Nature is.

So, here we are, about 10 days out, we just barely received out power again, most of our friends are still in the dark this very minute. What is taking so long, you might ask? Well, the damage to the power lines in our community, because of all the trees, was so extensive, it's been a MASSIVE repair effort, of which I am very grateful to all the workers for. I have learned so much these past few days about work, love, service, miracles, family and gratitude, that I have to say I'm grateful for this experience, it was definitely a once in a lifetime I will never forget.