Latest Update.....From SLC

After Ike had come and gone, we were left with feelings of uncertainity of what would be waiting for us in Houston. We had spoken to some neighbors and friends, and while everyone is affected in some way or another, we were lucky. Nick and I debated on whether or not I should go back with Lexi. We knew that we didn't have power, but weren't sure about much else. We decided it would be best if I headed to SLC/ID and spend some time here until things in Houston get staightened out. Our babysitter is out of town, so we don't have childcare for me to go back to work. It is still pretty hot down there, and a 6 mth old baby in a house with no A/C would be pretty miserable. And a hop, skip and jump on some airplanes, I flew out of DFW that night into Salt Lake. I'm staying at Matt and Tara's right now. Nick went to Houston this morning. He says the house is fine, no damage, but no power, and the roads are a mess. He said he had to make a few turns to get to our road. There were fences down, trees down, power lines down. In the neighborhood that we live in, no stores are open. A few gas stations, but he said the cars were lined up down the road and there was a 15 gallon limit. The fridge was dead, but some of the hamburger we had in the deep freezer was still cold, so he had hamburgers on the grill. We got a generator while we were in Dallas, and he loaded up with gas on the way out. So, he hooked up the fridge and the TV, of course. Monday Night Football. He said it was like camping...however I don't remember MNF on any of our camping trips.....oh well.
So, as far as work for me goes....well, we'll see if I have a job when I get back. Nick went and talked to my director today. Isn't that nice. I'm such a chicken that I send my husband in to do my dirty work. Since Nick and I work at the same place, he knows my managers and director. So, we'll see what extenuating circumstances this will mean for me and my job. I don't have my camera, so I don't have any pics to put on. Nick has the camera. He has been taking pics of the destruction in Houston. So, one of these days I will have some cool pics to put on. As of now, you just get to listen to me ramble on. So, with that said, ya'll have a good one.

Hello from Roanoke!

Thursday was an interesting day for us. The whole mood of the day was very....frenetic. Everyone was freaking out, and some of the nurses were in areas of mandatory evacuation. We had a couple of options as far as what options we had. We could stay in our house, we could go to the hospital, or we could leave. The thought of staying in the house wasn't very appealing. A lot of windows, and the construction next door would have given me a ulcer. If nothing else, I didn't want to be stuck in the house without air conditioning. The thought of staying at the hospital wasn't too appealing either. Although they were going to be very accomodating, even offering a kennel option for the dogs, I don't want to be trapped in the hospital with a bunch of people. So, we left the Jeep at the hospital in the parking garage, loaded up the truck, tried to take care of some things around the house, and headed out. We got onto the road around 6 by the time we got done. The traffic seemed to be flowing quite well, but as we neared the north side of Houston, it was clear that everyone was already there. We took a little detour and instead of going straight up 45 North, we went around through College Station and came up through Waco. It still took about 6 hours, but I feel better knowing that we aren't there. So, we got reservations at a hotel in Roanoke, where we used to live. Dallas is still supposed to get lots of rain from Ike, but Roanoke is pretty far west of Dallas. We'll be ok. So, we're all here, hanging out for the weekend. Nick is actually going to one of the Bovis jobs in Dallas today. He'll be able to see Tom, one of the guys that we have known since Idaho. We've worked with Tom for Nashville, Texas, and Atlanta. So, it will be good to catch up with him. I'll also get to see my friend Lana. She and I worked together in the ICU when we lived here. So, it is not going to be a total loss. I know that the media hypes a lot of this weather stuff up, but it will probably be a much better idea for us to be out of the way. Especially with my beautiful baby girl. I would never forgive myself if we had decided to stay and something would have happened.
So, all y'all, we're good. Love you and we'll be in touch.

Hurricane Ike

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted. I keep thinking that I need to have pictures to post, but sorry...just blab this time.
We have a hurricane brewing in the Gulf. Despite all the previous hurricanes, this one seems to be heading straight for us. They have been evacuating most of the counties closer to the coast. Although we live inland, and we have a brick house, we have decided to head out of town this weekend. We are going to Dallas to spend the weekend in a hotel. I have been skeptical to do this, but after much discussion and advice from friends and family....better to be safe than sorry.
So, we'll leave tonight...late...hopefully don't get stuck on the freeway for hours on end. We got gas in the truck and 15 gallons in containers. Good thing, too. People are already beginning to panic, and gas stations are starting to run out of gas. We'll take the computer, so I'll keep you all posted this weekend. And I'm sure I'll be in touch. Love you all.