The dead tree stands....thankfully!!

First...let me start by thanking everyone for all of their sweet comments and prayers....they worked!!!  Not only is my neighbor's dead tree still standing but we managed to get through the storm and keep power the WHOLE time....whoa, I never in my wildest dreams thought that was a possibility.  We were VERY fortunate in that we really have nothing to show for a Category 1 hurricane barreling through our area...a few very small branches in our yard and some pine straw.  We have no idea how or why we got so lucky but are SO thankful we did as we know millions up and down the east coast did not fare as well.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those whose lives have been affected by this horrible storm.  I can only hope that recovery from this storm will be swift and painless.

My blogging will continue to be sporadic as we decided to head out to Charleston for a shortened vacation with the fam - I hesitate to blog about that because I'm a worrier...BUT don't even think about touching my house....a large burly man and his little friend are watching it.  OOHH...and 90% of my neighbors are retired so we've got neighborhood watch like whoa.

J

I think we've battened our hatches

As I sit here writing this post I can't help but lament on the fact that we should packing our car for a one week vacation in Charleston...instead, the proverbial "waiting game" has begun for Hurricane Irene.  Things are looking better this evening than they were yesterday with the storm showing some signs of weakening but we are still being warned that this will be a very bad storm with widespread damage to property, flooding, and prolonged power loss (defined by our local news as 4+ days).  The hubs and I have spent the last 3 days ensuring we have the proper supplies and done everything we can to secure our property.  We've stowed away all of our outdoor furniture, bought tons of water, purchased a generator for a small fee (ouch! those things are pricey), organized our fridge and devised a meal plan for no power, filled every tank we own with gas, bought plenty of charcoal for grilling, taken pictures and video taped a tour of our house for insurance purposes, and screwed any loose doors shut (screen door on back porch and shed doors).  I'm exhausted from not only all of this hurricane preparedness that has consumed us but also from a crazy, long, and stressful week at work.  My largest concern right now is the 100 ft. pine trees that line our property line but belong to my neighbor so I can't touch them....yet, they could slice my house in half if any go down.  And just as fate would have it...one of those suckers is dead...like all of the needles are brown and bark is starting to rot off...which as a responsible homeowner would generally mean you would have the tree taken down.  Nope...not my neighbor...he has brand new windows and a new roof on his house...but the dead tree stands.  At this hour...that is what is scaring me the most.  We do not live in any form of flood plain and are actually located on some of the highest land in Virginia Beach (see....there are perks to not living on the beach:)) so I am not concerned about water coming into my house as a result of flooding.  The thought of power loss is unsettling but I've excepted that and know that it's temporary.  But the thought of a tree coming through my house...terrifies me.  They are calling for sustained tropical storm force winds for approximately 21 hours with hurricane force winds and higher gusts in there as well...starting tonight.  Tomorrow will be nerve rattling and I'm sure by Sunday when Irene has left to wreak havoc on other parts of the east coast I will fall flat.

I have no idea what will happen to my blogging...I suppose power will be key to that so don't expect to hear anything for awhile but I am hoping to tweet during and after the storm.  I too want to apologize for not reading and commenting on blogs this week...as you can see, I've been a bit....uummm, distracted.  The good news though is that the crazy amounts of rain we are expecting should be enough to put out the dismal swamp fire!!  I'm sending prayers and hugs to everyone tonight that is sitting in the same boat we are...crazy....stay safe!

J

A first for us and a change in perspective...

What a day...I spend so much time blogging about all of Addie's firsts but thought I should also mention that today we all experienced a first...think ground shaking and hysteria....yep, an earthquake on the east coast.  While chatting with a co-worker about the United Way campaign we paused to take in what we first thought was some work going on in the building...until we noticed the whole building was shaking.  As if in slow motion, we filed out into the hall to find everyone else doing the same...we all exchanged confused looks and systematically headed to the stairwells to file out of the building.  And not because an alarm had sounded...I suppose it was just our gut reaction to get out of the building....down 16 floors we all went.  Exiting the building was like joining the street party...people were every.where - it was surreal and at this point we still had no idea what was going on.  Honestly....earthquake didn't even cross my mind in those first 5 minutes but soon after joining the rest of my co-workers at our designated meeting spot we had it figured out.  Confusion set in as stories of shaking in New York and Roanoke spread from those that had been engaged in conversations with people in those locales when the quake hit.  Fortunately there was no damage...I forgot my phone and no one was able to get calls out anyhow...but soon after returning to my desk I got an email from my hubs and was able to get a call out to my parents to make sure everyone was doing well....everyone was safe...albeit a bit startled!  So...here I sit...reflecting on the fact that I experienced my first earthquake today...weird, right?!

And just because mother nature threw a curve ball at us today doesn't mean she isn't also up to some of her old tricks...according to my friend Jim Cantore at the The Weather Channel (insert sarcasm here - he's not exactly the person you want visiting your neck of the woods) Hurricane Irene currently has her sights set on our area..or at least somewhere close by.  It's amazing how much my perspective on these events have changed...prior to being a mother, homeowner, and responsible adult these scenarios were actually kind of exciting for me.  Losing power was an excuse to light all of those candles my mother stored away in the drawers and grill a freezer worth of meat...and it always seemed like the community really united during these times...and part of me really enjoyed that.  I didn't mind picking up branches and debris or taking cold showers...cold meals were ok in my book too.  But today as I sit here and type this...I must admit...I'm terrified.  I worry about the pine tree farm that my neighbor behind me has growing (these trees are literally like 100 ft tall) and what they will do to my house.  Losing power is my worst nightmare...we have SO much meat frozen and trying to give Addie a cold bath would be disastrous.  I love my neighbors...I really do...but spending what is supposed to be "vacation" for me next week in the streets exchanging stories of how we rode out the storm is not the least bit appealing.  So...please, send up prayers to send this thing off the coast.

J

Who needs electricity?? THIS GIRL!!

photo courtesy of wavy.com

Yes....ME, I NEED electricity and thankfully its back!!!  I had planned to partake in "Wordless Wednesday" and post some cute pics I took of the girl this weekend but we had some pretty serious storms move through our neck of the woods yesterday afternoon and I have been without my beloved internet until we got it back.  No internet of course means...no nighttime/early morning blogging (plus, I was at a conference today so no internet access at work)...no e-mail reading/responding...no curious web searches for miscellaneous information...no - nothing:(  

Reading what I just wrote makes me sound a bit ungrateful for the wonderful life I do have (its not all rainbows and butterflies but I've been very blessed with the life I've been given) so, please hear me when I say that I am in now way trying to take away from or even pretend to relate to the horrible storms that have plagued the midwest this year.  I cannot even begin to imagine what those people are suffering through and my thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

photo courtesy of wavy.com

So, it all started yesterday afternoon - sitting at my desk - and, all of the sudden, it was like someone turned the lights out.  I turned to my left to look out my windows and it looked like nighttime outside.  The clouds were almost black and VERY low - it was eerie.  Shortly after, the rain and wind started and thats when things got downright scary.  Our building is a 20 floor building, and I sit on the 16th floor so if the building moves, I feel it.  And yesterday...I felt it - we were rocking and rolling (sort of like being on a boat), while the windows creaked and the glass shook.   This lasted for about 20 minutes and most of the folks on my floor stood in the hallways, outside of their offices checking their PDAs for updates on what was happening.  I know the building is built to sway...I get it...but you could not have convinced me of that yesterday afternoon!  After the storm passed, business as usual...just like that.  What none of us realized was that a large number of us were without power and our local power company was in no way prepared for the beast of a storm that had just wreaked havoc on the area.  My ride home was interesting...trees and debris strewn all over the interstate...but it was sunny outside...a beautiful evening.  It just didn't look like it fit.

photo courtesy of wavy.com

Arriving home to NO power was pretty awful.  It was about 80F in our house...I could live with it..the hubs on the other hand is like a portable space heater and is hot.all.the.time.  Luckily, it was still light out and we figured we'd run to dinner (clearly, we couldn't make anything) and hoped by the time we got back the power would have been restored.  Yeah, no dice on that one....we walked around with our flashlights...I took the coldest shower of my life...and we went to bed early (I had no blogging or internet surfing to do, no trash TV to watch, no warm relaxing shower to enjoy...no fun)  We opened the windows as it was about 74 outside and we figured that would be bearable to sleep in until the power came back...and we went to bed.

photo courtesy of wavy.com

At some point during the night, our power was restored and I awoke to my alarm clock next to the bed this morning instead of my phone....aahhh, the first time (other than my wedding day) I have ever been excited to hear that sound....now about that mess we left last night...because....we couldn't see.

Anyhow...I've randomly placed pics of some of the destruction from the storm from our area.  Our house was fine other than some downed tree limbs but some of our neighbors didn't fare as well and lost whole trees.  Still, we ARE lucky...so lucky...this storm was nothing compared to the hand others have been dealt.  And yes, in talking with friends there are still people in the area that don't have power yet...and its hot and its supposed to stay that way for the foreseeable future:(

I've missed out on alot of my usual blog reading so I'm hoping to catch up over the next day or so!!!

J