Hurricane Ike

photo by Larry W. Smith / EPA as seen in the LA TIMES

Well, we finally were able to get on the internet last night. What a week for everyone here. We are one of the fortunate ones as we have our house intact, water that is safe to drink (we had tons of water stored), but still no electricity. I can't get photos on as we did not have the camera when we went back to check the house. We missed the flood waters by half a block. So many people are displaced in the Galveston area and the island is not fit for life at present. Seabrook is a wreck...but people are slowly trickling back to salvage or grab what they can.

We ended up staying with Grandma the Great in Houston during the storm itself as we had to evacuate due to our location by the creek. You can image the long lines at the stores and gas pumps the past two days as some power is being restored in areas where lines are not down. Hope everyone is safe and doing well. We expect to have electricity by this weekend, one of the last areas in our city because we have power lines down. We are currently staying with family as they have electricity and water.

Charlie and Jeannie and their kids are safe, but it will be a while before they can return to Seabrook, so they will stay with the rest of us here at Sandra's house. We are actually having a fun time having the family all together, playing with the grandkids, and hanging out.

Yesterday we went on a "hunting" trip all around the area for milk and eggs (apparently powdered milk is avoided at all costs around here!). We have three grandkids who live on milk! We bought the last 3 gallons of milk at HEB and then found a box of 15 dozen eggs at SAMS Club so we bought it and sold flats of eggs to all our friends who needed them. All of us lost all the food out of our fridges and freezers but Sandra and Ernest brought food from Dallas to fill the fridge so we are doing fine. Honestly, we have tons of food stored so we were never in dire need for anything. People out here are waiting in long lines for MRE's, water, and ice. Yes, we are indeed fortunate to be prepared and to be spared the loss of our home. So many people lost everything!

George Lucas Could Have Used These Kids!!!

You know those foam alphabet tile mats that have the punch out alphabet letters that you just hate to put back together after the kids have punched out the letters and pictures?

Our grandkids have discovered great new uses for these foam squares that lock together! They have made go-carts, boxes, and an assortment of fences and cars but this is their newest invention. That's right!!! Being the true Star Wars fans that we are......meet the "Square Head" storm troopers!!!!

Another Week and Off to School!

Christy looks great! Ellie's new bedding....she just turned 12 and loves design!

Cathy's birthday bash...sort of!

Well...it has been a long summer. School for me and Jennifer.....memorial service for Maxine Bryan....visits to the Johnsons and Murreys twice....surgery for Cathy and a hospital stay for Sandra (so glad you are both doing fine!) and this past week upon finding myself actually living in my own home again Jennifer and I are gearing up for our Fall semester classes.....and of course Chuk is working on his newest script and film with Christian Yost. All in all...we have been busy!!!

Our funnest activity this past weekend was running to Dillards at the Mall. Someone mentioned to us that suits were 40% off of 50% off prices for Saturday only. So we made a run on the store and found 2 suits Chuk liked. We called Ernest and he ran out and bought one as well....$500-$700 suits for $160 a piece.

You have to realize I have been BEGGING Chuk to get a new suit for the past few years, but to no avail. Why spend $$$$$$ on a suit when you can spend it on every electronic gizmo you can find???

He's great at saving $$$$$ but I'm great at getting the good deals. We are a perfect match!!!!

Surgery the Cathy Way!

I made it back to town this week after spending 2 weeks tending and loving on our kids in Bountiful. Cathy managed to recoup fast enough to be up and around a couple of days before I left. So here are some pictures of Cathy's ordeal!

hmmmmm..........didn't realize I caught her smiling after surgery! Must be because she's glad to see me!

Okay...so the smile is bigger three days later when she's just about ready to go home. Must be because she loves that family of hers so much. Notice her walking buddy. I need one of those to help me over the threshold at church (see previous post!).

Well....I had other photos from the trip but I thought I would just take the time to tell all of you

how to do surgery the Cathy way...

1. Call Mom (me!) less than a week before you are to go in so Mom can panic thinking she can't find any low airfares to get to the hospital in time.

2. Make sure there is a Tropical Storm on the way to Mom's house so she can call on her son-in-law's secret weapon at the airline's main office to get her out a day earlier so she can miss all the cancellations that are going to occur after she's made the reservation (Thank you Ming)!

3. Decide the night before surgery to go running with a friend so you'll be good and rested for your early morning appearance at the hospital (Cathy, what were you thinking?) Honestly, I think that Cathy running all over the mountains every week helped her heal faster than I ever could!

4. Scare everyone by developing a hematoma and then getting dizzy and throwing up everyday after the surgery for a few days.

5. Rent tons of "Gilmore Girls" Dvd's so that when you get home from your ordeal in the hospital you can laugh your head off with your Mom by your side laughing her guts out too! (Good for the stitches!)

6. Keep a list of all meds taken so that when you have to wake up every morning around 4 am with "REAL PAIN" you'll remember which pill you really need to take and at what time you can really take it!

7. And finally.........smile often, reminesce endlessly about life, love, happiness, and family...and then fall asleep in mid sentence as soon as the meds take effect, with Mom sitting there holding your hand. My favorite moments!!!!!

The Quiet Week That Ended with a Big Splat!

Usually life around here is bouncing around all over the place but this week, we spent quiet down time together and enjoyed the company of our kids and grandkids. Jeannie came over to work on diapers a couple of days and we gals later in the week got together for a girls night out!

Our quiet week ended today with a big splat as I launched myself through the opened front door of the Church this morning and ended up on all fours in the foyer! Yep, there I was sprawled out for all to see....I didn't really trip, my foot just didn't pick up when my brain told it to so naturally I kept moving forward without it......Jenny and Chuk stood there stunned. Karen Nelson arrived immediately after my tumble and got down with me to keep me calm.....not that I was going nuts, but gee it hurt! I tried to get up but couldn't and it looked like Chuk and Jenny weren't going get me up.

By this time the crowd was growing and I realized I had become a spectacle so I sent the troops out to look for Ernest who soon after arrived to take charge, get me up and moved to the couch. No lasting trauma, but thank goodness for my friends who helped to doctor me up. I spent the remainder of the meetings being escorted around by Chuk, who would not let me wear my shoes. That caused quite a few raised eyebrows and a lot of comments. When word of my smackdown started getting around to everyone......I just told them I was staging a sit in!.......sigh........I really need to work on my entrance!!!

Here is our Jocelyn smiling for the camera..... And here are our girls, Reagan, Jeannie, Ivy, and Jocelyn. Jeannie is just back from girls camp and loving being with her girls again!
Reagan decided to pull up a stool and take over the salad makings for dinner. This is a first time for her to join in the kitchen with me. Usually the girls want to make cookies!

Ivy has discovered her two bottom teeth and the tongue just keeps coming out to "feel" them!

And here is Chuk, kicking back to read his Church News and spend a quiet Sunday afternoon with me as I nurse my leg. Yes, I am thankful for my blessings.

Oh My Gosh! We've Got Skills!

Okay, this is the only time I am going to admit that I might have gone over the speed limit in my entire life. Honestly, I tried not to because I have this thing about breaking the law and well, then there is hyper miling. You know, using good driving habits to get great gas mileage. It does work.

Let me start over. Last night after working on the yard all afternoon, Chuk asks me to go out to eat with him. I'm covered in dust and pollen because I have been cleaning out the flowerbeds for the first time since hmmm........probably last year! I give him the "you've got to be kidding" look. He just grins as he stands there dripping with persperation and grass stains from head to toe.

An hour later we are on the way to La Madeline's to eat. As we are visiting I ask him if he paid one of our bills that is due that day and he says, "Nope, we'll go pay it after we eat." We continue to carry on about our different activities of the day as we finish up our dinner and then take a little dessert.

Not realizing the time, he says, "Hey, you want to go to Fry's to see if they have any of the Carol Burnett Show video's?" I don't realize the time either so I say, "Sure, let's go!"

So off we go to Fry's. We spend maybe twenty minutes looking around at the videos...can't find Carol Burnett so we pick up Stargate Atlantis Season 4 (waiting for this one for a year!) and then proceed to the appliances to look for a dishwasher since we are in the market for a new one. We must have spent at least 15 minutes there when all of the sudden Chuk asks, "What time is it?" I look at my watch and it is 8:40 which means most stores will be closed in 20 minutes. "Quick, let's check out so we can get to the Mall!"

We run to the checkout, a friend comes by to say hi, and as we are running and waving we say, "gotta go, see you later," (sorry Gregory!) and by the time we get out the door it is 8:43. You are probably wondering why this is such a big deal. Well......that bill that I asked him about earlier? It's due now and if we don't get to the Mall ASAP to pay it at the store, LATE FEES! So you can picture us as we climb in the car thinking okay, we can make it to the Mall with plenty of time to spare because it is only a short jaunt down the interstate. WRONG!!!

We have to go back to the house because we don't have the checkbook, get it and the bill and THEN head to the Mall. So here is the conversation.

Me: "Honey, I don't think you can make it."

Chuk: "Sure we can! You drive us home, I'll run in and grab the stuff, you turn the car around while I'm in the house, and then I'll jump in and you can drive us to the mall and let me out at the door. It'll save time."

Me (the sensible one): "There is no way we are going to get to the mall in 15 minutes if we have to go to the house first."

Chuk: "Sure we will. Step on it!"

Where there is a will there is a way....sigh..... You just can't tell this man any different.

So I'm driving as sensibly as I can. I make it home from Fry's in under 5 minutes, as Chuk is silently praying that the way will be open for us and we will be safe. Of course, I am not doing my hyper miling at this point. Starting out slow, coasting to stops...nope, not happening. I am searching the road for every opportunity to drive a clear path to home. I may, repeat, may have exceeded the speed limit by 5 miles a couple of times, but the amazing thing was that every light, every lane cleared when I needed it to.

So we make it to the house , I turn into the driveway with Chuk hanging onto the open passenger door, he jumps off and hoofs it into the house. I barely get the car turned around and he jumps back in. We have just done a driveby briefcase snatching!!! We are off and running again, down the road to the Mall. I kid you not, I'm being careful but now I really have to get around and through the traffic. It seems like everyone is out on the road . What can this mass of humanity be doing at 8:55 at night? Oh yeah, the new Batman movie is out.

Belive it or not, we have to stop at the light at the Mall at 8:59. We watch the clock move to 9:00. Drawing upon all the sensitivity I can, I look at him, how do I soften the moment?

Me (compassionate, caring, trying to keep the disappointment to a minimum): "Well, at least we tried, Honey."

Chuk (not the least bit worried and patting me on the back): "Don't worry, we'll make it"

Nothing stops this man. He can accomplish really weird things with his determination. I wish he would determine me into a new house!

We drive up to the side door of the store. It is 9:02. Chuk jumps out of the car and races to the door, opens it (Wow!) and races inside. I am flabbergasted! A moment later a security guard comes to lock it. How does my husband always do this? He is like a cat with nine lives. Nothing stops him or phases him when he is determined. After all, I'm thinking, it's just a bill. We can pay it tomorrow. My husband's motivation......he absolutely hates LATE FEES!

I wait for him. When he returns to the car, we quietly and slowly ease our way back toward the street. Suddenly we both look at each other and break out laughing. This was the most fun we've had on a date in weeks. Eat your heart out Dale Earnhardt, jr. We've got skills!