The calm before Ike

I've never liked the name Ike. I mean, Ike? It reminds me of Ike Turner and who likes that guy really? Well, we are far from the coast in my area, but close enough to get the "dirty side" of Hurricane Ike. Thankfully, we did get my mother-in-law to come and stay at our house. But, in watching the coverage of Galveston and Kemah already--before this storm even hits, I felt a little emotional today. The surge of water crashing into these places I was just at a few months ago is actually somewhat amazing to watch, and yet so saddening because you know the destruction it leaves behind.

And, as I sit here, PMSing a little bit (not good timing for that, is it?) and thinking about some of the people who have chosen NOT to leave what will be certain hell in a few short hours, I feel very emotional. I've had all of this adrenaline going all day, busying myself freezing water in tupperware to keep things cold in our freezer and possibly to drink later on. I've cleared our hallway closet in case of tornadoes or severe winds. We've hauled all of our outdoor things into our garage and have stocked up on everything we could imagine we might need. I've taken many, many phone calls from family concerned about us, wanting to make sure we're prepared.

And, just now, as the adrenaline rush finally plummeted and my energy bottomed out, I felt the results of staying up last night to play Tripoly with girlfriends and the many drinks we partook and the morning of dashing about like a crazy person. So, I decided to walk outside to look around.

And. It. Was. So. Very. Still.

It was eerie. Gone was the steady breeze we've felt most of the morning. The sun was slightly out, but billowy clouds hung above, not threatening or looming over ready to drop rain, but just chillin'...kind of like us today. It really is true what they say--there is a big calm before the storm.

What this storm has showed us already is worse than anything I've ever seen in this area in the 8+ years I have lived here. And something tells me that Ike still has a few things to show us as well...