Not out of power, but still somewhat in the dark...

Through the whole hurricane and aftermath, I've felt this big wave of gratefulness. I feel very lucky that we just had no power for a short time, that our water is safe and we had only minor storm damage. The wind gusts took a 4x6 patch of shingles off our roof and we had a lot of water leaking in our house, but only in the entryway and one room. The roof is already fixed. The other fixes will happen later on when things calm down here--I know there are people with way more pressing needs than my ceiling and walls looking pretty right now.

But, we are without TV at my house. A fact that certain family members keep announcing to me. And, we cannot get a person out to fix our dish until early next week. So, because of this, I've been completely out of the loop about the aftermath of the storm, barring the stuff I've tried to read online about it. On the positive side, I'm getting VERY caught up on my DVR recordings and can recite the new releases at Blockbuster by heart.

With the death toll rising and people now being turned away from going to see the damage at their homes, again I feel very fortunate. The biggest issue I have is trying to managed a house full of family staying with us while everyone's nerves are completely frazzled. Everyone is tired. My family members want to get back home and aren't fully comfortable here. I'm sensitive to that and trying to make them comfortable and be very welcoming, telling them they can stay however long it takes. Comments get made that I take way too seriously and feel my feathers being ruffled. We're all close to snapping, and I recognize that.

So, I'd love to hear any advice/stories from you in comments, should you have time to leave them.

What's going on in the world?

How did you or your family fair through the storm?

How have you handled unexpected house guests for extended periods of time?

Do you know any tricks for making everyone relax and feel comfortable, all the while not working yourself to death trying to wait on everyone?

How do you do the hostess thing when you're overly tired and feeling sensitive and so is everyone else?

Warwick's in my 'POD...

Hurricane Ike's come and gone and all it has left me with is a very large hole in my roof, water damage on my ceiling and on my newly painted dining room walls, a house full of stir-crazy people who must stay with us, a lot of marital stress, and possibly 2-3 more pounds on my already maxed out body.

I could tell some tales of woe about now and complain, or at least update you fully. But, quite frankly, I really have it lucky compared to a lot of my friends and neighbors, and a WHOLE lot luckier than anyone living near the coast or a lot of Houston's beautiful tall oaks and pines. And, I'm not in the mood for details right now.

Instead, I'll share this. I was having a difficult day which became an even more disconcerting night. Instead of watching the DVDs I'd gone and picked out for my family to watch (because the DVD player DOES still work, thank the stars), I decide to sit in my little office nook and scrapbook and kind of zone out from the day. I needed to get my mind out of a very negative place. And, because I was tired of hearing my brother-in-law announce the play-by-play of the suspense movie I'd originally wanted to see from downstairs loudly enough for our neighbors to hear, I plugged into Itunes and headphones.

And, it was as if the Psychic Friends Network had channeled into my mood and took control of my shuffle, playing every melancholy or miffed sounding song that fit my mood EXACTLY. Somehow, I was slowly uplifted or at least empowered. Music has that kind of affect on me.

Thanks, Dionne. I'll try to forgive you for some of the cheesiest songs of the 70s and for your freaky "network." I've obviously underestimated its power, entirely....

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...