Rita, Rita we don't need ya!!

What in the world?? Can you believe another hurricane?

The last couple days have been a blur for our family. Yesterday we left our house at about 5:00 in the afternoon. Leaving my house was one of the hardest thingsI've ever done. The way the hurricane is going it is headed right in our direction and we will for sure get flooding or worse. It is was so hard yesterday going thru my house deciding what I would save or let float away in the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say there were a few tears...especially when we pulled out of the driveway not knowing what we would face when we returned. Of course we packed both our cars as full as we could. I grabbed pictures off the walls, pictures in boxes, scrapbooks, pictures just sitting around, pictures on my refrigerator....obviously I had alot of pictures!! ha ha We also had to get important papers, kids stuff, Grannys quilts and who knows whatelse I threw in there at the last minute. It makes me sad because I couldn't get all my Christmas decos....I know it doesn't sound important and it's really not in the big scheme of things but alot of my ornaments are things that either my kids made, I bought just for them, or we got when we got married. You just don't realize how many precious things you have in your home until you have to choose what means the most to you .... it is heartbreaking. When we got hours down the road I remembered I left my favorite pillow....

I got so tickled at Reid because I told him to go in his room and grab a few things and he came down with a backpack full of baseball cards, baseball hats, a baseball signed by John Lackey and his trophys!! ha ha...I was cracking up. Macy got her backpack and loaded it up with some of her Noah's ark little people and I think some baby dolls. She would't let me open it...she wanted to load it in the car all on her own! Go figure.....

We went to Wal-mart on Monday night and got whatever was left. It looked like a bomb went off in there. Troy got batteries, juice, water (2 cases were all we could get!!) and some canned stuff. We also picked up a few rubbermaid containers. I was able to get all my pictures and stuff in them. I also packed tote bags and garbage sacks. We looked like the Beverly Hililbillys going down the road...which brings me to the next part of the story..... :)

We were headed for Smithville, not knowing what was ahead. As I said we left at 5 in the afternoon. It took us 11 hours to get from our house to Rosenburg which is only about 50-60 miles. I finally had a little breakdown and told Troy we could not sit in this any longer because it was already about 2:00 in the morning and Macy had just about had enough. So we called Ashley to get back road directions to get to Katy. My sister is like Nana..she can get you anywhere anytime thru all kinds of dirt roads and back roads. We didn't know where we were she was telling Troy to turn here, there and all of a sudden we were on her street...only by the grace of God and Ashley's smart inherited sense of directions. ha ha (by the way, we had to bust thru one baracade...but intense times calls for intense measures...is that the saying?? ha) Thanks, sissy for all your help!

You just can't even believe all the traffic. It was bumber to bumper all night. I think the fastest we went was 20 mph. The kids did great about the first 9 hours.....thank God for portable DVD players! I think we watched Barney 89 million times. Reid and Troy were in front of us in the Honda and every so often I would see Reid turn around and wave! I think for him it was a real adventure..... for me it was NOT but seeing my sweet boy smiling and waving made it all better.

So, we finally all got to bed about 4:30am and are slow moving this morning. Ashley and I went to Wal-mart and were able to get some stuff and now I think it is nap time. I am just glad we are not still sitting in traffic like SO many people. I am so thankful that we are at Ashley and BA's and are safe...

Please keep our family in your prayers and pray that Rita will lose strength and spare our home. Also pray for the people still sitting on all the main roads trying to reach their families. It's a parking lot out there....

Sorry it's so long...I got on a roll. Hope I didn't bore you too bad.... ha ha