Hi Grandma! We're fine!

We're fine! The kids are fine. Here's a picture as proof. I took it right after lunch today. Five minutes from now they will still be fine. And by this afternoon, they are probably going to be fine again.

We got the hell out of there before the real hell arrived. We are safe and sound. The nightmare continues to grow for others at home in and around our city, but we took no chances with our precious darlings and left town when we were told. A lot of people lost their lives because they thought they could beat Mother Nature. I actually saw a woman on tv who was angry with herself for not leaving and now had to evacuate anyway. At least she took personal responsibility and didn't blame everyone else. We've seen those pictures from Florida. We knew what could happen. All I know is that "We were warned".

So, basically we're fine, but our emotions are still fragile. I feel happy and secure one minute, especially when I am watching the horror show on tv. Then I feel weak, vulnerable, scared and exhausted when I think about the living conditions we will be facing when we return home. Part of me feels like never going back. At times I think it might just be easier to start over somewhere else from scratch. I have to keep reminding myself that we are alive. We are inconvienced a little, but we are are comfortable. And I am eternally grateful to the members of my family and friends who have reached out to us. I know that not everyone has that.

Now I know how all those Florida resident's feel. It's big news for a few days for the whole country, but before long it will be back to business for the rest of America while the personal hell where we live will continue for months and probably years. My husband and I used to joke about how New Orleans was sometimes like a 3rd world country, and now when we consider the living conditions we're facing, it is more true than ever


On another note, although I really created this blog to keep my family and friends updated, the story of our exodus has gotten a little attention from some people I don't know at all, starting with PunditGuy who wrote about us in his blog today: Wandering Refugees

We're also mentioned here: One Family’s Story, American Refugee, and Katrina Refugee. And a quick blurb on MSNBC.com and Florida Cracker. Also, one blogger made this note regarding the "Before" photo I took of our home just before we evacuated and wrote:


I Wish Them Well
"I'm not very big on weather disaster stories, but for some reason this one grabbed me. Maybe it's the picture of that house, silent,
pristine, calm....

...waiting."



Hubby is hoping to be able to get home this weekend, so maybe we'll get the "after" photo then. And guess what? The kids are still fine!