Post Ike

Well, it has been a long time since my last entry. A month and a half has passed since the devastation of Hurricane Ike. We are very blessed to have had only roof damage. Our roof will need to be replaced, but our fence held up due to Justin's excessive use of brackets! All of our friends who owned houses in Galveston sustained nearly 2-3 feet of water inside. Their homes have been completely gutted due to the mold that quickly takes over. They have lost so many of their possessions and are unable to currently reside in their homes. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, the hospital where Justin works, also had extensive damage. The first floor of every building on the medical campus had 5 feet of flooding. The hospital could only handle minor triage for weeks after the hurricane. I believe it is open now but not to the extent it once was. It will go from a 800 bed hospital to a 200 bed hospital, and many of the services it once offered are gone like open heart surgery. Many of the medical residents have been spread across the state of Texas temporarily to continue their training. Luckily Justin and most of his friends are working in Houston. He will be there in November, and then we will see where he goes afterward. It is surely a time of uncertainty, but I fully trust our Lord and know whatever he has in store for us is for the best. I would rather Him be in charge of this situation than myself!

Hurricane Ike

The last several days have felt like an eternity. We weren't worried about the hurricane until it began heading directly toward Galveston. The mayor of Galveston suggested a voluntary evacuation for the island on Wednesday but then issued a mandatory evacuation Thursday. Because the surgeons didn't cancel their surgeries, I worked four hours on Thursday morning while Justin was helping to evacuate the ICU patients at his hospital. After work, I quickly and frantically loaded my car with all my photo albums, extra clothes, and my beloved collection of recipes. With my car full, Molly and I headed for Dallas. Traffic was already very congested, but we eventually made our destination 8 hours later. (It normally takes me 4 - 4 1/2 hours). Justin was able to leave the hospital, and he left Galveston 2 hours after me. We stayed the night with Justin's grandparents and drove together to Oklahoma this morning. it was so nice to see our family. We changed our travel plans a little and plan to leave for Colorado tomorrow morning. After all this, we definitely need a vacation! Watching the latest reports of this storm has been difficult. Parts of Galveston are already flooded, and the eye of the storm is still 4 hours away. It's tragic that our friends' homes will be completely under water soon. We live about 30 miles north of Galveston, but our area is at risk of flooding also. We'll be glued to the TV wondering if we'll have a house to come home to. I know God has a plan, and if we have to start over, then that's what we have to. We'll make it with his strength. Keep us and all the residents of the Gulf Coast in your prayers.

We Miss Jana, Jeff & Missy!

Jeff and Missy, Justin's brother and his wife, came to visit Edmond and her hometown of Ft. Smith, Arkansas recently. One of her friends was getting married, and Missy was in the wedding. We were sad to not be able to see them. (The picture is from last January.) It is so difficult to plan anything with Justin's schedule. We can only plan a month ahead. Hopefully we can see them during the holidays. They met Jana's new boyfriend, Brady yesterday. I wonder if they approve? But we all know that no one will ever be good enough for their little sister!

Well, we survived the last threat of Hurricane Gustav which made landfall in Louisiana. Now there is a new threat, Hurricane Ike. So far it seems like it is heading towards Houston, but it is still too early to predict. There are many days between now and when it hits the Gulf Coast, and it can turn suddenly one way or the other. We may already be in Colorado by that time. But it's sad to think we may not be able to pack away any of our things. Our friends, Chad and Lealea, will watch Molly for us but I hate to have them be responsible for one more animal if they have to evacuate. Nana and Papaw offered to rescue Molly, but it's too difficult to make the drive to and from Dallas with work. We will just reevaluate when the time is closer. No need to worry about it yet!

We have finally made definite plans for our Colorado vacation. We will fly to Denver and stay with our friends, Drew and Melody. Adam will be visiting from OKC and Phil from California at the same time. It will be great to see everyone at one time. Adam just received his master's degree in Health care Administration. Phil recently finished dental school at UCLA and is moving to Hawaii soon. I think I hear Hawaii calling my name! When we went for our honeymoon, I cried every night because it was too beautiful and I couldn't bear leaving it behind. So....back to Colorado. We will then spend one night in Colorado Springs. We plan to visit Pike's Peak and take the Cog Railway to the summit. Garden of the Gods is a beautiful park of huge rock formations that we have to explore. Seven Falls has been called the grandest mile of scenery in Colorado and has seven separate waterfalls. Apparently my grandmother was photographed here riding a donkey when she was a little girl, and my dad is adamant about me getting my photo taken the same way. I'll try Dad! Then we will go to Estes Park and stay in a beautiful cabin in the mountains. There are gorgeous state parks nearby, and I have to check out the Stanley Draper hotel. This is where the movie "The Shining" was filmed. I don't have the guts to stay here because they say it's really haunted. Who is "they", anyway? Then we will visit my childhood best friend, Carrie. She is now married to a German man and has two children. Time really flies, doesn't it? It will be so great to see her and meet her family. We are looking forward to the cooler temperatures. 70's during the day and 40's at night. I finally get to wear my sweaters! In Houston I can only wear them a couple months out of the year.

What's Been Happening?

It has been a busy couple weeks! Resiterns sponsors the children's birthday party at UTMB every July, and I organized the event this year. I ordered crafts and goody bag treats for 40 children. Apparently, color your own inflatable beach balls were a huge success this year at Vacation Bible School in Galveston, so we decided to do the same. Even the teen hospital volunteers had a ball coloring them! I had a lot of great volunteers, and I think the children had a good time. My mother-in-law told me I would make a great homeroom mom!

Our social calendar has been full recently. As the new residency year begins each July, there are various welcome-to-the-island parties and cookouts. We're starting to feel like old pros!

Justin and I have decided to go to Colorado for our vacation next month. We will stay with some friends and visit Denver, Colorado Springs, and Breckenridge. I have been collecting tips from friends about where to go, where to eat, how many nights we must stay in Colorado Springs (Lealea!) Pike's Peak, here we come! We're very excited about seeing the beautiful mountains and parks. Justin may have to drag me screaming back to hot, humid Texas.

My brother and his family are currently vacationing in Italy as they do each August. I can't wait to see pictures and very much hope to join them one day. I'm sure my nieces are having a fabulous time.

H2O

We celebrated Justin's birthday by going to a really cool bar with a bunch of friends. H2O is a bar in Galveston that makes you feel like you're on vacation. It is just outside the San Luis Hotel adjacent to the pool. We enjoyed relaxing in the huge lounge chairs. But next time we're bringing our swimsuits! Right Lealea?

Justin's Family Birthday Cookout

We celebrated Justin's 28th birthday with our families in Oklahoma. Linda invited my parents over for a delicious lunch and yummy desserts! She made two of Justin's favorites- better than sex cake and chocolate chip pie. He was in heaven! We met Jana's new boyfriend, Brady who seemed to pass the first impression test.