Hurricane Harvey One Month Later

I haven't been on here much because right now my life is such an emotional mess. 

It's been one month today, one extremely long month, that Hurricane Harvey hit and flooded my home. I'm not going to lie, every day has been a struggle. 

Our family is safe and together under one roof and we have all the comforts of home but it's not our home.  My sister in law and her family have taken us in. Their house is actually big enough and the boys have their space and we have ours but its just not the same. 

Our flood insurance adjuster came out last week on our anniversary to look at our home and take a few pictures. I handed him two flash drives full of pictures and he put them in his jeans pocket. I had three to four maybe six images of everything we owned. As we were removing the destroyed contents I was snapping away with my camera. 

I also had to fill out a contents spread sheet for the adjuster. That task alone was very daunting and emotion filled as I was looking at the pictures to fill out the spread sheet. It was a constant reminder everyday of what we lost and what I couldn't save. All I can tell you is that I cried everyday for a week and my emotional state was not good either. Realizing you didn't grab one of your children's baby books and didn't grab the folder with all of their awards from Pre-k to 5th grade nor did I grab the Rubbermaid with all of their keep sake items was more than I could stand. It was to much for this mama and her heart to handle.

This week the adjuster emailed Hubs and asked him if we had pictures to support the spread sheet. I told Hubs to give me the phone and I would handle it. I called the adjuster and asked him if he still had the two flash drives I had given him when he came that were loaded with pictures. He said let me look as I dump everything into a shared drive on my computer. He said he had them but wanted to know if they matched the spread sheet. I almost lost it at that point. I said I'm sorry but we have lost our house and everything in it. We had over six feet of water for 5 days. I took those pictures so you would have the documentation you needed and I would have memories of what we lost. I built the spread sheet with the help of those pictures. Everything in those pictures is documented in the spread sheet, I'm sure you will have no trouble finding the items mentioned. They may not be in order according to the sheet but they are there and you can scroll through them just as I did. He just replied with yes ma'am. 


Hubs and I also finally cleaned out his car which had kind of been our storage for cleaning supplies for our house. Since the house was now gutted down to roof, studs, and ceiling we could put those supplies in the garage area of the house and he could once again have his car back.  

I haven't really been back to our house because it's just to painful. I hate driving into our neighborhood and seeing everything torn apart. I hate seeing so much damage and every one's belongings on the side of the road. I hate that our entire neighborhood and the three others surrounding mind have all suffered the same amount of damage. I just hate it all. 

So now we are waiting on the insurance to send us the money so we can move forward with the process. I'm ready to be done with this process. I'm ready for it to be over.  I'm ready to move on. 

I just want to go home and I want normal. And I want it all right now. Harvey sucks!

Twenty Years

20 years ago today I walked down the aisle to say I do to the man I fell in love with. 

We have built an amazing life together. We've had some wonderful times and some not so wonderful times too. But through it all we have always loved one another. 

I would not want to take this journey with anyone else. 

I love you Hubs! Here's to us and and many many more years together.

Waiting for the Disaster to Pass

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,

 
    for in you I take refuge.

 
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

 
    until the disaster has passed.

Psalm 57:1

Hurricane Harvey Demo Day

Saturday Hubs and I were completely humbled by a group that came to our house and removed the contents, carpet, and padding of the last room in our home. 

They also demoed the entire home. In one day. All of it. Down to the studs.

The week before I had seen a post on Facebook that if you needed help from organizations such as Samaritan Purse, Habitat for Humanity, Baptist Men, etc. to call the phone number listed and they would create a ticket with your needs. So I called and created a ticket with them. They said they would be in contact in about three weeks. Honestly I pushed that information to the back of my mind. Friday afternoon they called letting me know they would be there the next day.

Saturday morning around 8:30 some men with the group, Mormon Helping Hands showed up and went to work. They only stopped long enough to eat lunch and by 4:30 they were finished.

Through out the process every time Hubs and I would try to do something they kept telling us, "oh ma'am we will get that or sir I'll do that." They would not let us lift a finger. 

Because of this group and the men who answered our call we are now in the drying out stage of our home.

At the end of their time with us they asked us to pray with them and Hubs lead the prayer. 

In the 22 years that we have been together I can count on one hand how many times he has either cried or gotten choked up by events, Saturday was one of those days. My emotionally strong husband was brought to tears and almost could not finish praying. 

Hubs and I will forever be grateful to the men that came to help. There is no way we can ever repay each of them for the time they spent working on my home. 

So in the craziness of Post Hurricane Harvey, these guys were the bright spot in my day. 

We Must Never Forget

We must never forget 9-11 and what that means for our country. I'm sure each of you can remember exactly what you were doing when you heard the news, I know I do.

2977, we must never forget. I will never forget.

73 3/4 Inches

If you know how to convert inches to feet, which I did not, 73 3/4 inches translates into 6 feet 1 inch.

That is the amount of water of my home had in it. Think about that for a minute. That is taller than most women, and I'm 5'3".

Today we were able to fix the content removal of the livingroom, dining room, and all of the kitchen cabinets. We also removed the contents of the boys rooms and pulled up the carpet and padding as well. 

Tomorrow is the removal of the contents of our bedroom, closet and both bathrooms in our house. Then we can start pulling the sheetrock from floor to ceiling and removing all of the kitchen cabinets. 

This is what I am affectionately calling DEMO DAY! Yeah, I stole the line from the show Fixer Upper. I love that show and I keep thinking how cool would it be to have them come and demo my home and then rebuild it. But I don't see that happening but a girl can dream. 

Also, today I sat on a huge tarp on my front lawn for three hours with the Rubbermaid I found in the bottom of my hall closet that had all of the boys baby pictures and a few school photos and sports photos. I was so upset when I realized I left it. I sat there and pulled pictures apart and let them dry in the sun. It was really a bittersweet moment for me. 

I also found the Rubbermaid with all of the boys keep sake clothes. The outfits and blankets I used to wrap them in when I brought them home from the hospital. Their first birthday outfits and their one year picture outfits. And several other items that has significant meaning. All filled with nasty flood water and ruined. It was very difficult to walk and put that Rubbermaid on the side of the road along with all of the other trash. I cried the entire way there and the entire way back to the tarp. 

I sit here tonight grateful for my family and that we are all safe. Grateful for friends and friends of my boys that came to help. Grateful for services that offered to help haul out wet items and demo our home. Grateful to my sister and brother in law who have opened up their home to us. My heart is heavy for our loss but it is also grateful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us in the past few days. I pray that they continue. 

I realized I don't normally blog on the weekends but as I set the date for this post I truly had no idea what the date was let alone what day of the week it was.  

#harveysucks

Hurricane Harvey Sucks

Well it's been a while since I've truly written here and now seems like a good time to clear my head. 

My boys had their first day of school August 21, R1 is a senior and R2 is a 7th grader and one week later we were evacuating for Hurricane Harvey. 

And just a few days later we learned that our house had 7.5 of water. To say that I am devastated in really an understatement. There are truly no words. 

We were finally able to get into our home on Wednesday September 6 to witness the damage first hand. All I can say is it looked like someone filled my home with water and then lifted it off the foundation and shook it up and then set it back down. One of our end tables floated from the livinroom and down the hall and into R2's room. 

We started the process of removing the furniture and carpet but it's long and slow when you only have the four of you as so many other people you know are dealing with the same issue. I hope and pray each day we have more help and this process goes quickly but I as no one comes to help I only get more disheartened. 

Trying to remain positive in this horrible situation is difficult but I'm determined to do so for my kids. 

I'm asking that if you some how find yourself reading this blog, that you pray for us.  Pray the house cleaning and demo go quickly. Pray that God will give us comfort and strength as we take on this task. Pray that we are drawn nearer to Him during this process. And I know it's trivial but please pray that some people come to help. 

Thanks!

Last First Day

Monday was R1's last first day of high school. He's a senior this year. I know this school year is going to be filled with the last first's of many things. I also know this school year will fly by just like the years leading up to this point did.

As I stood in the hallway taking last first day pictures of all the seniors as they walked by several of the teachers stopped to ask me if I had cried yet. The answer to that question was no, I haven't. 

I do get that lump in my throat and that sappy feeling when I think of the little boy who has literally grown up in the blink of an eye but I do not feel that way when thinking about his senior year of highschool. I'm sure that come April I will probably feel different. 

Right now though, I can see an amazing last year of highschool. I can see a time spend with friends hanging out and making memories. I can see his last baseball season ever because he has chosen not to pursue sports in college. I can see his highschool dual credit classes paying off next fall when his friends are in Freshman English and College Algebra and he has moved on to the next level.  

Right now what I see is his future laid out before him and it's bright, very very bright. 

Happiness and Grief

There is a fine line between happiness and grief. 

I've written in the past about the passing of my dad. About how hard it has been and how one day I wanted to get to the point where when I thought of him I would smile and not cry. 

I'm getting there. 

I know it sounds crazy but I believe in the little reminders that come to visit you. Such as a certain smell or a song that is played on the radio. One day last week I was driving home from work and an 18-wheeler pulled up next to me on the freeway. It had my dads name in big letter on the side and then again on the back. It stayed right next to me or just a bit ahead of me for most of the way. My dad's name is not a common name at all so I took that as one of those signs. It was as if he was saying hi and it made me smile.

I didn't think about till I got home, but no tears came. Only that snugly feeling like being wrapped in a blanket full of happy memories.   


I've come to know that with grief you miss that person all the time. You tend to miss them even more when you realize you will not talk to them, hold them, or be in their presence again. With happiness you recall all of the memories you have and that makes you smile and reminds you of the love you had for that person.

In the words of Winnie the Pooh, "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  I hope I continue to think of the happiness and smile. 

Vacation es San Antonio or However You Say It

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we were going on vacation. I am happy to report that we went, we conquered, and returned home. 

Early in the summer Hubs and I started talking about where to go for a few days and we decided on San Antonio. 

It had been years since Hubs and I had been to San Antonio. R1 had been toward the end of the school year and the year before that with his Rocket Engineering class and he had a great time.  

So we loaded up the car, drove to Houston to drop off our dog with a sweet friend, and then drove three hours to San Antonio, Texas.  Only it took us more like four because we stopped to eat lunch and then we made required road trip pit stop at Buc-ee's. If you have no idea what a Buc-ee's is 1.) Clearly you are not from Texas and for that I'm sorry. 2.) You are missing out on the cleanest restrooms located at super convience store/gas station ever. 

Once we got to San Antonio, we checked in to our hotel, freshened up, and head out to the River Walk. We decided to take the boat tour on the river walk and then head over to this BBQ restaurant that we had heard about. County Line BBQ did not disappoint. We ended up sharing the 5 meat platter and added a few sides to accommodate all of us. I can say it was the best BBQ that I have eaten in a long time. After dinner we walked over to the Alamo. We knew it was close to closing but we still wanted to see it. R2 became so enthralled with history of it. He wanted to read everything and hear all of the stories.

The next morning we drove over to Mi Tierra. Which just happens to be one of the best Mexican food places in San Antonio. They are actually open 24 hours and their breakfast is amazing. They also have the freshest pastries from their bakery I've ever eaten.  After breakfast we walked over to the Market to look around. The boys had some money for souvenirs and they wanted to see what they could find. All I can say is R2 came home with a ukulele and a magnet in the shape of Texas with two guns on it. It also says, we don't call 911 in San Antonio. I didn't notice the wording until we got home and put it on the fridge. 

After the shopping spree we headed over to watch the San Antonio Missions minor league baseball team play. They just happened to have day game and Hubs and I thought it might be fun to take the boys. 

We had purchased seats just passed third base and while it was hot, there was a slight breeze blowing in the outfield. Right after the game started a ball park representative came over and asked if we would like to be the family of the day and have our seats upgraded to right behind homeplate for free. Of course we jumped on that and all we had to do was climb up on top of the first base dugout and smile for the camera while they announced us. After our 15 seconds of fame we went and sat right behind homeplate. 

Here's the thing about being in Texas in July, it's 9526° outside and there is absolutely no air flow in the four sections behind homeplate. So it was HOT!  I got up at one point and got a snowcone but I told them to hold the flavoring, I just wanted the ice. The game was entertaining and the Missions ended up winning. 

After game was over we went back to the hotel because the boys wanted to swim before heading over to Fiesta Texas amusement park. We had been a few years ago when we went to the Frio River and they had a blast. While at Fiesta, R2 conned me into riding the Gully Washer. Which is a family water ride. Lets just say by the time I got off that ride I looked like a drowned rat. I was soaked to the bone and had to walk around the park with wet clothes.  

We left Fiesta about and hour before they closed. Our original plan was to go to dinner right after but because of the thorough splash fest I had recevied I needed to go back to the hotel and dry off and change clothes. We ended up at In and Out Burger. The trick to that place is to order off the menu. Their menu consists of six things. But if you know how to order off the menu then you're golden. We have a local burger place here in Southeast Texas that I just love but I will say this, that night I thought In and Out Burger was better. I'm sorry Hamburger Depot, please forgive me. 

Tuesday we drove to San Marcos to visit the outlet mall. We did a little back to school shopping. While R1 and I were in a store making a purchase, Hubs and R2 checked out the map. R2 found a store that he wanted to visit called Beef Jerky Outlet. That boy loves his beef jerky, so off to the jerky store we went. They have samples of every kind of beef jerky they sell and of course R2 sampled them all. He ended up buying 4oz pack of Prime Rib beef jerky and I kid you not it was gone in about 10 minutes. 

Once we were shopped out we headed over to Gruene, Texas. Home of the oldest dance hall in Texas and home of the Gristmill. The Gristmill is a restaurant built into the side of a hill and in the ruins of an old cotton gin that over looks the Guadalupe River. Their onion rings are to die for. It was so hot even with the fans blowing. But the food and atmosphere were great.

On Wednesday before we headed out, we went back to the Alamo. R2 had wanted to take the tour and learn as much as he could about the battle and the soldiers who defended the mission. He was like a sponge and soaked every bit of it in. 

When the tour was over we headed home. While we had a great time on vacation, it's always nice to come home.

17

Happy 17th birthday R1!

I honestly wonder each year how we got here so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was watching you toddle down the hall way from your bedroom to the livingroom to go snuggle on the couch. 

It also seems since the end of the school I've been in constant flashback mode. In just a few short weeks you will be a senior in highschool. Each one of your school years flashes before my eyes.  

You have turned into a handsome young man. While I worry about all of the things that mothers tend to, you never do. You just go with it.

You keep me on toes, you make think about things I normally wouldn't, you surprise me, and you make me laugh. It's one of the many things I love about you. 

I am so honored to be your mom and your dad and I love you very much.

First Month of Summer

Let me start by saying it's hot. Like I feel as if I've been placed on the surface of the sun hot and it's only June. I'm sure once July and August get here I will become some sort of vapor upon stepping one foot outside. 

One thing that has made it a little more bearable is a new app I found called WTForecast. It's hilarious. It's free and if you haven't downloaded it yet, you should. One feature is the accent setting so you change it from United States, Australia, Ireland, etc. However, my favorite feature is the profanity setting. Yep profanity. You can have it on, or sometimes on, or totally off. Go download it now!

The boys kicked off summer by doing what they do best, sleeping late. Well one of them sleeps late. I'll let you guess which one, but I'll give you a hint, it's the one that is already a teenager. 

Things at the end of school were so busy I never got around to posting the "good stuff". So in an attempt to remember what happened at the end of the 2017 school year, here you go. 

A list if you will.

1. I had a 504 meeting for R2 regarding his dyslexia. The best words I think I've heard were, "Your child can be released to monitoring". The dyslexic specialist at the school said that R2's dyslexia is no longer holding him back. He no longer requires being in the Neuhaus Academy class at school. The specialist said that she would continue to monitor him for progress but that he will be fine. I almost cried. 

2. R1 actually got out of school a week earlier than normal. All because Mr. Smartypants was exempt from his class finals. So while the rest of us were getting up to go to school, he was snoring away. He had amazing school year too. He was inducted into National Honor Society, passed his Clep test for college algebra, meaning he won't need to take algebra in college and took the Advanced Placement United States History exam and we are still waiting for the results to come in. 

3. R2 also passed the STAAR exam. Those of you who have been reading here for a while know exactly how I feel about that exam. It's re-freaking-diculous! So while I'm proud of him working his butt off and passing, that's all I'm going to say about it. 

4. Father's Day we celebrated Hubs by making him breakfast and dinner. But we also celebrated by pulling up carpet. For a period of around 24 hours the water line on the back of our refrigerator that leads to the ice maker decided it would be a good idea to detach itself and run under the wall and into the dining room. I noticed when R2 wanted to serve Hubs breakfast on a tray and I went to the hutch to grab one and floor was soaking wet. And I do mean soaking wet. We pulled up the carpet and padding and then placed several box fans in attempt to dry it out. I am happy to report that we were successful and the damage was minimal. 

5. Lastly, three words, Tropical Storm Cindy. I really hate this time of year for one reason only, hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 till November 30. Yesterday TS Cindy made her appearance in Texas. I am so very thankful that it was only a tropical storm and it was not as bad as predicted. We happened to be on the dry side of the storm. Other states did not fair so well. 

6. Vacation. We have a vacation coming up and I'm excited to get away and spend some time with my family. These moments are fleeting as R1 will be senior when the school year starts in August. Seriously, a senior. How did we get here so fast?

Well that about sums up our summer for now. I'm off to find some shade.
 


 

He Is the Champion

I've been meaning to post these pictures for two weeks and well the end of school got the best of me. And then the beginning of summer got the best of me too.

But this kid and his team won the championship! Their record for the season was 13-0-3. That would be 13 wins, no losses, and 3 ties. Yep NO LOSSES!

I took these with my phone so the quality is not very good but it captures how R2 felt perfectly. He also go the game ball for the season. 

Way to work R2! I'm super proud of you!

 

One Brief Shinning Moment in the 2017 High School Baseball Season

Well high school baseball has ended for R1. The season is over.  It's actually bittersweet because we lost to my nephews team. My nephew is a senior and this would be the only chance they would be able to play against each other.

Our boys made to the second round of the playoffs only to be eliminated in a best two out of three game series. So now my nephews team moves on to round three.

However, for one brief shinning moment my son and my nephew were on the same field. 

R1 is catching and my nephew is the batter on deck.

I love these boys!

 

National Honor Society Induction

Hubs and I are extremely proud of this kid. He has worked hard all through high school and it has paid off. 

Congratulations R1 on your NHS induction! Your daddy and I could not be more proud of you.

R1 and his best friend G

My boys

Highschool Baseball Experience at Minute Maid Park

Our varsity baseball team got to experience a once in a lifetime event on Monday night. They got to play a baseball game at Minute Maid ballpark. 

Those of you who have been reading here for a while know about my deep love of baseball and my even deeper love for the Houston Astros. It is because of this deep love I'm not quite sure who was more excited, me or R1.  I tried really hard to contain my excitement but I'm not all positive I succeeded.


The boys arrived early at Minute Maid and took batting practice in the Astros' cages (let that just sink in here for minute. Our boys got to take batting practice in the Astros batting cages!) and then took a team photo on the field. One of the highlights of the night was were the home team and our boys got to sit in the Astros dugout. (Again let it in sink in our boys got to sit in the Astros dugout! They got to play a high school baseball game on a major league field!)

It was rough night for our boys and we struggled with errors and hitting and we lost because of it.

However, it was an awesome experience and I'm so glad our boys were able to be a part of it. I hope they get the chance to do it again next year. 

The Astros score board. And it had our team and roster listed at one point.

Pre-game warm up

Friends since kindergarten

 

First at bat and R1 with a foul tip

Got hit and took off!

  

2017 Baseball Season Is Back

Baseball season is here!

Can You Smell Spring in the Air

I'll just leave this right here for you. Opening day is Monday. Let's go 'Stros!

Rally Killer

Yep, this kid right here is killing it this year. He's having a great season so far.

And one of him hitting, just for good measure. 

It's that time!

Ahhh, it's that time. Yes, it's baseball season again and all is right with my world. 

Pitchers and catchers have reported for MLB and high school baseball season has begun. 

And as usual, be still my mama heart.