Joey's Phone

This is one of those silly post that has no real value but since I never write about Joey (individually) I thought I'd share a quick story.

For months now (literally) we've been looking for a phone for Joey. He has serious phone issues that will never be resolved (primarily because he does not want to own a cell phone). When I changed jobs, I changed phones and Joey thought he would try out my Samsung Blackjack. He's been wanting a phone with a keyboard but not a full fledged PDA. After listening to him complain about the Blackjack (which I loved when it was mine) we FINALLY found a phone that was made just for Joey. It meets all of his requirements:

• Flip Phone
• Full Key Board
• Nothing Fancy
• Makes Phone Calls
• Receives Phone Calls

I'm sure you're wondering why I'm posting about a stupid phone. Joey is so excited about this new phone. Since we ordered the phone online Friday he will not have it until Monday it has been three long days of waiting and we all hear about every day! It is very amusing for someone who takes pride in being low tech to be this excited about a new piece of technology. I'm just happy our search is over and we found the perfect phone.

If you're really interested in seeing the phone we picked click here.

My Lessons Learned From Hurricane Ike

This will probably be my last post on the hurricane but I have a few thoughts I wanted to jot down so it’s documented for Grace when she’s my age and preparing her children for something like this. My goal over the last week was to make sure Grace was not scared. I’ve tried to shield her from the total chaos and mess that surrounds us.

Lesson One: Hurricanes are kind of like camping at your house…as long as you have a gas stove/oven. Over the past week we’ve eaten just about every good thing we could find in our freezer. I thought I’d post our menu from the week. It’s sad, you go into a grocery store and there’s not a can of soup on the shelf but there are plenty of raw ingredients. I think we live in a society where no one knows how to cook only how to prepare food. There are a lot of families who are still hungry and running low on food. It is extremely difficult to keep any kind of food when you don’t have any way of keeping it cool. We mostly lived out of a cooler while the power was out (again – a lot like camping). Joey was smart enough to go buy ice before the storm. We kept it in our freezer until the power went out.

Friday (day before the storm hit) – I'm not sure that we even ate this night...life was crazy trying to prepare for the unknown.
Saturday – Homemade Biscuits & Sausage Gravy (from scratch); Rib Eye Steaks with Fire Roasted Corn and Ranch Style Beans
Sunday – Grilled pizza – again homemade and delicious
Monday – Ordered food in from a local restaurant that was finally opened!
Tuesday – Fried fish that my dad caught
Wednesday – Prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans

Lesson Two: They tell you when hurricane season starts that the first 72 hours are your responsibility. This means you must have enough food and water for at least three days. Three days is a really long time when you’re worried about supplies. With two kids in the house we spent a great deal of time rationing milk and making sure water was not wasted.

Lesson Three: Filling up your gas tank before the storm is REALLY smart! The gas lines around town are crazy and for some reason we have these nuts who think they need to top off their tanks every day. People sit in line hours waiting for a small amount of gas. On the other hand we have vehicles that bring with them every gas can they can find.

Lesson Four: The hummmm or should I say HUMMMMMM of a generator is really freaking loud!

Lesson Five: To a four year old this:

Looks like this:

Lesson Six: This was one of my favorite days... No electricity. No distractions. Just me and my family having fun in the rain.

Random Thoughts and Happy Thoughts

Just a few random thoughts about this week...

1 Joey’s started a week ago saying some stupid phrase that drives me nuts. Since it drives me nuts he taught Grace to say it. She cracks me up every time I hear her say, “yo yo what’s up dog”

2. I went into our office today to get some stuff for work. The building sustained a great deal of damage to the electrical damage. From what the building manager told me there was water pouring down the stairs and elevator shaft. At this point we will not be able to report back to the office before Monday (at the earliest).

3. Ethan has recently developed so much personality. He’s so much like his Papa. Today I caught him just lounging on the tile driving a car around. I don’t know where my baby went but I think he’s turning into a little boy before my very eyes.

4. I love lying in my daughters bed saying nighttime prayers and watching the “papa dance” when they are over.

5. No matter how busy I am I truly enjoy stopping for a second to dress a Polly Pocket doll for Grace.

6. One of the things I loved most about this week was having my parents stay with us. It was so nice to have them around and share the experience. I think what helped most was knowing that we were not alone in all of this.

7. Grace learned a new prayer at school – every time we sit to eat she says the prayer to bless our food. I know it sounds silly but there’s something about the prayer and this week’s events that truly makes you say thank you for all things big and small.

Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for everything.
Bon Appétit, now we may eat.

The Aftermath

This week has been a crazy one. Thursday, I left work early to come home and prepare for the hurricane headed our way. I don't know where the time has gone but that feels like only yesterday. Everyday seems to fly by, there is just so much to do. We were truly one of the lucky ones. Our home was barely touched. We do not have water, or worse yet a tree, in our home. Electricity was only out for a day or so. Most of all, my family is safe.

Knowing the storm was on its way we prepared the best we could. Lines were (and ARE) long, most of the stores were sold out of everything we needed. My Mom and Ethan went out early Thursday morning and (luckily) they were able to get most of what we needed. As a first responder for the county, my Dad spent the night downtown - he saw some pretty scary sights but made it home safely.

In the end we spent only one night without electricity, unfortunately there was a rainstorm that night so we could not open the windows. Thankfully, we have a bit of a cold front that has come through Houston, now it is unseasonably cool around town.

I think one of the funniest things I heard through all of this was on the radio, a DJ compared what was happening in Houston to what would happen if this had occurred in another city. The DJ captured the heart of the situation with, "...the difference is a place like Detroit would probably riot, in Houston we just drink a bit more" kind of funny if you ask me.

Overall, the city has been responsive and its citizens have been helpful and kind to one another. We took some pictures throughout the ordeal - I'll try to post them tomorrow maybe.

Ike Comes for a Visit

Just a few pictures from the approaching storm. This is the beautiful side. We thought we would seize the moment and take Grace out to burn some energy. She and the neighbor, Robert, played tag for at least forty five minutes!

Yea for Typing Class!

Just a quick (but VERY happy) post. This morning I got online and tried to register for a photography class offered by Karen Russell my all time favorite photographer. She offers a couple classes each year. Class size is extremely limited so you have to act fast when registering. I literally sat at my desk hitting the F5 key over and over until the registration page appeared. When the page finally appeared I typed fast and furious clicked submit - low and behold I made it! I've been wanting to sign up for this class forever (or so it seems). Later that day Karen posted a message about the registration process, "Both classes sold out in under 2 minutes." I'm so excited to be a part of her workshop. Yea for typing class - it really paid off!

Link to Karen's site

Three Decades

On the 27th my "odometer" flipped and I officially turned 30. Crazy - I dont feel thirty. I often wonder how it's possible I am the mother of two kiddos - but still, I dont feel 30. Joey spoiled me rotten for the "big" event. He bought me a camera I've dreamed about for years and planned a weekend getaway without the kids. Sounds great right...only one problem, our weekend get away was to New Orleans and it just so happened to fall on the same weekend they were preparing an evacuation due to the arrival of hurricane Gustav. After a last minute decision to cancel the trip Joey and I re-routed to Austin for the weekend. It all worked out really well and we really enjoyed ourselves. We'll have to reschedule our trip to the Big Easy for another weekend (outside of hurricane season).

A Proud Mama

So … I have to take a moment to share my “proud mama” story and brag about my little Grace. This year Grace started attending Montessori school. Joey and I were VERY selective about which school to choose. We wanted to make sure it was a good fit and we would not have any problems (like last year). That said, last Thursday was Parent Orientation night at the school. It was an overview of how the class functions and school rules. At the end of the night I stayed to ask Grace’s teacher about her nap time and the adjustment in school. Grace’s teacher brought tears to my eyes. She told me that Grace is the most spiritual child she’s ever had in class. She complimented her for having a caring heart. She told me stories about Grace watching out for others in class. All too often I don’t give Grace credit for these actions. Sadly, she’s often accused of being bossy. It was that day I realized that many times she’s not trying to be bossy; instead she is worried about everyone around her. I thank God for a child who possesses a selfless heart.

I know that much credit is due to Sarah (our past sitter) and for that I again thank God. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long but Grace was only six months old when I (in total desperation) called a local church and asked for a recommendation of someone who could watch my infant daughter. After the church secretary told me they didn’t have anyone but she’d post a note on the church bulletin board. About five minutes later the pastor, Kevin, called me back and said his wife may be interested. It amazes how God provides. Grace was blessed to be in a loving home with a little girl who became one of her dearest friends, Faith. Sarah, thank you for loving my daughter and nurturing her heart with God’s word.

Picture: Grace and Faith at one of Faith's birthday parties - I think Grace was two here.

A New Baby to Love

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. Life has been busy – not that it’s any excuse for not posting. Over the past week I think I rode the emotional roller coaster of life. My week started out pretty bad, thankfully it did not take long for God to remind me what I had to be thankful for…

On Tuesday (late in the evening) I found out that “my person” in this life, my best friend Erin, had gone into labor with her first baby. Seeing as Wednesday was my 30th birthday and it looked as though Erin was going to have a baby on my birthday, I was so freaking excited! All day long I requested updates over e-mail from Erin’s sister-in-law, Jill … it was my version of “virtual pacing”. I even had Jill sending me updates on my work e-mail address so it would show up on my Blackberry when I was away from my desk. Long story short – Erin went into labor in the weeeeeee a.m. hours on Tuesday, the baby was born in the weeeeee hours of Thursday morning. As the proud daddy said, “you do the math”. Erin was such a trooper….I don’t know how she did it; James McCullough Lowery was born at 1:33 am on Thursday, August 28; I cannot wait to meet him. He’s such a beautiful baby and has two of the most selfless devoted parents to guide him through this life on this earth.