Lessons from Irene

Just in case you were wondering... WE SURVIVED! Irene killed our electricity for a day and half, threw tree branches across our yard, and made us miss the summer finale of Leverage. But we're ok! And not only did we survive, but I also learned a few things.

#1 God answers prayers. The news had been reporting for days that this could be the storm of the century. Our local weathermen were predicting the storm to make landfall right over our heads as a Category 3. Instead, Irene began to break apart some before hitting us as a Category 1. What had the potential to be another hurricane Katrina turned out to be just a minor mess-maker for a majority of our area. And I am so crazy thankful to God for it.

#2 I should not spend all the celebrated hurricane day in my worn out pajamas. Because crazy people will unexpectedly show up to check on me in the middle of the storm. Like my boyfriend, Bob. So note to self for next time: Jeans and a comfy t-shirt.

#3 I am way too addicted to Facebook. It nearly killed me that our cell service was out and I couldn't check my news feed or post statuses about the hilarous thing my mom just said. I actually had to handwrite notes to remind me of what I needed to post when I had service again! Can you believe that?! Who handwrites anything anymore anyways?! Crazy, I know!

#4 We have the absolute best neighbors. The Wachs next door allowed us to plug in to their generator to power our fridge and some fans so we could sleep that night. I pray God blesses their socks off. If we ever end up moving out of this house, I will see to it that our new place has an open house next to it so the Wachs can follow us.

#5 LED flashlights are the bomb dot com. I stole acquired this teeny three-bulb LED flashlight from the church and used it when I had to walk around in my dark and scary house. Not only did it keep the vampires away (I've had too many nightmares about them lately to deny their presence just beyond my line of sight), but it was also super useful for temporarily blinding sisters. Everyone should have one.

#6 Storms are the perfect opportunities to mess with our cats. The hard rain and loud wind makes Patches skiddish. So when I sprinkled some water on the unsuspecting kitty at 3 am, she got crazy wide-eyed and jumped back about five or six times before running at full speed down the hallway. Dad and I nearly fell out of our chairs laughing.

#7 It doesn't take much to make me laugh a lot when I'm missing out on sleep. See #6.

A Piece of Charleston

Spring... Nature explodes into beautiful, bright colors. Electric blankets are put back in closets until November. And pollen attacks your sinuses like there's no tomorrow.

This season is so darn pretty, but I've been popping Claritin like it's candy. My car is covered in the nasty yellow stuff, I'm afraid to touch it. I would give it a nice bath, but it would be yellow again by the next morning. Although it makes me sleepy, I've been glad for the recent rain that's been washing it all off the streets and buildings.

In spite of all the nasally issues, I'm still enjoying spring so far because of a plant we have on our back porch. Some gorgeous yellow jasmine vines have grown all around a post and now they're blooming, giving off a light and lovely aroma.

I don't normally get so happyfied over flowers, but these are kinda special. When Sam and I took a vacation to Charleston SC a few years back, the white version of this flower was all over the place. It twisted around light posts and utility poles, and climbed up brick building facades. Not only was it beautiful and natural, but it made all of downtown Charleston smell so pretty and added to its magical feel.

So my allergies at the moment are keeping me from completely appreciating this flower in my back yard, but it's still like my own little corner of Charleston. I can't wait to go back for a visit and walk the cobblestone streets, play in the fountains, and meander around the parks. But in the meantime, I can look out the window and pretend.