Ike Reminders

First of all, today is the last official day of the 2008 hurricane season. Hooray for that.

There are so many reminders around here of Hurricane Ike, both good and bad, and it makes it very difficult for me to move on. Everyone says I need to move on. But that's easier said than done.

It does make it a little easier when our favorite restaurants are opening up again, one by one. This week, for instance, T-Bone Tom's opened up again, and we were there the day they opened. They got hit pretty hard. Had water almost to the ceiling. But they're back and better than ever (and still have the BEST fried zucchini around!). The Hoagie Ranch is very close to opening (another fav of ours... especially on Friday nights for steak night), and our Sunday morning breakfast spot, Skipper's, is slowing beginning to rebuild. Plus, our "little slice of paradise" we like to call Clear Lake Shores is slowly coming around. We had our annual Thanksgiving dinner last weekend, and we've gotten to know our neighbors a lot better. Especially since we're not around all the time. They keep an eye out on things at the house for us. However, there is still a lot of people not living on the island (like us), and waiting to find out what they are going to do or what the city will allow them to do.

But the negatives sometimes outweigh the positives. Another fav restaurat of ours, Tookie's (yes, the best hamburgers ever) is not going to re-open at all. The owner doesn't want to put anymore money into it, which is a bummer, because that was a popular place in Seabrook. Oh how I'll miss the bombshell and a 98. Little did I know the last time I ate there would be my last!

The amount of destruction still around is unbelievable. We ran into some folks last week who were just now beginning to get back into their homes to pull out carpeting / flooring, sheetrock, furniture, etc. The hurricane was two and a half months ago, and they are just now being able to get back into their homes! Most of La Porte and Shoreacres (where Jay's mom lives) is still in shambles. Galveston Island has major damage, as do all of the small towns in between.

The long road ahead is very draining and depressing. And yes, it's going to be a long road. We finally got some money from insurance, but we can't do anything with said money because we don't have any building permits yet. We can't get building permits until we have quotes from contractors as to what it's going to cost to repair our house, so that they city inspector can make a determination with regards to the 50/50 rule. We're trying to get quotes from contractors, but all of the contractors around here are so booked up, they can't even get to us within a reasonable amount of time to get us a quote. So... very discouraging.

And then there's the fact that we don't have much. I know, I know, we have our lives and each other, and I am so thankful for that, believe me, but we're living in a place that isn't ours (but again are thankful to have a place), with stuff that isn't ours, and we feel like it's a burden (even though it's not). I know that probably doesn't make much sense unless you're sitting here in my shoes, but just trust me. It puts a damper on the holidays (yes, I am Scrooge this year, I know it and I admit it).

The rebuilding of this area is getting there. As I said earlier, it's a slow process for everyone. Reality sets in more and more each and every day. I try to go to the house as much as I can, for my sanity and therapy if nothing else, but it really is so hard. Especially given our circumstance. I'm not sure how I'd be feeling right now if we hadn't just closed on the house 10 days before the storm hit. I've never been through such a range of emotions in the span of two weeks. I guess I'm just so used to being able to get things done myself, and I can't fix this one. Very frustrating.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Here's wishing everyong a Happy Thanksgiving. May tryptophene and football rule your day!!

I have many things to be thankful for, especially in light of what has happened in recent months. My friends from Michigan to California and everywhere in between, and especially those right here in Texas, you guys are the best. I couldn't make it through each and every day without you. My family - my rock - I love you and am so incredibly thankful for you. And, of course, to Jay. I'm thankful for his sound mind (most of the time), for letting me cry on his shoulder, for listening to me vent and try to figure things out.

We're at mom and dad's house in The Woodlands today, and I'm already smelling the turkey. Hopefully we'll be back in our house this time next year and can host Thanksgiving like we normally do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brain Teaser

See if you can figure out what these words have in common:
1 Banana
2 Dresser
3 Grammar
4 Potato
5 Revive
6 Uneven
7 Assess

No peeking at the answer below. Have you already given up? Give it another try. Look at each word carefully. (You'll kick yourself when you discover the answer.) Scroll down for the answer.













Answer: No, it is not that they all have at least 2 double letters. In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter, place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word. How do you feel now?

College football

Is there anything better this time of year? I think not! It's rivalry week! And yes, I am very excited about Ohio State / Michigan, and IU / Purdue (and the fact that I actually get to watch them... the one good thing about being away from home - cable TV), but I'm also excited about A&M / Texas later this week, Rice / Houston next weekend, and all of the other good match ups, like Texas Tech / Oklahoma tonight, and Michigan State / Penn State today. I may not "give a damn about the whole state of Michigan" but I have to pull for Sparty today!!

So hopefully you are somewhere warm with a cup of hot cocoa, or a pumpkin spice latte, and can sit in front of the TV like me, and watch a great day of college football.

GO BUCKS!!!!!!

Big Purchase

We made our first big purchase to replace some stuff that was lost. This is by no means the biggest purchase of my life (although at the time I wanted to vomit), but for a single-item purchase, it's pretty big. What did we buy, you ask??? Drum roll, please... a 52" flat screen Samsung 650 LCD TV!!!
Isn't it pretty? We debated and debated and debated. This is a big purchase. But we knew we were going to buy a flat screen (we lost all of our TVs in the hurricane), and we got an advance on our content money, so we figured why not? So, I'm excited to watch football on it this Sunday!!!!!!!!!

On another note... I'm off to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the NJCAA volleyball national tournament. Besides freezing my ass off (yes, it's supposed to snow there Friday night), I'm looking forward to watching some good volleyball.

Have a great rest of the week everybody!

Support Breast Cancer Awareness

This is a big deal for me. Although I haven't been directly effected, nor has anyone in my immediate family, I have many friends who have been effected by the disease. So, I do everything I can to help fund research. Here are a couple sites you can visit, and just by clicking once a day, you can make a difference. I strongly believe that. So please join me in making a difference, and if you know of any other sites, I'm happy to add them to this list!

• Pepperidge Farm game
  
• Help fund mammograms
  

As most everyone knows, last month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The San Jacinto College volleyball team held a Dig Pink match, in which they raised over $600 to directly benefit the Side-Out Foundation. That may not seem like a lot, but for a community college to step up and raise that much is pretty significant. Our women's basketball team does it in February as well. Here's a picture of the girls wearing their pink jerseys. It was a pretty cool event.

Inner Peace

I haven't been dealing well with things lately, and could use some inner peace, so I thought I would share this with y'all.

It's been said that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished a bottle of Jack Daniels, a bottle of Vodka, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a bottle of Kailua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel right now!

I wouldn't seriously take it that far, but I'm close!

Thank you!

Consider this your personal thanks for voting (hopefully you did!). I think that is one of the easiest things we could ever do, and it's also one of the most important. It's one of the many reasons I love this country... because we can vote... and yesterday proved what a powerful thing that is. It was an historic election in many ways. Not only did we elect the first black president, but the number of people who turned out to vote was amazing. And the number of new voters, and young voters! I think that says volumes for where this country is going. I do have to admit that I am very pleased with the result, and am looking forward to the next four years.

With that in mind, here's a great photo. This came to me in an e-mail (again, thank you PB!), with the title "Dancing with the Stars, Next Season." Enjoy!

Air Show

We went to the air show at Ellington Field last weekend as a way to kind of get away from everything going on in our lives right now. We love the air show mainly because a) Jay's life has revolved around the Air Force, since his father was a high ranking officer; and b) both of our grandfathers were in the Navy, and were around planes their entire lives as well. It was really cool to see. Some of those pilots who do crazy stuff in the air are crazy for doing what they do, but it puts on a good show. I got to see my favorite plane, the F/A 18... what a beautiful sight in the sky! And the Thunderbirds put on an amazing show. And, after a beautiful day, Jay and I are oddly tan and peeling... one more reason I love living in Texas! It's November, and we're sunburned! So, here are some pictures from the air show. Enjoy!