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.