Happy 4th of July!

Ahhh... July 4th. My most favoritist holiday (yes, I realize that is not proper grammar). How can you not love a day that basically gives you the freedom and independence to do what you do every day? What is better than that? In my opinion, nothing. I love Independence Day because so many have fought for our freedoms, thousands have lost their lives, and thousands more continue to fight for us every single day. So please, hug and thank a veteran or soldier today (and their families!). They are the reason we're here today.

And speaking of today, there's another reason today is so special. Three years ago today we moved back into our house after Hurricane Ike. We were bound and determined to make it happen, and we did. I still remember (like it was yesterday) that first shower back in our house. There is no better feeling. Just one more reason to love July 4th.

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday. We will be participating in the golf cart parade (pictures to follow), and then the island-wide picnic, and then it's WW V (aka Water Wars 5). That is where the battle line is drawn, it's east versus west, and it is on. If you're out in your golf cart between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., you're subject to getting wet from a water gun. And I'm not talking the little squirt gun kind. It's an all-out water war, and it is so much fun. Reason #468 that I love living in Clear Lake Shores. And then we'll close out the evening with fireworks. Unfortunately, I can't go out on the boat these days, but that's OK. We'll hang with all our neighbors at Chicken Lickin, and watch the crazies in the boats.

Happy July 4th!

Two years ago today

I'm hoping that as each "anniversary" of Hurricane Ike comes and goes, it will get easier. It was two years ago today that Hurricane Ike slammed ashore in Galveston. Nothing like a direct hit by a strong Cat 2 hurricane!

I've used the term "nightmare" before to describe it, and I'll continue to use that word. I don't know how else to tell you what that was like for me. I went to bed last night thinking about it. Remembering what I was doing at what point in time in the day and night, not only when Hurricane Ike hit, but the days before and the many, many days after. The highs and lows. The wondering and worrying. The lack of sleep. Eating breakfast and dinners made on an electric skillet run off of a generator at mom and dad's house (thank God for that skillet!). Driving to and from The Woodlands to our house. And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Look, I know that there are a lot worse things in life than what we went through. I get that. Really, I do, but like I said in my previous post, at that point in my life, it was pretty horrible. I had never been through a hurricane like that. I thought I had prepared myself for what was going to happen to our house and neighborhood, but you can never truly prepare yourself. I still cry every now and then thinking about it. I've been wanting to scrapbook the whole experience, and do some photo collages for the house (before, during, and after), but I haven't quite been able to bring myself to do it just yet. We took over 600 pictures (or maybe even more!) and when I look at them, all those feelings come flooding back (no pun intended).

We had some great support from our family and friends during and after the Hurricane, and that truly helped. You know who you are. Thank you so much for being there for us when we needed you!

Looking back

For the year or so following Hurricane Ike, there were a lot of "firsts," many of which I dreaded... the first Christmas not in our house, the first anniversary of the hurricane... you get the picture. Well, almost 17 months after the hurricane struck our little slice of paradise, there are still firsts happening. Like, the first anniversary of D-Day. Man, was that an exciting day! But it was also the start of the longest five months of my life. Every day that our house was under construction, we were here. Whether we were working on it or not. Not a day went by that we weren't here. It's just strange to think about everything that we went through to get this house to where it is. Lots of blood, sweat and tears... literally. I don't ever want to go through that again.

To have been a fly on the wall

As Jay and I were taking our nightly golf cart ride this evening, we were reminiscing about this night one year ago. Jay took a nap on the floor in my parents living room. I went to bed and "slept" for a couple of hours before getting up at around 3 a.m. The eye of the storm moved over Galveston at around 2 a.m., which means water had already been in our house and receded by the time I got up.

As most of you know, we had two different, yet very distinct, water lines in our house, and from the stories we heard it's because the water came in once, went out with the eye, and then came back in when the back half of the storm moved inland. And as we were driving around tonight, we were amazed at just how much water that was. When you're diving the streets that people were riding in boats around following the storm, it kinda puts it into perspective, but it's still really hard to fathom. And all we kept saying was, "how cool would it have been to be a fly on the wall that night." Not because we wanted to go through hell, but because it really is hard to imagine that much water coming in your house, going out, and then coming back in - and not breaking a single window. It's like Santa Claus. How in the hell does he get down the chimney without making a word?!?! How in the world does 4 to 5 feet of water come in your house twice and not break a window? Amazing.

I shouldn't read old blog posts / Remembering Sept. 11

I really shouldn't read old blog posts, but I do, especially as they relate to Hurricane Ike, because like I said in my previous post, there are parts of days (and in some cases, entire days) that I can't remember. Reading old posts at least gives me an idea of what I was thinking at that particular moment.

However, one year ago today is one of those days I remember quite vividly. I remember seeing on the TV and getting the phone call from the City that we had to evacuate. This was the day that everyone realized Galveston was taking a direct hit from Ike, and we were pretty much screwed. Jay says this is also the day that we moved the stuff to the townhouse, but I don't see how that was possible if we had to be out of here by noon (note: neither of us can remember if we actually made it out by noon or not... somehow I don't think we did because we made two trips to The Woodlands with cars and stuff, but who knows).

Anyway, that's all I'm really going to say about Ike and today, because in the big scheme of things, me having to evacuate was not as big a deal as what happened to this country on this date in 2001. We all remember where we were on Sept. 11, 2001. I know I do. Like it was yesterday (funny, can't remember one year ago, but eight years? No problem... guess that explains a lot). It was horrible and still gives me chills when I think about it.

To all of our military, police, fire, EMS, first responders... thank you for what you do for us and this great country. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You allow us to live the lives we do in the greatest country in the world. Thank you really isn't enough, but I don't know what else to say.

Hurricane Ike one year ago today

So, one year ago today, we really started to fear the worst from Hurricane Ike. We hadn't received our mandatory evacuation orders, but we were moving to higher ground at this point. This is one of the days that I remember bits and pieces of. I remember that it was crazy, trying to decide what to move (do we take the couch? what about the TVs? shit, don't forget the pictures... those were the conversations we were having), and then actually moving it (or not moving it). I think we were running on pure adrenaline all day. Picture albums, the bed, stereo equipment, and "important stuff"... it all got moved to the townhouse. And now that I'm thinking about it, I have no idea where we slept the night of Sept. 10, 2008. We hadn't received mandatory evacuation orders yet, so we weren't at my parents house in The Woodlands, but I know for a fact (ok, well, maybe not for a fact, but I'm pretty sure) that we moved the bed over to the townhouse on this day one year ago. Maybe I didn't sleep that night? I really have no idea.

At any rate, I'm not ready for the next three days or the weeks that follow. I don't like anniversaries of shitty events in my life. But I know that said shitty events have helped to shape my life, me as a person, my relationships, and who I am. And I know that I grew stronger from this experience, and that my relationship with Jay has grown and definitely gotten stronger through this, but I still don't like it. It brings back very vivid memories, and then some not so vivid memories (like not remembering where the hell I slept the night before I evacuated... how can I not remember this????).

Here's a picture of what Ike looked like on Sept. 10, 2008, as it was making its way towards the Texas coast. It brings back chills just looking at it. It was so massive. Once it got into the Gulf, it basically took up the entire Gulf of Mexico. Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes, but at the same time She has an awesome power.

Remembering Ike

This week marks the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ike. Of course, the media is playing this up and making a big deal out of it (and yes, I admit, probably making a bigger deal out of it then need be), and I can't help but reminisce a little myself. After all, it was one of the most horrific - if not the most horrific - thing that has happened to me in my life.

I thought it might help me to try to recall the events of that week, and those after, as Sept. 13 approaches. As I was lying in bed last night trying to piece together the events of the week, I couldn't (and of course that made me mad). There are parts of the week that are still blurry. The day before we got our mandatory evacuation orders was crazy, I do remember that much. We were packing things up and moving stuff to the townhouse (that's where we thought we were going to evacuate to before we heard about the 15-22 feet tidal surges). I remember walking through the house before we left on Sept. 11 crying and praying. And as I'm typing this I'm crying again. It probably seems silly to those of you who don't live on the Gulf Coast or who have never experienced something like this, but it was the unknown factor that killed me the most. I am, for the most part, a planner. I like to know when things are happening what the possible outcome is going to be so that I can plan for that. And this was something I just had no control over and I couldn't plan for any of it. There we just too many unknowns. After all, we had gone through Rita, and at the last minute she hooked right and spared us. But a direct hit by Ike looked inevitable, and I had no idea what to expect.

I think it hurts still today because, while most of the area has recovered, there are still people who are living this hell. Everyday another house is demolished on the island. Every night when we drive around in the golf cart we see the houses that have gone untouched, or that the homeowners have gutted and haven't done anything else to it. Most likely that's because they didn't have insurance and don't have the money to fix it, or because they are still fighting with their insurance. We've heard numerous insurance horror stories, and feel very fortunate to have ended up in the situation we did.

So look for more posts this week as I remember Ike. I don't mean to be "Debbie Downer." Don't get me wrong, I know we're very fortunate to be alive and to have ended up with a house that is way better than anything we could have imagined, but it's still a little too fresh on my mind to move on completely. Especially when it's on every news cast and in every newspaper I read. I don't know that I will ever move on completely, but maybe this reminiscing will help.

Have a great week!

Buh-bye!

We all know what I think about FEMA, and even after the events of today, I still feel the same way about FEMA. However, they did pull through on one thing... Tree Removal! Wahoo! We had pulled a permit to take down three trees in our front yard, but hadn't gotten around to it for a variety of reasons. Then we got an e-mail from the city that says FEMA is paying them to remove trees that were damaged by salt water. So we submitted the paper, and today, we have orange marks on our trees! Including two of the three we were going to take down, plus two more, and they're going to trim some. Did I say Wahoo!!!!!

I know it may not seem like a lot to you everyday readers out there, but it's exciting news for us (especially because even though FEMA isn't paying us directly, they still have to pay someone, and that makes us very happy).

Tree in the driveway that is going to get trimmed.

Poor apple tree in the back yard

Front yard tree getting trimmed.

Back yard trees that are either getting trimmed or cut down.

Front yard trees going buh-bye!

The house is coming along

A lot - A LOT - has happened since my last post about the house. We've painted the entire outside. We have electricity. The AC is hooked up and running. The cabinets and trim are installed. The granite counter tops are in (and beautiful!). The cabinets have been stained (gorgeous!). The painters are painting as we speak. The carpet will be installed this week. The plumber will be in tomorow to install faucets, etc. We've picked out the backsplash for the kitchen and the tub surround for both bathrooms. We've decided on hardwood flooring (we just have to go order it), but we still need to pick out the tile flooring. And that should be about it. The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming so much brighter... Just in time for the start of hurricane season, which, by the way, is less than a week away. But who's counting? Here are some pics from the action at the house. Hopefully later this week I'll have some of the entire inside of the house, freshly painted and carpeted.

Last DRC closes today

This probably means nothing to most of you, but for those of us who are still trying to rebuild our lives after Hurricane Ike, this is a benchmark. The last Disaster Recover Center (DRC) closes today. It happens to be the one that Jay and I frequented the most. It's at the Community Center on Galveston Island. We went there way more than we ever thought we would, and as you all know got zero assistance, but I won't go there now. I'm sure that this particular DRC, and the many others, were able to provide assistance to many families - just not us. I just thought it was worth mentioning that seven months after the storm, the largest - and most visited - DRC is closing its doors.

On another note, the new roof is on the house! It's been inspected, and it passed, so we get the coveted WPI-8 certificate that is oh-so-important if we want windstorm in the future. Which, we do, because, well, we don't have a choice.

Here's what it looked like in the process. I'll post pictures of what it looks like now when I take them. (Yes, I'm a little behind, as usual. Sorry!)

Happy Easter to all of you! I hope you have a blessed weekend!

More house pictures

I don't really have anything "profound" to say tonight, so I thought I would just post some more pictures of the house. Things are coming along nicely. Hopefully this week we'll get the electrical and HVAC put in, plus the siding put up on the exterior. Then things should really start picking up. I'm on Spring Break this week and actually excited to be able to go by the house during the day to check up on things. Enjoy the pics!

New siding.

New back door.

Jay standing in front of the new french doors leading into the master bedroom.

New french doors from the inside.

New hardware for the back door and french doors.

This is the ONLY time Jay will ever be allowed to do this in the living room.

6 months ago today

Hurricane Ike started to make it historic landfall across Galveston and push a large amount of water into my house. The storm was huge. It was the worst day in my life to date. I remember it like it was yesterday and I still am not over it. I still have a very hard time dealing with it. I feel like a part of me has been lost. For whatever reason, I've been dreading this day for some time. Of course, the media doesn't help, as they've been hyping it, but maybe that's part of the healing process. I don't know. I just know that I don't wish something like this on anybody. It's horrible. And it won't go away for some time. I've been fighting the federal government since the hurricane hit, and I will continue to fight them until I am satisfied with the outcome. I'm now fighting Reliant Energy for an $800 electric bill for last month (explain that one for a house that had all of the electrical outlets fried by saltwater), and I will continue to fight them as well. It's just all very real and still quite fresh. I think it's ironic that the plan is to be back in our house the first of June... just in time for the 2009 hurricane season!

House update

I've been a bad blogger of late, and for that I apologize. Let me give you the SportsCenter edition of what's been going on at the house. I think the last time I posted something about the house we had a hole in the side wall. We still don't have a slab in the guest bedroom. That got postponed because of city politics. Supposedly it's happening Thursday. Yes, I think I'll write a book (because I can't make this shit up).

However, since then, we knocked down the two faux walls on either side of the fireplace, and replaced that side of the house with plywood. We'll eventually put up Hardie. Mom and I - by ourselves - scraped up the tile in the kitchen and bathroom. It was a good way to release some frustrations, but talk about gross. It was still wet and very moldy. Yes, my hands still hurt.

The new windows are in the front of the house, including a completely new window in the living room, so we now have 4 windows there. The other windows are in the garage waiting for the framing to be completed so they can be installed. The hole has been cut in the bedroom for the french doors. I'm very excited about this. They were ordered today. The rest of the side of the house where the "original" hole was is tore out because there was some pretty good damage to the boards there, so they had to re-frame the wall in the office. For those of you that know our house, basically the whole side of the house where the office and guest bedroom are is completely open at this point. We were trying not to have to re-side the whole house, but at this point it looks like we're going to have to.

Plumbing went in today. When I left the house tonight I actually locked the front door, and then had to laugh at myself.

That's about it. I'm going out of town tomorrow, so I've instructed Jay to take some pictures of the slab. We'll see if he pulls through for us. For now, here are some pics of the recent action. Enjoy!

The new fancy, expensive plumbing. Can you guess which is the hot and which is the cold???

New windows!

New windows from the inside. Notice the totally new window to the right...

Mom and I ripped up tile until we could no longer feel our hands and many other parts of our body.

This sight freaked Jay out a little.

No more cinder block walls!

We apparently like making holes in the sides of our house...

It was kinda fun tearing down the walls.

This was right after we got the cinder block out.

Buh-bye!

Ready to pour the slab.

Hole in the wall

My house now brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "Hole in the Wall." Why is that, you ask? Because we literally have a hole in the wall. Actually, we have no wall. The outside wall in the guest bedroom was removed today (yes, we knew this would have to happen). And, some other stuff got done. Lots of new boards in the ceiling. The studs for the pantry wall were put in. All of the electrical and plumbing were pulled out. It's a good feeling to see movement happening at the house. I still drive by every morning on my way in to work and stop by every night, regardless of whether or not anything is happening. But now that stuff is happening every day, it's fun. The slab is going to get poured this weekend.

Here are some pics. Enjoy!

The new pile of debris in the back driveway.

The new boards in the ceiling.

My new pass through window thingie between the kitchen and dining room.

The hole...

...in the wall

Happy Valentine's Day

I don't really have anything new to report on the house (sorry SB!), as we're on hold until we can fix the foundation (next Monday, Feb. 23). So, Happy Valentine's Day!! I don't usually make a big deal out of this day, as it's kind of a Hallmark Holiday, but Jay did get me some flowers and a sweet card (which made me cry, and yes, I at least got him a card). We'll probably just stay in tonight (who wants to fight the masses?!?!). He's actually at the house doing a little work and I'm going to the Rice women's hoops game this afternoon, so you can see how we both feel about this day.

So, here are a few more pictures that I took this week. They did get most of the first and second roofs out of the house. Looks like I'll end up with vaulted ceilings in the kitchen as well! Can't complain about that. And, we did have to get another dumpster. Like I said, not a lot of action around the house this week.

Demo Day 2

More demo today. Actually, a lot more demo. As you can see from the photo below, the dumpster is now full, and we don't even have the roof off yet. It's weird seeing your house down to the bare studs. I thought it was bad before. It's just really weird now. No bathtub. No toilet. No backsplash in the kitchen. No closets in the office. No floor in the back room! Just a big hole full of dirt. But I knew it was going to get a little worse before it got better (I also thought I was prepared for what I saw in my house after Ike hit...)

This is the dumpster. Full.

Jay trying to find out what exactly is behind that darn attic fan! Turns out, there's two roofs there. Yep, you heard me correctly. Two roofs. Plus the existing roof. That makes three roofs on the house. One metal. One that has gravel. And the existing with shingles.

Kitchen with no walls whatsoever.

The kitchen looking into the pantry and into the guest bedroom.

Standing in the middle of the living room looking into the bathroom, kitchen, pantry and guest room.

This is the view of the guest room from the office. No, that's not the door to the garage. That's the second bathroom. Yes, you will have to step up to the bathroom.

The guest room.

Pictures from Demo Day 1

Today was a day I'll never forget. The first day of demo at the house. Yippee!

No more kitchen cabinets!

Check out the awesome wallpaper that was on the wall underneath the door trim. And, it was still sticky on the back. Gross!

There used to be some really ugly cabinets up top. They are no more. Wahoo!

The ceiling is going to be very cool when they're done!

Dumpster! I've never been so excited to have one of these in my life!

D-Day!!!

We just got the phone call at 7:30 this morning that they're going to start working on our house today. Our contractor's demo guys are going to start this afternoon. D-Day! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!

House update (and some other stuff)

We met with the contractor this morning over breakfast, and finally have a pretty good idea of what this endeavor is going to cost us. My heart only stopped beating for a few seconds.

The good news is that he thinks we can get started as soon as we order the dumpster. So, Jay's priority for Monday is to find a dumpster and have it delivered. The sooner the dumpster gets there, the sooner demo starts. And yes, I plan to be there when demo starts, not to oversee the demo, but to see what is above the bedrooms. I'm dying to know. It's the little things these days...

Our contractor thinks it's going to take about 3 months ("but it could also take 4," he was sure to add), so I'll be praying for the 3, but will have to deal with however long it takes. At this rate it looks like we'll be celebrating being back in the house in conjunction with Jay's 40th birthday. Yes, there will be a PAR-TAY. Oh boy, it could get ugly...

The house is going to look cool. We're going to end up taking away a little of the reasons we fell in love with the place (the back room, for instance), but these are things that probably need to be done in the long run, and now is as good of time as any to do them. We'll be able to make it ours, and do it how we want, which I guess is the most important thing.

We do now have a storage shed in the back yard however. Very exciting. Again, it's the little things these days. As my good friend PB said, "You have to start somewhere!" So we'll now be able to store all of the lawn stuff, Christmas decor, etc., without having to pay for a storage unit. Sorry, mom and dad.

In other news around the island, our favorite place to eat Sunday morning breakfast, Skipper's, finally re-opened yesterday morning. I've eaten there twice (breakfast yesterday and today), and Jay has eaten there three times. He tried to make it four with dinner last night, but we got there too late. Again, it's the little things that make a difference in returning our lives to normal. We've been going to this place every Sunday morning since we moved to Clear Lake Shores, and it's one of those places where they know people by name, we have the same waitress every time (ok, two waitresses... Love you Krista and Robyn!), we share family stories, good and bad, we don't need a menu because they know what we want (me at least... Jay gets something different all the time), and you definitely know those who aren't local and are first-timers. So, we're glad the Skipper and Terry were able to re-open. We love the place!

Stay tuned for hopefully lots of construction pictures and stories!

Houston... we have a PERMIT!

Almost four months to the day after Hurricane Ike struck our little "slice of paradise," we have the permit from the city to remodel our house. You have no idea what a relief this is for us, as it was quite the battle to get it in the first place. As you'll see from the photos below, we hung it in the front window today (yes, that is blue painters tape... we forgot the regular tape and that was all we could find in the garage... I'll fix it this afternoon). We are so excited about this green piece of paper. It's not much to some people, but for us it's a step in getting our lives back. I literally had to hold back tears when Jay hung it in the window today, because even though it's only been four months, it feels like it's been four years.

We're meeting with the contractor tomorrow, and hopefully the next thing I'll be doing is ordering a dumpster for the back yard!