Monday, September 29, 2008

I'm Done

I think I have officially reached the "I am done talking about the hurricane" phase. I went back to work today with instructions from the heads of the district to "Let the kids talk about it." And after 7 periods of hearing about the destruction, and having to share my story...I'm exhausted!

With that being said I did have four students who lost everything. They lived in Seabrook and, don't anymore. Very sad, but they were holding together very well. I did have one student fall completely asleep sitting up in his chair, to the extent of drooling on himself. He lost his house and has been living in a small travel trailer with no electricity, until yesterday when the electricity came on. I also still have one student that is unaccounted for. I am hoping she will turn up soon.

Our weekend was very uneventfull. Tobie worked on our front garden that got pulverized by Ike, but is looking good now.

Tobie loves decorating for Halloween and has begun the process of spookafying our house. I will have to post some pictures when he is done.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

They are Melting the Ice!

Okay, I am going to get on my soap box for a little bit...so bear with me...or just don't read.

I have issues with the handling of FEMA ice. Three nights ago they showed aerial photos of FEMA melting bags of ice in San Antonio, and dozens of truckers sitting idle in Houston at the Reliant stadium. When interviewed in Houston, one trucker said they had been sitting there for days, waiting to be told where the need was....GALVESTON!!!!!!

Yes, I do agree with people who say that those lazy, cheep, taking advantage of the system people who could now just drive to the store to buy ice, but instead are sitting in long lines for free ice, do not need it. I agree!

This is just one quote I take issue with.

"He said the agency decided to unload the ice and let it melt because it would be more expensive to keep it frozen indefinitely to fill some unknown future need. Scorza did not know how many trucks or how much ice was headed for Seguin, but said if any areas on the coast needed more ice, FEMA could supply it immediately. "

Unknown future need? Indefinitely? GALVESTON people! I does not take a degree or even a slightly intelligent person to see where the need is. The people in Galveston and in other areas around here are still hurting and if FEMA can't see that I don't know what good they are being. Galveston is going to need it for awhile and I feel it is a slap in their face to say there is no need.

Okay, I'm done.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Hurricane!


I LOVE this picture! This barometer belonged to my Grandfather, I don't know the story behind it except that my Dad said, every day his Dad would tap it. Well, I tap it everyday and was very excited to see if it would work when a hurricane came. It does slightly change when we have a storm rolling in, but WOW! did it ever work! Click on the picture so you can get a better view. Look to see where the black hand is pointing.


Thursday, September 25, 2008

Evacuation Ranch Days



We had a wonderful time on the ranch. The kids got to enjoy the animals, and Tobie and I enjoyed the clean country air. We would love to own some land in the hill country, even if we just hold onto it for a while before we can build a house. Just dreaming big, I'm sure land is expensive were we were looking.
Ivy really enjoyed the animals. She showed no fear. I remember the first time Izaac saw a horse out side of picture books...screaming and tears if I remember correctly. She got very excited every time we took the walk down the long "drive way", for she knew what we were going to go do.

One evening we all loaded up in the back on Mr. Edgars pick-up and went to feed the cows. Again, Ivy showed no fear. Here she is in the pasture...the hands in the mouth thing is a new habit. Not so tasty when you have been running around with farm animal....Yick! She is also covered in blue chalk dust and road dirt. Cant go to the country and not get dirty right:-)


Izaac also enjoyed the animals. He does not know which one is his favorite, but he keeps bringing up "hamberger", one of the new bulls that is going to slaughter:-) Don't know if he gets the joke.



Sunday, September 21, 2008

Thank You!!!!

Sorry about the previous grumpy post!

But what I really needed to tell everyone is "Thank You". The outpouring of concern, prayers, well-wishes and offers from a place to stay to places to do our laundry, was overwhelming! We weathered the storm just fine...it was creepy...I would probably do it again only I would send my kids away with someone. Tobie and I were able to do damage control throughout the storm, so what did happen was lessened. As Shelly told me and I found out, it is very hard to leave your house. But leave we did.

Monday after two and a half days in the dark, we had had enough. I think the decision was finally made when Tobie had to stand in the FEMA line to receive ice, to try to save what little food that was still cold. So with offers to go to many different houses we finally decided to make a "vacation" of it and we headed to a small town outside of San Antonio. Tobie's friend Travis grew up in the area and his mother and step-father own a ranch and they thought the kids would enjoy the country and the animal. They were right.

So two people who had no clue who we were took in our whole family including the dog. So thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Kathy and Edgar Dodson, who took us in, fed us, let us enjoy their home and made us feel welcome.

I have many pictures to add, and they will come in the following days. But until then, Thank you everyone. Please keep the people in this area in your thoughts and prayers. They are going to need them!

It's called insurance right?!?

So the insurance adjuster just left...don't know what to say right now so I thought I would share a picture of the damage in Izaac's room.

There was other water damage but the pictures are not as interesting as this one. We are worried that the insurance is not going to pay enough to cover our deductable...rotten insurance. I know our damage is not as bad as others, but we pay our insurance like everyone else and when we have damage you would hope the insurance would pay. That is the point of insurance right. It almost does not seem worth it. Not in a good mood. I will add more pictures when I'm not so grumpy.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Boarded up for Ike


Front Door Cam

Tobie set up a web cam so everyone can see what is happening around our house...at least until the electricity goes out

http://tlabauve.endoftheinternet.org



username: labauve

password: ike



Check it out.
If you are not from Houston and are checking on us. This is the best site I have found for pictures...www.chron.com

12:45 pm

Tobie finished the house. I checked on the Shea's house, but decided not to go to my parents...I knew there was just too much that I could find to do. So I just figured that what I did yesterday was going to have to be enough.

So Far So Good

So far it is very calm here. Tobie is finishing up boarding the windows and strapping down the last things in the back yard. I am going to be headed to my parents neighborhood to help out the Shea's house. Both my parents and the Sheas went out of the country during Hurricane season. I think there was ulterior motives in that move:-) I took care of Mom and Dad's house yesterday, but I am sure I only scratched the surface. Hard to decide what to do to someone elses house...but after the Shea's I think I will run through their house again.

Mom did call at 2am this morning...sounds like they will make it to Atlanta and then probably have to stay there.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Mandatory?

To leave or not to leave has been on my mind quite a bit this past 12 hours. When I was leaving work on Wednesday, Ike was going to Corpus and they were only giving us Friday off...for what I can only assume was to pacify the paranoid teachers. But from the time I left work at 4:30 to the 6 o'clock news, we went from not really worrying about it to questioning what we should do. So all day today I have gone back and forth as to my plans.

Tobie was not and is not leaving. He feels that if the water or wind is going to do some damage than he could be here to do damage control. Last night we were not even going to board up windows...my how things change during the night. Well turns out almost every neighbor boarding windows, and here we are without a truck to even go get wood. But the goodness comes out in people during storms and a guy Tobie was helping board up his house offered us wood and clips to do our house. So now I feel a bit like we are living in a cave, not so bad because it helps keep the house cool:-) Gotta find that silver lining right.

But, I do want you all to know that I have heard and debated all of the advice that I have been given. As of right now I am staying here, and I don't think it is going to change. I feel safer being here with my family then trying to venture cross state with who knows what other crazies that might be in the car stuck next to me an my children in traffic.

So I'm sure I will be the subject of "bad mom" conversations and that is okay. But I have decided that I can not deal with leaving Tobie here by himself. So we are going to do this as a family...Ike has been fickle so we will see again tomorrow. I will keep blogging as long as I have electricity.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Murphys Law

So I cursed myself. You say nothing is going on and everyone is doing well and Murphy's Law will catch up with you.

Item #1 I said...Izaac has had all good days but two. This week alone two bad "days". Sounds like Izaac had a typical, nothing I do is right day, yesterday. Then when he got home and after he told me all about it, while eating his snack; fell out of his chair, hurt his leg, big crocodile tears, layed on the couch with ice and conked out. Today, he was so tired he fell asleep on the bus. Our neighbor who watches him on Wednesdays freaked out because he did not get off the bus, so the bus driver had to make an anouncement to wake him up...Kindergarten is catching up with him.

Item #2 I said...No exciting news...Ike is coming, where exactly...they are not quite sure. As of right now we are out of school Friday. There is a little bit of evacuation going on, no major freak outs yet.

Mom and Dad have been gone visiting one of their neices in Europe...They fly in Friday night...into a hurricane.

Woo Hoo! I will watch what I say:-)

Monday, September 8, 2008

Slacking

So Tobie informed me that I was slacking in my postings, because the last thing I posted was the first day of school. Well, I don't have much to post about I guess. No new pictures (that I am definitely slacking on), no exciting stories. So here are some basics of the past two weeks.

Izaac is doing well in school. He has received reports of "Good Day", "Great Day" or a smiley face every day but two. And those two days the reports were not all that bad. One funny one was, "Had to be reminded about the proper use of the maniplatives". For anyone who is unaware of what a maniplative is in school, its basically a hands on learning item...beads, string, blocks, you name it...So what exactly proper use was, and what Izaac was or was not doing, I'm not quite sure, but it was not bad enough to move his clip.

We have been storm watcing as most of you have been doing...we got only slightly prepared for the last storm...which included getting cash and milk. Sad I know. Waited and watched. Kept in touch with Shelly through the storm by text. And recieved no rain at all.

My new job is going very well. I am enjoy the students, small classes, co-workers and the added sense of responsibilty and consequences the students have. Its the best of two worlds, small classes and relationship building with my students but consistent consequences for misbehaviors. I am enjoying going to work every day and that has not happend for me in a long time.

So now we are watching Ike...enough said.