Our lives past Ike

Well...things are slowing down and I can get to the computer again.

Here is a summary of what went down during Ike. (Ha! What went down....sigh...)

THE EVACUATION

So I evacuated with Kaitlyn, Jack, and Mya on the 11th and headed to Tatiana's house in College Station. Total time with breasfeeding breaks, potty breaks, and food it took me 6 hours. Normally it takes 2 hours but I'm telling you, this was GREAT timing compared to the evacuation during Hurricane Rita! (Need I remind you that was 24 friggin hours?) So, yeah 6 hours is nothing! Plus I wasn't stuck in bumper to bumper traffic which was such a nice thing! I spent a lovely time at Tatiana's house as she is a very gracious, generous, and fun host to be with. I even made a few new friends (Hi there Stephanie! YOu better have those kids soon!) She's having twins for those who don't know. And she is Tatiana's neighbor. We spent many days together doing little playdates, goign to garage sales on the weekends, looking at really nice expensive houses for fun, watching the Daily Show and The Colbert Report which are very addicting. We also had lots of fun laughing at the people on the show Wipeout! Drek was sooooo great with Kaitlyn. He would bring her toys and food. Actually when we came back he actually put bread in her mouth to which she was confused about but ended up licking her lips for a few minutes. It was very cute. :)

During this time of course I was a nervous wreck in my head. I was freaked out because of all the crazy pictures of all the destrction Ike did and was worried and convinced there was a tree in my bedroom. My worries were put to rest because I have such awesome friends. My friend Theresa's in-laws came to my house and did a great job taking pictures which put my mind to ease in many many ways! Then another friend of mine came by my house to see if I had electricity (which at the time, I didn't). Unbeknownst to me, Coast Guard people also came by the house and asked the neighbors stuff. Who knew so many people were so awesome? So, I stayed at Tati's house for over a week and came back Sunday (The 21st).

THE COMEBACK:

With my little army in tow (Alex, Tatiana, and Derek) we came back to my place and assessed the damage. It really wans't too too bad but clearly there was a LOT to clean up. Luckily there were many people driving the streets looking for work. A group of gardner/landscapers from Dallas came down and helped me trim my trees since many of them had branches that were hanging by a thread. I was very happy they stopped by. Right now I have the largest pile of tree limbs and debris on the block...it's embarassing! I've been crazyily busy trying to get everything in order and I think now is the first time I've sat down really and relaxed to let you all know my adventures. I'm working on the pictures right now but apparently I had a TON that I hadn't downloaded so it's taking a while.

I also have a new fridge my friend sold me that I have been using while I waited for garbage day to throw things out of the old fridge. Now I have a back up...Yay! So at any rate my fridge is nice and organized now which makes me happy and I can find things. Very exciting.

Now...for more pressing issues. SKIP IS BACK! Yes he has finally returned. He got to come home a few days early (of course not early enough in my opinion) after a long and pointless adventure out at sea. Us spouses and girlfriends all greeted them on Monday when they were bussed to a nearby hotel. (Many of the crew on the boat are pretty much homeless since most of them lived in Galveston) It was great. I felt like an idiot but I was crying when I saw him. And then he held Kaitlyn and I was mush. It's been nice having him back and exciting to see him with Kaitlyn even though he still holds her like she's gonna break. LOL! I'm so over that!

Well...that is all for now. I think I'm going to take a walk with Kaitlyn and Skip. It's a nice day out and not too hot. :)

Hope all is going well for everyone else. I will try to follow up with everyone this week. Sorry bout that, it's been hectic!

Till next time!
Kat

Chapter 5: Skip Haberlack Escapes from Guantanamo Bay!

Everyone has been asking...Where is Skip in all these events? Well...he got two weeks off to spend with us after Kaitlyn was born, but then he had to meet with his boat to continue their patrol. Seems easy enough right? Well, you are greatly mistaken! Fools!

So, the plan was that he was to fly to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and meet the boat the next day. So, he gets up the next morning after arriving and hours pass, but there is no boat! The day passes and still no boat. Nobody knows where they are. So Skip has been calling me and through me I've been sending his boss emails to let them know whats going on. Well this goes on for a few days....and days and days. Of course now everyone is mad because he could be here with us and celebrating my birthday! LOL! Eventually we heard back from his boss saying that they were NOT going to Guantanamo after all....

Long story short, after a few days he was flown to Miami, Florida so he could then later catch a plane to Colombia to meet with them. Mind you this was during the whole Ike forming and pounding the Caribbean time. So of course I was nervous. He did finally catch up with his boat. All was well, except for Skip because apparently his sub did absolutely nothing and Skip had to catch up on work that was not done and things that were done, but done wrong. (Control issue you say?) Hee hee.

You guys know the rest of the story actually. Ike pounded us, then eventually Skip got to come home. :)