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. :)

Chapter 4: 30 is Flirty

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Yes, it passed already, but it's still August and today is the last day I have to celebrate! I mean you only turn 30 once!

It was a very nice birthday too. I had a BBQ very nicely prepared by my parents. I was sad that Skip wasn't there to celebrate with me, but when he comes back I'm sure we can figure something out. Anyway, I had some of my friends come and celebrate with me and we had a very nice relaxing time. Some of my friends brought their kids which made me really happy since they got to really enjoy the pool! It was so neat seeing them since it reminded me of when I was that age and gosh...I LOVED swimming and having fun like that! Some of my friends that came I hadn't seen in a really long time so it was a double treat since they got to meet Kaitlyn as well. So very nice!

Anyway, then we got a great show from my friend René's daughter Michelle. She is five years old and has the best imagination! I tell you she is the smartest kid and so very entertaining. It was a special treat since they stayed over and Michelle gave us a second showing of her fun thoughts. She even sang for us! I'm going to steal that kid when René isn't looking. Watch out René! Ha, ha, ha!

So all in all I had a really great day and couldn't ask for anything more. Ok, well probably to have Skip there celebrating with us, but he was stuck in Cuba at that moment. I did make a really cool birthday wish and I think so far it's working out! I'm really excited that my wish is finally coming true! I would tell...but then I don't want to jinx it! I got the best present early though...I got Kaitlyn. I think that was the best present I could ever have asked for! Ok, Ok...I will stop gushing about her...I'm sure you are all tired of my sappyness, but she's just such a great kid!

Well, that was Chapter 4. What could come next you say? Well Chapter 5: Skip Haberlack Escapes from Guantanamo Bay!

Hurricane Shmermicane....right? Hmmm

Well....as sad as it is for the New Orleans folk I'm relieved that it's not coming our way. Thank goodness that we don't have to go and evacuate. That makes me feel a lot better since I don't have Skip here and although it's Mom and me, it would be difficult to have done everything to make sure the house was fine with just the two of us. I'm also very relieved that we don't have to drive away! LOL...I just keep thinking of the time we had to drive to my friend Tatiana's house during before Hurricane Rita. I don't' think it would have been much fun if it was the same commute with a kid, two pets, and a Mom. Ha, ha, ha

So...anyway, I think we will be fine here in Houston. It will most likely be rainy and windy, but nothing like it could have been, thank goodness! And I think that if it were heading to us, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my friend's baby's Christening today. It was really cool! I will have to put up pictures once I upload them. It was so much better than your traditional christening. It felt so much more real and heartfelt. But this is my opinion. I'm sure traditional works for some people, but I love my friend Amy's approach.

Well...it's time to eat some dinner so I shall go now and hopefully continue the chapters now that this intermission is coming to an end.

Take care everyone! Keep dry!

This is a test....oh wait...no it's real!

OK...so here is a brief intermission from my chapters to tell you about the latest news.

As many of you may know, the weather has been quite active lately and as we enter the exciting month of September, we also enter the busiest part of hurricane season. This year it is no exception. Looks like we will be getting a nice dose of storms in the next few weeks and although it's still early to tell if this year will be a repeat of a few years ago it sure feels like it. For those of you who don't know, three years ago after hurricane Katrina hit, we (Texas) got slammed with Hurricane Rita. While the storm turned out not to be as bad as it could have been, the true adventure was the 24 hour trip to my friend Tatiana's house. This was known as "The Rita Exodus". Mind you it takes 2 hours to get to her house under normal situations. Take me out to lunch and I will have to tell you about that sweet adventure. :p Let me just say, that I HOPE it's not the same situation again!

So...what does Mother Nature have in store for us this time around? Well, it looks like a double dose of storms starting with Hurricane Gustav (I call it Gus for short) and the still uncertain Tropical Storm Hanna (no relation to Hannah Montana). Our main focus for now is Hurricane Gustav. It has spiraled and danced around the Caribbean and is now looking like it's making a nice beeline trip towards Louisiana. The "Cone of Uncertainty" has the possiblity of it landing between Texas and Florida so we are all on alert. The real pain with this storm is that we've been watching it for so dang long! Ha! When it became an official storm it was moving slower than molasses at 5 mph. Now I guess since it has more steam, it's moving faster like a little locomotive. Choo choo!

If it hits Lousisiana, I really feel bad for them. They are in no position to bear another storm since they aren't even recovered from Katrina. The thing is that someone has to get the brunt of it, and sadly anywhere it hits is going to be a disaster area and like any human in the world, I hope it's not where we are. While there are two active storms in the Caribbean, there are also a few developing in the Atlantic off the coast of the Hurricane Factory (aka Africa). I guess people are going to start paying attention to Al Gore now since he's probably going to say that this crazy weather is due to Global Warming. Makes sense though. The ocean is jacked up and warmer than it used to be. Guess people will rethink using that bottle of water and plastic bag at the supermarket now.

So...for the second time this month we are on watch again. Luckily this time I don't have to worry about having a kid again! Ha! I leave that to any other mother who is due! Have fun with that! What I do know is that the weather is going to be really crappy next week and that I won't be able to go into the pool. :( All storm and no swim make Kat a sad girl. He, he.

Well..that is my news brief for now.

We will now continue with your program which is now in progress.....