Going home, a hurricane and a "Supermom"

I'm not sure where to start this blog, it has so many parts that I want to share. Bear with me, and it will be worth it in the in.

Jim and I made plans last weekend that we would go home to Alabama over the Labor Day long weekend. Our original plans were to leave Friday morning and come back on Monday. However, a little thing called GUSTAV decided to change those plans for us.

We live in Southeast Texas, and approximately 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Since Gustav hasn't established where he wants to make landfall yet, we have to be prepared. (This is the area that Hurricane Rita, as a category 3, destroyed in 2005. Since living here we have been through Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Humberton in 2007, but with no damages to us.)

All the local newscast have been giving instructions on how to be prepared....just in case we are told to evacuate. I have prepared our "Hurricane Survival Kit", the flashlights, bottled water, canned food, etc. and have it in the closet if it is needed.
While Jim has been at Temple-Inland all day preparing their mill for the hurricane, I have been at home trying to decide what to take with us, and what has to be left behind. (Yes, we are still going to Alabama! If this area is told to evacuate, we will already be gone. The problem may be trying to get back home if things get worse, but we are going to Alabama tonight)
First, I emptied out the freezer/refrigerator and gave everything to our neighbors. I mean, it can't cost that much to restock mustard, milk and eggs, etc. I had rather leave with nothing in them than come back days from now, and find that everything had spoiled because there was no power. However, Jim was a little upset that I gave away a new jar of Wayne's famous homemade sweet pickles that we had just opened!

Next, I started deciding about the "important" things that I wanted to take. Some of the choices were simple:

• Black and white photos of my great-grandparents, grandparents, mother and daddy in their younger years, and pictures of me and Anita growing up.


• All of Krisha's baby pictures, her Certificate of Dedication from church, the bracelet she wore in the hospital when she was born and the outfit she wore home......all of that stuff!


• All of the pictures and memorabilia that Jim has of April and Jed's.


• Our birth certificates, marriage license, titles to vehicles, insurance, all that legal stuff.


• Eli's baby scrapbook and some of his pictures.

I knew that I couldn't take everything, because we are traveling in a Maxima, with all our regular luggage, so I knew I had to start saying no to some things. One thing that was hard to say no to (and I still may pack them if there is room after everything is loaded in the car) is cards that Krisha and other people have given to me over the years, it is a BIG box full. Most of them were bought cards, the typical Hallmark standards for Mother's Day, Christmas, Birthdays, etc. But, one in particular I knew that I was taking with me, even if I had to hold it all the way to Alabama!

This is the Mother's Day card that Krisha made for me in 1990, when she was eight years old. Isn't it the most precious thing ever! It is more like a booklet, here is one of the pages she wrote on the inside:

To: MY MOTHER

My mother loves me best when I care for her. My mother looks prettiest when she wears all of her dresses and other things. I like being with my mother most when she sweet. If I could give my mother something special just from me it would be a new watch and some good smelling stuff. My favorite thing about my mother is shes nice, swett, and loving.

Love, Krisha

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So, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be deciding what to take with us, and what I could bear to leave behind, knowing it might not be here when I return.