I See What You Are Saying

I am participating in the "I See What You Are Saying" festivities from 2nd-cup-of-coffee's blogspot. Her blog is quite entertaining and I enjoy reading it when I get the chance.

Ok.. for some reason, I can't post the video that I made for this fun day. I guess it was too large. Bummer! So, here's a previously posted video of me and my mom waiting for Hurricane Ike to hit. I was keeping my family updated via my blog until we lost power at about 2am on Saturday morning. (Hence, the "I love you" sign-off.)

Sorry folks.. nothing fun and creative on this one. :-(

2 Good News(s)

I have 2 good news items for the day. Well, actually, I probably have way more than that but these are the 2 that I am most excited about...

1. I finally have my internet back!!!! Woohoo! I can reconnect with the world.


2. I start my job on Monday at

WOOHOO!!!!!

Dog Walkin' Thoughts

My intent was for this to be a non-Hurricane post. However, after taking Sophie on a walk through the neighborhood, my thoughts are now back on the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

What is typically a quiet stroll through the neighborhood is now filled with sounds of generators running for houses still without power, nails being pounded into new fence boards, roofers pulling away at shingles, and chainsaws cutting away at fallen branches. The streets are lined with piles and piles of branches and other miscellaneous debris. Some of the piles are taller than me.

As I walked the streets, I continue to be thankful that we all have our homes. Thankful that our damage is reparable. Thankful that we still have a roof over our heads. Galvestonians were allowed to return to the island on Wednesday. My heart goes out to that community. Many people are returning to slabs where homes used to be. Others are returning to water sogged, sand filled homes and all of their belongings destroyed. All of the residents are returning to 3rd world country type living conditions - no power, no water, and very few resources (gas, food, etc..)

I saw on the news yesterday where our energy company stated that 93% of it's customers lost power. We were literally moments away from the energy company experiencing a total failure of their systems. Because this wasn't a total failure, they have been able to restore power to about 75 - 80% of customers within a short amount of time. Approximately 100,000 customers are still without power. I know these customers are miserable and inconvienced but seriously folks! Remember those in Galvestons who are left with NOTHING. Power is the last thing on their minds..they don't even know where they will live.

I am quite sure that we will continue to hear stories about this storm for a very long time. Parents of today will be telling their grandchildren of tomorrow about the loss, suffering, and survival. I can only reiterate over and over.. THANK YOU GOD FOR SPARING MY HOME AND FAMILY!!!!

The Secret Mission

...is not so secret anymore. Here's the story...

Mema had her story down pretty pat. As each of of us called her after the storm to check on the status of her house, she indicated that limbs fell from her tree in the backyard but her house was fine. Aunt Sue was staying with her because she (Aunt Sue) had no power. One night while making her way to the kitchen for a late night snack. Aunt Sue heard a noise in the living room. She grabbed a flashlight to investigate, only to find sheet rock falling from the living room ceiling.

The next day, I called to find out if I could pick up some food, ice, or misc supplies for Mema. Aunt Sue tells me her whoeful story. Admittedly, I thought she may have been exagerrating. But, I agreed to come by, bring the supplies, and investigate as well. As you can see from the pics in the "Dickey Sisters Unite" post - NO EXAGERRATION!!!!

All said and done, Susan, Leisa, and I began our secret mission to repair Mema's house. Storage units rented, belongings moved, and now below are some of the after pics of the demolition stage of our mission. Mema's living room and dining room have now officially been gutted. They are ready for restoration and a new beginning.

Prepared for the project

The crew gets to work
Living room gutted
Dining room guttedOnly some of the debris from the project

Dickey Sisters Unite

Well, the "Dickey" sisters have been at Mema's house today tearing down sheet rock, pulling down paneling, pulling up carpet, and other various labor intensive tasks. Mema's house is on the road to recovery after the storm. Here are a couple of before pics. The after task pics will come later once I upload them to my computer.

I am so proud of Mema. She has been VERY brave as she watched and helped us tear down her living room.

Ike: The Aftermath

It has been a harrowing few days to say the least. The worry started in the morning hours of Thursday, 9/11..how ironic! This was when we had a fairly clear indication that Hurricane Ike was definitely headed toward the Galveston coastline.

Thankfully, MeMa agreed to come over to our house after much pleading from probably most of the family. Aunt Sue wouldn't leave because she kept insisting that she had to work??? LOL - typical Aunt Sue!

Once MeMa arrived, we began the process of glueing ourselves to the TV and watching the 24 hour news coverage. I don't know which was worse - watching the inch by inch update of the storm status until it hit or watching the aftermath and devastation. Either way, it just seemed as though we were waiting for the inevitable and unknown.

We began feeling the effects of the storm at about 7pm on Friday evening. The winds picked up causing the trees to sway. The sky was a strange color as the sun set. It is typically a beautiful blue and pink but on this night it was a very "devilish" red.

The rain and 40mph winds began at around 12am. None of us could sleep in the household. Correction: MeMa and I couldn't sleep. Kelley and Zoe seemed to have no problem sleeping.

The winds steadily picked up from there. I am not sure what our official wind gusts were but it was reported that we were supposed to get 75 - 80 mph winds. It certainly felt that way too! We paced the floors and watched news coverage until the power went out at about 2am. At which time, we all probably got about 3 hours sleep and basically woke up as soon as it was daylight. The wind and rain didn't stop until 1pm on Saturday.

Much to my happy surprise, there was no apparent major damage to our house. The trees that I worried about stayed intact except for a few branches which blew into our yard. We did sustain some shingle damage but nothing which will threaten the structure of our roof.

With no power, we were now cut off from the world. No TV, no phone service, and no computer. Thanks to the ever so prepared MeMa, we did have a crank radio. If you've never seen one, they are a must have for power emergencies. You literally have to crank the radio about every 20 - 30 mins but it was well worth it!!! Another thanks to the local news stations and radio stations, they worked in partnership to allow us to listen to the live TV coverage on the radio. MeMa and I worked a puzzle by windowlight and flashlight for the better part of Saturday while Kelley paced in and out of the house and visited with the neighbors.

Anyway, I'll spare you the rest of the details. Bottom line - We MADE IT!!! Aunt Sue was fine and has joyfully been bbq-ing with her neighbors. Our power came back on at approx. 430pm on Sunday which was a complete SURPRISE!! The news reported that power would be out for 2 - 4 weeks.

Watching the aftermath devastation has been heart wrenching. People have lost their entire homes. No one is allowed to return to Galveston. Masses of people are waiting in horrendous lines for 2 bags of ice and a case of water. Some are still stuck in their homes with no food and water. I feel like Lacy states in her blog - helpless. I want to help. I want to take food, water, and ice to people. But, we must allow the city to work their orchestration and plans. We are just so blessed to have our home and our family safe!!

Here is one of the last videos that I took. I have another one of Sophie playing on the back porch during the last part of the storm but can't get it uploaded.

Tracking Ike - Update 3

Ike is currently heading onshore. Galveston is still getting a pounding. The eye is expected to pass through Galveston some time this evening. It has arrived sooner than expected.

Here's the latest report from the Green household...

We are hunkering down. :-)

Tracking Ike - Update 2

Galveston is seeing damage and flooding already and the storm has not even hit yet. This one looks like it will do some serious damage. You can watch live Houston streaming news at http://www.khou.com/

Here's this morning's updates..

Tracking Ike - Update 1

We are watching Hurricane Ike come closer and closer to the Galveston coastline.

Ok, Ok... why haven't I blogged??

Well, I have plenty of excuses..

1. I have been glued to the TV watching TruTV. They have been showing a fascinating trial from Tennessee. A husband shot and killed his wife's 18 year old student lover. Just good 'ol real life drama!!
2. I have been on Hurricane watch again. Hurricane Ike is in the Gulf and expected to make landfall between Freeport and Galveston. Mema is now on her way to my house after much pleading and begging.
3. I quit smoking last Saturday and frankly speaking, I just have been completely LAZY all week. People have always said that smoking is a downer but it actually speeds up your heart.

Those are my top 3 excuses. I will get back to blogging regularly soon. Don't desert me.. lol. I promise to get back on task.

Do you notice something different about me??

Do you notice something different about me?

"Hmmm.... did you lose weight?" No - I wish

"Did you change your hair color?" Nope

"Did you finally pluck your eyebrows?" Umm...not yet

No, no, no!!! I am EMPLOYED!!!! Woohoo!! I accepted an offer from Chevron today. I got the job!!

I am very excited! Even though I am rejoining the mecca of the cubicle, I have received positive input from several people that Chevron is a good company. I think this is a great way for me to learn a new industry. PLUS... I'll actually have a paycheck again. Oooo.. I can get my toes done. Hehe...

Thank you to all who have endured my endless rantings about not being able to find a job! Your patience paid off! :-)

We Survived!!!

We survived! Life is coming back to normal. Oh.. not the hurricane.. it never even came close to Houston. We survived having 12 family evacuees in our home from Sunday to Tuesday. Agghhh!!!


Kelley's family lives in Lake Charles. On Saturday, his mom called to let us know that she and Kelley's daughter would be coming because Lake Charles was beginning to evacuate. Later in the day, she advised us that she would be bringing Kelley's Aunt and her 3 children. Ok.. no problem. Family is family and we have room. WELLLL.... come Sunday morning, Kelley's daughter's mother calls and says that she has no place to go (her mother has passed and she has no relationship with her father). By noon on Sunday, 12 people had converged upon our home. We had (now keep up):

• Kelley's Mother


• Kelley's 11 yr old daughter


• Kelley's Aunt and her 15 yr old son, 9 yr old dauther, and 7 yr old son


• Kelley's Aunt's sister AND her 14 yr old daughter, 9 yr old daughter, and 5 yr old son


• Kelley's daughter's mother and her brother (Yes, thank you! I humbly accept the wife of the year award.)

Needless to say our home had officially turned into a shelter. We went through loads and loads of towels.

Washed plenty of dishes

Pallets all over the floors.

And of course, bags and bags and bags of trash!!! (Uh, huh.. that would be a beer and a few wine cooler bottles)

Wow! My strength, patience, and just over all attitude was most certainly tested... AND I PASSED! :-) All were gone by around 2pm on Tuesday. Kelley, Sophie, and I literally just collapsed into a TV induced stuper (that included absolutely NO weather coverage of any type) for the rest of the day.

Soo.. Hi everyone! I am back. I can blog again. I survived!