Part II: Our Lives & Hurricane Katrina

Wednesday evening my friend, Sheila, (the one I was staying with), our children and I went out to dinner at Applebee's. We were 'celebrating' the fact that things seemed okay for us. She was finally feeling better also, as she had been pretty sick since the day we had gotten there. Thankfully the Lord has watched over us in that area also, as we haven't gotten sick! Due to some 'complications' we only paid $10 for our meal which consisted of 2 adult dinners and 4 children's meals! She was pretty sneaky and had the workers come and sing their 'Happy Birthday' song to me and bring me a free sundae. I could have cried! It was embarrassing, but I know she did it out of love:)

Thursday I was able to meet with one of my friends that also lives in Ocean Springs. Our children played together and we talked of the way our lives had changed. She was in Panama City staying with her parents, but was going to be heading to Pensacola the next day. Hmmm... I wanted to go to Pensacola too, to stay with my friend Diana and to be a bit closer to home. I wanted to run the idea past Zach first though. So, I was able to talk to Zach and plan to leave the next day to Pensacola. Meanwhile, there is so much talk about the base- is it going to close? turn into an army base? remain open? All I knew was that I wanted to move! I never wanted to go through another thing like that!

Friday we drove to Pensacola. It was nice to see Diana again, even though I had just seen her the weekend before! Our children play so well together and H says she wants to marry Alex. Diana, Sheila and I were all stationed together at Minot, North Dakota. It's funny how we all made it to the south:) We were all pregnant together with our first child, although we didn't meet Sheila until the end of the pregnancies. Diana and Sheila lived next to each other and I lived across the street. Diana and I were such close friends, but she moved shortly after our babies were born:( Sheila and I had fun going to playgroups together with our little babies and were pregnant together with our second child.

I stayed there through the weekend. The kids had a blast playing outside with all the other kids. They live in base housing, so there are kids everywhere! They got to swim and jump in one of those bouncy things, ride a Power Wheels jeep...They had it made! I also got to visit another friend, Tracy, who I was stationed with in North Carolina. Through the weekend the news kept coming that water was being restored to different areas. Zach was able to come home frequently, but still had to sleep on base. One of our friends was going to be staying with us because their house was only 2 blocks from the water and didn't quite fare so well. Finally on Sunday Zach called to say we had power and the kids and I could come home! I couldn't believe it! I was only gone for a week, but it felt like ages. It was too much drama and emotion for one week!

So, hail Labor Day, Monday, I drove home. I missed the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Rats. It was that telethon that inspired me to become a social worker. Well, to at least get the degree. I wanted to work in a Children's Hospital with children. Well, the degree is under my belt, but I'm blessed to be working at home with my own children! Anyway, as I drove home I was nervous as to what I would see. The further west I drove the more I wondered what kind of emotions were going to be stirred in me. Mobile, AL, had some trees down and signs down. I kept driving. Pascagoula, MS the bridge driving east was out. There was a big barge that had hit it! Big billboards had been blown over, trees were down and the air stunk. It was unreal to see these huge billboards sawed in half! Some of the smaller signs were fine, but many of them lay in the median of the road. Finally, my exit. What would I find as I neared home? There was no working stop lights. Each car had to stop individually. I passed some neighborhoods where a ton of siding and shingles had been blown off. Some looked fine. I turned onto the road that leads to my house. To the right is a neighborhood. Looks like a pretty expensive one, although it sits right next to the railroad tracks. Many of their fences were blown right over. "Wow!" I thought, "I didn't know those people had a pool!". The thing that really hit me the hardest was seeing the National Guard driving all over or sitting on the corners! I felt like I was living in a war-torn country. I felt safe, but at the same time I felt invaded. It still amazes me that our house did so well. Ones next to us or 3 or 4 houses down had much more siding off or shingles down. Some neighbors had trees that just escaped hitting their houses, but damaged their fences.

I got home. There was Zach. I just clung to him with tears in my eyes, so thankful that we were together again, thankful he was ok. The kids were bouncing around happy to see their daddy again. I just walked through the house, constantly thanking God for sparing us. I couldn't stop staring around, amazed that my house made it. I went outside and assessed the damage. Wow, the screened-in porch looked like something came and cut the screens right out. The glass from the door was smashed into pieces. That door sits pretty much right next to our back door. How is it that the windows on the back door stayed intact? I saw the water line on the fence. What??? It was HIGH! How in the world did that water not come into my house??? I had heard that the two neighbors to the south of me had about an inch of water in their houses. My house sits back further on our lot, closer to the swampy area behind the fence. How is that possible that I didn't' have water? And about the fence...Portions of it were lying on the ground. The swingset looks mutilated.

We didn't stick around home long. We obviously had no food. Zach had worked hard to clean up much of the yard and to throw away all the spoiled food from our fridge and freezers. We first drove down the road toward the coast. It was unreal to see. Where were all those beautiful big houses? There was nothing left of them! Maybe some clothes in a tree. A toilet here, a couch there. Cars overturned. Trees along the road. Finally, we went in search of food. Of course, nothing much was open. Zach said he heard there was a McDonald's open. It wasn't. The traffic was crazy in some areas. People coming home to assess what was left. We drove to Biloxi, to a Dominoe's. I couldn't believe driving through some of the places! My mouth was hanging open. It is so unreal to see it in person. Stuff strewn everywhere. And the stench. Man, driving through some of those places you had to block your nose good! Houses completely gutted out. Houses completely gone, only a cement slab left. It was so sad. At the same time I couldn't even comprehend what I was seeing. The magnitude of it was too great. I just stared in disbelief. I felt like I was dreaming.

Since then we have driven around in different areas as well. There used to be this store called Sharkheads in Biloxi with a big shark head sticking out of it. All that is left is the structure. Right down the road from it was Ruby Tuesday. You'd never guess there was a Ruby Tuesday there. Down by the mall McDonald's is gutted out. Ronald is still standing though, and waving. In the parking lot of a shopping center is a toilet. One house I saw was torn in half. One house would be gone, but the house across the street looked ok. It is so unreal. I still can't get used to it. When I sit at home, life seems almost normal. I try not to think of things. But, once I'm outside I'm reminded of the tragedy. It is so unreal to see National Guard and relief workers, donation centers set up all over the place! It is amazing to see, but sad also. And the stench still remains, in some areas worse than others. Our water is still unsafe. We can bathe in it and that type of thing,b ut not drink it. When I do laundry I feel like my clothes stink from washing them in that water. Yuck. How safe can it truly be here? Why do I have to be here, exposed to this? I feel so bad for people that have lost everything. It is amazing to see people who are determined to get on with life, to rebuild, to stay. I would just want to move away! That is what I want!

Speaking of moving, after we heard many rumors, I guess its decided we're staying here. The medical people are leaving since the base hospital is pretty bad. They decided to start the training again and it was supposed to begin today, but now they're saying next week. I can't understand how they can do that when many of their workers lost homes! Families are still displaced, the active duty member here, yet the family away. Our friend, Matt, that was staying with us barely had a day off. He probably didn't even have time to deal with his loss. The things he owned fit into our garage! Are people like that supposed to care about teaching? Who would have the willpower to do something like that! It is unreal! I'm so bummed that we're stuck here. In a way I know it must be what God wants...I don't want to doubt Him. But, I don't want to be here another 3 years. I don't want to see this place rebuilt. I don't want to deal with hurricane season ever again! Just move me to Alaska for all I care!

Thursday we went to Houston for a few days to get away. It was a nice vacation. The ride took longer than anticipated, but it was so good to not be in the midst of this tragedy here. I got my first pedicure and a manicure! We went to this huge mall. The stores were too expensive for our budget. Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue...whew! It was nice to lounge in a hotel, swim in the pool, eat some real Mexican food and go to a museum. It was nice to put the reality of our lives on hold for a bit.

Now I wonder what the next corner will bring. I see there is a new tropical storm. Part of me just wants it to come and wash away what's left here so they'll move us. I just can't see dealing with this hurricane thing anymore. I try to make life as normal for us as possible. But how can it be? Wal-Mart has limited hours. We went to eat at Applebee's last night only they closed at 5!!! You try to do the normal things to keep on moving, yet sometimes you can't! I am still homeschooling and trying to at least keep life normal in the walls of our home. We're enjoying the homeschooling and the normalcy it brings to life. Even though I struggle with some of my thoughts about it all sometimes I know that God's hand holds me. He sustains me. He is watching us, guiding us and protecting us. He cares about my family and I more than I can comprehend. He is BIGGER than a Category 5 storm. He is God and I will put my trust in Him!