home

We made it home! 3 nights in Winston Salem, NC was fun but just another thing added to our list of travels in the past few months. Needless to say the kids had a few grumpy moments. Remind me never to suggest playing "who can fall asleep first?" it ended with major tantrumS from a very competitive little girl. No one fell asleep, yet she kept screaming about wanting to win! The first thing out of her mouth when she woke up, "I want my prize!" haha yeah, no prize given for that game. It may also have to do with the 4 of us in one king size bed (although it is much roomier than the 4 of us in our queen at home!).

Irene wasn't as devastating as predicted, which was good, but it did still wreck havoc on NC and VA. We played it safe and left after hearing of the evacuations of the beach 12 miles from our house. That beach, Sandbridge got torn up by not only the hurricane, but a tornado too. Our time in NC was fun, 2 different Children's museums, thick southern accents, and exploring more places we have never before been. We truly were in the SOUTH, we passed signs for the tobacco and race car museums, the middle of the night gas station stop (to pee, one of the many on our drive there and back!) had HOT boiled peanuts.

Driving home today we got on the freeway alongside 2 big disaster relief trucks. The US Mail semis were delivering generators. I saw more generators being hauled today than in my entire life combined. As soon as we turned onto Highway 58 it was all too common to see huge trees fallen across power lines, trees bottom and top on either side of the road (traveling the opposite direction we were going) with the middle cut out so the road was usable. All the stores, gas stations, restaurants were without power for probably at least a 40 mile stretch. And once we saw an exit with a long line of cars getting off we realized it was the first of the area with power ON.

We heard about our house while away, the power went out during the storm but was back on today. Not sure how long it was out, so to be safe again we threw out some of the fridge contents (it really wasn't that full, since I we haven't been home enough days to have done a big grocery shop.) All is good at our house, and we are so thankful and Blessed to have escaped any damage or harm. The thought of having to deal with hurricanes again after this is no fun, although the move to the coast of FL makes me feel like this will not be my one and only experience!