A very blustery day

On the way to church on Sunday Rich told me he had heard that a severe wind advisory had been issues for our area. The remnants of hurricane Ike were coming our way. I didn't think much of it during the drive, but when we all exited the van we were nearly blown off course. I truly thought it was going to topple the girls right over. The wind just never died down all day long. It was strange since it was only wind and not one drop of rain ever fell. While we desperately need some moisture, at least we were spared from the threat of tornadoes since the temperature didn't vary.The girls got their jackets on and had a ball getting blasted by the intense gusts of air. When the storm moved past the odd weather of the day left my mind, but my mind was still lingering on Ike. My dad's older brother and his family all live in Galveston, TX. I had called my Grandma Nance numerous times to get an update after the storm. While I knew my family members were safe (all but one left and headed to College Station, TX), but after seeing the damage on the TV I was hoping for good news on their homes. We finally got word yesterday that both Jim and Wilma's and my cousin JJ's homes were ruined. They had 3-4 feet of water inside their homes. They will have to tear everything out down to the frame and start over. My heart and prayers go out to them. Then on Monday morning I got a call from Kristi. She told me some surprising news of her own. The fierce winds knocked out power to 75% of Louisville. The power outage was wide spread and ranged through 5 counties. The time frame of repair they gave residents was 10-14 days! Oh my! What a mess. The Ryder Cup is this week at Valhalla in Louisville so they would be working overtime to make sure those facilities and hotels were up and running. This meant that places further out (like Kristi and Todd's place) might be lower down on the list for repair. Of course I am hoping and praying she gets her power back on ASAP since her birthday is on Friday and she and Todd are planning on going up to Chicago together for an ENT conference while her mother-in-law comes in from Utah to watch her girls. BUT the blackout did make for a great excuse for a visit. I was very happy the lure of AC, the Internet, and washer and dryer and cold refrigerator were enough to entice her to drive to Lexington for the day, though it would have even been better if Todd had come and they had all spent the night. Next time....I loved getting to know sweet Kate better. Her laugh is infectious. I love how Anna warmed up to me for the FIRST TIME EVER and happily told me stories all day long. The hermit crabs were a hit.And Anna happily colored while the boys did their homework after school.The Master Queen bow maker brought her goods and went to work. This is the finished product. Isn't she amazing!They all came along for Josh and Matt's baseball game.The girls ran around trees, played in the wood chips,and Brynn loved sharing her sucker treat with all willing takers.The only down part was when little Kate tossed her half eaten Oreo to Kristi and dashed off towards Rich thinking it was her daddy. She was SO disappointed when she later realized he was an impostor. Seems like the 'twins' (aka Rich and Todd) aren't so alike after all. Poor sweetie. She was devastated. At least Todd knows he's loved and missed.Our little brood of kiddos. They are the real indicator of how long we have known each other. Trey was barely one year old when I met Miss Kristi.The whole day made me just wish we were still just down the street from each other. Someday, someday.....