Riding out the Storm

Here's a picture of part of the rideout team for the Emergency Center before Ike. The winds were starting to pick up already on Friday afternoon and we were playing around outside enjoying the fresh air before the hospital went on lockdown (they called it "tuck-in") procedures. I was assigned as 1 of 2 charge nurses on the unit for the dayshift for the duration of the rideout team's assignment. We were given the TCH version of "MRE's". They tasted like cardboard. We also slept in various clinic offices while night shift was working. We had one shower on our floor to share between about 50 people. We were told to take "military showers" which meant 2 minutes, choose what you wash, we don't want to know. My good friend Kenya and I were roomies. We shared a sound booth room that they use for hearing tests as our sleeping quarters (see below). The day of the storm and the day after were definitely more stressful because everyone was now thinking of their families and homes and wondering how bad it really was. We all came through it safe and sound. My prayers to everyone who has been affected by this storm. More pictures here.

Take a Hike, Ike

Well, for all my friends and family who can get to a computer and read this, here's an update. I am still at work waiting for the relief team to be called in. I have been sleeping on air mattresses and army cots. Kenya is my roomie and we've been sleeping in an sound booth that they use for hearing tests. We are allowed to take showers in "military time" (2 minutes). We were told to choose what we wash, they won't dictate. We can't drink the water or use the ice. My husband drove home from College Station today. We have some roof leakage and fence problems, but otherwise we weathered much better than others. He's still waiting for the electricity to come on. My parents and sister are also safe with roof damage to their house. They also have no electricity. The kids are in Lufkin with Brian's parents. They are on generator power and are safe. I can't get in contact with any of my other family members, so if you read this please post comments to let me know how you are. I pray that everyone is safe. Pictures will come later when I can get back into my computer at home. Everyone, take care!

Look at all that hair!!!

Brian caught a shot of Kaylyn with a bouffant of curls the other day. Her hair is out of control!!! She has the perfect spiral curls that I always wanted as a young girl. Ironically enough, she will probably grow up to hate her hair and wish it were straight! The grass is always greener....

Well, click here and check out other random pictures of the family hanging out at home and running around town.

Dance Like No One's Watching...

Well, it's been a hectic couple of weeks, but finally I am able to get on the computer and post something! No news to report, so I am just going to post cute pictures and videos of the kids. They make me laugh and smile. Hope they do the same for you! This video is of Kaylyn. I caught her doing her Care Bears Wish Song routine in front of the piano so that she could see herself in her reflection. She didn't know I was taping her at first.



This is a video of Jack playing on the floor. Hear him growl at his toy as he attacks it with his teeth. I call it his hungry bear imitation.

Birthday Boy

Well, Brian just celebrated his 33rd birthday last Tuesday. So, at least for the next 2 1/2 months, I will only be 1 year older than him... We celebrated with cake and presents with the kids and then dinner out for just the two of us. Jack bought him a Starbucks travel mug and Kaylyn bought him a Starbucks gift card. Mellie (the cat) claims to have bought him his Playstation 3, but we all know that is not the case. Brian bought that himself a couple of months ago as an early present (with my approval of course;o]) I think for my present, I will let him beat me in Singstar...but just this once.

For dinner we went to Fogo de Chao. The restuarant had the best salad bar I've ever seen. It included fresh asparagus, sundried tomatoes, smoked salmon, 4 kinds of cheeses, and on and on... Then, flip your card to green and let the meatfest begin. We ate until we were stuffed and then split a brownie sundae with coffee before we rolled ourselves out the door. Everything was delicious, but be prepared to spend a pretty penny if you go.

Conversations with Jack

Well, it looks like Jack has the gift for gab like his mother and his sister. Some days he is quiet as a mouse, but other days he is a little chatterbox. Listen to what he has to say in this short video clip above.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '27 &'29

Brian and I took the kids in to take pictures that were well overdue. I came up with the idea of doing an Aggie theme since Jack could now fit into his football outfit and Kaylyn still fit into her cheerleader outift. We provided all the props. Jack was pleasant and cooperative, although at times a bit drooly. Kaylyn, however, was not a very cooperative model at all. I thank Ms. Marva at JCPenney's Portrait Studio for hiding this very well. We were very pleased with the results. (BTW, we're not pressuring our children at all as to where they should go to college...);o)Click on this link to see the slideshow.

Together Again! (SYTYCD)

Yay!! Katee and Joshua are back together again! And a good thing for the last show before the finale. They were wonderful in both performances. The contemporary piece by Tice Diorio was my favorite. I am so happy that they are in the finale. I really would love Joshua to win it all, he is so the underdog. I do believe that all the performances last week were great. Looking forward to the finale...

Tropical Storm Edouard Mayhem

I just got back from the grocery store. I was doing my usual weekly shopping with a few added items to prepare for T.S. Eduoard as he bears down on the Texas coast. Kroger was a complete MADHOUSE! There was barely any room in the store to maneuver a cart, and you better get in line if you are planning on buying bottled water or batteries. Oh, and don't forget the line that wraps around the parking lot for gasoline. Thankfully, I filled up the tank yesterday. Every check-out line was open (I've never seen that....) and they all had lines 5-6 carts deep. The parking lot looked even worse when I left. To top off all that mayhem, I received a call from work while I was shopping. We are on CARLA alert (that means emergency preparedness plan is in effect) and I am required to be there at 5 am tomorrow morning with extra clothes, a blanket and a pillow in hand. I plan to be there with a big smile on my face and a LARGE cup of coffee. I wonder if Starbucks will remain open across the street tomorrow..... Stay tuned for an update on my adventures at TCH tomorrow.

Viva Las Vegas...

Well, as some of you know, Clarissa and I went to Las Vegas last week for a short vacation. We stayed at the Excalibur in one of their newly renovated rooms. We had a great time. Great people-watching opportunities!

We caught two shows while we there. We went to Mystere by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island. LOVED IT! I've always been a Cirque du Soleil fan, so I was very excited. We sat in the second row and it was amazing because we could see everything so close up. We also took a cab to Rio to see Penn & Teller. Also a good show and we got to meet them afterwards. Check out my slideshow to catch a picture of me with Penn.

The rest of the trip was spent running around from casino to casino, none of them paying out anything. We also got to experience the chaos of a bunch of drunk people being told by Metro police that they had to leave Bellagio and head either further north or south of the strip. Lots of unhappy, inebriated folks dropping f-bombs at policemen was somewhat interesting to watch. After Mystere, the cops closed down the streets surrounding the Bellagio. We found out later that there was a suspicious bag left on the sidewalk outside the hotel and that a bomb squad was brought in to check it out. Needless to say, it was nothing since you probably didn't hear about it in the news. I'm glad we got to go, Clarissa never gets to vacation anywhere and I thought it was fun to hang out with my sis, just the two of us having fun.