What a Wednesday!
Around 11 this morning, I got a phone call from the school. It was Norah Harper telling me she'd been dress-coded for her shorts and needed me to bring her some pants. No problem. I started getting ready to leave when the phone rang AGAIN. This time she informed me that while sitting in the office eating her lunch and waiting on me, she'd managed to spill chocolate milk all over her shirt. So now she needed a shirt too. Of course she did. LOL.
Gary decided he'd ride with me, and since we were already going out, we figured we'd stop at Walmart afterward and pick up some water and a few things in case the hurricane keeps heading our way. We had literally JUST pulled out of our neighborhood gates when my phone rang again. Harper. "Mama, I just threw up. I feel really sick." Well, alrighty then!
We got to the school, and instead of just sending Gary inside with the clothes, I went in to see what was going on. She was looking a little pale, and honestly, I think she probably just ate too fast or something. Either way, I told her to grab her things and we checked her out. We gave her the option of going home or coming along with us to run errands, and wouldn't you know it, she made a miraculous recovery! LOL. We ended up running into TJ Maxx, where we found her some longer shorts, a couple more pairs of jeans, and somehow she talked me into buying her a few shirts too. I swear all I do is buy that child clothes. At least winter is coming, and hopefully we can put the great shorts controversy behind us for a while.
By the time we got to Walmart, people had already wiped out almost all the bottled water. There was one lonely pallet of Dasani left. We already had water from Sam's, but I grabbed a case just in case. I cannot stand Dasani. I think it's the nastiest water on the planet, but in an emergency, I suppose it'll do. They were out of bread too, but thankfully they still had toilet paper. Not that we're terribly worried about that anymore since we have bidets. LOL. But we did keep it on hand and in the bathroom at all times. We do prefer to dry ourselves off.😂 We got our hurricane snacks, groceries, and everything else we could think of and finally headed home.
We had barely gotten settled when Gage called to tell me he'd missed the bus. Naturally. So back in the truck I went to pick up THAT child. Then Gary and I had to head back out again to fill up both vehicles and all the gas cans. By the time we finished everything, I was absolutely worn out. I feel like I spent the entire day either getting in the truck, getting out of the truck, or wondering which child was going to call me next.
When you have never seen a white girl, take her bra and shoes and everything off so fast in your life. I had my nighty and my robe on in 2 minutes flat! Hah!
So the kids are out of school tomorrow and Friday, and Gary is off Friday and Saturday. Sunday is still up in the air, but we're planning to make the best of our little unexpected break. My cousins are down in Panama City Beach, and they may come stay with us Friday. One of Gage's friends is coming to spend the night too because his mom works at the hospital and doesn't want him home alone during the storm. So apparently we're having ourselves a hurricane party!
Of course, I realize this could turn into something awful, but chances are it won't. There's no sense in spending the next few days worrying ourselves sick over something we can't control. I used to do that, but I just don't anymore. We'll prepare as best we can and deal with whatever happens. We've got two generators, three portable air conditioners, plenty of food, board games, card games, and enough supplies to keep the refrigerator, microwave, and television running if we lose power. Worst case, we all pile into one room to conserve air conditioning, throw some pallets on the floor, and have ourselves a big old sleepover. Honestly, that part doesn't bother me a bit.
The only thing that really worries me is tornadoes. Our house sits about ten feet above sea level, and while this neighborhood flooded during Hurricane Ivan back in 2004, our house and the other houses along our street didn't flood. The homes behind us on the bay did, and the flooding damaged our neighborhood gates and bridge. They finally got the bridge repaired about twenty years later. LOL. We also have neighborhood water pumps nearby that do a pretty good job of keeping everything moving. Now, could the water get high enough to keep us from getting out of the neighborhood for a while? Sure. The lowest area is down by the bridge and gates. But I don't see any sense in sitting around worrying about every possible thing that could happen. If things change, we'll deal with them.
Tomorrow I'm going to spend some time prepping meals and getting food ready for everybody. Gary and I still need our healthy food, and I want to make sure we've got everything we need. Other than that, we're just going to hang out, play some games, eat some good food, and enjoy having everybody together. I'm hoping this whole thing ends up being nothing more than a few rainy days and an excuse to slow down for a little while.
And if the hurricane changes course and we end up with nothing but a little rain, that's perfectly fine with me. We'll have a house full of food, a bunch of kids to entertain, and enough gas to drive to California.
Plus, my plants will be drinking Dasani for the next six months. LOL.
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