Storm update

Well, we're officially sitting here waiting for huricaine Rita to hit the coast of Texas. Last night Jenn and Ethan came over for dinner. We made pork tenderloin with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh, steamed asparagus. And of course, sugar cookies for after. Ethan wanted his cookies first so I made a deal with him that if he at 5 bites of his dinner I'd give him a cookie. He ate about 3, but we figured it was close enough since he can't count to 5 yet. At one point Ethan was following Brian around, tugging on his shorts and going "uncie! UNCIE!" while Brian was on the phone to his brother. Jenn and I didn't stop him because we figured Brian would need to get used to that ;-)

Brian's parents drove from Houston last night, which it seems is what everyon else did, too. They arrived around 5am this morning after spending almost 7 hours on the road of which should normally be a 3 hour drive. They were actually the lucky ones, though. A friend told me that she knows people who went 30 miles in about 5 hours. The south-bound side of the highway into Houston has been set up as a contra-flow to accommodate the thousands of people trying to escape before the huricaine hits.

I saw Brian's parents this morning. They looked in good spirits considering what they're going through. I just can't imagine how they must feel right now having to just leave their home and not know what they will go back to when this is over. It must be really difficult :-( I'm very glad they're staying with us, though. At least we know they're safe, and there's noting more important than life, not even you precious photographs and keepsakes.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store on my way home and people were panic-buying. They had already ran out of bottled water. While I didn't get into the panic buying mode myself, I did add a few extra non-perishable items to my cart just in case the power goes out.

It looks like we're expecting about 74mph winds here in Austin, which is the most I've ever seen. There's not much you can do to prepare for it, other than to move all your lawn furniture inside, trim any trees nearby, and just hope for the best. I'm both excited and scared. It's no secret that I love storms... this one could change my mind, though.

I just really hope that Brian's parents will find their house in good shape when they return. It's just so heart breaking.