i like cats-not cat 5, the less knots the better...i hate irma.

(i don't have time to proof right now, gotta get scallops...i'll update later!)

i hate it that i have to write this post, because i still have so much catching up to do, and that was supposed to be next! bummer.

so, i am writing this post because i just wanted to give a quick little update, and it's difficult to update everyone piecemeal. 

after watching the weather channel so closely and following harvey out of concern for my peeps in houston and one of my friends who JUST moved to galveston (which in the aftermath, it was a blessing that she did)..the devastation is heartbreaking. i'm thankful that for as much damage as there was, the loss of life was minimal (any loss of life is too much, but knowing that it could have been worse...). and while the ugly part of harvey is that it will take years to rebuild and get business back to normal, the genuine interaction of humans caring about humans was beautiful. 

then without batting an eye, the reports were rolling in about the damage that the montana wildfires have wreaked. read more about that here ...

and then irma. good ol' irma...she comes on a little strong-mind of her own...(read into that what you will).  as it was turning into a category 5 hurricane, i was leaving for a training in albuquerque, nm. it was rough. i did not want to leave the boys, not knowing if i'd be able to get back in time. i knew shea would take care of them, but it's still an unnerving time, not being there in person, and knowing i couldn't do a thing about it.  i took pics of the boys tuesday morning as i was leaving...just-in-case. 

julie k. called as i was pulling out, on my way to the airport and i am pretty sure that my voice caught a couple of times or that there was an odd pause, because i was afraid that if i talked, i'd cry. anyhoo, the flights were long, but we did it!

we had to make a quick stop at target, where i called mom and dad to give them the low-down and keep them in the loop, and then we may have driven creatively to get to b.j's for dinner..and by creatively, i'm sure it was legal in some third-world countries...and besides, who cares about the curbs?? i mean, pretty sure the rental car agency reps don't check the axle...but MOSTLY because they don't expect that 4 ladies would be doing back-country driving in the big city..IN A MINI-VAN!!!. (just sayin'-not pointing any fingers-and that's just an artistic observation...perhaps i embellish who knows). but it was great, unfortunately we didn't leave room for pizoukis (sp)...and by the time we got back to the hotel, i think we were all fairly wiped. my stomach had been giving me issues since monday, and i'd taken tums, mylanta, immodium...it just wasn't pretty. 

when monday morning rolled around, i was watching the weather channel, and once again, it is difficult to know how to feel when there are so many unknowns, and the uncertainty in the trajectory. and then there was the knock on the door, the 'starbuks knock' if you will. this hotel didn't have complimentary breakfast, so if we're gonna pay, might as well pay for sous vide egg bites and iced coffee, ya'know?! 

we pulled in at the same time as erik, and then it was time to get down to business! thankfully, we had a great regional facilitator-she had come in and set everything up the night before with a colleague, and it was lovely. having people who go above and beyond-priceless. 

the morning session went off without a hitch and the participants 'got-it'. this was a state-level admin training, and it went really well-there were a couple small technology things, but overall, happy campers! entertaining and informative. i was interacting with one lady in the back of the room and she was so excited about using this and the data that was available to her.  

entertaining and informational

at the very beginning, some point during introductions, when it was mentioned that i was from the tampa area, hurricane, etc, i had a moment...and after the smile and wave, i had to take a second out in the hallway to pull it together- it's the same as when you get hurt, or someone passes away, and you kinda' lose it for a moment if it's focused on, but if you can avert and steer the conversation in a different direction, and all's well. 

i was so grateful when sabrina and ju proposed the idea of leaving early if there was a flight that would get me home. i had this anxiety hanging in the back of my mind that i wouldn't be able to get back on the scheduled flight friday...and if i did that there wouldn't be time to get things prepped. it was completely unexpected, but very much appreciated. i was able to find a flight-nonstop that afternoon. FYI there aren't nonstop flights from ABQ to TPA...this was a special occasion-they had canceled the houston leg and made it a direct, i think in order to get the plane there that evening, because of the demand to get people out. umm...there were 7 passengers. i had a whole section to myself, and they were almost begging me to take snacks. i thought about stashing a bunch to bring back for irma.  

it was a long flight, but i'll take long if it gets me home!

 got home around 9:00-ish, and then drove the 50 min home. i decided to stop at walmart-24-7, and see how picked over it was. found some items that i needed...they were out of water (fortunately i am not afraid to re-use the 2-liter diet coke bottles...and before i left, i had filled about 12 bottles- 24 liters.).so i looked and they did have sparkling water...and guess what happens to sparkling water if you leave the cap off for a few hours...it doesn't sparkle as much and you end up with flavored water...there was plenty of that!

finally got home and to bed around 1-1:30 a.m. and as soon as i woke up this morning, i turned on the weather channel again, because i have been getting lots of questions about what is going on and what am i going to do... and i don't mean to be vague, but...information is coming in real time, provided by irma's intentions:

shea (my kamp friend who lives in the same neighborhood and takes care of the boys) and i are monitoring it pretty closely. we will have a better idea what the track will be as it turns between friday p.m. and saturday. if it heads up the EAST coast, we will just have tropical storm strong winds (up to 45 knots), but not too much rain. We are also keeping informed with the local manatee county emergency center. we are in evac zone D (A-E), and they have only suggested voluntary evac for zone A (the island area and trailer court area by beach and the bay). 

this is where bradenton is-near tampa/st. petes/sarasota...

also with the traffic- crazy as it is with miami evacuating, the emergency center highly recommended NOT evacuating if they have not made the suggestion. fortunately we have a place just around the corner literally less than a minute away, and their bldgs are CAT 4-rated, so if need be, we could go there, and they allow dogs for shelter-type situations, so i feel pretty comfortable with that; and they have a stockpile of water and food as well. 

the only issue may be electricity. i know it's a sketchy issue with florida energy, especially if we get a lot of wind impact. i'm not sure if there are generators or not, so internet may be an issue...time will tell​. as i said, we will have more information by saturday morning, i'm fairly sure. so i will do my best to keep the information flowing...

and so, that's what it is. 

irma...why ya' gotta be such a jerk? so freakin' unpredictable and last minute...0 respect.

everywhere she goes, irma's like, "got my eye on you!" HA! 

prayers for the islands, puerto rico, florida, houston, tx, montana...india..oh..humanity in general. 

julie