A Trip to Labor & Delivery and Hurricane Irene Part II

A week ago Sunday, 

we were awoken around 7:30 am

by the sound of hubs' alarm clock beeping obnoxiously.

Apparently it has a setting to go off if the power is lost.

It was a pretty rude awakening as we knew from the news the night before

that this was just the very beginning of what was now Tropical Storm Irene.

We were kinda hoping for a day hunkered down watching movies and reading and baking.

Instead, our electricity was gone. 

Once that fact hit us, our attention quickly went to the bedroom window

where the rain was coming down sideways and the wind was howling.

The gusts were enough to bend some of the branches in the yard

in ways I've never seen before. 

So we hunkered down in the den, which in hindsight 

was probably not the smartest place to hang out given the wall of glass sliding doors!

It was dark and gloomy all day, so we lit our lanterns

and spent the day with scrabble, books, and snacks.

Around 10 or 11 in the morning, I remember hearing a huge wind gust

that sounded like a freight train.

"That sounds like a tornado" I said.

To which the hubs shrugged and shook his head.

With that gust, we watched two huge oak trees fall in the yard, split right down the middle.

Day one without power wasn't SO bad.
But after a week, I wasn't so content.

By the middle of the afternoon, the storm had died down a bit

so we ventured outside to check out the scene. 

It's crazy what some strong wind can do!

This was the view from our cul-de-sac, up the street.
The middle photo is a huge tree in the yard up the street that was also split down the middle
and right onto the power lines.
After our little stroll and talking with some neighbors,
who also heard that freight train gust, and saw a "wind cloud"
and seeing the path of tree after tree split down the middle,
we're pretty sure it was a small tornado that came through our little neighborhood.

Luckily, not one house was harmed!
Lots of downed trees and power lines,
and a whole lot of debris,
but everyone was safe, which is such a huge blessing.

Irene definitely left her mark on us,
and a week later when we were going absolute stir crazy without power,
we were still remembering her!

This weekend was the big clean up.
Day after day of yard work.
All I have to say is thank goodness for family and friends
who made life so much more manageable!
Thanks for the help, the food after we lost everything in our fridge and freezer,
and the showers after we lost our hot water!

Things this week are finally back to normal.
We have lights, hot water, food in the fridge, and a babe who is constantly kicking away.
I think one MAJOR melt down in that stressful last week is perfectly acceptable
and I'm reminded now how good life really is :)