My Dream Came True!

K...so I never thought I would see this while living in Galveston! Seriously. This is crazy. Tonight it is sNoWiNg. Really...it is freezing outside. Last time it snowed here was in 94 on Christmas day. This really is rare! I almost want to wake Brampton up so he can go outside and see it. I feel like it should be a "snow day" tomorrow.

So fun....thank you mother nature for bringing me some snow! I couldn't be happier right now.

A Little Peak

Today was Ev's first day back at school...which means a full day with two kids all by myself. It actually went by really fast and we had a lot of fun together...just me and my two boys! I love it. I have the best job in the world!!! We went for a little jog this morning and I thought I would snap some pics of all the "cool" things we saw. Really it's not cool...but interesting to see nonetheless. I have to say that the beaches are actually all clean. The water is beautiful too (it's actually somewhat clear).

Those little posts are all that's left of the oh so famous Hooters. Yay...that stupid place is gone!

This was once a souvenir shop.

Yes...that's a mattress, sleeping bag, and pillows. Sad.

Slowly but surely....progress is being made!

Through My Eyes....

I still can't believe that we experienced a hurricane. We evacuated 5 weeks ago to Fort Worth and returned home on Friday. Our evacuation was GREAT. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with family (many of our friends were not). That was truly a blessing for us. Life for our family continued and was stable. The boys were with grandparents that love them so much and spoiled them rotten.
As we started to get closer to Houston there was noticeable damage. Not too bad. I thought it would've been worse. All though I wasn't prepared for what was to come. As we crossed the causeway and drove down Broadway onto the island, I was stunned. Words can't really explain the way I felt. Honestly, no one will ever understand until you experience a natural disaster for yourself. I feel blessed in that we still have a home with power. Many do not. In fact...there are tons of tents and campers all around. We have heard that many people are not even returning to the island. Several of our friends from church are not going to return. We will miss them so much.
What was really shocking to me is all the trash. Everyone who has gutted out their homes/businesses have put all their "stuff" out on the curbs to be picked up. So for now...there is junk everywhere. There are seriously landfills on every street. Fridges are out and on the streets as well. Many of them still have food in them. We took a short walk and the smell isn't very pleasant. As you can imagine. The Red Cross is very much present and have their tents set up ready for hot meals served daily. They even drive around and hand out meals. I was sitting in the living room on Saturday when I heard honking and this loud announcement. It was the Red Cross. It was heartbreaking to see so many people come out of their homes/apartments to get a meal. Even construction crews were hitting it up.
Many business' still aren't open. I am amazed at how many are though. Most only take cash. Our friends said that they waited in line at Subway for 45 min and it was cash only. As you can imagine...there aren't too many places open to eat at yet. I was talking to my friend Cassidy to day at church and I think she summed it up pretty well, "it feels like we live in a war zone". Helicopters are constantly flying over the island. FEMA has headquarters here. White tents. Work crews galore. Dump trucks constantly picking up trash, but it seems like they accomplish nothing. Most traffic lights work. Some have "temporary stop signs". It's hard to imagine when life in Galveston will be back to normal.
Thankfully our church building sustained the hurricane with not damage. We were excited to go to church today to be able to see so many of our friends and our ward family. It amazing how much closer everyone is now after the storm. It's true...natural disasters really humble people. We only had Sacrament Meeting though. Reason being...all the rooms were packed full of donations, hygiene kits etc. ready to be handed out. As I walked out of the meeting to head to the mothers room to feed Cardston, I was amazed as I passed all the rooms full of the donations. I wanted to cry but felt so much joy! Our Stake President was at our meeting today (Ward Conference). He came down with a change of work clothes and a truck. Right after our meeting, he went to work. I feel so grateful to be apart of such an amazing organization-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not only that, but such good people trying to follow the ultimate example-Jesus Christ.
I am grateful to be back. I am excited to go to work and serve those around me. I look forward to growing closer to my neighbors and friends. Most importantly, I have faith that all will be well. I have hope in the future. I know that my Father in Heaven hears my prayers and answers them according to His will. That will be enough for me. It's the small and simple things that will help us get through these troubling times. Tonight we had chocolate covered strawberry ice cream in our bed with Brampton as we listened to Pres. Uchtdorf's talk-The Infinite Power of Hope. We created a fun memory that will probably be a Sunday tradition. Life is too precious to stand still. We are grateful to be home, safe and moving forward.

A trip back to Galveston

I feel like I haven't posted recent pictures of us...meaning the kids, but then again my previous post had quite a few. I guess I feel that way b/c I haven't taken pictures in a week or so. Our rechargeable battery died and we failed to pack the charger before evacuating. Luckily...Evan made a trip to Galveston today (new pics coming soon). He was able to fly down early this morning and returned this evening (thanks be to David). We really have wanted to go back and help so many of our friends who have lost so much. It's pretty hard when you have to nurse a baby every 3 hours...to be honest I wouldn't even consider taking my little boy and baby back there...at least not yet. So Evan went for the both of us. Thanks to the Sheffield's for taking such good care of him. About 600 members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Houston and Dallas areas went down to help clean up both today and tomorrow. Isn't that just amazing? Evan said it was so neat to see everyone unite in trying to help one another. He said that member volunteers were such hard workers...once they got a job done they moved on to others in need. They not only served the families in our ward, but everyone in need. Way to go team YELLOW! If you want to check out our ward blog...go here. You can learn more about the LDS Church here.

Yay...we have a place to return to!

We heard from the owners today...no damage to our place!!! Isn't that great??! Oh...we are so excited and relieved. The garage does have some damage and will probably need to be replaced. But that is no biggie to us. We are so glad there wasn't any flooding/leaking. Yay. The owner did clean out our fridge too!! Thanks a ton Carmello. I guess it was a little stinky. I was a little concerned about coming home to that...who knows what would've grown inside that bad boy! Yikes. I don't even want to think of the possibilities. Ev's dad told us today that 75% of the homes/living areas are uninhabitable. We are apart of the lucky 25% who still have a place to call home. I will be forever grateful!!!

More Hurricane Talk

Thanks for every one's thoughtful comments. We sure appreciate all of them. This is a crazy time for us and it's nice to know how many of you are thinking and praying for us and everyone affected by Hurricane Ike.

Well...we received word from UTMB that school for Ev would not start up until October 6 (and that is even optimistic). Looks like this is going to be a long process. We just heard that they are letting people onto the island from 6am-6pm to check out their homes and such. We have several friends that are going down right now and they have said that it is unrecognizable down there. Stuff is everywhere. We heard that several families in our ward have 4 feet of water in their homes. My heart goes out to everyone!!! Our Elders Quorum President is going to go check out our place and possibly take pictures of it for us. Thank you, thank you. We checked out NOAA today and found that our garage is torn to pieces and possibly not even there. The owners called and told us the same thing. Ahh...so now we have been trying to apply for FEMA. Good old FEMA. But of course...it's almost impossible to get a hold of them. Lines are way too busy. We may try to drive down sometime this week and check it all out for ourselves and get some items that we need to survive for a little while.

My heart goes out to everyone. You all are definitely in our prayers. Hang in there!! We'll make it through all this mess.

Some News

We heard this from the owners of the town home today:

"I got a call from a friend of a friend that the structure of the Galveston home is still there and that there is not any obvious damage from the outside view. Windows and doors are ok. We still need to confirm this, but there is NO ACCESS to the Island. There might have not been any flooding to our place but this still needs to be confirmed on the inside. The street was not flooded. Don't be scared its only material stuff, you and your family are alive and that is what matters!!"

Great news.

We still have no idea as to when we'll return to Galveston. We have been told by the Mayor to stay put. We also heard from a friend that UTMB will not start school back up again for a week. That is a little questionable to me. There is no power or water on the island. They are also saying that the bridge to the island may have some damage. Thus...no one can get on at the moment. We have been watching the news and it is just madness down there. No food...water...ice...gas...power. We are just going to try and live a normal life in Fort Worth with Grandma and Grandpa 'til we hear that it is safe to return.

Refuge from the Storm!

Today Evan and I went to the Dallas Temple. It was so nice! All this worrying has kind of brought me down.

This is for all you Galvestonians...Evan and I love this guy! I guess he rode the storm out. That doesn't surprise me one bit! Peace...Love...and Happiness. Galveston wouldn't be the same without Robert Shumake. For all you who don't recognize this guy...he stands on the Seawall everyday with his flag. Always giving a peace sign.

All boarded up...

I thought I would share these pictures of our "home". We boarded up the lower windows before we left and the owners came later Thursday afternoon to board up the rest. I guess the others are a little tricky. So I am a little relieved to know that all the windows are covered. Don't you love the pics. The owners made it through hurricane Rita and are hoping the home will make it through Ike. I do too!

I'm still a little worried about the flooding and all the damage it will cause to our belongings. I hate to say this, but Ev and I never got renters insurance. We could really shoot ourselves in the foot right now. We don't know how bad it is going to be when we return. Not sure when we'll return. Just hoping for the best. I have to make a shout out to my kitchen table and chairs...couches...beautiful black and white chair...computer desk...entertainment center...washer and dryer...black sofa table...and stuff under the stairs. I am so sorry that we didn't move you upstairs. Evan was in such a hurry to get out and told me not to worry. I could kick him. Please don't be ruined. I have no money to replace you.

Thougths on Ike

No sleep for me last night. I tossed and turned all night long just thinking of our poor home and what is to come. Every scenario crossed my mind. Windows breaking....water everywhere....robbers....leaky roof...all our stuff ruined. I am frightened. I'm scared out of my mind to return. I'm hoping for the best. But as I watch the news and read reports...it's hard to be positive. I can't imagine what we are going to have to face after this is all over. I hate Ike. I wish this massive storm would disappear. Please...please pray for Galveston!

Evacuation

Thanks for all the comments. We are safe. We arrived not too long ago in Fort Worth. This morning we woke up and started packing. We moved most of our stuff upstairs (in case of flooding). Then we boarded up the windows (and helped our neighbor Jack with his) and left at about 9:50 am. Here's a picture of our place with the boards. Boy, preparing for a hurricane is crazy. We weren't as prepared as we would have liked. Ike pretty much snuck up on us.

At about 9 am, they said that it was now a mandatory evacuation for the whole island of Galveston. I think everyone was suppose to be out sometime today. They did say not to take this lightly. We were lucky enough to get out before the mad rush. A trip to Fort Worth usually takes about 5 hours. For us today, it took 7 hours. That isn't bad at all. We heard horror stories from past hurricanes...it took some people 34 hours to get to Dallas. Madness. We were really grateful. Brampton and Cardston did really well too. Hardly any crying.

It was crazy to be driving with others headed for safety. Everyone in a mad rush to get to their destinations. I felt such a connection with all the ladies in the McDonald's restroom as I waited in line. Everyone talking about where they are from and where they are headed. I was a little disgusted with the lady hacking on my back as she informed me that she just found out she has bronchitis. Blah. I hate public bathrooms.

It was neat to see all the police and ambulances headed to the island to transport all the patients from the 5 hospitals in Galveston. That isn't really something you think about when evacuating. All the poor patients. That is such a big job. I hope they are all safe.

I am a little worried for our home. They are now saying it is headed for Galveston. The storm surge is 10-16 feet. Yikes. Seawall is 15 feet. Hopefully it doesn't flood. Cross your fingers. I have always wondered what I would do when it came to flooding (concerning our stuff). This morning as we were packing up, it didn't even cross my mind. All that mattered was getting us out safe. I did think about taking our beautiful wedding album Lacey. haha.

My heart goes out to everyone in Ike's path. This hurricane really has us worried. We feel for our island. We hope that she holds up well. Be strong for us Galveston. We really want to have a home when we return. God bless everyone that is affected by this. We feel your pain.

For all our friends out there, please comment and tell us how you are doing and where you are. We really want to know.

Hurricane Update...

We just watched the news and they said that the hurricane is suppose to strengthen as it comes our way (currently category 2). Great news, huh!? Well, so far no mandatory evacuation for us (it's voluntary at the moment). Although that could still happen. They said that it's headed toward the Galveston and Houston area and it will create a storm surge of 10-11 feet (that would be fun to see). More to come I'm sure...

Hurricane Ike

So if you haven't heard...there's a hurricane in the Gulf. Hurricane Ike. And if you don't know we live on an island in the gulf...Galveston. If you look at the projected path, you'll see that the whole state of Texas is in the path of Ike. Just to be safe, we may leave tomorrow morning for Fort Worth (still not sure). Evan had mutual tonight, but they cancelled the activity and prepared the church building for the hurricane. I thought that was neat. Here in Galveston, they are closing UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) early Thursday afternoon and cancelling school on Friday. We are going to pack and board up the windows in the morning. We're hoping to beat the crazy traffic.

Our Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend we had Evan's sister Angie and her family come and visit us. They also brought Evan's mom and Brampton back to us too. We had lots of fun taking them places and playing. We kept the days quite busy...trying to do all the touristy things. We went for a ride on the Ferry...checked out the Strand...ice cream shop...toured the Sea Turtle Hatchery...went to the beach...hit up CiCi's Pizza...bought some souvenirs at Murdocks...last but not least the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens. Overall...we had a great Labor Day Weekend.

We took them to the cutest ice cream/candy shop ever. It's on the Strand here in Galveston. It's so cute. Love the atmosphere.
Caleb, Sierra and Brampton eating their ice cream at the kid's table. Which Brampton later threw up all over the floor. That was a "first" with puke. I always wondered when that day would come.
We also went beach! It was a first time for Caleb, Sierra and Zac. Brampton and Sierra playing in the sand.
Mermaid Sierra. How cool is that!
And little Zac had a blast playing in the wet sand. Best thing about the beach...you can get as dirty as you want and it just washes off in the water. The worst thing (in my opinion)...all the sand that you end up taking home with you.

They call that a tropical storm??

Ok...so I'm pretty sure Edouard came and went. Although...it was nothing. I am not sure if we just didn't get the rough part of the storm or what. It rained quite a bit and the wind did pick up. But it wasn't anything like the storms I have experienced in good ole Kansas. Hey, I'm not complaining. I don't want to experience a hurricane while here in Galveston! Knock on wood. Only a little less than 3 years to go.

Edouard

What kind of a name is that? Weird. No offense or anything...I just think it is funny how they come up with names for hurricanes!
Well...you may think we are a little crazy...yes...we are riding this one out. Actually, most people here on the island are. This one is headed right for us! To be a category one hurricane, it has to have winds over 74 mph. This storm is not expected to have winds over 70 mph. Pretty close though. I'm kind of excited...I can't wait to see how powerful this thing gets. I read that we could have some power outages and flooding. But the flooding shouldn't hurt us at all...we live on the 3rd floor. Now power...that could be a problem. So far it is expected to hit tomorrow around noon. The storm currently has winds at about 45 mph but it is suppose to strengthen as it gets closer.
We dropped Evan's mom off at the airport earlier this evening. As we left the island, we noticed all the businesses around here have boarded up their windows or have their storm shutters up and ready. That's when we realized this must be a little serious. They even closed down the medical school 'til Wednesday. Evan's mom didn't make it on her flight and there are no flights tomorrow. Ev went to pick her back up. Yay...we get to have Grandma for a little bit longer. Sorry Grandpa. I thought about going to Walmart to get some essentials, but I really didn't want to deal with all the crazy tourists that would be buying up all the water! They can't keep their shelves stocked around here.
Edouard we're ready...candles and flashlights in hand. We'll keep you posted...

Our FUN and busy Easter Weekend!

Lucky for us we were able to have two special people come visit us for Easter-Grandma and Grandpa Stout. They came down on Friday morning and left Sunday afternoon. It was a short visit but very enjoyable. Brampton loved having them here! He was really sad when they left. Who wouldn't be??? Grandparents are just too much fun!!! We did all sorts of fun activities with them (we didn't get pics of everything...I was bad at taking pics). Here's a look at some of the things we did. Yes, there are a ton of pictures....but that's what blogging is all about!

These were taken this morning...look at all the fun goodies the Easter Bunny brought Brampton! Lucky boy. He is in LOVE with Disney's Cars at the moment. He scored three new ones...Doc, Sheriff, and cactus Lightning McQueen. He loves them so much that he has to go to bed with one in each hand every night! Hilarious.

Checkin' out his new cars!

The Ferry

Saturday night we took a ride on the ferry to show Grandpa how fun it is. We were hoping to see some dolphins....and we did!! So neat. That's my favorite part. Here's a picture of the pretty sunset! It was beautiful.

This is the ferry...similar to the one we were on. They have several here that go back and forth from the island to the mainland. We counted the cars that were on ours....you wouldn't think that it could hold that many, but there were 64 cars on ours (including a huge RV). These things can even carry semi trucks!

A Trip to the Ocean

We also went to the ocean! For sure a must...who wouldn't want to??? The water was really clear and pretty on Saturday. The temperature of the water wasn't too bad either. In fact lots of people (spring breakers) have been swimming in it lately! Brampton joined in on the fun. I think he's going to be a little beach boy this summer!!!!

Our Ward Easter Egg Hunt

These pictures are from Saturday morning at our church. They had a breakfast followed by an egg hunt. Brampton was more interested in some lady walking her dog than finding eggs (at the beginning at least). But once he realized what was going on he did pretty good.

Celebrating Mardi Gras!

Yes, Mardi Gras is still going on down here! Today they had several parades. We thought it would be fun to check them out since we're new to all of this. We only went to the one this evening. We all had fun trying to catch beads. Even Brampton figured out that if he clapped and waved his arms they would give him beads. Boy! They go all out down here!!

Don't worry...Ev caught beads too but he handed them over to Brampton and I right before this picture was taken!

We got quite the collection! Although, if you think this is a lot...you should've seen everyone else! This is nothing compared to most people.

Mardi Gras Carnival

We went to the carnival on Friday night! I had been wanting to take Brampton all week long, but I knew Ev wanted to go. The only way he could go was after his test. I'm glad we waited for him to come with us because we had so much fun. We went with our friends (the Beus family) from church. Carter and Brampton are pretty close in age. They both had fun! Brampton especially liked driving the cars! Here are some of our pictures.

Look at how much fun he is having!! Gotta love that.

Brampton and Carter

This last one is for my mom and Lacey! Ha!!! Oh how I love funnel cakes! That was one of the highlights for me. It brought back great memories!!!! Aren't you jealous?

Mardi Gras and the Firetruck Parade!

The big Mardi Gras celebration started on January 25 here in Galveston. I don't really know much about the whole thing...but I personally think that it is just another excuse to eat, drink and be merry. It is huge here in Galveston. People from all over come to participate. Seawall is just covered with RVs, campers, and trailers. They say that more than 250,000 come for all the festivities. If you are interested in learning more you can check out Galveston.com. It lasts through February 5. One of Ev's professors told him that this past weekend was more of the family friendly activities. Next weekend is a little more crazy with lots of drinking. This past weekend they had 3 parades on Seawall. We were very excited for one...the firetruck parade!! Yay. We thought Brampton would really like this. There were a ton of firetrucks....I have to say that it was pretty loud. Brampton wanted his daddy to hold him the whole time. So...Ev and I did most of the catching of the beads. They would throw them from the trucks. I thought that was pretty fun! Although the people around us were crazy about catching them. It was almost like a competition to see who could catch the most...pretty competitive. Here are some of our pictures.

Brampton and dad...look at all those cool beads!

Checking out the goods! Although...once we got in the car Brampton had to have them off. I don't think he liked them all that much. I guess it's the "boy" in him. Any girl would love to have all those colorful necklaces! hahaha.