leaving Rodanthe

Wednesday, July 2nd:

Well.   Arthur officially wants to be a hurricane.   So we packed up and left the beach today.
The county had not declared a mandatory evacuation but from the looks of the weather reports, our location was not the best place to be when the storm came by.   Our rental house was close to the ocean, and the dunes out front were rather non existent.    The likelihood of flooding, and salt water in my car didn't seem appealing.     And I was even more convinced when the folks on the weather channel specifically mentioned the "highway north of Rodanthe" as the most susceptible of being breached by the ocean.  (And let me remind you that there is only one road off of that tiny strip of land).  And NO WAY do I want to get stuck out there in the ocean.
About the same time I had decided to pack up, my friends also said that they were hightailing it out of there.    Their executive decision sealed the deal.

The boys and I packed the car, headed up the highway, and went to the aquarium as planned.

I had promised Lucas a big seafood dinner this week.   So we stopped for an early dinner at a Seafood Buffet.
It was about half way through our meal when I realized that I had learned the most important lesson of the day.   "Seafood Buffet" is a far cry from what I'm used to.    Apparently the key to a good seafood buffet are the words "Calabash Style" seafood!   We discovered that the food at this joint was gross, slimy stuff from the ocean.... and they didn't even have french fries.
WHAT?!
Lesson learned.

We hit the road and got home before 10pm.
Sabrina called to inform me that a mandatory evacuation has been issued for Hatteras Island, starting at 5am, Thursday.
 I am thrilled that we got out of there before the thousands of other folk slug their way up Highway 12 in the morning.

I am home tonight and unpacked!
Even though our vacation was cut in half we had a great time.  Lots of sun and relaxing with our friends!

pool party gone wrong

Friday night, June 29th:
We were attending Daniel’s first junior high- church-pool party at a local pool.  Things were going well.    Dinner included pizza galore, salads, sides and desserts.   Kids were playing in the pool.  There was a grand game of polo going on.  
Temperatures were record high for our city.   It was a great night for a swim. I was one of the few adults who were dumb enough to leave their swimsuits at home.  It was hot, hot, hot.   As the sun was starting to set, things cooled off just a bit and I was enjoying some conversation with my sister and a few others by the pool side.   
9:30-ish-pm: My friend’s phone rang.  It was her husband who warned her of approaching hurricane type winds.   
As soon as she was able to form the words, “Get out of the pool!!”….. the lifeguards had apparently gotten the same message and there was shouting and scurrying that was IMMEDIATELY joined by ‘hurricane  type winds’ that descended on us without any other warning. 
It was instant. 
 It was SCARY!  
As people were exiting the pool the wall of wind crashed onto us and there was utter chaos.    The potluck dinner blasted off of the pavilion area …. Plates, utensils and chairs filled the air. 
I was scanning the crowd of people looking for my boys. 
Daniel appeared by my side and I grabbed hold of his arm and screamed, “Where is Lucas?!”     
I didn’t see Lucas anywhere.  (I had last seen him on the opposite side of the pool!)  
In a split second decision, I scuffled through the moving chairs to grab my pool bag that contained my car keys and cell phone.    In the process, I lost hold of Daniel and I turned to look for both boys.   
I kept yelling, “Where are my boys!?   Daniel was just here!!   I haven’t seen Lucas at all!” 
A lifeguard was screaming for people to go into the bathrooms, which were located in little concrete buildings on the other side of the pool. 
We were being pelted in the face by flying dirt and dust.    
I was panicked about not knowing where my babies were.   I’m pretty sure that I kept yelling, “Where are my babies?!  I need to be with my babies!”  

  (so much for remaining calm in a crisis situation...) :/

I was with my sister and somehow the lifeguard was leading us across the concrete.  We were moving through the tossed chairs when the POWER WENT OUT!   We screamed at the instant darkness… but the lifeguard assured us that she could see (I think she was using a light on a cell phone) and she continued to pull us toward the safety of the concrete bathrooms.   All the while, I was freaked out about not knowing where my kids were.   My sister and I were some of the last few party go-ers who were corralled into the bathrooms and the lifeguard assured us that everyone was safely inside.   There were two bathrooms and one storage room.   
My boys were NOT with me.    
The lifeguards passed back info that my boys were accounted for.  Logically I knew that they were most likely safe… but the situation of chaos made me doubtful.   After several minutes, one of the men said that if we wanted to leave, we would need to leave before the heavy rains started.    
Daniel met me at the doorway of the bathroom and I was still frantic about finding Lucas.   I stood by the other door and yelled for Lucas.  The group of people eventually parted and Lucas appeared.  As soon as he saw me, he broke down.  He was hysterical and very scared.   We darted through the dark and found our car as the rain started to pour down.    I kept assuring the boys that we would be home soon.  Lucas was crying and Daniel was filling the role of the ‘calm’ one.    Lucas admitted that he was very scared about being separated from us, and he was afraid that he had lost me.  
Yeah, I could relate. I have never been so scared for my children. 
Losing them in the storm and chaos totally unhinged me.    It was such a feeling of helplessness.        
I couldn’t get home fast enough.  I wanted to hug my babies and assure them that things were okay.   The rain and wind were crazy.   I zigzagged around several fallen branches on my street and under the sagging power line that crossed the street in front of my neighbor’s house.     We found our way inside and gathered flashlights and candles.      We were safe and we were together.    I was so thankful.

I am still so thankful for our safety that night.  I know that the situation could have been much worse.  My other sister reminded me of the parents who have been separated from their children in tsunamis and other natural disasters.   Terrifying!
 I am saddened to hear of the lives that were cut short as a result of Friday's storm. 

Indeed, it could have been much worse.

The power was restored to our house, today (tuesday), after being in the dark for the past 3.5 days.    During the power outage we were blessed with cool places to stay in the day (special thanks to my sister and bro-in-law), and we've slept in our basement at night.    I'm thankful for my car and for running water.   
Most importantly, I am thankful for safety.
amen.