Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ever have days where you just feel yuck...like a "BLAH" day? The type of day when you don't want to do any of the things you have to do, and everything you want to do you can't do? Or you'd just as soon do nothing all day? Welcome to today. And it's not even 9am. Attitude adjustment needed? Check. I'll get right on that. ;)

[Disclaimer: It's Halloween...and it's Baylor Homecoming weekend. And I guess I might be just a little disappointed. I wish I could go and play with everyone this weekend. But, there's always next year! :) ]

THE GOOD NEWS IS...I'm a little over 1/2 way through with this program. HALLELUJAH! To be honest, I don't mind it here...and there are days when I love it! I'm just ready for this school craziness to be over. But right about the time I started feeling overwhelmed, I got this e-mail from my dad, and it made me smile :) ...

Best I can tell this is (roughly) the half way point of your program. CONGRATULATIONS. Mom & I are very proud of you. In six more months you can set aside the books and you get to pick your schedule. As challanging as the first six months have been, they sure seem to have passed qucikly (maybe not for you). I hope the next six pass without quite as much drama. I love you and miss you - Your Dad

There's light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Until then, off to study, and working in Houston this weekend.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN and SIC 'EM BEARS!

Falling into Fall

Yesterday we carved pumpkins, made Halloween cookies, and decorated cupcakes. Yesterday we did nothing school-related. Yesterday was great.

Today has been all school.

Friday = Laura, MA, and I are entering the UTMB pumpkin carving contest. Ridiculous? I know.

I love my "Refugee Fam."

Laura and Mary Alice and their cupcake creations.

THE carpool...carving pumpkins at the boathouse.

Me and Brittany...while they were waiting for me to be done.
(I was the last one to finish my pumpkin. Shocking, I know.) 

Look at those pumpkins!

And YES, we are in fact considering becoming professional pumpkin carvers. (Sure beats nursing school!)

This is what we do.

I laugh. A lot.

Quick Update

I've been told an update is needed...but life is moving ridiculously fast right now, so here's a quick update.

Last weekend was awesome. I got to see my family, and Baylie (who is now living with my parents in Waco until I graduate...and I really miss her). It was a much-needed break.

This week has been discouraging, to say the least. Tuesday might have been one of the roughest days thus far.

Today has been good. I got a bed. A twin bed. From a super shady place, because it is one of two places with mattresses on the island at this time. The people just delivered it. It is pretty much in the middle of my friend's living room/study. That's where I'll sleep. We laugh, it's funny.

I'm about to go eat lunch. Then go to "FREE POP DAY"...where they are giving us "FREE POP"...pop-tarts, soda pop, popcorn, corn pops, popsicles. YUM and yay for FREE. Then it's study time, again.

I promise I'll give a better update soon.

Picture This

the path leading to my front door

yes, we are that serious about mold clean-up.

apparently i missed the section in our nursing classes that said covering up wounds with duck tape was a good idea.

bedside table

example of how moldy things were...even when they never got wet by the flood water

my guest bed...you're welcome to come stay with me ;) haha

my "Fundamentals of Nursing" book...I'm sure somewhere in there it says something about how contact with mold and mold spores is dangerous for your health!

just the beginnings of the ever-expanding trash pile

my dad disinfecting my bear...yes, i'm 23 years old, and i still have the bear from when i was a baby. and yes, i brought him to college with me...even my second time around

the guitar

attempting to dry out some of the clothes

my parents after a long hot day of moldy fun...and their beverly hill billies truck. and thank you dolphin world for my amazing bright blue sunglasses.

thank you, FEMA.

my char-car

Murdoch's...a souvenier shop that used to be an L-shaped building out over the water

where the Balinese Room once was

Aunt Margie's...this was where we bought our bait for our fishing days.

the look of success...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Out with the old, now onto new things.

Ike Aftermath...and My "New Normal"

I have a million pictures I want to share with y'all, a million more things I want to tell you about, and not enough time or space to successfully do either. But I will try.

The most important thing I need to say is thank you. So many people have reached out to me in some way over the past couple of weeks, and I cannot fully express how grateful I am or how much it has meant to me. Everything from a much needed phone call or message, to opening up your home to me, to free meals...thank you.

So, I know it's been a while since I last posted. I have been staying in Galveston, and have not had internet access. Yesterday we were able to check our e-mail at a FEMA station on the island. Tonight there are 5 of us staying with a lady from our program who lives in League City and has been kind enough to open up her home to whoever needs a place to stay.

Mary Alice and I drove onto the island bright and early Thursday morning. The interstate is lined with debris from the storm. There are countless boats covering the median and grassy areas beside the the roadways. Cops are everywhere, watching for looters, directing traffic, and helping to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

Before we went to work on my apartment, we decided to drive around the island. It seems like every street, every home, and every business was somehow affected by Ike. People's homes are destroyed. People's family businesses are gone. There are trash piles everywhere, and they all smell less than pleasant. But they are filled with children's toys, furniture, books, photos...you name it, and it's on the curb.

Regardless of what I lost, and how this storm has affected me, I feel fortunate. I know it can all be replaced, and somehow it will be replaced. I've had a place to stay since we evacuated. I've been surrounded by people I love, and love me. This storm has completely devistated some people's entire lives, in every way possible.

Okay...so my apartment. Well, it did not fair well. The path up to the door was covered with debris that we had to clear away. We opened the door, and had to walk away. The smell was beyond horribble. I cannot explain just how bad everything in my apartment smelled. GROSS. I was able to save a TV, some DVDs, a kitchen table, side table, some clothes, a couple pairs of shoes, dishes, and some decorations. Everything else, gone. 2 bedroom, fully furnished apartment, flooded and moldy, and put in a trash pile.

It's the things that cannot be replaced that were the hardest. Journals I've written in for years. Bibles that important people in my life have given me. Photo album. My favorite books. First guitar. Gifts. Yes, they're just worldly possessions, but some of these things have sentimental value. Bedding, towels, furniture, appliances, clothes, shoes, school books, tv, decorations, movies, games...all important to me, but all can be replaced in time. I realize now that most things in my life have been a luxury, and not essential for everyday life.

But there is a certain comfort in being surrounded by the things you've chosen, the things you've decorated your home with, and the things you love. There's a comfort in having somewhat of a routine, a purpose, and your own safe haven to relax.

Now I have a new normal. I actually just finished talking with some other girls from my class, and we decided that we all have a new normal...and nothing's normal. I'm living with my friend Mary Alice indefinitely. Her apartment finally got power and water. But the water still isn't safe to drink. We get ice, water, and food from FEMA. And for the past few days, Kroger has provided free hot lunch. TIDE set up a mobile station where they wash a load of clothes for us for free. I realize now how much the little things make a difference, and just how far a kind gesture really goes. There's not much open on the island at all. It's interesting to say the least. For now, we share her car. We share her school books. We share her apartment. I'm invading her space, and she's okay with it. She's welcoming. I appreciate it more than ever.

My parents came Friday, without a UHaul, and took home the rest of my clothes. They are being specially washed by my mom and aunt. My family is awesome.

I love my friends, I love my family. I'm doing okay, and I know I'll be just fine. No, this is not what I expected to happen in a million years, but it's just a little bump in the road...our theme has become LAUGH SO YOU DON'T CRY.

Soon I will post pictures...so stay tuned!

"This is it, Don't Get Scared Now!"

First, if you can name what movie that came from you’ll be cool in my eyes forever…hint: it’s a childhood fave!

Okay, but seriously, tomorrow’s the big day, the day we are finally able to return to our hurricane-struck island. I’m on my way to Houston now (no, I’m not the one driving). Our plan is to wake up ridiculously early and be in line for the causeway around 4:30am. Why so early? Well, tens of thousands of evacuees will all be trying to get back on the island just like me, and the line is expected to be hours long. We are allowed to start crossing the causeway at 6am, so we are trying to get to the front of the line. We’ll see if our plan works out!

Mary Alice’s car is packed as if we are going into a war zone…or on a mission trip, for ourselves! We are equipped with rubber boots, N95 respirator masks, tall rubber gloves, goggles, insect repellent, bleach, disinfectant, and unfortunately lots of trash bags. I’m sure we will be looking good all geared up. Don’t worry, they are supplying the rat bait. Yes, rat bait! Apparently the rats are having a grand ol’ time on this deserted island! Sick out! Most of the island is still without water, sewer, or power. So tomorrow night we will be camping out at Mary Alice’s apartment, in the dark, no AC, bathing with bottled water, eating food cold from a can, or MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) supplied by FEMA. This will be interesting! But there's a small chance her apt has power and water by now? That will be awesome!

I know for sure that my apartment flooded, I had friends go by and check. I was informed yesterday that my lease is terminated, and I have five days from today to get all of my stuff out of my apartment. By now, the mold has had ample time to set in, and take over everything I own. The reality that the majority of my stuff may be lost has not fully set in. I know that the first thing we will do when we go into my apartment is open the windows to air out the apartment as much as possible, as every report I’ve gotten so far has said that the whole island has an unexplainable stench. And therefore my apartment most likely also smells horrible, not to mention the moisture building up inside. Then, we will completely tape shut my fridge/freezer and drag it to the curb for the garbage men to take. Then, I will have to sort through all of my clothes, all of my school stuff, all of my, well, all of my everything. I will have to decide what is salvageable, and what is even worth the effort of attempting to save. My parents are coming on Friday. They will bring a U-Haul, if there is enough left for a U-Haul.

It is still not safe for pets and children to come back on the island. So Baylie will stay behind, indefinitely. That is not fun, not fun at all. In the meantime, I’m homeless. Our next test is October 7. I do not know when I will be able to start clinicals again. Or where. Mary Alice has been kind enough to allow me to crash at her apartment until I can figure things out. Without that, I do not know what I would do. But now we have to figure out where our clinicals will be, and therefore where I need to live. Time will tell.

Oh yah, and did I mention I’m officially without a car as well. During Ike, my car somehow caught on fire, and is completely destroyed. Here’s the pic. (Yah, I know, it’s not the red car I’ve had since I was 15…that car bit the dust. This is the Durango, its replacement. I just inherited it in August).

I’m not sure what else there is to say for now. I’m anxious about tomorrow. This is a lot all at once. But I think I’m too stressed to cry. How's that for honesty? So here I go…this is it, don’t get scared now.

Galveston's Dream Team?

Bush just announced on national TV "I'm fixin' to go down to Galveston." Why thank you G-Dub, that is great. (and an extra thank you for your impeccable use of the English language)

Go meet up with Matt Lauer and Geraldo. Last I saw, Geraldo was up in a palm tree, holding on for dear life. Of course this was after his major wipe-out, and his hand up by the firefighters, so who knows where he is now. Maybe he's chillin' with Connie? Matt's on a roof somewhere, talking to the locals, wearing his best water-resistant "I'm reporting from a natural disaster" pants.

Matt, Geraldo, and G-Dub...Galveston's dream team? We'll take what we can get. But really?