Earthquakes and Hurricanes!

Without going into too much detail about our exact location, we'll just say we were very, very close to the epicenter of the 5.8 earthquake that shook most of the East Coast last Tuesday.

I was at work, 2nd floor, in a rather older building and we shook for a good 40 - 50 seconds. 

In fact, longer if you count the good 20+ seconds we were still shaking once we ran out into the streets.

Which was really weird because everyone else emptied their shops and came running out of the buildings, too... 

(I know, you are supposed to stay IN the buildings, but these are really, really old buildings!  lol)

and once we hit the streets, the pedestrians and the people in cars all looked at us like we were crazy...

because they hadn't felt anything.

Which apparently is true - if your ever in an Earthquake and walking on the street or driving, you won't feel a thing....you can file that away as completely un-useful information.

Anyway, I raced back upstairs to start calling all my kids, my family, etc -

and the phone lines were DOWN.

And of course, the news wasn't reporting anything 5 seconds after the earthquake, but we had NO idea if any parts of the area had had any structural damage, or any other disasters that can come with an earthquake.

Eventually, all people were present and accounted for.

Nonnie was at our house with the twins - when things started shaking up there.

Logan was on the stairs and bless his heart, flew down them, slipped off the last step and started crying just out of fear. Austin was upstairs in his room with the two 14 year old baseball players we were hosting for the week (hopefully, future post coming about that great experience!).  Austin stayed calm, because I think the two ball players stayed calm - because they had no idea what was going on!

Evan was across the street at his girlfriends place and lots of shaking and things falling off the walls over there.

Nonnie said she spent the rest of day answering questions about earthquakes and that Austin and Logan were afraid the earth was going to open up and eat them. ;-(

Within the next 24 hours - we had about 4 - 6 aftershocks.  One basically felt like another earthquake at 4.8.

It's weird some people feel the aftershocks, some don't.

I have felt them all - even if it's just my stomache getting flipping and whoozy, like I'm on a roller coaster.  Then, I turn on the news (read: check Facebook) and see that we've had another aftershock.

I can't begin to describe how weird it feels to have the earth rumbling and shaking you around. 

How loud it is! 

How unrattling to your senses and nerves it is. 

It's just yuck! 

All of it.

Hope that's the last of it for another 100 years or so!

Last week, basically went like this,

Earthquake.

Aftershock. Aftershock. Aftershock.

Our beloved baseball players leave.

Evan leaves for college. 

And Hurricane Irene arrives. 

We were not in an evacuation area.

But we were a direct hit.

So, 14+ hours of rain, rain, rain.

and wind, wind, wind!

And then no power.

And then trees bending, bending, bending.

And falling.

Thankfully, we ALL survived.

And other than lots of tree branches and leaves down,

all is well. 

No picturees of the earthquakes, but I did take a few during Irene's visit!

We left to get Nonnie because she lost power really early.  I think her power lines just heard "Hurricane" and fell or something. ;-)

This is how we roll during a hurricane: carseats, table stands, blankets, noodle bowls and a movie.

We kept discussing the fear of trees falling into our homes and ever the practical and creative solution duo - they donned helmets to protect themselves!  Smart thinking, boys!

 Irene's debris.

 Boo Irene!

But the next picture shows just how much my hubby loves me!

Because even without power, he knows...

 "Baby needs her coffee in the morning!"

Bed for five!
We had to sleep downstairs, hoping that the roof and 2nd floor would "stop" a tree if it fell on the house!

Some of the trees that fell around town:

 This one luckily fell away from a house, but it blocked a road for days!

This one fell BETWEEN two houses!

Many, mnay houses were damaged during the storm, but amazingly not as many accidents or deaths.
God is Good!!

 

So what do you do to fill the adrenaline void after survinging two natural diasters? 

Well, I'm afraid the worst of all is coming our way!

It is now T-minus 7 days of attempting to get the twins down to bed earlier than....

(oh, lets keep it ra'yeel here, peeps)

"11ish"

and try to migrate them to a more respectable bedtime of

what, 8ish?  7:30?

What the....?

But my sleeping beauties, who normally don't rise and shine until 9ish,

will find their cute little butts at the bus stop at 7:05am next Monday morning!

Now THAT - I'm very, very AFRAID of!