Being A Newlywed Isn't All About Romance

Garrett and I have been married for less than a year and have already experienced our fair share of Major Life Experiences. Shall we do a quick recap?

• November '07 - Wedding (aka 101 Ways To Drive Yourself Insane), started sharing a bathroom with one sink.
• December '07 - Traveled to Dallas for sister's graduation, traveled to Austin for recording job, hosted a Christmas get-together.
  
• January '08 - Bought a house (aka Take All My Money, and Some That I Don't Even Have).
• February '08 - Got the house ready to be lived in, traveled to San Antonio for conference, traveled to Austin for recording job.
  
• March '08 - Moved into new house.
  
• April '08 - Traveled to Vegas for cousin's wedding.
• May '08 - Garrett finished his last year teaching, Garrett sang the National Anthem at an Astros game, traveled to Austin for recording job.
• June and July '08 - Garrett hit the books and studied for his Series 7, Series 66, and Life and Health exams.
• August '08 - Garrett finished taking his exams and started a new job as a financial advisor, traveled to Austin for recording job.
• September '08 - Experienced our first major hurricane together and a disaster situation in Houston.
  

But I can't complain. We have everything we need and experienced no major damage from Hurricane Ike. And we even got our electricity back after less than a day. We eventually were able to restock our pantry and refrigerator and eat something other than PB&J, and were able to get gas without sitting in line forever. So life is good.

It's been a week since Ike visited town and disrupted our lives, so it seems like a good time to consider what we did right and what we did wrong in this hurricane situation.

• Right - We filled huge buckets with water for flushing the toilet, even though we ended up not needing it.
  
• Wrong - We waited too long to get plywood to board up our windows. By the time we made the trip to Lowe's all that was left was the really expensive stuff and the not-quite-thick-enough stuff. We ended up going with the latter because we're cheapskates. We got lucky and had no window damage.
• Right - We gassed up my car before the hurricane hit.
  
• Wrong - We didn't gas up Garrett's car.
• Right - We had plenty of bread and PB&J.
• Wrong - PB&J got old after two meals. Should have bought more snack (comfort) food.
• Right - We got plenty of cash out of the ATM before the hurricane hit. And it's a good thing because Walmart only took cash afterward.
• Right - We had candles.
• Wrong - We used the candles and set off the smoke alarm. But hey, at least we know it works!
• Right - We bought a hand-crank emergency radio that received radio stations, the audio of television stations, and even had a light and emergency siren built-in.
  
• Wrong - We listened to the radio for far too long and heard the same old information over and over and over again.
• Right - We hid out in our pantry during the storm, along with the dog and cats. Safety first!
  
• Wrong- We hid out in our pantry during the storm, along with the dog and cats (not in cages) and kitty litter!
• Right - We began our self-imposed seclusion in the pantry with prayer, leaving everything in God's hands.

So there you have it. First comes love, then comes marriage, then come Major Life Events and Natural Disasters. But we're praying that we'll be able to announce the coming of a baby in a baby carriage someday soon!

Being A Newlywed Isn't All About Romance

http://thelatebloomersblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/being-newlywed-isnt-all-about-romance.html

Hunkered Down

Hunker. What a word. It feels thick in my mouth, chewable. I just looked it up in Merriam-Webster and it's defined, "to settle in or dig in for a sustained period." That's us.

We spent yesterday and this morning preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ike, an unwelcome visitor. When Ike arrives, he can expect to find our back windows boarded up, our patio furniture in the living room, and us hiding in the pantry if he gets good and mad.

Right now Garrett is in our living room taking a nap on the mattress pad that we brought downstairs for a little extra comfort. He wants to get a few hours sleep in so that he can stay awake tonight when the hurricane arrives. We're nothing if not hospitable.

We're pretty far up in northwest Houston, so we should be ok. This website says that we can expect maximum sustained winds of 86 mph. Our major concern is flying debris. And doing without electricity. What's a curly-haired girl to do without her flat iron???

But many are in a bad situation. Some waited too long to evacuate the coast and can't get out now. Others don't understand the seriousness of the situation and refuse to leave. They need our prayers. Reminds me of Psalm 91. This will be my prayer during this ordeal.

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

Hunkered Down

http://thelatebloomersblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/hunkered-down.html