Irene

Maybe, it was watching Hurricane Katrina but I was a little worried about the Irene moving through our neck of the woods.  Coming from tornado country, I thought it would be something like an extended tornado with lightening, thunder, rain, and lots of wind.  I was expecting to lose trees behind our house, water in the streets, and a chaotic night.  Reality was far different.  That morning we woke up and the neighborhood had an eerie quietness.  All the outdoor furniture and vehicles had been put away.  Some people had left and others were inside.  The weather was calm and the sky was a flat gray.  As the rain started to fall we sent all the kids outside and let them burn off the pent-up energy.  They laughed, splashed, took pictures, and had a fun hour.  The innocence of child was seen in their eyes.  They had a vague idea of what was headed our way but for time being they were just kids playing in the rain.  After much debate on what exactly to do we decided to bunk with a neighbor just in case.  I was prepared for them to be scared and not wanting to go to bed instead they laid down easily and didn't even mention the storm. 

The rest of the night was a mixture of events.  I couldn't help but wonder how technology and the way we viewed life had drastically changed in the last few years.  We had the weather radio on but the majority of our information on the storm and what was happening was pulled from our the internet on our phones and facebook.  When the other half woke up he was able to give us a better update from his computer through text messages.  Knowing that he was a short message away helped to keep me calm.  Eventually, we nodded off to be awoken when the electricity flickered back on for a few minutes.  After checking on everything and the kids we settled back down till dawn. 

The next morning, the eye had moved through and for a while it was calm outside.  The kids went back out to play and we surveyed the lack of damage.  The power was still out but other than that we were fine and things couldn't have gone better.  Later that day, the tail of the hurricane moved through and the wind blew all day but the rain had stopped.  The kids were wild and I was exhausted.  I don't think it was the lack of power as more a desire to get back to everyday life.  I woke up the next morning and manage to shower in the dark.  To get out of the house and eat a real meal we spent the day at the zoo.  The distraction was great and we came home to power. 

In the end, we survived hurricane Irene.  I thing it provided some laughs for years to come and hopefully a positive memory for the kids.