Not the week I planned on........

Last Sunday, I had my week all set.

Monday, a day off.  Jenn and I going to our friend, Mary's house.

It was her birthday.  We were going to hang out and watch movies. We were spending the night.

The rest of the week BAU. Work.

The day went as planned through our first movie.

Then a news bulletin. 

The governor ordered the mandatory evacuation of all the coastline counties due to impending Hurricane Florence.

Jenn and I headed back to our place. 

Now remember we had already driven 150 miles to Mary's.

Another 150 miles back to the house.

We arrived home at 6:30. 

We then had what I think of as a three hour fire drill.

This involves walking around the house and taking down what needed to go with us.

Important papers, med's, cash, checkbooks, credit cards, jewelry and items that cannot be replaced. 

YES, there are items that cannot be replaced!!

I know, I know, people cannot be replaced but neither can the painting of Dad's courthouse, Mom's Christmas Angels, the wind chimes with Mom's ashes and the only ornament I still have from Mom and Dad's Christmas Tree.

(the courthouse painting and Christmas angels)

We close blinds, unplug things, move things away from the windows and mark off on the list the things we need to do to secure the house.

By 9:30, we are back on the road.

Already tired. 

Another 150 miles to go.

Traffic is heavy as if it is the rush hour.  Most likely, drivers like us trying to get a rush on the lane reversals that were starting Tuesday morning.

We finish our 450 miles of driving at 12:45 AM.

We bring in the essentials. 

I fall asleep quickly. 

Next thing I know, it is after 7:00 AM.

The rest of the week, we stay at Mary's. 

I watch the weather reports and try not to let it consume me.  I am not successful at that part of my thought process.

The governor lifts the evacuation for Beaufort County on Wednesday.

Now, I try to decide what to do.

It makes sense to stay the rest of the week since the lane reversals are still in effect.

Friday night, the wind starts to pick up in Lexington.  The good news is the lanes are now back to their normal patterns.

The weather reports for Lexington/Columbia are not so great.

Jenn loads up the cars and we are on the road by 9:30.  A quick stop to pick up Jeter and off we go in our two car caravan.

We drive in some rain and wind.

The whole trip I see less than five tractor trailers which in itself is amazing.  One of my concerns was driving next to tractor trailers in high winds.

We pull back in our driveway around 1:30.

HOME!!!!

Everything looks fine.

The unpacking and putting things back in place begins. 

At some point, I sat down in the recliner.  I wake up an hour later.

Today, we are continuing to get back to normal. 

It was a nerve wracking week to say the least.

We had a hurricane impact our area last year too and there was one the year before we moved here.

And for 50 out of 52 weeks the year, it has been so worth it (we had a snow/ice event in January and the hurricane now).

It is the price I pay for living where I do.

See you next week!

PS Thank you Mary Mefford !! Once again the Mefford Inn provided wonderful accommodations and made us feel at home.