Good evening folks - I want to record the events of the past few days before I forget.
Tuesday we knew snow was heading to Augusta and our boss went ahead and preliminary closed the office for Wednesday. Wednesday I thoroughly enjoyed my day off watching the sleet/snow come down and played Everquest II all day - around 5 pm our power started having brown outs, Jack and I worked to get my computer and the router on the battery backup so we could play through the brown outs - right when we thought we had it all set, bam, no power at all.
So we broke the candles out, got the fire going and settled in for the night. We were laying in the bed and started to hear the trees breaking all around us - it was a cross between hearing fireworks and a war zone. We had a couple hit that we went out and looked at, careful not to leave the roofed area of our porch - it was a little freaky. We went back to bed and finally Jack went upstairs to sleep because his snoring was drowning out the trees = no sleep for me.
Once he got upstairs I fell asleep only to wake up at 2:00 sick at my stomach - I got really sick and end up violently vomiting for a good 20 minutes, I finally got back to sleep around 3:30.
When we got up it was Thursday, around 9 am, both our offices were closed and it was nutz outside. We had a tree limb hit the front of the house, luckily no major damage. We had a tree collapse in the back yard, luckily hitting nothing, four sections of the fence are damaged from tree limbs and that isn't to talk about the front yard. We had one pine tree fall across the yard to hit the road and rip our power line out of the pole, our Internet line was also ripped out leaving us powerless and internetless.
Billy stopped by around 9 am to check on us, cell phone service was shotty at best. Him and Jack went to Home Depot and bought a generator and some other items. We were hoping to not have to use it, but he bought it just in case. I went back to bed while they were in town - it was warmer under the covers and I was so tired.
Once they got back and Billy left - We tried to head over to Alice and Ty's to check on them but we couldn't get the car out of the driveway. We started to walk, but it was too cold so I called it and went back in. I laid on the couch - While I laid down Jack got went outside and got the little generator we already had out, he got the fire going and moved the freezer outside and hooked it up to the little generator. The entire time I was asleep on the couch and/or chair, just couldn't wake up - I can only assume looking back that my body was still fighting whatever made me so sick the night before. I did turn my chair around at some point so my feet pointed to the stove - they were so cold. Jack also cut some wood up outside while I slept under my 7 or 8 blankets...
Around 5 I woke up and we were able to get out of the driveway - we drove over to Alice and Ty's to check on them. they gave us some more firewood and we discovered their large generator had failed. We let them use the little one and broke out the new one Jack had bought as the little one wasn't providing enough power for the freezer anyway, but would provide them with a light and something to charge phones.
After we got them the generator and visited for a bit we left to go home. However we decided on the way home to grab a bite to eat. Waffle House had a line out the door, but Applebee's was also open so we went there. Their food sucks, but at that point we didn't care - We had a hot meal and thanked the staff for being kind enough to open. They were way understaffed and people were coming in groves as most didn't have power. I was grateful to them.
We then went home and Jack got the big generator going - wow is it loud. We got the freezer, the refrigerator, some lamps and the tv and media server hooked up. It was awesome - I was watching some tv while he went to get some more gas. All things considered we were doing well... then the server died, the hard drive failed. Murphy's law but we are still blessed! So we called it a night, I went into bedroom and got under my 8 blankets and Jack slept in the living room so he could keep fire going - super man I tell ya :)
We got up this morning around 9, my office was closed again due to no power and Jack didn't go in due to the mess at the house. We called Alice and Ty, to see if they wanted to get breakfast - they said yes, they brought some food for the freezer to keep it safe and we headed to Waffle House. We ate and while we were there, Wade, Jack's boss called. He keeps an apartment here, but goes home to Atlanta on the weekend, so he offered us his apartment while he is gone! Can you say awesomeness? We stopped by Jack's work and got the key and then headed back home.
Alice and Ty dropped us off and Jack went to get more gas for generator and some oil. I got the house straightened up while he was gone. He got back and we loaded up chainsaw and headed to Alice/Ty's. Plan was to get the chainsaw working and go over to Janine and Gordon's to get tree off of their house. though when we got there - Ty and Gordon had gone to get gas so we just hung out for a bit. Sat in the sun and chatted. When Ty got back we learned that the tree that was on Gordon's house had fell and they weren't going to work with it today so we decided to go ahead and fix chainsaw (actually Ty fixed it - we thanked him, awesome handyman), get some wood and then head to Wade's so Alice/Ty could get showers.
When Ty was fixing the chainsaw Alice and I decided to load some wood. Alice went to move Ty's truck and scraped it against the side of the tree - pretty bad. Murphy's law I tell ya - once hugs were given, Ty went on to fix chainsaw and Jack, I and me loaded some wood.
Jack and I took Ty's truck back to the house (along with my Rav4) and unloaded the wood. Jack also changed the oil in the generator (needed to be changed given it was it's first run) - while he did that I loaded up pillows/bag etc... for visit to Wade's. I walked next door and checked on neighbors, they are fine - heading out of town tomorrow.
I also called my brother Bobby to see if he could help - it was funny, I asked what he had going on next weekend and he said he didn't know, needed to check with DeAnn. I then told him I needed a favor - I needed his chainsaw and some help next weekend. He didn't hesitate - said I'll be there, in fact I can come tonight if you need me. I told him to wait and just come next weekend, we have to get power etc... before we can start making repairs, but the fact he was willing to drop everything brought tears to my eyes. Family is family and I just can't say what his response meant to me.
Ty and Alice headed to our house and we caravaned over to Wade's. They got showers and we relaxed on his couch - his apartment is very homey. I thought given he lives here only in the week and without his wife that it would be bland, like Jack's was when I moved in, but it is decorated and very cosy. He has books everywhere, leadership and christian reading material, pictures of his family, a keyboard ... I don't know why but my thoughts of the man have really increased. I liked him before, but his thoughtfulness and his obvious dedication by his reading material just makes me think more of him. I just want to give him a bear hug.
Once they got showered we headed back out, them for home (Janie and Gordon had loaned them a big generator) and us for dinner. We ate at Cracker Barrell then went back to check on house, gassed up generator, made sure fire was still going for the fur babies, let the neighbors put some food in freezer, checked on the other neighbor's and headed back to Wade's.
I now sit here after getting a bath, in a heated apartment and am just grateful. Grateful as it could have been a lot worse! I prayed God protect the house and the cars and he did - I grateful and overwhelmed. I'm hoping we get power tomorrow and I know there is alot of work ahead of, but at the end of the day - I'm simply grateful
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