North Carolina Strong

Packed up and waiting to go.

All of us have wondered what possessions we would take with us if we had to leave our home at a moments notice.  

No one actually expects to have make that choice, I certainly didn't.

Enter Hurricane Florence.

We had a few days to prepare Lost Cay Cottage at Carolina Beach  prior to the mandatory evacuation but the final moments before we left were the hardest. 

I took some irreplaceable photos from the wall, photo albums, and some ceramic artwork my children (who are all adults) made when they were actually children.

My clothing situation was a little different.  When we got to our first destination, I found that I had packed...1 pair of underwear, 2

pairs of shorts, 27 shirts, 3 formal dresses and a pair of flip flops. *Sigh*

We traveled first to Ft. Bragg to stay with our daughter and son-in-law. Assured they would be safe, we traveled on to Atlanta and stayed with Bill's very gracious brother and his sweet wife.

After we realized this evacuation would last longer than expected we traveled on to Florida and moved in with my parents.

2 cars

2 dogs

2 people
Lots of stuff

Practically Noah's Ark...if he had decided to make a run for it.

As of today, many of our neighbors and friends have made their way home already. 

Coming from the south we're having a trickier go of it.

The silver lining here is that Bill is retired and we are able to go through all of this together...unlike our Army days when I would most likely be navigating this by myself. We've spent quality time with family and friends that we haven't seen in months or even years.

Our home endured the storm with it's wind and water.  Not all faired as well. 

I realize, even as we still wait, that if this is the worst thing that ever happens to us we are exceedingly blessed.

I pray for a speedy recovery for all of those whose lives have been uprooted because of this storm. I pray for all the animals that were left to die because of irresponsible humans and I am grateful for those who risked much to save them. I pray for all of those who are working diligently to restore life as we know it...linemen, first responders, service members, and the hundreds of volunteers who are actually sacrificing their time and safety for others. 
Thank you!

#NCStrong