"Come on Irene"

Today was a very long, windy, wet day. Stryker & I had to drive up to Myrtle Beach to pick up Grandma out of the hospital and get her back to Charleston and out of Irene's way. Daddy had to be at the Co-op for mandatory Hurricane Preparedness (BOO!). So, off we went at 8:30 this morning. 3+ hours in the car (mostly back to back) certainly calls for some entertainment. Luckily, we had Poppa's portable DVD player on hand. This little guy was a trooper for the trip.

We were in & out of Myrtle Beach in a jiffy thanks to Hurricane Irene looming on the coast. The wind was pretty gusty and the rain (thankfully at only one point) was hard and made it hard to drive. We got back safely though and very glad that G-ma was feeling better.

Our afternoon didn't end there. We had laundry to do, food to prep & packing to do. Our vacation that cancelled first in Gatlinburg, then cancelled again in Hendersonville, is now back on... just one day later. Good thing! Stryker is VERY excited and even piped up from the backseat today with a "2 more days til 'cation, Mommy?" "No buddy, we get to go to the mountains tomorrow!" I'm glad it all worked out in the end for his sake :) My little helper was right there helping me pack out suitcase.

We're very sad that Daddy & Uncle Bubba won't be joining  us (more hurricane preparedness on both their jobs) but we're excited to pick up Aunt Lorie and Peyton in the morning to go to the mountains to meet Nana & Poppa. I know the boys are going to have a great time together!

As this storm nips us here in Charleston, we're very grateful for the mercy Mother Nature has shown us. It's hard not to think about riding out Hurricane Hugo now 22 years ago. What a frightful night. I was just 10 years old and can remember the event vividly. We've been very lucky the past few years here and don't take hurricanes lightly! We pray that everyone in Irene's path is safe.