Ice Storm 2009

I have stolen the infamous title the news crews are calling our most recent and catastrophic weather event, Ice Storm 2009. This was the worst ice storm that Justin and I ever remember and the first time that such a weather event has personally effected us in such a way. We are both pretty devastated. The weather event started on Monday when school closed early and I had to pick Katelyn up from school early. We were lucky enough to have power that evening but the damage on the following day made up for that. Justin called me about noon on Tuesday and said that the limbs were starting to fall out of the trees and he wanted to know where I thought a safe place for his truck would be. I laughed at him because I thought he was overexagerating. Little did I know that those limbs were the size of small trees and that they were falling all around us. By the time he picked me up from work and we made it home the damage was pretty bad to our cars and the police came around our neighborhood and told everyone that they had to leave because it was too dangerous for us to stay. When we returned two days later you could not even see our house from the street! Luckily our house escaped with minimal damage. There is one spot on the roof of our porch where a limb has loosened the siding and our fence has been knocked down but other than that there is just a lot of debris to be removed. We are still not sure at this point if any of our trees can be salvaged. The worst damage was done to our cars and I have kicked myself everyday since the abovementioned phone call that I did not tell him to move his truck somewhere away from the trees. His truck's antennae was knocked off and there are dents and scratches on both fenders and the hood and his front windshielf has a huge crack. My car is worse with a huge dent in the roof with the paint peeling already, several dents in the hood, fenders, and truck, a broken rear windshield, the driver's side rearview mirror was knocked off and a tree limb was shoved into the vent between the front window and the hood of the car. We take them to the adjuster's on Tuesday but think that there is a possibility that they will total the car since roof damage is so hard to fix and the car is not worth a lot anyway.

We were able to get power yesterday afternoon even though SWEPCO told us it would be Tuesday. We were more fortunate than our neighbors as they stopped the line at our house and more fortunate than Justin's parents as it may be two weeks until they have power again. Kim's mom and dad brought them a generator so they can keep their freezer/refridgerator going through all of this. As I type this Justin is out (with bronchitis I might add) using his new "toy," a chainsaw, cutting up limbs as fast as he can. The insurance company told us not to touch anything until an inspector could come but the cleanup must be done and it really is too dangerous to stay in the house without doing some damage control. There are still limbs all over the neighborhood that are still falling due to the thawing conditions in this sixty degree weather. Justin is trying to remove these types of limbs from our trees so that no more damage is done to our vehicles. We are leaving my car at the apartments down the street for now just in case. Please pray for everyone in Northwest Arkansas that was effected by this storm!

$4.99 Haircuts

I have been saying for quite awhile that I wanted to cut Katelyn's hair again because it has gotten so tangled and nasty. Last night we were driving by the Harp's on Wedington and noticed a sign for a new hair place advertising $4.99 haircuts. We pulled in to Great Clips and decided we would all get a hair cut for that price. It was great! Katelyn now sports a shoulder length bob, my hair feels so much lighter, and Justin loves freshly cut hair. There's not much to his doo so it doesn't matter where he gets his hair done. I really would recommend it to anyone that needs a quick trim!

I am looking forward to having a day to myself on Monday. Justin has to work and Katelyn has to go to school but I don't have to go anywhere! I am really excited! Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to everyone!

Back to School

Katelyn's preschool follows the same calendar as the Fayetteville public schools. They have, therefore, been out of school the past two weeks. We are fortunate that Justin's mom is able to take off during times like these to watch Katelyn. Yesterday was back to school. It was as awful as I had expected! Katelyn wanted mimi and not her teachers or friends. I finally just had to leave her there crying. I felt so bad but what can you do. This morning I had to help open the bank so I asked Justin to take her. He accidentally forgot her stuffed animal for nap time and she was devastated. He also had to leave her there crying. Just pray that the rest of the week goes better!

Another quick note! Please pray for some answers on Katelyn's Tefra case. They have informed us that she is probably not eligible for the Tefra any more due to the fact that it is time for review and she has not been sick enough recently to qualify for it. I was not able to provide the necessary information to them before the holidays and was told that her case was closed. However, they have charged us for the month of January so we are hoping that the case is indeed still open and that we still have a chance of keeping it. We agree that she has not been sick lately but the fact that she still has to undergo another swallow study and see the ENT at Children's at the end of the month and is still in her occupational therapy every week will be enough to use up our financial resources. Again, I just ask for your prayers for some answers on this issue. Thanks!

Long Time Coming...

I realize that I have not posted for a very long time, almost a month. Things have been very crazy around here with graduation, Christmas, company, new year's, birthdays, etc. I suppose the first thing I should mention is that I am so grateful to everyone that came to graduation or sent a card of congratulations! The event and the after party was wonderful! The ceremony was long and very hot but I wouldn't have missed it for the world! Here are a few pics...

My mom visited with us from the Friday before graduation until Christmas Eve. We went to Terra Studios (the home of the famous bluebirds), the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse, and a little bit of shopping while they were here. And of course, at a lot of food! Christmas Eve Katelyn and I did our traditional birthday cake baking for Jesus and I made Chili for everyone. We opened our gifts and had a blast watching Katelyn. This is the first time I think she has really understood the gift thing about Christmas. As most of you know she is obsessed with horses so most everything she got was horse related this year. She was in heaven!

My mom got Katelyn a horse that is made by the same company as the American Girl dolls. Katelyn was so excited when she opened it up. And of course, the only thing to do with a horse is ride it.
Christmas day was spent with Justin's family. We all received so many gifts! We truly are blessed with a wonderful and caring family. The weekend after Christmas we went with Justin's mom, dad, and brother to Branson. We made a quick stop at the Bass Pro Shop where Katelyn took her picture with some elk.

And then we went to Silver Dollar City to ride the Choo-Choo Train. When we got to Branson that morning it was in the 60s and by the time we left Silver Dollar City it was below freezing and snowing. Katelyn did well despite the cold and we all had quite a bit of fun. We rode the choo-choo train, the tea cups, saw the living nativity, watched the Christmas parade, and other things. I had never gone to see the lights before and it was everything I had ever imagined. I definitely recommend it next year to anyone that has never been! Just try to go when it is warmer.

New Year's Eve I had to work all day since the last day of the year is always very busy at the bank. When I got off I was trying to make arrangements to get Katelyn from Mike and Kim and I found it hilarious to know that she thought Kim was a meany since she had to go home. I told Kim that if she didn't care she could just take Katelyn to church with her and we would go out to eat and to the movies. I have been wanting to see Twilight so bad since I read the whole series of books in a week. I was not disappointed but am anxiously awaiting the second movie. By the way that the movie ended, there has to be a second one. We went to the church afterwards intending to just pick Katelyn up but ended up staying and playing with the teens and their parents until around 12:30. It was a nice way to ring in the new year. We've done other things since then but I figure that this is a long enough blog as it is. Just one last thing.... Happy Birthday Nana! Today is Justin's grandmothers birthday. We celebrated with her yesterday but just in case she reads this one last birthday wish!