November - a.k.a. "Hurricane Sandy"

Ahhhhhh...good old November.  How much I soooooooo want to forget you!  You started off as a nightmare with two words: Hurricane Sandy.  While we, personally, didn't sustain any physical damage, the emotional toll was pretty great.  We lost one, minor, branch in the driveway. 

But we lost power from Sunday night (10/28) until the following Tuesday night (11/6).  Our entire town was wiped out.  How eerie it was to drive down the street with traffic lights out and stores dark.  Still, we were blessed.  It could have been much worse.  The first 24 hours weren't bad.  I enjoyed hanging out in PJs and working on a puzzle (by flashlight at night).

We have amazing neighbors across the street with a built in generator.  They welcomed us with open arms for breakfast every morning and all the heat and charging we needed during the day. The kids eventually stopped trying to turn on lights but by Saturday, I had had enough. I packed up our dirty clothes and we drove on fumes up to CT to stay with my parents.  Halfway up, we stopped to fill the tank. Two out of the 3 gas stations in Danbury were out of gas. I was never so thrilled to put $60 of gas in my car. My mom took the laundry from my arms as we walked through the door (Thank you, Mom) and I decided the kids could use baths (our house was just too cold to force them to, even though we had hot water).  First up: the boys.

Imagine my shock when I pulled off Cole's shirt and found this:

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww! Who gets a tick in November during a Hurricane???? My son!

45 minutes in and out of Bristol Hospital.  No worries of Lyme...wrong type of tick and no engorgement.  Still, so thankful for lights to be able to see the nasty creature trying to take up residence in the back of Cole.

We returned home on Monday morning, hopeful for power...and disappointed. 

Monday night, it was just too cold to stay overnight in our home.  After trick-or-treating (on 11/5) in a local town with some friends, we stayed overnight at another friend's home.  Thankful, again, for the generosity of others.

 On Tuesday night, our neighbors texted to say the lights were on.  We were THRILLED!  I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed and start the process of cleaning up the refridgerator and freezers. The kids' school, however, wasn't quite as lucky.  They still didn't have power.  The campus was struggling just as much as our town.  You can imagine my joy when I received the following text on Wednesday:

Only to wake up Thursday to a few inches of snow...and a 2 hour delay!  Still...I dropped the kids off at 10am with a smile spread across my face.  They needed it, just as bad as I did!

So what did I learn from "Superstorm Sandy"?

In no particular order...

1. I will never again NOT fill my car up with gas.
2. I will have 3 days worth of meals planned and prepped.
3. I will have 3 days worth of outfits and PJs laid out in a central location for the entire family.
4. I will have a "central station" of tylenol, cough medicine, tissues, chapstick, lotion, bandaids, glow sticks (3 nights worth), duct tape and a permanent marker.
5. And I will have personal flashlights for each child...you lose it...you're in the dark.