Hurricane Gustav

Joe and I had 13 evacuees with 3 dogs (Dash, Lucy and Meha) in our home! (smiling) We built this house planning ahead for these times that we have to run from hurricanes. We want our children and grandchildren to be here with us instead of on the road. Our guests were: My Mom with Meha (a tiny Chihuahua) Pam, Ryan, Alexis and Jayden Kim, Todd, Matthew and Kayla with Dash (Dachshund) Heather, Qui, Crosby and Sophie with Lucy(Golden Retriever) We filled our guest bedrooms and then put mattresses on the floor. Joe made breakfast in the mornings filling everyone with waffles, bacon, sausage and eggs. During the day we all took off for various things to do since the weather was nice; hot but nice. In the evenings, we cooked. I did have time to cook some before everyone arrived. I made a large pot of White Chili and a very large chicken salad. Everyone brought their "hurricane food" so they had the snacks and drinks that their children prefer. The first full day together, Kim, Todd, and Joe went to the movies and Mom, Pam, Alexis and I with Matthew and Kayla went shopping. We all had a great time. Kayla was due a promised trip to Build a Bear Workshop for her birthday. We all came home tired and hungry. The second day, we all took off in a caravan to the Premium Outlet for a day of shopping. Arriving at lunch, we all ate together then split up agreeing to meet at the entrance at 3pm to go home. My Mom was shopping shoes while others were looking for the Croc store and so on. We kept in touch by cell phone. You would not believe that we ran into a friend from Lake Charles, La! Hi Debbie W. Poppa Joe grilled hamburgers and hot dogs while the kids went to the community pool to swim. We all fell into bed completely exhausted. Pam and Ryan along with Todd and Mother left early the next morning hoping to beat the heavy traffic and get home at a descent time. Heather and Qui left a bit later with everyone else that had evacuated and spent the WHOLE day getting home; a trip that should have taken 4 hrs at the most. Kim, Matthew and Kayla spent another two nights with Joe and I. I meant to take photos while everyone was here. I stayed so busy that I took only a few the first night.