Reflections after the Week of Natural Disasters

For those of you who didn't know, we had an earthquake right here in Virginia on August 23rd.  It was a surreal experience, though {thankfully!} less eventful than I would have imagined it to be.  And then a few days later, on the 27th, we felt the effects of Hurricane Irene.  Our area was tagged as experiencing "tropical storm" weather, and we lost power from 2:30 pm Saturday afternoon until 5:30 am on Monday {did I mention Luke was out of town from Friday until Sunday evening??  He was enjoying sunny Florida while I was reading stories to our toddler by candlelight...}.  Many people in the Richmond area are still without power.   

Anyway, in the course of these events, here are some of the random thougths that I had...

1)  As annoying as they can sometimes be, battery operated toys that light up and make noise are totally awesome when you are going on almost two full days without electricity!

2)  Spending the evening holed up in your bedroom lit exclusively by candles is only romantic when your significant other is there to enjoy it with you...when he is hundreds of miles away, it's just kind of depressing. 

3)  FYI: When you are in an earthquake, you are supposed to go outside.  Ironically, when my house started shaking--my thoughts jumbled and my body working in slow motion--going outside seemed like the worst idea ever.  I did peek out the window for any indication that the shaking existed beyond the confines of my living room and that I wasn't going insane...but everything looked serene.  Still, the thought of taking Augustine and leaving the "safety" of our house was too scary at the moment.

4)  It's not things like the tv and the internet that you miss most when the power goes out.  The absence of  lights, a functioning refrigerator/freezer, and the power to charge my cell phone, however, were missed very much.

5)  Losing all cell phone reception from my home was also very difficult--especially since my hubby was out of town.  Unfortunately, I lost service just as Augustine was going to bed...so I had to wait until the next morning to drive to a location where I could pick up service.  It's really strange going to bed without talking to your husband.

6)  Naps actually seem much more wonderful when there are no clocks to remind you what time it is or when you should get up.  Once my cell phone battery died, the only way I had of checking the time was going out to my car.  I took a really great nap that day.

7)  Throwing away most of the food in your fridge and freezer is sad. 
Initially, so is not having anything warm to eat because you can't cook without power.
Eventually, so is not having anything warm or cold to eat because all the food in your fridge is starting to spoil. 
Peanut butter sandwich, anyone??

8)  God is good.  Life is good.  Always be thankful.