Ike: Update

It's been a little over 3 weeks since Ike. And although things are all pretty much back to "normal," there are constant reminders that Ike was here not too long ago: Tree debris is still in people's front lawns, our neighbor has a huge hole in her roof and is unable to live in her house (and who knows when she'll be able to), my grandfather continues to live at my Aunt's since his house still doesn't have power / water, and we just got internet and cable back on after 3 weeks without. We feel very fortunate to have survived Ike with almost no damage to speak of, but when we arrived home from a week in Austin, we were welcomed to a yard that looked like a hurricane hit! :) We quickly realized that we weren't up to the arduous task of cleaning it all up, so we happily paid $600 to a yard crew to do it for us. (Jerrod quipped that 'if you wouldn't do that job for that much, then it is a deal'.)

We were fortunate enough to get power back on within 1 week of the storm (thank goodness for living by the freeway!). Unfortunately though, not everyone else in Houston was so lucky. Our neighbors across the street went without power for another 1 1/2 weeks after we got it, and one of co-workers, Natasha, was without for 3 weeks. We gladly invited Natasha on over and she spent 2 weeks with us. We were happy to share our electricity with whomever needed it!

Miraculously, my parents and grandfather's houses in Galveston appear to be in good shape. Although there still isn't power or water, the houses are intact with minimal interior damage. My parents went down to Galveston today to assess their damage and begin the clean-up process. The downstairs (street level) appears to be pretty damaged, according to some pictures taken by a friend, but other than that the house is in good condition.

We thank everyone who was thinking about us during this time and thank God for truly watching out for us.

We have posted some pictures below of our house, upon arrival back from Austin. Jerrod belives there were at least 1,000 pinecones on our yard to clean up. Enjoy!