Storm 2009

I did not take this picture, but found it to be representative of what we saw over the last few days. This was in our area hit by the storm. I borrowed this from http://nwabehindthelens.com/2009/01/28/readers-ice-photos/ taken by Blair Cartwright.

This whole month has been a storm for us. So why not go ahead and throw an awful ice storm into the mix? Our power went out Tuesday afternoon (Jan 27th.) My awesome sister and brother-in-law drove us literally from friend's house to friend's house to find heat from generators, gas fireplaces and finally real power on Thursday night. I finally gave up on getting power at my own house in Fayetteville and drove an hour away yesterday to be with stable power and heat at my parents house. Not to mention lots of love and yummy food that is here.
Thomas would have enjoyed the adventure and figuring out what we needed to do. He was such a problem-solver. I realized going through this week how different our lives are now that he is not here. I relied on him to protect and take care of us. I kept thinking, "What would Thomas want us to do?" while figuring out where to go each day. I am so thankful I have such good friends and family to step in and make those decisions and help us. I think it was just hard coming to terms with relying on others forever to help us when we need anything done.
What a rough week. I am exhausted mentally and physically for a myriad of reasons, but Caroline has kept such an upbeat attitude it has helped me so much. I have heard our power came on today, but I want to make sure it is on for good before heading back.
A few side notes: thanks for the offers to help with tree clean up, but my friend Jacob and brother-in-law Travis have taken care of most the limbs. I will reassess when I get back to the house and call in for reinforcements if it looks like we need it.
Prayer warriors (fellow bloggers, family and friends): Thank you for your continued messages of encouragement. I am reading each and every one and I appreciate them more than you can know.
Prayer requests:

• A very special friend's (not sure if she wants her name here) father's health has taken a turn for the worse. Pray for the family, his health and her safety as she travels to be with him tonight.

• Praise for baby Hayden born January 23 (before the ice storm!) She's adorable.
  

• Caroline's 2nd birthday is Monday, so that may be a hard day and I would appreciate a special prayer for that day.
• Pray for the families who have lost loved ones from this storm and that all power is restored for everyone quickly. It was 40 degrees in my house during the warmest part of the day when we checked it the other day. I could see my breath while standing in my kitchen. I have heard some people are staying at their homes without heat and I cannot imagine this with the lows being in the teens.