*an oldie but a goodie from 2004*
Here is the Patrick evacuation story. Had Chevy Chase been in the car this would have totally gone straight to video!
Ok- hubby finally came home around 4:45pm ( we were supposed to leave around 3ish, but he had to wait for a fax from a client-long story)
We shoved the trampoline into the woods as much as possible and tied it to many trees.... brought the basketball goal and planters from front porch inside, turned off a/c, unplugged tvs and computers,etc. and walked away wondering if we'll ever come back to our things?!
I had 99% of the car loaded already, because... well, that's how i roll.
Kids jump in- Harrison in back seat with 25 lb cat unhappy about being in cat carrier- Neal in middle seat crowded between stack of belongings and 75 lb dog.... all we hear is "meoooooooooooooooooooow" in protest from fat cat and panting from huge dog.
Before we are out of driveway, the DVD is playing Cheaper By the Dozen and cuban sandwiches are being passed out because "everyone is staaaaaaaaaaarving"....
About 7 minutes into trip, 25lb fat cat decides to throw up- poop- and tt in cat carrier promptly gagging Harrison who is trying not to throw up....dvd slides off stack of pillows and knocks Neal in head who is now crying... and the smell in the car is now that of a foul smelling petshop.
We are on a back winding country road to avoid evacuation traffic, so there is no where to stop and take care of this new added hurricane evacuation drama.
Cat is clawing at metal cage to get out, which flicks his throw up on Harrison, who is now crying too.
The rest of us see the humor in this except him. The church laugh is in full force and our shoulders are bobbing up and down but no one is making a sound to keep from further frustrating crying child with cat throw up on his leg.
I spot a self serve carwash, (the kind with the manual wand), so as we inch our way thru evacuation traffic, we pull in. Everyone disembarks the vehicle except me, who is now holding EVERYTHING in my lap from pillows, to the dvd player, to cuban sandwiches. *shoulders still bobbing and silent laughter occuring*
Neal gets change for the car wash machine- fat cat gladly leaps from smelly cage- both cat and cage are hosed down and dried off with the roll of papertowel that was shoved under the seats for a 'just in case' kind of day. Guess what? That day was here.
Huge dog has jumped to front seat and now looks like the driver...still panting.
Cleaning complete- cat refused to get back in carrier, but was defeated by hubby who shoved and stuffed fat cat in against his will.
Everyone back in, but now huge dog and fat cat are sharing back seat and the boys are in the middle row. Harrison is still not seeing the humor in any of this.
All we hear is "meoooooooooooooooooooow" over and over.
Fat cat protesting.
Huge dog still panting.
One child pouting.
We are making great time- traffic easy peasy- only problem, no gas ANYWHERE, and while we don't need it yet, it's unnerving to know that IF we did, we couldn't get any.
In record time, we make it to I-75 and them WHAM. Everyone stops.
Traffic?
Tourists evacuating?
Rush hour?
Nope- accident less than 1/2 a mile ahead. We are about 1 minute too late to pass this. Emergency vehicles came roaring thru with their sirens and everyone on the interstate parted like the scene in Bruce Almighty.
There- stuck on I-75, everyone sat....and sat... and sat.... eventually people got out of their cars and began meeting others around them and sharing evacuation snacks they packed. Behind us was a game of volleyball going on IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE! I swear I couldn't make this stuff if I tried! (well, I COULD but I didn't...)
Fortunately, we know that area and the back roads all the way to Tampa. What is normally an hour and 45 min drive took us 4 hours....4 long gahd awful hours with a car load of bad attitudes ranging from little people to furry creatures... oh, and let's not forget the repeated question of "Why are we doing this again?"
On the dark winding country hills of Pasco county, we managed to dodge a mangy farm dog in the middle of the road and an mammoth size armadillo, which darted out and quickly back in the grass within inches of our bumper.
We have now landed at my parents and I'm happy to report that we made it safe- sound and sane being another story, and wouldn't you know it's sunshining here as I type this! I know, I know... the calm before the storm, but all I can do is shake my head and laugh....
So THAT is our evacuation story.... if you kept reading this-you really are procrastinating on that laundry or work assignment... if you stopped somewhere up top- then you don't see this message to you anyway.
So- all that to say~ even more now than before, Hurricane FRANCES I rebuke you in the name of the LORD!
Here is the Patrick evacuation story. Had Chevy Chase been in the car this would have totally gone straight to video!
Ok- hubby finally came home around 4:45pm ( we were supposed to leave around 3ish, but he had to wait for a fax from a client-long story)
We shoved the trampoline into the woods as much as possible and tied it to many trees.... brought the basketball goal and planters from front porch inside, turned off a/c, unplugged tvs and computers,etc. and walked away wondering if we'll ever come back to our things?!
I had 99% of the car loaded already, because... well, that's how i roll.
Kids jump in- Harrison in back seat with 25 lb cat unhappy about being in cat carrier- Neal in middle seat crowded between stack of belongings and 75 lb dog.... all we hear is "meoooooooooooooooooooow" in protest from fat cat and panting from huge dog.
Before we are out of driveway, the DVD is playing Cheaper By the Dozen and cuban sandwiches are being passed out because "everyone is staaaaaaaaaaarving"....
About 7 minutes into trip, 25lb fat cat decides to throw up- poop- and tt in cat carrier promptly gagging Harrison who is trying not to throw up....dvd slides off stack of pillows and knocks Neal in head who is now crying... and the smell in the car is now that of a foul smelling petshop.
We are on a back winding country road to avoid evacuation traffic, so there is no where to stop and take care of this new added hurricane evacuation drama.
Cat is clawing at metal cage to get out, which flicks his throw up on Harrison, who is now crying too.
The rest of us see the humor in this except him. The church laugh is in full force and our shoulders are bobbing up and down but no one is making a sound to keep from further frustrating crying child with cat throw up on his leg.
I spot a self serve carwash, (the kind with the manual wand), so as we inch our way thru evacuation traffic, we pull in. Everyone disembarks the vehicle except me, who is now holding EVERYTHING in my lap from pillows, to the dvd player, to cuban sandwiches. *shoulders still bobbing and silent laughter occuring*
Neal gets change for the car wash machine- fat cat gladly leaps from smelly cage- both cat and cage are hosed down and dried off with the roll of papertowel that was shoved under the seats for a 'just in case' kind of day. Guess what? That day was here.
Huge dog has jumped to front seat and now looks like the driver...still panting.
Cleaning complete- cat refused to get back in carrier, but was defeated by hubby who shoved and stuffed fat cat in against his will.
Everyone back in, but now huge dog and fat cat are sharing back seat and the boys are in the middle row. Harrison is still not seeing the humor in any of this.
All we hear is "meoooooooooooooooooooow" over and over.
Fat cat protesting.
Huge dog still panting.
One child pouting.
We are making great time- traffic easy peasy- only problem, no gas ANYWHERE, and while we don't need it yet, it's unnerving to know that IF we did, we couldn't get any.
In record time, we make it to I-75 and them WHAM. Everyone stops.
Traffic?
Tourists evacuating?
Rush hour?
Nope- accident less than 1/2 a mile ahead. We are about 1 minute too late to pass this. Emergency vehicles came roaring thru with their sirens and everyone on the interstate parted like the scene in Bruce Almighty.
There- stuck on I-75, everyone sat....and sat... and sat.... eventually people got out of their cars and began meeting others around them and sharing evacuation snacks they packed. Behind us was a game of volleyball going on IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE! I swear I couldn't make this stuff if I tried! (well, I COULD but I didn't...)
Fortunately, we know that area and the back roads all the way to Tampa. What is normally an hour and 45 min drive took us 4 hours....4 long gahd awful hours with a car load of bad attitudes ranging from little people to furry creatures... oh, and let's not forget the repeated question of "Why are we doing this again?"
On the dark winding country hills of Pasco county, we managed to dodge a mangy farm dog in the middle of the road and an mammoth size armadillo, which darted out and quickly back in the grass within inches of our bumper.
We have now landed at my parents and I'm happy to report that we made it safe- sound and sane being another story, and wouldn't you know it's sunshining here as I type this! I know, I know... the calm before the storm, but all I can do is shake my head and laugh....
So THAT is our evacuation story.... if you kept reading this-you really are procrastinating on that laundry or work assignment... if you stopped somewhere up top- then you don't see this message to you anyway.
So- all that to say~ even more now than before, Hurricane FRANCES I rebuke you in the name of the LORD!
