2 months since Hurricane Ike

I can't believe it has been 2 months since Hurricane Ike came through Houston. The whole thing was such a crazy experience! I finally got these pics on my computer so I thought I would take a minute to blog about it. Many of the homes on our street were damaged, however we were so blessed to be safe and that our house wasn't damaged. We were without power for two weeks which was very difficult when you are 9 months pregnant! But so many blessings came out of it. We were able to form friendships with neighbors, ward members and even strangers. It was such a blessing to watch all the service going on all around us. An example is one of our sweet neighbors who stood in line for 9 hours at the only open grocery stores to buy ice for all the families on our street. Her husband is in Iraq and she is by herself. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she decided to serve her neighbors. We also had the wonderful opportunity to house some of the missionaries that were evacuated from the other areas. They were a big help and they made me feel safe:) Here are some pics of the damage in our neighborhood.

   

One of many houses on our street that had fallen trees        

An empty lot across the street.

    

The house around the corner.

       

A house down the street from ours.

         

Another house on our street.

      

Driving around after the hurricane was over.

       

One of many fallen trees in the road.

        

The missionaries that stayed with us after being evacuated from their areas. We loved them!

         

One of many damaged traffic lights.

    

A local restaurant that was damaged. Says "ouch Ike hurt will open soon"

         

Many billboards were destroyed.

           

For weeks we saw rows of power trucks from many different states that were here to help

        

"Yes we are open today with TV and beer"...the essentials LOL.

      

My 9 mo. pregnant self during our 2 week stretch without power in the hot Houston weather!  I’m huge!