Hurricane Harvey

We knew it was hurricane season in South Texas, and one of the first things people told us when we moved there was that one hadn't hit in almost a decade so we were due for one. Still, although I did have "make a hurricane emergency kit" on my to-do list, you never actually think it's going to happen. Well, Hurricane Harvey seemed to pop up overnight. At the beginning of the week, we were making plans for the weekend. Tuesday, I told Mike there might be a tropical storm we have to watch. Wednesday, it was looking like the storm could get worse so we were planning to shelter in place so I grabbed some non-perishables, and he told me he'd gather more information the next day at work. Thursday, Mike texted me from work and told me to book a hotel for us and Rupert for the next week in Dallas and to start packing because we were leaving that afternoon...alright, then. Looking back, the Navy did an incredible job being decisive in its plan to get people out when it did. We still dealt with some traffic Thursday afternoon, but it was nothing compared to what people endured Friday after the rain had already started.

I booked us a room at an extended stay in Dallas that took pets. Mike normally books all of our trips, so I made a rookie mistake and used hotels.com (their customer service is not good), but we did have a kitchenette in our room and free breakfast every day, so I did well there! We'd never been to Dallas (we've never been to a lot of TX), so we planned to make the most of our time there, since we didn't know how long we would be evacuated. 

Day 1: Thursday evening

We arrived super late so ended up eating dinner around 10pm. I researched nearby takeout spots and this Lebanese place ended up being an awesome choice!

Rupe did well on the 8 hour trip! 15 minutes from the hotel he couldn't hold his bladder anymore, so I had to clean that up when we got in. Besides that, he only meowed in the car for an hour. Maybe two. Considering this was his first car trip over 2 hours AND his first hotel stay, we are proud of him!

Day 2: Friday in the arts district

There was free entrance for military families at pretty much all of the museums we went to which was really nice!

The sculpture museum was right beside the Museum of Art: Decaf cappuccino for me and iced tea for Mike when I needed a break from walking.

The heat in Dallas was not as bad as what we were used to, so walking outside in the courtyard didn't feel unbearable.

Beautiful flowers and plants and Mike in the background!

Went to the bathroom (always) and came back to find Mike playing in these interactive sculpture chairs. Ween: he may have been talking to you in this picture!

Gotta watch those chairs!

A pic of downtown Dallas while waiting for the trolley.

Another pic of downtown Dallas. Mike really loved the architecture of the buildings. I loved this green park right near the arts district!

Day 3: Saturday at the Arboretum

The cloud cover on Saturday was a perfect chance to visit the arboretum, especially since I was eager to spend as much time outside in cooler weather as possible!

The gardens are so beautiful at the arboretum! We saw many many people getting pictures formally taken for pregnancy, engagement, wedding, quincienera, etc.

Pink & Green

Tangly Trees

So much green!

With Shakespeare! Don't know why he was in Dallas...

Bump!

Selfie

Day 4: Sunday at Perot museum & Holocaust museum

The Perot Museum of Science & History is a super interactive and family-friendly museum in downtown Dallas. I'm not into interactive exhibits as much, but this guy definitely is:) The only problem was the museum was extremely crowded!

Another photo of downtown Dallas

Mike & I weren't able to get to the Holocaust museum in DC before leaving, so I really wanted to make it to the Dallas Holocaust Museum. It was small, but the exhibit was wonderfully moving, heartbreaking, and so important for us to see. I'm so glad that we had the opportunity.

Rupert enjoying his time in the hotel:)

Days 5 & 6: Hanging out at the hotel (Monday) and heading home (Tuesday)

On Monday, we just relaxed around the hotel. Mike had some work to do, and we went out for dinner at the same Lebanese restaurant we'd gotten take out from on the first night. We also decided that we'd head back the next day because we got word late on Tuesday that power was being restored in our apartment building (the power had been out since Friday and we knew we'd have to throw out all of our food). 

Tuesday, I woke up Mike super early since I wanted to avoid any traffic on the way down. But I took first driving shift. We ended up making it back in about 6  hours. When we started getting closer to the coast (we didn't go near Houston at all), we started to see some of the devastation that the hurricane had left behind. I had been watching the news, but I still could not believe a lot of what I was seeing, and a lot of this destruction was in towns that I had not heard mentioned on the news. So I'm sharing these pictures in hopes that we don't forget these smaller towns.

Water-filled trenches on the sides of the roads

A Shell gas station

Boarded up buildings and destroyed signs

Power lines tangled in remnants of buildings

I think most of these pictures were taken near Refugio, TX and, when we drove through, there was no gas, water, or power to be seen anywhere. It was heartbreaking. We did see people on the side of the road handing out free food and water, so the rebuilding had begun. However, after seeing what happened in Houston, it will probably take longer for a lot of resources/money/aid to reach some of these smaller communities. I know that a lot of these communities need money right now, and here is where I initially donated to try to get the money to those towns as soon as possible: http://www.victoriafoodbank.org/get-involved/donations/

After missing a days of work, Mike has been very busy with his job since we returned, and will be traveling to DC next week to finish up a case he has worked on before. Hopefully, I'll get another pregnancy update blog out while he's gone!