Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know everything is okay with us. We were spared the brunt of Hurricane Matthew and my heart goes out to all those up the Florida coast, Georgia, and the Carolina’s where Matthew did the bulk of his damage here in the U.S.

If you’ve never been through a potential hurricane, it’s a surreal situation. Hurricane coverage is on 24/7 for days on end on nearly every television channel, cars are lined up bumper-to-bumper for gas, there is a constant faint noise of hammering in the background as people rush to put up shutters, grocery shelves are nearly bare as people stock up on food and water, and your phone is bombarded with texts from people worrying about you. I know it might seem weird to say, but it’s almost like a holiday – there is a certain common buzz in the air and all people talk about is what could happen, and what did happen if you’ve been through hurricanes in years past.

This was Publix the night before Matthew was to arrive. Dan and I went shopping for some last minute stuff (i.e., wine) and this was the bread aisle.

I was let go early from work on Wednesday to prepare – things like filling the bathtub with water, picking up yard ornaments and potted plants, preparing an emergency supply box with batteries, candles, first aid items, canned goods, and more had to be done. We don’t have hurricane shutters, but the company Dan works for was kind enough to provide plywood for families in need, so we were able to cover up some of our key windows.

And of course, making sure our cats would be safe was of highest priority. We got the cat carriers ready, stocked up on food and litter, and made sure we had a safe room to go to when the wind started to pick up. I was extremely concerned as to how they would react while Dan and I were getting things ready, but honestly, they were so excited to see all the new comings and goings in the house, that they actually enjoyed the hustle and bustle and there was a lot of excited sniffing and exploring going on from them.

I woke up Thursday with a feeling of dread  and impending doom. Having personally been through several hurricanes, many of them quite devastating, I don’t take anything lightly and I felt as if my heart was going to burst with the fear of the unknown. My life could literally change in the blink of an eye later on in the day and the suspense was palpable. The cats, again, were quite pleased. Unless I’m sick, I don’t ever sit on the couch in the morning, let alone the afternoon and I was glued to the coverage on TV from the moment I woke up.

This pretty much sums up my life on Thursday waiting for Hurricane Matthew to arrive. I took this picture from my cell phone (even thought I should have been conserving battery power). Mia and Zoey were on my legs, Jazmine at my side.

With most of the windows covered, the house had a cozy feel to it and they were thrilled to snuggle on the couch with Dan and me as we watched the never-ending coverage. And then it happened – between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. it became abundantly clear rather than heading straight for us, Matthew was heading further north and was going to spare us for the most part. Nerves, fatigue, call it what you like but even after that I couldn’t move from the couch. I think I was in shock and disbelief that Matthew was going to bypass us.

We did get wind and rain and our yard was a mess and several people lost power, but I’ll take that any day. And, of course, lots of people grumbled that we prepared for no reason. I’m not one of those people. It’s far better to be safe than sorry when it comes to life. And trust me, as I’ve gotten older, I truly know what’s important. Never once did I worry about losing the “things” in my house. Dan, the cats, that was all I cared about. And my family and friends who live here, them too I worried about. Nothing else mattered.

Yup…Jazmine sure is one concerned kitty…Sigh…but thank goodness we are safe and sound!

Thank you again for all of you who worried about me – we’re just fine and I pray every one else will be okay too.

Join the Sunday-Selfies Blog Hop!