Evacuation: Day 1

Part of my family and I left home today, partly to flee the coming storm and get a jump on the crazy evacuation traffic and partly because we have a family reunion in the central part of our state. The latter would be far more exciting were it not for the large mass of swirling, churning destruction staring us down from somewhere just behind the Cuban border. But, I'm not one to quibble over details...

All in all, the evacuation was smooth and uneventful, as all good evacuations should be. The traffic wasn't too bad and the drive wasn't too long. When we evacuated for Katrina, I got car sick about half way through a 14 hr drive. Not good. But no nausea or headaches or any other malday this time. Yay!

Along for the ride were My oldest brother, his girlfriend and her daughter. They were the lead car. Behind him, my 2nd to last brother, then Mom, then me. Yes, we each took separate cars. Better than leaving them home to get flooded, right? There were times that I wished I had someone in the car to talk to and help distract me from the fact that the kiddos weren't with me, and were in fact, headed in a completely different direction for an indefinite period of time, but...that was usually right before my 2nd to last brother (a.k.a. "the crack head") would text me something like this: "I order a mandatory evacuation of my bowels."

Brothers.

We stopped for dinner, and the aforementioned evacuation, at a Shoney's about halfway between home and our destination. I sat next to the crack head and we had some good laughs ...about what I can't remember now. But, I do remember thinking and saying that I was so glad he was with us. He always makes me laugh. And, just for the record, he doesn't really do crack, I just call him that. It's a term of endearment, really.

Anyway, now I sit in a dismal motel room listening to the sound of the AC and wishing the kiddos where here to snuggle me to sleep. But they're not, so I just pray they are safe, unafraid, and that I will see them real soon...and that the crackhead doesn't snore too loudly tonight.

Amen.