Heads: Carolina Tails: California

Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas early Saturday, September 13th.  The size of the storm was shocking, and evacuation orders were given from the Galveston Coast all the way up to around the Louisiana border, which included us.  We stopped first at my parent's home and spent some time there.  One day and two nights after the power went out, we decided the heat and lack of water wasn't for us.  We hit the road with a full tank of gas, a full van, no knowledge as to where we would go, and a very badly torn map of the United States.  We decided our general direction should be west, California, perhaps, to spend time with Samuel's 

sister, so westward ho, we went, stopping at a park every 2 hours or so to let the kids get out and play.  It turned out to be a very successful family vacation, complete with junk food, hotel stays, parks, zoos, and lots and lots of time.  When we reached Abileen, Texas, we got a phone call informing us that lights were back on at Samuel's office and at each of our parents' homes, so we turned around and headed home We knew our hurrication was a success when we overheard Aleesia, our 5 year old say to Grant, our 3 year old: "Grant, do you like to go on long road trips?"  Grant: "Yep".  And that was that.  We were blessed to not have much damage, but my heart goes out to the many who lost homes, jobs, and even loved ones because of the storm.