Ike (arrrggghhh!!!)

Friggin’ hurricanes.

When I was in Austin last week (for Gustav), I met the cutest couple while waiting for the bats to come out from the Congress bridge.  (Coolest thing ever – watch it on youtube HERE.)  They were vacationing from Dallas and just enjoying city for a few days.  When they found out I was an evacuee from Louisiana, they just asked, “Why don’t you move?”

That was it.  Simple as that.  I kind of laughed.  I thought about it for a minute, thinking, “These people are right!  Why don’t we just move somewhere else?”

The primary reason being this:  When Rita came and devastasted everything in SWLA in ’05, Adam said that was it.  No more.  We’re moving!  After he calmed down a little more, I told him that just doesn’t make sense.  These kind of horrible cat 3 storms only come but once every fifty years – Hurricane Audrey being the last in the 1950′s.  Once every 50 years isn’t that bad.  We can live through that.

But now, evacuating TWICE in a week/two weeks?!  Geez!  Let’s just hope this year is a bizarre one and that this guy, like Gustav, isn’t THAT bad.

By the way – we’re not going far this time.  And it looks like it’s just my mom and I again.  Which is cool.  Without a mandatory evacuation, Adam’s 13 on: 1 off shifts are still going strong and AT&T still has them working a full 12 hour day tomorrow and Saturday.  Freaks.  I just told him not to climb any poles in these 80 mph gusts.  (i.e. – I’ll be a nervous wreck for the next two days leaving him here alone/with my dad.  Same thing.  lol)

We’re just going to Lafayette.  As of now, we still have a wedding to shoot in Iota on Saturday!  My mom has asked me about 30 times today if it’s been post-poned or cancelled yet.  And every hour, I tell her no, I haven’t heard anything.  Just like I told Tara, who was married right before Gustav hit, – If you’re there, we’re there.    I have to give props to Ariel, who’s so “hard core” that she’s just like me.  I told her she’s not obligated to help me on Saturday…. to “go and save yourself”.  lol  But she said she’s good.  She’ll be in Lafayette as well and she’ll be ready to go Saturday if needed.  Thanks chick. 

Oh – so by the way – the studio will be closed again until further notice… If all goes well, that means until Monday or Tuesday, I’m sure.  I’ll keep u posted.  Be safe!

Hanging out in Austin

In a nut shell – my mom and I drove 10 hours yesterday, only to make it as far as College Station (home of Texas A&M).  I had already reserved three nights at the Radisson in Austin, so I had to call and cancel last night just because of crap traffic with the entire southern State of Lousiana evacuating.  Around 1.9 million people to be exact – or at least that’s the count they’ve given on national news – biggest evac ever for Louisiana I think…

Anyway, I hope everyone is okay!  I know Gustav has really surprised us all.  Adam and my dad stayed to weather it out with our two great danes and just jumped back and forth between our two houses (we’re right next door) and when I talked to him tonight, he said it was all fine.  However, my grandparents evacuated to Alexandria in their motor home days ago and they really got the worst of it up there – I think it’s STILL hammering down on them now!  I hope they’re safe.

Mom and I got up this morning, had our “continental breakfast” at the Comfort Suites – which was quite delicious, I might add – and finished out our trip down 290 to Austin.  We stopped once along the way to walk around for a sec – and while she checked out a little shop, I walked and took some pictures – by myself – and just because.    I haven’t done that in forever!  I only did for about 10 minutes, but had fun!  I’m blogging from my laptop, so I have no CLUE what the colors really look like…  just thought I’d share.

Moi in the mirror. 

Going down 105 and meeting 290, we found ourselves in Brenham.  We both got really excited when we saw the BlueBell Icecream factory!!!  We just had to stop for a sec…

Gorgeous place, eh?  So pretty!

The infamous little girl and her cow.  This moved Mom to tears.  I have no clue why, but it cracked me up.  She was just too excited.

Well, guys, I’d love to know where YOU are, if you just happen to have an internet connection and are checking this!  Kat – thanks for the update!  I’m glad to hear y’all are safe!  We are as well.  Austin is just absolutely gorgeous and our hotel is in downtown Austin with an amazing view of the river, which we are overlooking.  Now that we’re here, it’s just gorgeous and we’re making the most of it.  But, Mom, being the counselor of SMCS school and me having a wedding this weekend in Liberty, we need to get back as soon as we can, but we know getting back may just be as bad as getting away…

Leave me a comment and tell me where YOU evacuated to! 

Goodbye for now

Okay, so it’s Saturday evening… on the Eve of Gustav.

I just finished shooting Tara & Eric’s amazing wedding this afternoon.  My heart has hurt for them and their big day since Thursday, but there wasn’t reason – their day was still beautiful and amazing.  Yes, they did have guests – several, in fact!  So despite many tears and stress beforehand, I truly think today was still everything they’d imagined it to be.

As of now, even with evacuations in place and SWLA starting to look more like a ghost town by the hour, I have a wedding in Liberty, Texas next weekend.  Ariel and her family have left for Austin, while we’ll be leaving tomorrow for Rusk, Texas, a little town in between Dallas & Shreveport.

If you curious to know how back ups and evacuations are handled with my terabytes of images – they’re okay!  We’ve always taken the means to backup and archive everything three times on three different types of media.  While I cannot take the hundreds of DVDs I have, I AM taking my tower, as well as all of my hard drives, including the “big boys” that have archived everything for 2007 and 2008.

So, everyone, be safe!  Take care.  And I’m sure we’ll all be back within a week working on getting back to a normal life!