Re-Up

It's official. Uncle Sam owns me for one more year. I re-enlisted for another year. That way I'll finish out school and be done with both the guard and school around the same time. That is going to be an strange chapter in my life. After re-enlisting I started imagining what it would be like to not have drill, AT, or PT tests anymore. Not to ever put on the uniform again. There's definitely a highlight in all of it, but it still will be sorta sad, as I've been doing this for 6 years. I just can't imagine it, and now I won't for another year!

School is going well. One week down, only 3 1/2 more to go. The classes are actually pretty fun and I enjoy the stuff that we are doing. At the end, our final project is a puppet show presentation. Yes, this is my life. It is good to be studying something that you love and to know that you will be doing something you will enjoy. It's a good feeling.

Summer Classes & Dog Sitting

I started summer classes on Monday. I have to go everyday--even Fridays! At least it's only for four weeks. It's 9 credits in four weeks (teaching with the arts and 2 SPED classes), so I'm sure I'll be busy, but it will be okay. It's already looking better. My SPED (Special Education) professor lives in Bloomington and decided to only have our afternoon classes on Monday and Tuesdays, leaving our Wednesday and Thursday afternoons open. We'll have to do more reading and forums now, but at least we won't be stuck at campus. I'm getting back into the routine of school. I enjoy not taking classes but I always feel a little lost when I'm on break. Plus it's good to see all my friends that I don't get to see when school is out. I'm falling back into a routine, which is good. I'm busy but happy.

Zeus is also here for a couple weeks. Jaime is going to Tennessee so we're dog-sitting and I think he'll be here until she picks him up when she comes up for the Fourth of July. Sammy always enjoys having the company over, although I'm not sure he appreciates her jumping on him all the time. It's been so hot they usually lie around all day and are more active in the evening. We don't usually take our walks until 9pm. On our walk last night Zeus decided to poop in the middle of the road while he was still walking. It was like a horse--and the poop was probably as big as horse's poop! A couple kids rode by on their bikes and saw the poop and started shouting "hey, someone pooped in the road!" Then a couple of adults started repeating what their kids were saying. I was mortified. Here I am, walking two dogs down the road, couldn't possibly have been one of my dogs that pooped in the road. I couldn't get down the block fast enough. And yes, I know dog walking etiquette says to pick up your dog's waste, but if you know Zeus, then that's all that needs to be said.

Dinner and Bowling

After the birthday party on Saturday, we went back to Jaime's to pick up Sammy and Zeus (we're dog sitting while she goes to TN next weekend) and headed home. We went out to dinner with a few of Michael's coworkers and their wives/girlfriends. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant (no, we can never get enough) for some good dinner, yummy margaritas, and good conversation. After dinner we moved to the bowling alley for a couple games. I surprisingly did well the first game, but not so much the second game. Michael did better his second round through but wasn't at his best. Either way, we had a good time playing and getting to know everyone. After that most of the couples parted ways, except for Mike V. and his wife, Stephanie. They had a babysitter for the night and didn't want it to go to waste. So we headed down to Caddies for a little bit. We sat on the dance side for a little bit until we had our fill of watching the dancers (not a pretty sight) and then moved over to the live music side to watch the band. We had a good time and it was nice to finally meet some more of Michael's coworkers and put faces with the names. We got along well and had lots of laughs. We all plan to get together again, hopefully to go for a ride on the motorcycles.

Lucas' Birthday

Friday night we went down to Madison. Jaime had to make a lap for a cancer benefit at the high school. We stopped at Taco Bell first, where Lucas attempted to hit on a 3 year-old sitting next to us by shoving his quesadilla in her mouth. Such a ladies man. Then we went over to the track. Lucas and I ran around, blew bubbles, and played in the bouncer. There was a group there that had a little horses on poles the kids could walk around with. Jaime made her lap and chatted for a bit with an old coworker and then we headed home.

Saturday started early as Lucas decided it was wake up time at 6am. We made breakfast, opened a few presents at the house, and got ready for the party at Hanover Park. When we arrived there, however, there was no one there to unlock the doors. Finally, after some phone calls, some one shows up explaining there was some "confusion" with the bookkeeping. It all worked out in the end. We got set up in time before anyone showed up and the kids all had a good time running around in the room. After eating, cake, and presents, the festivities moved outside to the playground. There was fun to be had by all---there was a bouncy teeter totter that I think was more fun for us than the kids. It amazes me to see Lucas grow up (now the big 2 year old that he is!) and go down the big slides by himself among the many other things he is now able to do. Time seems to go by so quickly when they're that young and learning to do so many things. All in all, the party was a success, but it really can't go wrong when there's meatballs and cake in my opinion.

Back Home and Back to Normal

Michael came back home on Sunday evening. It was so good to see him again. I just want to say now that yes, he was only gone a week (and we've been apart longer than that before) but I missed him. I give my sister so much credit. Jaime, I admire your strength. I don't know how you do it everyday. He was down in Vincennes, helping with the sandbagging efforts. He also was in charge of maintenance while they were down there as well. They were staying at the local high school. It was hard work and long days, almost everyday starting at 4am and ending at 11pm. Some days they would be soaked from the rain in the early morning and work in wet uniforms and soggy boots all day long. But he worked hard and it was noticed. He received a coin (the military's equivelent of a certificate, basically). I'm very proud of him and although he was pretty miserable this past week, he feels proud that he was able to help in time of need.

When he got home, he showered and then we went to dinner, yes good ol' Mexican. Yummy. He took the day off work on Monday for a little R&R. We went for a ride on the motorcycle and my face got burnt. He also got his saddlebags in the mail before he left and never had a chance to put them on, so he finally was able to do so. It will be so nice to go riding and actually be able to carry things with us. We just had a lazy day. Took a nap in the afternoon. Cooked some chicken on the grill for dinner. Went to bed early but stayed up late talking. Funny how that works.

I am also adjusting back to the world of the living. Working 3rd shift the last two weeks for A.T., I really got into a pattern (one that I didn't think I would get into) and grew accustomed to my schedule; go to work all night, come home at 6am, walk Sammy, sleep 'til 4ish, do stuff around the house, take Sammy for a walk, go to work and start over again. So I stayed up all night Saturday and didn't sleep on Sunday so that I could sleep Sunday night. I'm pretty tired and not sleeping regularly now, but I know I'll eventually get back into it.

So Saturday and Sunday I FINALLY painted the bedroom. This is something I have been wanting to do since we moved in a year and a half ago. I chose "cranberry" for the color. Two days and two gallons of paint later, it's done. It really changes the feeling of the room, much better than white. The picture makes it look darker in there than it really is, but it is a darker color. The room is so big it was good to use a darker color so we can make the setting a little more cozy and intimate. We really like it.

Clean Up Continues

As I walk Sammers through the neighborhood, I see the clean-up progress continue. People have pulled their furniture out, some leaving it in the garage with fans to dry. There is carpet ripped out and put in the garbage, along with many other destroyed belongings. Many do not have flood insurance and so the replacement will be solely on their shoulders. And this sight can be seen everywhere. When I drive into town, I see the clean-up effort not only out of people's homes, but out of businesses as well. It makes me so sad to see all the damage and devastation that this storm brought. We now have our drinking water back, but I think I will continue to use the gallon water for a little bit longer. I can not say enough how grateful I am that our house was not damaged and that we were not hurt.

The same day of the storm, I noticed a stain on the ceiling in the kitchen. It lines up with our master bathroom, so I figured there must be a leak. The plumbers were out today, and couldn't find a source of the leak. They sealed the drain in the shower and reset the toilet, just in case, and to rule out those as possibilities. They say the water may have come in a vent on the outside of the house. So now we just keep our fingers crossed that the bathroom is fine. I am going to spray bleach water on the ceiling to try and clean that up and to also help watch for any leaks that might sprout again.

When It Rains, It Floods

At least was the case yesterday. In fact, the floods were so bad that Columbus/Bartholomew County, along with several other counties in central Indiana, was placed under a state of emergency. It started raining Friday evening and continued into Saturday. We had closed several roads at Camp Atterbury due to flooding by early morning. While it was a lot of rain, I didn't think much of it until I woke up late Saturday morning. The street was flooded. I didn't realize how bad it was until Jaime called me frantically explaining that the roads were blocked into the addition. I grabbed Sammy and we ran down to the corner. Sure enough. So flooded that trucks couldn't even get through. A neighbor told me that he had his son go through the farm by our house. So I called Jaime back and told her to go the farm road. I hopped the fence and waded through knee high water to bring Lucas back to the house. Jaime finally found a place to park and waded through several blocks of water. I found out later that the dam at Prince's Lakes had given out, contributing to this mess.
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It was a sight to see. Many of the neighbors were out of the homes, watching the water in the middle of the street. Some had rafts and were soaking up the sun. Kids were splashing and playing in the water (including Lucas and I). A couple guys got a boat out (yes, a boat--it was that deep) to meet people at the road so they could get into their houses. The news helicopters were hovering overhead. Later we found out the we beat the 1913 flood record.

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After Michael got home, we urged him to go to town so we could eat dinner. Against his better judgement, we headed off. It was our "adventure." We walked as far from the street as we could, walking almost right along side of the houses until we made it to the car. We made it to town just fine and ate a little Fazoli's. Jaime needed to pick up invitations and other party materials for Lucas' birthday party so we tried going to the store. This is how we realized how bad things really were. The Kmart was closed, in fact the entire mall was closed. When we were leaving we talked to a couple, stranded in town. They told us we were under a state of emergency. When I looked up, I noticed the traffic was backed up. We got in the car and headed out, just to find that every road we turned onto was blocked off. We decided heading back up the way we came would be the safest bet. We quickly learned why the reports were urging residents to stay in their homes and off the streets. The road that we had driven into town on had now flooded over. Although very dangerous and very stupid, we chanced it and continued on. Michael did a good job, watching the water as we carefully crossed the streaming water. We were lucky. The news was reporting the roads and bridges were falling out in the flood waters.

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We made it back home safe and sound. Many of the businesses closed down yesterday and are closed today as well. The Columbus hospital had to be evacuated. The Red Cross set up a sight at North Middle School for all of the families that were displaced. Michael had to go back to Atterbury this morning and had to go up and around through Franklin to get in on the other side. Our house is fine, thank goodness. We sit high on the hill and the worst of our flooding was water sitting in the backyard. Not everyone was that lucky. I talked to my good friend, Brenda, and she had to be evacuated out of her house by boat; told she won't be able to return by car for probably a month. I just can't believe all that has happened this week. I'm almost in disbelief. I feel drained, still not caught up from the effects of the tornado. It's sunny today, which is our one day break before the rains hit again tomorrow. Hopefully my next post won't bring news of more devastating weather.

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**Update**

Michael was put on orders tonight. He came home from drill and grabbed his gear and was gone again. I'm not sure what they'll be doing or where they'll be. I keep waiting for the phone call for orders for me, but still nothing. I feel useless as I sit here idle.

Tornado at Atterbury

As I watch the rain and the storm continue into yet another day, I wonder where I should start. I guess by stating that I have the best guardian angel one could ask for. I believe it was through my angel, that I chose to stop for some food before heading up to work at Camp Atterbury for my annual training. I knew it was storming but I didn't really know how bad until I was in the McDonald's drive-thru and all the power went out in the entire shopping center. I waited in line until I could drive through, without food due to the power failure, and drive over to the gas station to pick up a soda and chips, my replacement dinner, before heading up to Atterbury. A man asked me if I was heading north and I answered that I was indeed. He said to be careful because tornadoes were coming through. I had to go up there so I jumped in my car and decided to race against the storm. There were branches and leaves all over the road, the traffic lights were all out, and all I could think is to get to Atterbury as quickly as I can before the tornado comes through so I can get into a safe building. Once I pulled onto post I knew something had happened. The traffic was backed up at the gate. By the time I got onto post the MP's were directed traffic around roads that were closed due to debris. He told me there had just been a tornado. Once I got to the office, and heard that the tornado had come through at 9:33, my jaw just dropped. I left the house at 9:20. If I hadn't stopped for food it would have placed me directly driving into the tornado. Once I got on post and drove to my location, I noticed some of the damage that had been done. There were cars turned upside down, debris everywhere, trailers destroyed, trees broken and stripped of all their leaves. Panic doesn't really set until until you know how bad it really is.

Normally I'm just post locator, which means I answer the Camp Atterbury switchboard. Last night I transferred my phone over and to the MP station and worked in there. It was chaos. The power was out so we continuted to work in the dark with flashlights and chemlights. The phone still worked and the first few hours of phone calls were people trying to find out about damage or family members. It was weird being the person on that side trying to explain to these families that we don't know anything at this time. We had all our emergency personnel going through barracks and buildings. Fortunately there were no casualties. Once everyone was accounted for, we began to assess the damage. It's devastating; in a matter of seconds the center of base was destroyed. It went right through the middle. Some of the buildings were destroyed, some with roof or siding damage. Many of the trailers were destroyed, one actually landing on top of a building. There were gas leaks and power lines down. There were cars turned on their sides or piled in the middle of roads. Debris was everywhere, blown across the fields, roads, and into the trees. Being a military installation, we also had to deal with over 2,000 soldiers and marines displaced, needing housing for the night, as well as food and water. As well as sensitive items, such as weapons that were in trailers, that had been lost and now are unaccounted for. There is millions of dollars worth of damage and weeks to come of repair and clean-up.

And as if it were not chaotic enough, about 30-40 minutes after the tornado went through, there was a high speed accident at one of the old front gates. The car had been going over 100mph and slammed into the gate at around 80mph. So we lost some of our emergency workers to man that accident. The passengers needed to be cut out of the vehicle but are stable at the hospital.

I left post this morning at 06:00, and it was starting to get light out. I could see some of the damage that I had heard about all night. It is surreal. I can't help but think about all the damage, about how I could have driven into the tornado, and how if the tornado had run through just a few miles south, it would have been my neighborhood. It really makes you think about how quickly things can change and just like that your life can be upturned. There's a button on the phone that I noticed that says "major alarm." I never thought I would see that button lit.

Camp Atterbury wasn't the only place affected by the tornado. Many of the surrounding cities have been hit. Edinburgh, a small city just north of Columbus, was devastated by the tornado. They closed the city last night. There were other towns that have been completely wiped out. I've never seen the effects of a tornado in person, always on t.v. It is unbelievable to see it in person, and especially in a place that you know.

Michael is staying late at UTES to continue to work on the damage. They have contracted out the repair work at the shop, but military workers need to be present to secure the building while they are they. There is still no power on that side of base. He has said that some of the post has gained power today. When I talked to him last, the sirens were sounding again as the storm was coming in.

Since there are so many pictures I want to share, I decided to upload them all to my facebook account. Here are the links so that you can view them.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55092&l=5f19b&id=618992246

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55093&l=35045&id=618992246