Come on Irene

Okay, I know the song is about a lady named Ilene, but you've got to admit, the title is catchy! Let me just start by saying I'm not even two years old and this past week I checked "survive an earthquake, a hurricane, and a flood" off of my life's to-do list. Everyone makes fun of me for wearing a helmet everywhere I go, but looks who's laughing now! Sheesh people.

Last week my mom and I were playing at our house and it began to sound like a helicopter was close to our roof. Now this isn't that unusual because we live near the Pentagon. But the noise got really loud and not only were the windows humming, my mom looked up and saw the candle sticks teetering back and forth. She grabbed me like a sack of potatoes and we dove under the heavy kitchen table. (Call it her California instincts.)

As we were squished under the table she said out loud, "Sorry Bodie, your mom is making you look crazy hiding under this table. Virginia doesn't have earthquakes, but this sure feels like one...maybe it was an explosion...whatever it is, we're not leaving this table until it stops." And wouldn't you know it, it WAS an earthquake - the first one in over 100 years and the largest earthquake ever in the history of the state of Virginia. Geez my mom is smart...and still crazy. No damage to the house or us but it sure was the talk of the town until....Irene!

So with a hurricane coming we did what we always do, we jumped on an airplane. We headed to Vermont for the weekend figuring we'd be far enough north to miss the wrath of Irene and enjoy a visit with family. Our home in Virginia faired well against Irene. The yard was littered with small tree branches and leaves, with the greatest drama being our hammock flipped over because of the winds - all of which were fixed before we even got home, thanks to our fabulous neighbors.

Vermont - specifically, Bennington, Vermont where we were - was another story. The rain started on Saturday morning and just kept coming and coming and coming. Fortunately our family lives on a big hill in Bennington and their homes were fine. Unfortunately part of the town was badly flooded. A 150 year old historic covered bridge was completely washed away. Several roads throughout the state have been washed out - lots of detours. The people of Vermont remained upbeat but I'm sure they'd appreciate you adding them to your prayers.

During our trip we got to hang out with my cousins - Katie, Luke, and Bridget - my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jimmy, and my Nana and Pop Pop. We played games, went for a stroll, did yard work - very relaxing. In fact, on the day it rained all day, my dad never got dressed. He stayed in his pajamas ALL day! How fun is that!!!