Saturday, October 17, 2009

DAT Team

Many of you saw my Facebook status about the DAT (Disaster Action Team) call we got last Tuesday and have asked questions about it. It's really not all that exciting...but it was my first call out - that WAS exciting!

I was at youth group watching my kids play the tapioca game on Tuesday night (side note: the tapioca game is disgusting! Way fun to watch, but way gross...) Amy said, "You know, Jessica (youth leader) would really be upset if we got a call tonight..." (Another side note...Amy used to get all sorts of fun calls when it was just her responding. When I started to be on call with her, there have been no calls.) I laughed, because I was on with her, so what are the chances of us going out on a call?

HA! So, back to the tapioca game. I was outside, Amy was inside. Outside = 38 degrees; inside = 77 degrees. Who do you think is the better servant? Just kidding. So I'm freezing outside when Amy comes out all decked out in her gloves, scarf, jacket, etc and smiles at me. I knew right then. "No way! No way!!!" Amy smiles and says, "Yup! We've gotta go." So we get in her car and drive.

Along the way, she says, "K, so we have three trees that fell on a house in Switzer." (For those of you who don't know, Switzer is a mobile home park in Juneau." The winds were howling, so it wasn't a big surprise. Apparently the family was fine, but since the winds were still blowing, they were afraid to stay in their house overnight. I asked if we had an address, and Amy said, "Well, I imagine it's the one with three trees on it! But yes, we have an address." Ha Ha, Amy...

So we pull up, and sure enough, you can't miss the house! Three massive trees just toppled over onto the mobile home. Funny thing was that you couldn't even tell if there was damage! We went inside, and the family is sitting around the table, someone is cooking dinner, three boys are watching TV, and they're all doing just fine! The father of the house was taking a nap earlier in the day when he felt the house shake. He checked if everyone else was alright, and everyone else seemed good, so he went back to sleep. It wasn't until their neighbors called a few hours later that they realized three trees were sitting on top of their house!

Our job was easy. We called the local motel and got them a place to sleep for the night. They were grateful and that was it! Here's the article about the event:

http://juneauempire.com/stories/101409/loc_504603915.shtml

So that's my story! Fun times in Juneau!

Blessings!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Long Overdue+Downtime=New Post

It's been a while. So much has happened, and I don't even know where to start. I guess that's why I've been putting off writing for so long. It's as if I am at a loss for words...hmmm...

I started teaching preschool sunday school at my church. What an adventure. So the first Sunday was a "meet-and-greet" with the kids and the teachers. I was there, ready to meet some of the little ones. Scared to death...That Sunday, I met five little dudes. Some were shy, but two of them were chatty-chatty! It was pretty funny...I got to thinking that I would have my hands WAY full - and I only met five kids! I thought, "I can handle five preschoolers...that shouldn't be too hard. Heck, I was a nanny for seven kids under the age of five! I can SO do this!"

The next Sunday came. I had spent about three hours in the classroom Saturday to prepare, to get my wits about me, and to try and figure out what I was going to do. Sunday rolls around and kid after kid after kid came in the room. 11 kids later (thankfully I had Seanna there to help me!) we were starting Sunday School. Let me tell you, that was the most exhausting 50 minutes of my life! Maybe not of my life, but surely of my week. Preschoolers have the attention-span of a gold fish. That's not helpful when you have a room full of toys, a Bible story to read, a craft to do, and 11 kids to keep track of. What a morning! It was wild. I'm glad I'm doing it. I will learn a ton!

The following Friday was spend with my friend Crystal and her new puppy Copper. We went on a walk (in the rain!!!!!) and got soaked. When we got back to her house, we made tacos and played games with her sister-in-law. Towards the end of the night, I started getting an itchy throat. I went home and took some meds and tried to sleep. Not so good...

All through the night, I tossed and turned because my throat was hurting, I was achy everywhere, and I could hardly breathe out of my nose. The next morning (Sat) I felt like a train had hit me. I literally did not leave my bed all day. It was horrible. I think I drank a mug of chicken noodle soup - that was it. I debated whether or not to go to the ER, but I figured I had the flu and they couldn't do anything anyways. So I called Seanna and told her I was sick and would not be able to teach preschool (Again, I am SOOO thankful for her! She took it all!) Sunday wasn't much better. I called in Monday to work and only worked a half day on Tuesday. As I am laying in bed writing this, I am still sick and will be going to the doctor on Monday (hopefully...).

People are wondering if it is H1N1. To be honest, I have no idea. I do know that H1N1 is not being tested anymore up here because so many people have it. They are saying if you have at least two of the symptoms, you probably have it. If that is the case, then I have H1N1. But who knows for sure. I'm hoping it's going to be gone soon...

In other news, fall is here - kinda. We've gotten fresh snow on McGuiness and the three towers, and a bit on the other mountain near the glacier - not sure what that one is called...No fresh snow on Thunder yet. So we still have at least a month before the snow hits us. However, we did have our first frost! I woke up Tuesday morning and had to warm up my car and blast the defrost so my windshield would thaw and de-ice. It was pretty crazy. That's another sign that winter is coming...

I hope you are all doing well! I love you and miss you!
Blessings!