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Passing the Time During Hurricane Sandy

We are still without power, but we are blessed to be staying with a wonderful family from the church, and fortunately they have a generator. We are able to turn it on in the mornings and the evenings for a bit, so we are able to get hot showers. Other than that we are passing the time being entertained by watching the dogs and playing hours and hours of Dutch Blitz. Today Adriana worked for Chanel. Natalia and I decided to walk over to Shelter Rock’s Syosset campus, but we accidentally turned left instead of right on one road and what was supposed to be a 2-mile walk there turned into 6 miles. We had a nice time together, though, and were able to get a ride back to the house. We have church tomorrow despite the fact that we do not have power at either campus. It will be great to meet some of the folks from the church. I am also looking forward to being able to see our house. Yesterday we were so busy unloading the van so Ady could go to work that I did not have a chance to look around. Praying we are able to get power back soon. I just spoke with our landlord and as of now there are no prospects of when it will be back up, so it’s just sit and wait. Also, please pray for the gas situation here. Lines are hours long, and we heard reports today of a couple of people being shot for trying to cut in line. We are personally in good shape with gas (the kind for the car) and are just trying not to drive anywhere unnecessarily. 

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Home Sweet Home!

I finally arrived on Long Island last night at 11:30pm. I got to the first exit in New Jersey and pulled off for gas only to find police blocking all of the stations because they were out of gas. I turned around and went to 3 stations in Pennsylvania and finally found some. I’m keeping this short because I only have 10 minutes of power left on my computer. Glad to see my girls! More later.

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California to New York Day 9

This morning I said farewell and left my sister Naomi’s house at 9:30am. I stopped for lunch in Ohio and realized that Grove City College was just 3 miles off the highway, so I swung by. One of my former students, Christian Prezzano, attends, so I tried to say hello to him, but unfortunately he was in class. I texted and left him a voicemail to let him know I had stopped by. I then drove to my Larkin grandparents’ house in the town of Tidioute, PA. My grandmother and I pulled in at the same time. She had driven to Pittsburgh this morning to drop my grandfather off at the airport for his flight to Tanzania, Africa. My Aunt Bethany, Uncle Terry, and cousin Kelsie came over, and my cousin Erika made us a great dinner. After dinner I talked with Adriana and we searched the internet for the latest on the affects of the hurricane and discovered that there are restrictions on the bridges into NYC tomorrow and Friday. Most of the bridges are only open to vehicles carrying 3 passengers from 6am-midnight, which means that the one bridge I’ll need to take is going to be crazy. I debated leaving tonight, but after considering it with Adriana, decided that my best bet is probably going to be leaving tomorrow night and trying to cross the bridge in the wee hours of the morning on Friday. We also found out that our movers will not be arriving with our belongings until the 7th, which means another week of being unsettled in addition to the hurricane issues. Adriana and the girls are spending the night with my sister and Ady’s brother (They’re married. It’s not incest. I promise! Do the math.) as they have power and hot water. Please pray for the people that have been impacted by this storm and that the areas affected will recover quickly. We are hearing anywhere from a week to 10 days, and even heard mention that it could take up to a month for power to be restored in some areas on Long Island. 

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California to New York Day 8

This morning at 11am I left Chicago and grove 3 1/2 hours to my sister Naomi’s house in Fort Wayne, IN. In addition to seeing 2 of my nieces, I had the joy of meeting my new nephew Parker for the first time. We had a nice evening just hanging out together at the house. For dinner my brother-in-law Mike grilled some steaks. At 9pm I enjoyed going out for coffee with one of my good buddies from college, Keith Reynolds.

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Hurricane Sandy = Mom-Son Date Day (California to New York Day 7)

Today I got to go on a Mom-Son Date with my mom! We took the train into Chicago and had a great time together! Started off with some Portillo’s Polish Saaaaausage (Da Bears!) then enjoyed walking all over the city and enjoying the sites. After Dad finished work he met up with us and we went to Harry Caray’s for dinner. It was awesome seeing all of the sports memorabilia in the restaurant. This evening we took a picture of all of us together then Dad and I took the dogs for a walk. Tomorrow I plan to head to my sister’s house in Indiana where I’ll spend the night. I’m glad to have family to spend time with while I stall getting to New York, thanks to Hurricane Sandy.
I’ve been trying to keep up with Adriana and the girls throughout the day. This morning they lost power. The family they are staying with has a generator, so that is a huge plus. The last I heard they said there were lots of trees down and some flooding. Ady said it was scary, but they were doing well and felt very supported by the family they are staying with and the Shelter Rock Church community. Please continue to pray for the millions being affected by this storm.
Related Post: See Mom and Me 36 years ago and today. Click HERE.

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California to New York Day 6

With the impending storm targeting Long Island, I’ve decided to spend a little more time with my parents here in Chicago. This morning we went to their church (Willow Creek) and heard a fantastic message on wisdom by Bill Hybles. After church we had lunch then came home and dad and I worked on the van to try and permanently fix the radiator hose issue we had patched up in Arizona. (When I say Dad and I worked on the van, I mean Dad did the work and I handed him tools. lol!) I then went for a walk with Mom and the dogs (below is a pic of the dog Mom got Dad as a surprise). Afterward we ruined the exercise and I bought my parents their first 5 Guys burgers. They enjoyed them.

Yes, she really is my mother. No, I am not adopted.

Mom and Dad’s New Dog! 

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Grand Canyon Rain Dance

While at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday, my dad caught an incredible sight on video! Adriana said this is the real explanation for the impending Hurricane Sandy. Enjoy!

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California to New York Day 5

This morning we ate breakfast and visited with Barry and Lori. After saying our goodbyes Dad and I went to pay our respects to Lori’s late husband Jim Frew who was my dad’s best friend. Jim and his son Jimmy died tragically serving the Lord on a missions trip in 1995. We visited the baseball fields that were named in Jim’s honor by his church and also his grave site. I remember Jim well, but I so enjoyed hearing Dad talk about his best friend. (More to come on this in a future post.) We then spent the day driving to Chicago, IL. We saw literally a couple hundred hawks along the highways. Other than that, the highlight of the trip had to be stopping at Iowa 80: The World’s Largest Truck Stop. Every time I’m there I get chills down my spine. I am awe-struck. Speechless. Tears begin to well up in my eyes. So moving. lol!

We got to Mom and Dad’s house at about 7:30pm and Mom greeted Dad with a surprise: a new dog! Their dog Tyson passed away a few months ago, so they were ready to find a new four-legged friend. We had some pizza before looking at pics from our journey and watching a movie. Glad to see my mama!

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California to New York Day 4

On Friday morning we left Estes Park and drove through Big Thompson River Canyon. We spotted a herd of big horn sheep and got some pictures, stopped off at Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park, visited the Dam Store, then popped by Group Publishing where we were able to see my buddy Scott Firestone. We then drove about 7 hours to Grand Island, Nebraska where we are spending the night at the home of Lori Frew Keslar – my first grade teacher – and her husband Barry. Lori’s late husband Jim was my dad’s best friend until his tragic death in 1995. It was awesome reminiscing about the times they shared together. It was also great to visit with two of her three sons – Brian and Nate – and their wives. Brian owns an inflatables rental company, so I went with him and Nate to tear down a job to earn our keep. lol!