Update

I am blogging from my phone that is charging right now as I sit in my car in front of my house. I've been out driving around checking out the damage. All I see is a bunch of leaves and small branches down and the occasional tree. I didn't see any flooding anywhere in Orleans Parish though I don't know what things look like closer to the lake. I know that other parts of the state have not fared as well. On Joseph St. we have no power but luckily the gas stove and water heater are working just fine. We also have no issues with water. So I can take a hot shower by candle or flashlight! The lack of AC is the part that stinks the most. It hasn't been too hot though-- 80 degrees or so. Sleeping wasn't too miserable last night. The boredom is the worst part. When it gets dark there just isn't much to do! The past 2 days there has been a dusk to dawn curfew but that was lifted tonight. Some places are open and we were a ble to get ice for the freezer. I'm hoping power will be back on tonight or tomorrow. My cold is better but I'm still not 100%. That's my current update! Now I'm headed inside to take a shower and take a nap! 

Hurrication Isaac

I am going to try to squeeze one last post in before the power goes out! 

Earlier this morning Brie and I moved our cars to the neutral ground on Jefferson. It doesn't look like its that high, but it is indeed higher than the street in front of our house. Every inch counts!

I have still been battling my obnoxious cold :( Below is a picture of my nightstand. I have been in a cough-medicine induced stupor most of the day. Since the shutters are closed on the house it has felt like night time all day. Medicine + darkness = lots of sleep!

This is where we are at currently. At least the temperature is dropping some so when the power goes it won't be quite as hot outside!

Brie, Evan, Christian, AV and I are all hunkered down at the Joseph Street House. We have stocked the fridge and freezer with water bottles/gallons of water. Our mini beer fridge is also full of our personal water bottles (not the plastic recyclable type) so we should have hydration well covered. We have our candles and flashlights handy as well as new lighters. Luckily we have a gas stove, so warm liquid/food will continue to be an option. One bath tub is full of water to be used in flushing the toilet. All shutters are closed. The AC is currently cranked up so that the house will be at its coolest when the power goes. We have already had it go out for a 15 minute period about an hour ago so I know it is only a matter of time. My phone has been on the charger all day so that it will be at 100%. 

It has been drizzling some, no hard rain yet at our place. The wind comes and goes between light to moderate gusts. Let's just hope this all blows over quickly--haha--and that my cold blows on out of here too!!

Unwanted Visitor: Isaac

Well, I continue to feel awful. My voice is starting to go and I switch back and forth between being congested and having my nose run like a faucet! No one likes being sick, but I especially hate it because as soon as I get the sniffles my emotions go haywire and I can cry at the drop of a hat. Booooo! 

To add to my fragile emotional state, it appears that I will be confronting my first Hurricane in a matter of days. I have been watching the news and checking the weather online all day. Thus far it does not look like I will have to evacuate, but Isaac will hand us some wind and rain mid-week. In preparations for the worse I put new batteries in my flash light, bought some extra gallons of water, procured simple snacks, made sure I  have cash on hand and have my "important" papers gathered. I need to go gas up my car this evening and then I guess the waiting and watching continues. 

Wild Goose Chase

"Buy new windshield wiper blades" has been on my To Do List for weeks now. With the constant rain around here I have been putting my current set to the test. So on Saturday I decided it was time to mark the wipers off my list. The first Advance Auto Parts I stopped at did not have the size needed for my rear window and the lady who was "helping" made no effort to be the least bit friendly towards me so I put the two front blades I had picked up back on the shelf and walked out. Rude customer service employees = ticked off Katie. My next stop was an Auto Zone that also did not have the rear blade, but unlike my first stop, the gentleman assisting me was very nice and helpful. He attempted to remove the rubber part from my current wiper and replace it with another but it did not work. None the less I purchased the two necessary for the front windshield and he quickly switched out my old set. OK, from there I whipped out the ol' iPhone and Googled Advance Auto Parts in the area and tried another one. They did not carry the size I needed either but directed me to yet another branch that did. Finally at store number four of the day I was able to buy the proper size and have it installed! Of course it did not rain a drop all day and was actually quite gorgeous outside. However, if Isaac rears its head towards NOLA I am sure my new windshield wiper blades will be put to use!

Summertime Sickness Sucks

I woke up feeling cruddy earlier this week and have been medicating since. I believe its just bad allergies--sneezing, drainage, swollen glands, etc. Regardless of what it is, being sick when its hot outside just doesn't seem right! I am hoping to shake this feeling ASAP especially since mom is coming to visit next week! I need to be fully functional and fun when she gets here!

Rain... It's Time to Go Away

Dear Rain, 

You have worn out your welcome. I realize that you don't always stick around the entire day, but the constant unexpected popping in is getting old. You appear in the morning, stop by for lunch, or ruin my evenings and it has to stop. We need to take a break and give ourselves time to miss each other. I want you to go far far away, like perhaps Kansas or Missouri where they haven't seen you in a long time and probably wouldn't mind a visit. Ok? Ok! Thanks!

Special Delivery

The other day at work I received a special delivery. I recognized the handwriting as my mom's and scratched my head trying to think what she would be sending me in an insulated box. When I opened the lid I laughed out loud because there, nestled between a few gel packs was a big ziploc bag full of fried chicken!!! Hahahaha! 

This isn't just any ol' fried chicken either, its from Kenney's, one of my favorite places in Lexington to eat! I try to go there every time I am in town.

My box and bag of yummy chicken! 

Re-heated in the oven and picked clean!

A few shots of Kenney's that I have taken in the past

New Orleans has Popeyes, Raising Cane's, Church's Chicken, and KFC but I have yet to eat at any of them in my two years of living here. I just know in my heart...err...stomach....that their version of fried chicken will not compare to good ol' Lexington Kenney's!!

I still have a few pieces but they won't survive long. Thanks mom!! Nothing like getting a little piece of home for dinner! 

2012 London Olympics

The 2012 Olympics are nearing their end and though I have not been as devoted to watching them as I had hoped, I have enjoyed the events I did get to see. Some of my favorites have been swimming, gymnastics and beach volleyball. 

My eye was caught by a few of the United States' fairly attractive athletes. My favorites to root for were Danell Leyva, a 20 year old gymnast and Nathan Adrian, a 23 year old swimmer.

Danell brought home a BRONZE medal in the Men's Gymnastics Individual All-Around.

Nathan Adrian, standing 6'7", is coming back with three medals. A GOLD in the Men's 4x100M Medley Relay, a GOLD in the Men's 100M Freestyle and a SILVER in the Men's 4x100M Freestyle Relay.

Though the games are not over quite yet, it looks like the US will bring home the most medals: so far we have over 100 and China, the country with the next highest medal count has less than 90.

Go USA!!

Brothers of the Sun Tour

Friday evening a co-worker pal and I went to the Superdome, not for a Saints game, but a gool ol' country boy concert! Tim McGraw & Kenny Chesney put on a fun show to a nearly packed dome. I've never seen so many young girls in one place wearing cutesy dresses and cowboy boots in my life! The lines at the t-shirt booths were longer than the ones to the bathroom. I knew a lot more Tim songs than Kenny ones, but I could tap my feet to everything! 

I had no idea that Kenny is good buddies with Sean Payton! They showed footage of the country star practicing with the Saints, but since Payton was there too, it was obviously not from this year (since bounty-gate got him suspended for a year). It was fun though to incorporate the Saints into the concert some especially since the performance was on their field!

First Flat

Today I got my first ever flat tire. I am not sure what happened really. My tire pressure light came on this morning while I was driving to work and within an hour of being parked it looked like this:

Lucky for me a co-worker is an expert tire changer and offered to fix it!

I had no idea there was a jack in the back of my car?! How handy!

With a little sweat and elbow grease my spare tire was on and ready to roll!

Now I just need to go get my regular tire checked to see if it can be repaired or not. I did not see anything stuck in it so I'm not sure what they will be able to do for it.