I've been RAK'ed

Yes... I've been RAK'ed. For those of you who don't know what RAK means... it stands for
Random Act of Kindness. This morning, I came home after grocery shopping to a surprise package on my doorstep. Hmmm..... I thought. I wonder what this could be?
So after luggin' all my groceries in the house, I plopped in a chair and read the return address.... Sister's at Wicks End Candles.... It's from Kay Kay! Kay Kay is a dear friend of mine, who I met on the CT craft forum. I proceeded to rip open the box, and found the cutest little card, with a note from Kay Kay.... "Just wanted to send you a little pick me up..."
I dig further into the box.... and see a beautiful earth-brown coffee mug with daisies on it... full of Bit O' Honey and Mary Jane candies, tied with a bow. Then right next to it... is a whole bag of Dunkin' Donuts Coffee.

For the people who do not know me, I am a coffee lover. And Dunkin' Donuts is one of my favorites. And Bit O' Honey and Mary Janes remind me of my childhood... these were my favorite candies when I was younger. How the heck did she know my favorite coffee? My favorite childhood candies? I have no clue! lol But this RAK really touched my heart, and came to me at the perfect time. I have been going through a few rough patches... feeling icky and under the weather, and basically not feeling like DONNA. I went through a few medical procedures, and it just really brought me into some kind of mental funk. So this RAK I received today came at the right time.

I'm one of those people who believe that each person you come in contact with in this life is for a reason. Reasons sometimes unknown... but maybe some of those reasons could be just for a smile, a pat on the back, a hug, or a kind word. A person could turn another person's whole day around with just a kind word, or a kind act.

Kay Kay did that for me today. She turned my whole day around with her kindness. So I want to thank you Kay Kay... for being such a kind and generous soul. You have inspired me to do the same... I will pay it forward, and bring a smile to another person's face.

Now, I'm off to find someone to RAK!!!!

Time to batten down the hatches again...

Well, it's time to get ready to take cover again. Sigh. I kinda feel like all I'm going to blog about is hurricanes, until the season is over! lol Looks like Gustav's bro is comin' to town also. Hurricane Ike. Hmph... the first thing I said when I seen Ike turn into a hurricane is.... "Ike?!?! Is Tina right behind him??" HA HA Get it? Ike and Tina? Ah... my pitiful attempt at a joke.

Right now, the path of Ike is uncertain, could hit anywhere from Alabama to Texas. Go figure, Louisiana gotta be right smack dab in the middle. Let's talk about scenarios.

Scenario #1- Ike hits Texas/Louisiana border. Poor Cameron Parish. Haven't they gone through enough with Hurricane Rita? My beloved Holly Beach was literally washed away when Rita passed through a few years ago. No more beach houses. Nothing. Nada. Just SAND. Everything was destroyed. The beach I visited in my younger years, where we went to swim, fish, and hunt for crabs... the beach that held alot of memories for me, memories of good times and laughter, and being together with family. Gone. In a blink of an eye.
Some of the people re-built, others didn't. Lots of empty lots where camps/homes used to be, makes it look like a ghost town.
If this scenario happens, I will still feel the effects of Ike. I will get the east side, known as the "bad side". The side where tornadoes spawn like the devil.

Scenario #2- There is a sub-tropical ridge that "may" push Ike more westward toward Texas. If this is the case, all I will get is maybe a little rain, depending on how far west it goes. My heart goes out to those people living on the Texas coast. I know what it's like to have the stress of getting prepared, the stress of watching and waiting... holding your breath because of the uncertainty, and the stress of the aftermath of the hurricane.

Scenario #3- Ike follows the same path as Gustav. Oh man. I don't even want to think about this one. We still have alot of Louisianians out of electricity. Some will be out for weeks. Mostly the people who got the east side of Gustav are still suffering with the lack of electricity. Alot of people are still cleaning up from Gustav, cutting down trees that fell on houses and vehicles, picking up shingles in their yard that flew off their roof and flew off the neighbor's roof.
If this scenario happens, it's going to be devestation. What Gustav didn't accomplish, Ike will. And that's scary.


So, all in all.... we are not sure where Ike will go. All we can do is keep updated, watch the news, and pray. I'm a believer, and I believe that prayer is a powerful thing. (You should have seen me throwing holy water all over my house before Gustav came, you probably would have laughed at me, running around like a mad woman, blessing my house.)
So if you're the praying type, send some prayers this way on the Gulf Coast. We will definitely be needing them.

Later Gators!

Hoppin' on the Blog-Train...

Well... I guess I decided to hop on the Blog Train. Yep. I did it. Finally. Let's hope I can find something interesting and exciting to talk about here! :)

Let's talk about Gustav. My family is just starting to get back to normal. We finally got our electricity restored a couple of days ago. You don't realize how much you need electricity, until you have none. For starters, no air conditioning. Yuck. For anyone living in the South, you know what I'm talking about. We NEED AIR CONDITIONING! lol No if's, and's, or but's about it. It's not a luxury. In the South, it's a necessity. And when you don't have it, you're miserable. Believe me.

No electricity means this.... No cool air. No hot showers (if you have an electric water tank), cold showers only. And the water feels soooo cold on your skin, you have to wet your body from the feet up to your head, because if you start head first, it's so cold, your heart feels like it stops beating for a minute (no joke!). No microwave. No television. No internet. No cordless phone (regular old phones work just fine). No blowdryer or any other hair appliance (you betta throw that hair up in a ponytail, girl!). And when night falls, it's dark. Real dark. If you don't have a generator to use for simple things to get by, then you're basically screwed. Makes you wonder.... How the hell did they do this in the old days, with no electricity? I tell ya, those folks must have been tough. And maybe it's because we are so spoiled in today's society. We take for granted the small things. So count your blessings, and be thankful (I know I am) because life could be so much worse.

And for those who are wondering how we did in Gustav... we came out with no damage at all. None. We are so lucky. Alot of other people had their homes destroyed, vehicles destroyed... and lives were lost due to the destruction of Hurricane Gustav. Things could have been so much worse for us. For those who were affected by Gustav, my prayers and good vibes go out to you folks. You won't be far from my mind, or my heart. God Bless!!