Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 3 Comments

Needing a Change …

Decided to “shake things up” a little around here with a new theme … how do you like it?  It’s simple, nothing fancy … and I didn’t even tweak it after “stealing” it from the themes directory.  I post a few photos from time to time and I decided that I needed a more simple layout that wouldn’t fight with the photos I share with you.  So there it is.

My girl and I attended a retreat this past weekend — A Maiden’s Quest — it was very inspirational for both of us, even though it was aimed at 12 – 17 year old young ladies.  If I didn’t have a pile of laundry and other things to take care of, I would tell you about it in great detail.  The shortened version is that the young ladies were encouraged to become God’s vision of young women, rather than the cheapened version the world would have them emulate.  I think one thing that made an impression on me was that they were encouraged to see wifehood and motherhood as legitimate “careers” … so many young women today do not see the value in these callings, thinking that they MUST have a career like that of doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc., with a salary attached.  I truly believe that a big reason so many of our children are falling through the cracks, so to speak, is because they are not “mothered” in that good old fashioned way.  Rather than greeting Little Guy or Gal with milk and cookies and a good conversation about what happened in their day, the combined paychecks of Dad AND Mom distribute “love” in the form of activities and material goods.  Both jobs are NECESSARY because all the “needs” of life can’t be bought with one paycheck.  And there’s the debate … just how much do we really NEED?  Could we live with careful frugality on one paycheck and find ways to nurture the parent/child relationship without the need for a second income?  This is my ultimate goal … to work with intensity to pay off a few debts so that I can shut my business down and be there for my girl before it is too late.  …but now I’m getting into a lengthy post and I really do need to go.  Maybe I will expand on this line of thought a bit later.

Have a good afternoon!

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 6 Comments

County Fair 2008 – Four out of Five are Winners!

“It’s Dirty Work” — First Place

“Against the Grain” — First Place

“Waldo” — Second Place

“Her Favorite Thing to Do” — Honorable Mention

Jami also had a really good evening — I have to figure out how to get her photos uploaded to my Xanga so you can see what a great job she did.  She received 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons for three photographs, as well as a 3rd place ribbon for a necklace that she made for me.  She also received “Participation” ribbons for three other pieces of jewelry that she created.

I am so proud of her!  🙂

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 2 Comments

Surfside, Texas after the storm

My sister and I drove over to Surfside Beach earlier this evening. 
It’s about 15 miles from my house and separated from the “mainland” by
a bridge that spans the Intercoastal Waterway.  Up until recently,
people were not allowed in unless they had proof of residency, but
about a week or so ago the bridge was opened up to all traffic.  After
crossing the bridge, we initially thought things looked pretty good
compared to reports we’d heard.  There were still alot of beach houses
standing.  Great compared to the aerial photos we’d seen of Bolivar
Penisula and Gilchrist, which are little more than sandbars now.  Then
we started looking closer and saw just how much damage this little
community suffered.  We discovered that Bluewater Highway, which connects Surfside to Galveston Island, via the San Luis Pass Toll Bridge, has been washed out in numerous places, a combined total of four miles of highway is simply gone.  Just past the Surfside Village city limits, a road block has been put in place.  Proceeding any further without a 4-wheel drive vehicle is a guaranteed ticket to getting stuck in the middle of literally no where.  It was getting dark, so I wasn’t able to take a
lot of photos, but here are some that I did get:


The house above and the one below are the worst we saw, I think.  If you look closely at the house above, you can see mattresses wedged between what appears to be the roof and the “first floor” (the one where a staircase is visible.  The entire second floor of this house is gone, leaving only the mattresses sandwiched between the remains of the roof and the living area.


This was one of the newer homes in Surfside.  Totally destroyed.  We found it somewhat interesting that older, “shabbier” beach homes survived the storm while newer ones like this one collapsed like a house of cards.  I think a lot of the older homes were built sturdier back then …. maybe not “technologically” speaking, but people put more pride in their craftsmanship.  I was tickled to see that the homes builts by a gentleman I know out of Dallas withstood the storm beautifully.  He’s a nifty fellow who has hired me to provide custom blinds for some of his homebuyers.  All his homes were still standing, with very few defects (maybe a strip of siding gone, but nothing major).  Happy for him (as this is a real feather in the cap of his reputation) and also for the homeowners, as they are my clients.


Piles of debris line the roads (what is left of them) all through Surfside Beach.


There used to be a LOT more beach in front of these houses.


This place lost its staircase.  A good bit of sand has washed away from its foundation, as well.  Not sure what the final verdict will be on repairs.


Standing on the beach looking back at the beach houses … I am fairly sure that the concrete slabs directly in front of the sea green beach house used to be the parking area under a beach house.


This place lost its entire roof.


This was simply eery.  Notice the roof is gone, and yet there are clothes hanging on a clothes rack in what must have been a bedroom at one time.


I assume that at one point in time this was a cross-over to a fishing pier.  Not much of it left.


Debris from the storm, one month later.


This one looks a little strange … it was starting to get dark and since I didn’t have a tripod, I couldn’t make adjustments to compensate for that.  So I tweaked it on iPhoto … If you look at the house to the left, the one with the “pilgrim hat” roof, you can see the concrete foundation beneath … the sand has completely washed away from under the concrete slab.  Though it doesn’t show up in this photo, we could see the tide coming in under the slab.  And in the foreground, you see the asphalt road has collapsed due to the sand washing out to sea with the retreating storm surge.


One more photo of the crumbling road … it is dangerous to drive around out there late in the evening … if I weren’t in the habit of turning my headlights on early at dusk, I might have run off the end of the road into the sand. 

I know a lot of people are saying, “Enough about the storm, let’s move on …” but I am hit daily with things that remind me how fortunate we were and how grateful I am that we did not suffer the same kind of loss others did.  This little drive down to the beach reminded me just one more time that the only thing that is certain is the uncertainty of it all.  To live life in the best way possible with God’s help, looking to His guidance so that whatever time we have here is used to the best of our ability, because it can be washed away, just like that.

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 1 Comment

You can tell which way someone’s leaning, if you look close enough …

So we ran by the library earlier to return some books.  I’m trying to discipline myself to read magazines at the library, rather than waste money on them at the checkout line or even with subscriptions.  If there’s something interesting that I want for reference later, there’s the good old copy machine.  I was scanning the mags on the display and the latest Rachel Ray caught my eye.

Now, I’m not a fan, but I noticed she was featuring recipes for an Election Night party.  And that got my curiosity up.  I know that she is Oprah’s little discovery and all that, but I couldn’t help but pick up the mag to see if there were any overt indicators of her leaning ….

And sure enough!  On the first page of the article the stylist had arranged various campaign items … along the upper edge of the page were two campaign buttons.  Obama’s was crisp, clear and fully visible, while McCain’s ran off the edge of the page (meaning it got “cropped”).  Hmmm … maybe it was just an accident?  Turning to the next page ….

NOPE!  The evidence screamed from the table awash in red, white and blue patriotism … plastic cups were decorated with Obama and McCain campaign stickers.  Obama’s cup was turned so that the entire sticker was visible, and once again crisp & clear.  McCain’s cup?  Turned slightly to the side so that only the “McCai-” showed, and even that was blurry.

I knew I didn’t like that goofy woman and this confirms it.  You’d think you could pick up a cooking magazine without running into the blatant prejudice against conservatives (after all, who loves the warmth of hearth and home, the smell of Mom’s apple pie, etc. than conservatives?)

Ah, well.  Just thought I’d share that little tidbit.  The magazine is out right now if you want to check it out.  Tell me if you think it was an accident or she did it on purpose. 

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 2 Comments

Wow …


Here’s a Hurricane Ike photo of the Galveston Strand from the Galveston Historical Foundation‘s website.  Gives one pause, doesn’t it?  What’s really amazing, and just another example of why I love my state …. Texans are tough and get right back on that horse.  Every Christmas, the GHF puts on “Dickens on the Strand” … a great holiday event where people dress in Victorian costume, sing carols, shop, and experience a Victorian time traveling holiday.  The GHF has announced that Dickens will go on — work is underway to get the Strand cleaned up and ready.  Funds are needed to salvage the historic sites around the island that have been so devastated by the sea.  We’ve not gone in several years because, ironically, the event had become so popular that the crowds made it less enjoyable than in earlier years.  However, we may have to go “support” the restoration efforts by buying tickets this year.

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 7 Comments
You Should Live in North Carolina


If you don’t want to live in North Carolina, you might also consider:

South Carolina
Texas
Alabama
Georgia
Indiana

http://www.blogthings.com/whatstateshouldyouliveinquiz/

Thanks, Kathy, for sharing this fun little quiz!
Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 5 Comments

Good Things Come in Threes

We got our electric and telephone back on September 30, and the internet was reconnected today (October 2).  Eighteen days total without these very essential utilities, but as I said in a previous post, I think … we are so blessed and have very little to complain about when it’s all said and done. 

Hope you all are doing well … in a few days, when life is a little more normal, I’ll try to write more.  Have a great Friday!

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 7 Comments

You HAVE to Have a Sense of Humor …

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season is Like Christmas
     
  10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows).
  9. Dragging out boxes that haven’t been used since last season (camping gear, flashlights).
  8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores.
  7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for ‘specials’.
  6. Family coming to stay with you.
  5. Family and friends from out-of-state calling.
  4. Buying food you don’t normally buy … and in large quantities.
  3. Days off from work.
  2. Candles.
  And the number one reason:

 1. Hurricane Season is like Christmas…At some point you know you’re going to have a tree in your house..!      

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 8 Comments

Safe and Sound, Back Home

We are home … ended up evacuating to Marble Falls, Texas last Thursday.  God is good … we spent four days in a 2 bedroom rental on Lake LBJ (that’s Lyndon Baines Johnson to you non-Texans) … nothing fancy, but it was clean, there was a kitchen and the sliding glass door entry looked directly on the lake where our kids (Jami and her best friends) spent the entire time swimming in the lake.  That was a blessing because it kept their minds off worrying about what was happening back home or if there would even be a home to go back to.

The landlady even gave us a discount — charging us a $100 per night, rather than the $135 she normally charges.  The place we stayed was “Honey Beech Lodge” … we are seriously considering returning there, but with a much less pressured itinerary, someday.

I’ve been checking out the photos and such on the Houston Chronicle website.  We haven’t been able to really go and see anything … mainly because we don’t want to (a) get in the way of people trying to work, and (b) waste gasoline driving around.  Here’s an interesting video of how Texans respond to a crisis … I am amazed at how people have rolled up their sleeves and dove in to get things up and running.  Granted, we’ll be without power for a time because we have a downed utility pole in our yard and it is not affecting anyone else (thus we fall low on the priority list)… but I am amazed at how quickly the rest of our community got power back, as well as many surrounding areas.  The video of Gaido’s throwing a shrimp boil for the first responders on the Seawall of Galveston made me smile.  Here are people working their backsides off in an effort to get Galveston back on the road to normal, and the good people at Gaido’s restaurant helped out by doing what they do best:  feed the crowd.  And they didn’t just hand out a styrofoam plate with some grub on it.  The first responders were able to sit down to a linen-clothed table, with flowers no less, and rest for a bit while they broke bread.  It’s pretty cool to see that folks can maintain civility even in the midst of a crisis.  Seems like so many use a catastrophe to go all “Lord of the Flies” on each other, rather than helping each other survive.

Our neighbor has power now and used his electrician skills to run a powerline over to our house.  We are trying not to take excessive advantage of it, only using it to run a couple of box fans and a couple of lights in the evening, plus our refrigerator.  And when all is said and done, we will be making a contribution toward his electric bill, of course.  Our main concern at this time is the septic system.  It is run by electricity and if the tank becomes too full, it could backflow into the house.  So we are “camping” indoors with a camp toilet, and using caution in our water usage … quick showers and careful handwashing (no wasting of water while lathering), in hopes that the tank will not fill too quickly.  Speaking of water, because our well is electric, too, our neighbor and my guy managed to utilize the hoses used for a washing machine to connect our neighbor’s well to one of the exterior faucets of our house.  I’m not quite sure what they did or how it works, but somehow we do have water for showering and cooking.

I do not complain, though, because my family and friends are safe, my home is still intact, and God has blessed us with beautiful weather these last few days.  Any of you who live in Texas or have visited this time of year know that it can be very warm and humid even in September … so the highs of 80 degrees and lows in the upper 50’s, low 60’s at night have been a true gift.  I understand it will be getting warmer next week, but evenso, I do not expect it will be all that bad.  As I have an opportunity, I will try to update you on how things are going here. 

And to all of you who offered up prayers and even offered us shelter from the storm, you are the dearest of friends and I love you all.   Thank you so much!

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 13 Comments

Mandatory Evac Ordered for Our Entire County

They just issued a mandatory evacuation order for our entire county.  I have to try to find some place that I can shelter some of the cats while we are gone.  If we are able to find a hotel that accepts animals, I do not think they will accept the number of animals that we have.  I’ll be back in touch when I am able to do so.

Laura