The Final Preparations
Amelia and I tackled our accordion shutters as a duo yesterday while Adam was out and about in the neighborhood hanging shutters for those needing help. Two teams of several men took on the neighborhood and knocked down roughly 25 houses in 8 hours. We have such an incredible community surrounding us and we are so grateful.
We're also grateful for the previous owners of our home. They built this house as their retirement home and because storm shutters are such a difficult and cumbersome task to complete, they made upgrades that have truly blessed us and others around us. They installed accordion shutters that take maybe 1 minute each to close. In comparison, each window on other homes without these shutters takes roughly 10 minutes - if not more - to install.
They also installed a storm door that covers the entire inside of our patio, making clean up and storage so much easier. So easy, a toddler could help! Amelia and I cleaned the entire pool area and with sweat beads dotting her nose, she jumped into the pool - shoes and all - once we were finished.
(Update: we have since moved the bin, the hose, and the tarp into the garage and under the remote door. The baby remains inside)
We then walked around our house and took photos of everything...just in case. The branches were picked up and removed, so as much as we know, the outside of our home is prepared.
All day, daddy was gone and Amelia felt it. She begged for him multiple times and finally, he arrived to the last house on the list: our next door neighbor! I took her over there and she was SO happy! Dada! Dada!! She has only the smallest idea of how good a man her Dada really is.
Sweat on sweat. Sunburns. Calloused hands. Parched throats. But HUGE hearts. These guys are such a blessing to our neighborhood.
Putting the last shutters up! Thank goodness!
Finally, we were able to come inside - after a prepared dinner from our neighbors - take showers, and turn on the news. As of last night, these were the hurricane wind probabilities impacting our area. We live about 10 miles south of Port St. Lucie.
This is the probability of us experiencing the tropical storm.
So yeah, we're directly in the path of Hurricane Matthew. I'm afraid of the unknown, but this I do know: our God is greater than this storm. In the past two weeks, we've seen Him work in ways we've never witnessed before and we're riding that truth right into this storm. We trust His plans for our lives and know that whatever happens, He will use this storm to bring people and glory to His name. This we know. This we believe.
We've decided to stay and see this storm through within the walls of the home God blessed us with. This home was built in 2011 with all the new hurricane standard upgrades and constructed to withstand 170 MPH winds. Our inspection from last year showed that everything was in great condition and with the previous upgrades I've already shared, we are as confident as we can be in the integrity of our home. We will absolutely be losing power and depending on how long we'll be out of it, we will make the decision after the storm as to if we'll be staying or leaving. We have prepared food, water, ice, ice bags (pictured above), propane, flashlights, and most everything we've been able to learn we'll need in the upcoming hours and days. We are not in a flood zone and we are not in an evacuation zone, which gives me a slight relief, however, I am still weary of what lies ahead.
At least we'll have each other. And cookies!
Be in prayer for us, for our neighbors, our state, and the other countries already affected by this massive storm. This may be my last post for a while because of the potential loss of power/internet, so until next time...love to you all!
We serve a mighty God, my friends.
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