Week in Review

Hi from rainy, rainy Houston. What a surreal and devastating few days it has been in the Bayou City. I have many friends whose houses have already flooded, and they’re saying that the rain won’t stop for a few more days. I can’t even wrap my head around this fact, but when I do, it makes me cry. So far, we have been so lucky and have avoided any flooding – we just have a few minor leaks in our playroom ceiling. My little sister is trapped at the hospital where she works, my older sister is stuck in NYC (not a bad place to be stranded, may I add?), my parents are safe in Colorado (but their neighborhood is currently being evacuated by the Coast Guard – can’t think about it!), my sister-in-law and her family are still okay, and my mother-and-father-in-law are both in Serbia (their spouses are both fine here in Houston!). There are so many people who are not okay – turn on the news to see heartbreaking and terrifying videos of people being saved by boats, stranded atop their roofs, stuck in cars on flooded roads, etc. Please, please pray for the rain to stop!

Before the chaos of hurricane prep came on Thursday, we had a relatively low-key week, mainly filled with preparations for the girls’ school (parent orientations and individual teacher orientations). Emi and Isla both met their new teachers, and they seem so sweet. Emi is in a class with only one other baby girl (for now at least), and they have two teachers! You can’t beat that ratio. It makes my mama-heart feel much more relaxed. And Isla’s teacher seems so sweet (she’s legit the cutest) – we have a few mutual friends, one of who has been raving about how much we’ll love her. So yeah, we’re ready for school to start. With the hurricane, the start date has understandably been pushed back a week.

Some highlights from the week included:

• Taking Meredith’s photos for an event that actually got canceled (postponed, perhaps?) – fortunately, we snapped one other one as well AND we got to see our favorite Mimicita, so it wasn’t a waste!!
• Signing up for dance class and ordering Isla’s leotard, tights and ballet shoes. They arrived in the mail a day or two later (what would I do without Amazon Prime?) and as you can see from the photos below, she is ready.
• Fixing some glitches in the matrix on my website with the help of my amazing future brother-in-law, Kevin. (gah, Sasha’s terrible sense of humor is rubbing off on me apparently!)
• Organizing the entire house thanks to a major trip to The Container Store. I feel so much better mentally. Now to organize my desk. Hmm.
• Catching up with Amanda at Ivana’s house when we went to look at her countertops, which I’ll totally be copying. Twinning is winning, am I right?
• Meeting our interior designer, Lindsey Herod, at our new house and meeting to discuss plumbing fixtures! She made some really great observations and I’m so glad to be working with her.

Now, back to watching the news. We are glued. Like I said, all prayers welcome. Our poor city.