When I had to return home to Saint Augustine there had been quite a lot of flooding and damage but luckily I lived far enough inland that the only damage I had was a part of my fence was knocked down. Hurricane Matthew was the first Category 5 Atlantic hurricane since Felix in 2007, and also caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. So some of my friends that lives closer to the water experienced a lot of significant damage . That was just 2 years ago in 2016. Is it just me or do hurricanes follow me around? !
Because all of a sudden what seem like just another tropical storm out in the Atlantic Ocean got Big real fast. It actually was my mom and husband who watch the news religiously that brought it to my attention first. Having just started a new position with Florida virtual school on October 1st, the last thing I wanted to do was evacuate. I think like a lot of people thought that this storm would slow down a lot or maybe even turn by the time it made landfall (because it happens a lot ) Unfortunately that just wasn’t the case with Michael. It just kept on straight on its predicted course.
Apparently Hurricane Michael was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfallin the United States in terms of pressure, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and Hurricane Camille of 1969. Luckily for us we did not have to experience the terror and fear of riding it out while it passed through. It hit Mexico Beach the hardest and pretty much decimated the entire area. Because my husband travels so much we were able to book a hotel in Gulf port Mississippi; far enough away from the storm that we were safe the whole time. We monitored the hurricane constantly on the news and on the weather Channel using the radar. I was worried that at any time it could turn more to the west and come in the direction of Gulf port where we are staying and that we would have to evacuate again. It was hard enough to find a hotel that would except pets since we had to bring our dog Mitsu with us.
We stayed at the home to Hilton suites and got a really nice room that had a full-size refrigerator kitchen area and separate bedroom with a pullout couch. I think The storm actually hit on October 10 And we watched as much coverage as we could as it strengthened and hit land.
I had my computer and of course had to still be working and training for virtual school which help to keep me pretty busy and occupied. The storm came in quickly and passed pretty quickly but watching it’s devastation was really scary. We honestly did not know if we had a home to go home to . So by the time Saturday and Sunday rolled around we began debating staying at the hotel for another week or trying to return home . We got news that power had been restored to our area so we decided we wanted to make the trip home and see how our house fared. It wasn’t until that drive home that the storm seemed real.
Miraculously our little condo was spared much if any damage. We live right next to the lagoon and we were worried that water might flood our bottom floor. We were so fortunate and I thank God every day for protecting our home and keeping us safe. I feel guilty even typing this because of the amount of damage and devastation that we saw all around us. Houses were completely destroyed- power lines were down and trees and debris were scattered everywhere.
This weekend we are planning on starting the clean up efforts in our little condo neighborhood. My husband has an association meeting and then we will probably spend the rest of the day outside clearing branches, trees and debris from the grounds.
Beyond that, we are still waiting to hear when my son will be able to return to school, when my OB office will be open again for appointments and whether the hospital will be operable by December 20th when our baby girl is due. 
I have tried to walk or run everyday either outside or the treadmill. It's getting harder and harder to do. I seem to keep getting these cramps during the first mile - kind of like side stitches I used to get when I was a kid and first started running. They get so bad that I have to stop and walk. Then there is the back pain. It was honestly excruciating for a while. I started sleeping with a pillow between my legs and I have been trying to do a body pump warm up track and the squat track and I think its helped strength my back some because the last two days it feel much better. It was on my lower left back/butt area. I read it might be the sciatica nerve- and that it would be pinched/pressed on. Like I said- it was pretty sharp and excruciating- like in the morning when I first woke up and shifted positions suddenly. Hopefully the pillow trick and the stretching/workouts will help it.
In the mean time, my son and I are still so excited to try to celebrate a fun Halloween. He is dressing up as Bonnie from FNAF this year. I made a skeleton shirt like the one in this picture using puffy paint. We got our dog a scuba outfit (which she hates) and also a skeleton shirt so her and I can match!
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