Almost done!

Well, up at 6, which doesn't sound too bad...
One to band in Sidney at 8:15, ran an international package to the Post Office while I was waiting.
Got her home, changed and on to work at Nebraska City.  Stop at chiropractor for a quick tune up.
Back home to pick up two boys for band in Sidney at 10:42, picked up State Fair items while I was waiting.
Home for lunch.  
Back to Nebraska City to pick up One, back home to get her and Two and get them to Sidney for a Pep Rally.  Played a little Frogger while I was waiting.
Back home, then to Nebraska City to check in on a friend and stop at the grocery store.
Back home, have a little supper in 6 min or less, now to Percival to pick up another band member and get them to Sidney for the football game.
I am now home in my jammies waiting for another call to pick up said band members.  Oh, yes, I am picking them up in my jammies!!
Hmmm... appears they are out on the road looking for me...
Can't wait for this day to be over!!!

ooooohhhh, my phone...

Well, no one is happy when their phone malfunctions, I know, but I guess I just like to think it traumatizes me more than the average unorganized person!  Anyway, my "off" button hadn't been working well, but Monday (at the Iowa State Fair) it just wouldn't shut off at all.  I turned the settings way down to automatically sleep after a minute, but then I had to be super careful not to touch anything for a minute while it did.  So I spent a long day at the fair like that, then as we were totally drained and leaving, I decided to stop at Jordan Creek on the way home and see if they could help.  Well, of course they could.  They gave me a new phone.  YAY!!  ... and grrrrrr.  Well, because we're on a business account, they couldn't fully activate it there at the Apple Store, but there was a Verizon store in the same mall.  Hmmm... 8:57, really?  So I sent Morgan running on ahead to tell them this really was an emergency and to please wait for me.  Problem:  Mallory and I noticed a GameStop between us and Verizon.  8:59... Please, no!  But yes, he stood there, frozen in a trance, staring at the GameStop as the Verizon doors were being pulled closed!  Well, he snapped out of his trance (may have been due to the shriek of his mother) and got over there, but the guy was telling him that everything was shut down and there really wasn't anything that could be done.  As I got there, he really was waiting for me, but looked pretty helpless!  He took my new phone and dialed a few numbers, the same one the Apple Techs did, but somehow it worked for him!  And I was on my way!  I turned around to gather my kids, and Morgan was actually on his way back to me, dragging himself along.  Apparently, he thought GameStop would stay open for him just like Verizon did for me!
I'm really thinking this PhotoStream is amazing.  My last phone backup was 11:30 the night before, so I would have lost all the photos I took at the fair, but there they were... safely tucked away in the Cloud!  

Thinking...

I think it's just pretty hard to imagine an evacuation if you haven't been through one.  My heart truly aches for the people of Colorado and Western Nebraska.  When they left their homes, they literally had only a few hours to decide what meant the most to them.  And if they had as many pets as I did, I know what that can mean.  Not only did we have 48 hours to get out, we also had about 28 days to go back and gather up anything we could.  I don't know if they get any trips back while waiting, but it's so hard either way.  We just received an update from my cousin that her folks are being evacuated for the second or third time this summer, with a possibility that their neighbor's farm just burned.

We're starting to settle in, but busy with summer at the same time.  I finally got to some of my knick-knacks and momentos this past week, and was pretty devastated to see my kitty-cat Nativity totally crushed.  It was one of those things that was lucky to get any newspaper at all.  A few things were rolled here and there, but tossed in a shoebox and that's it.  While it's so wonderful to be past this very trying time, I also feel like I never will be.  My house is so scarred, but it stands.  And my family is fine.  We're moving on with birthdays and getting ready for school.  If a homeschooling mom can ever be ready for that.  I'm sure it's just me that gets three weeks in before starting my lesson planning!!

Anyway, just another sleepless night and that's who and what came to my mind.

Going to go try again.  Good night and God bless!!  Please continue to pray for my cousin's parents!