We’re All Safe!

Just wanted to thank you for all your prayers! We’ve been truly blessed and spared. The worst of the storm passed us late last night…and the winds were HOWLING! It was amazing to listen to the huge amounts of energy that was being released by that hurricane!

I’m delighted to report that we never lost electricity during the storm! We woke up this morning to see the fan still spinning and the clock was telling the right time. :) Our house has sustained no damage and everyone in my family is safe! –even our two kitties, Onyx & Opal are fine! ;)

The large majority of our island is without electricity. We have one power company that provides the island with electricity and they reported that 30,000 of their 35,000 customers are without power this morning. I’m so AMAZED that we didn’t lose our power! Praise God!

The local Government has reported that there have been no deaths or major injuries! We do see lots of branches that have been blown over and even a few trees. I’ll try to take photos to share with you later. It’s still quite windy outside and raining off and on and the Police have asked that the public stays off the roads so that they {and other organizations/companies} can properly assess the damage. But the weather will only continue to improve and tropical storm force winds should ease by this afternoon. My family and I are observing Yom Kippur today and will be fasting until sunset so I won’t be online to chat or tweet but just thought to update everyone here!

Once again, it’s obvious that God has answered the prayers of His people! I cannot begin to thank you all enough for praying for us!

Have a blessed day! {and look out for my blogoversary post later today!}

Video and Storm Update!

Hey there! We’ve still got power and it’s around quarter past 8 now. I decided to film a short video clip so you all can see just what’s happening around here. :) Enjoy!

{and sorry that it’s dark at the beginning}

Blessings!
 

Still Here!

Good morning friends! It's 6:10am and we're just getting some breakfast. :) The lights are still on but they're dipping in and out, so I’m sure they'll go out soon. Hurricane Igor has weakened to Category 1 storm! Praise God!

We're not in the clear though as it’s large storm and still moving slowly. The worst of the weather begins tonight with hurricane force winds supposed to begin closer to midnight. Please continue to pray for us!

I hope everyone has a blessed day!…I'm quite sure we'll lose power within the next hour or so. Bye for now! :D
 

P.S. You can read my previous blog post to find out how we’ve prepared for the storm and get links to local news sites for updates on the storm.

We’re just about ready…

So we’re just about finished all our preparations for the hurricane which is supposed to start with tropical storm force winds late tonight. We’ve brought all our outside stuff indoors so nothing gets taken away by the wind. We’ve also brought in quite a few potted plants that we normally keep outdoors.

 {We brought these beautiful vincas in so they can survive the storm}

I’ve just finished charging my laptop, iPod, and cell phone as we’re expecting to lose electricity sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. My laptop will probably hold its charge for about 3 hours –after that it’ll go into “hibernation” and won’t boot again until I recharge it. I’m planning to leave my cell phone off, saving it’s charge for emergencies. And I’m going to be using my iPod sparingly so it can last at least a few days. :)

A bit of good news though: Hurricane Igor has weakened, albeit slightly and is now a category 2 storm. However, it’s a still a strong storm which has a lot of potential to cause lots of damage as it’s large {about 550 across} and moving slowly.

{Satellite image of Hurricane Igor}
*If you want to read local news coverage of the storm, click here or here* 

Thanks for leaving those sweet comments on my last post! I’m encouraged by them. :D Again, I’ll try to update y’all as I’m able to but we’re unplugging the internet modem, router, and all other electrical stuff in a few minutes to protect them from lightning storms and power outages. So it’s likely this will be my last post for at least the next several days. :(

Don’t despair though! Monday is my 1 year blogging anniversary and I have a scheduled post {complete with an AWESOME giveaway!} that will be automatically published –regardless of if I have internet or not.

Hope everyone has a blessed week and thanks for your continued prayers!
 

Hurricane Preparations

Hurricane Igor is still on track to hit us directly as a Category 3 hurricane  this weekend. It’s been 7 years since a major hurricane has come ashore to Bermuda. In September 2003 Hurricane Fabian hit our island, tragically taking the lives of four people and causing millions of dollars in damage. Our local Government and Weather Service has forecasted that Hurricane Igor will be just as bad or worse than Fabian.

{today’s edition of our local newspaper ----^}

 

So these past two days or so I’ve been busy helping my family prepare for the storm. We’ve been stocking up on non-perishable, ready-to-eat foods like canned fruits and veggies, crackers, and lots dry cereal.

Dad also purchased a couple of flashlights and plenty of candles. This morning, Jude and I went and did a little shopping in the village. We picked up some first aid supplies and took some “before” photos of our neighborhood.

  {Mom’s battery-operated radio will help keep us updated during the storm}

 
{Mangrove Bay just near our home was already looking gloomy this morning}

The worst of the weather is predicted to take place close to midnight on Sunday night –just on the eve of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement which our family will be observing from sunset on Sunday until sunset on Monday.

We’ll likely lose power sometime Saturday night as we’re expecting tropical force winds to begin tomorrow evening. When the power goes out, we’ll lose our internet service as well and I won’t be able to keep all of you updated. :( When hurricane Fabian hit us, the electricity company took nearly 3 weeks to restore power to our neighborhood but I’m really hoping that we won’t have to wait nearly as long this time around.

My siblings and I plan to keep ourselves happily occupied with puzzles, games, and lots of books. Of course, I’ll be knitting and crocheting too. ;)

 

This afternoon, I was able to mail 10 of the 25 postcards that need to be mailed to everyone who left a comment on my 150th blog post. I’m planning to mail the rest as soon as I’m able to. :-)

 

This weekend, please remember to keep my family and I in your prayers. And I appreciate every prayer that’s offered up on our behalf!

Blessings to all of you…I’ll be back to update you as soon as I can!
 

P.S. Monday is my 1 year blogoversary and I’ve finished writing a post with details and a GIVEAWAY and scheduled for it to be posted Monday. So y’all will still have something to read here on my blog!

Summer With A Purpose: Week Eight

I'm back from my short blogging break! I'm glad that I took the break...I really needed it this week. Overall, it's  been a rough week for me. As you all know, I got my four wisdom teeth pulled on Monday at the hospital. Since then, I've been just resting and waiting for everything to heal so I can get back to "normal". I've been having almost constant dizziness which the oral surgeon said might be from one of the prescribed medications I'm taking. It's been hard for me to get much done because I'm so dizzy and Mom has been such a great help to me! She makes delicious smoothies for me and helps me keep track of the medications I need to take. My sisters and brother have been doing my chores which is a big help too!

One thing I accomplished while resting was that I finished reading the book I started last week, In the Presence of My Enemies. It's a really good book and with not much to do but relax, I truly enjoyed reading it! Aside from reading and relaxing, I haven't been doing much else. I did no crafting whatsoever which is a first since I started SWAP two months ago. Feeling sore and dizzy, I don't really feel like crocheting, sewing or doing any of the other hobbies I'm usually so busy with. I haven't even touched my camera all week --which is why there are no photos for this post. :(

On a different note, I would like to say thank you to everyone who's filled out my blog reader survey. So far, I've gotten more than twenty responses and I really appreciate all your input. I'll be making changes based on the survey once it ends so if you haven't done it yet --I'm still waiting to hear from you! The survey closes next Wednesday so head over and do it while you can! Click here to start!

I should mention that there's a tropical storm heading toward us just as I write this post. It looks like Tropical Storm Colin will be coming within 100 miles of our little island Bermuda with the worst weather forecasted to take place tomorrow night. While tropical storms rarely cause serious damage to Bermuda, the weather service always stresses the importance of taking all the necessary precautions to remain safe. We'll probably be getting some extra candles/batteries in case the power goes out, and we'll be sure to bring in any outdoor furniture and stuff that can be blown away. If we lose power, the internet cuts out as well and I won't be able to keep all of you updated if that happens. :(  There's always the possibility that the storm will strengthen before it actually gets here so we're praying that Colin doesn't become a hurricane as that would increase the likelihood of damage.  Hopefully, we'll just get some much-needed rain and won't lose the electricity!

Since I've been restricted to a soft-food diet this week, I've been looking for good smoothie recipes. If you have a favorite smoothie recipe that you think I'll enjoy, please send it to me by clicking here. If I like your recipe, maybe I'll feature it in a later post! :-) Thanks in advance!

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!