I just returned home from an evening out with friends at The Tobacco Company and Havana '59 and as I was turning down my street, I immediately noticed that the stop light was working again, and then saw lights on in my building! But I wasn't going to be convinced until I stepped into my apartment and witnessed lights, AC, etc. for sure. But sure enough, my POWER IS BACK!!!! Hallelujah!!! God bless you Dominion Virginia Power!!!! :D
I'm SO super duper excited right now!!!!!!! (I'm sure you couldn't tell that from my lack of exclamation points :P)
Can't wait to take a hot shower! Now comes the question of how long it takes a hot water heater to heat up after a power outage....I don't want any surprises! Haha.
Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and to those of you who still don't have power yet, I will keep praying that it will be restored soon!
Tonight is a GREAT night!!!!! Hahahahaha! YAY!!!!! :)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
In The Dark: Day 5 - Impatient But Learning To Accept Things I Cannot Change
So, today begins Day 5 without power for me and 190,498 other households in the Metro Richmond area...I'm pretty sure this is the longest span of time I've ever experienced a power outage in my life (correct me if I'm incorrect here Mom). Hurricane Fran, which hit back in 1996 when I was 7 years old, is the worst storm that I can remember ever hitting the Valley in my lifetime, and I don't think we lost power for this long even then.
Then, to top it all off, this morning as I was driving to work, a popular morning talk show host on one of the Top 40 stations that I sometimes listen to had the nerve to complain about his cable not working! Seriously?!?! Your CABLE?!?! Go cry me a freakin' river! Get over it and watch a dvd, buddy! There are over 190,000 people here who would very much enjoy having the luxury of watching a movie in the comforts of their own home...or simply being able to flip on a functioning light switch instead of using candles and flashlights for that matter. Geez! Some people! :P
Oops, there I go complaining again...I'm going to blame it on the fact that I haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet (but I'll be getting that very shortly. :) As I said in my last post, I realize that I should be thankful that I didn't suffer any losses or damage besides the power outage, since many didn't fare quite so well. That being said, it's just annoying when I look out my window and every building in view has power, except for my block. *Sigh* Maybe this is just another experience that God is using to try to teach me to have some patience...as I've fully admitted many times before, patience is not, nor has it ever been, one of my strong points. Now I'm doubly impatient for my foot to heal so that I can start running again, and for the power to be restored...maybe somewhere along the way it will finally sink in and I will learn to accept these things that I have no control over.
In the middle of posting this just a moment ago, the light at the end of the tunnel got a little bit brighter when I called Dominion's automated service line for an update and found that my power is expected to be restored on Thursday evening between 5-11 p.m.! Thursday night still seems a long way off, but that's slightly better than the Friday evening time frame they had predicted yesterday. Yay for progress! And even though I don't think any Dominion employees read my blog, I would still like to send out a huge THANK YOU to all of the DVP workers who have been tirelessly working crazy hours in order to get everyone's power restored ASAP. You guys and gals rock! (And hopefully that will counter my complaining from earlier).
It has been interesting coming into work the past few mornings and finding out whose power was restored the night before. Then, the rest of us proceed to grumble about how lucky they are and how jealous we are of them. On the upside, I haven't had to take any more super cold (and therefore quick) showers since Monday morning! Despite the fact that I haven't been able to use my gym membership for the past month and a half thanks to my fractured foot, it has definitely come in handy the past two mornings for getting a hot shower and being able to blow dry my hair! The little things in life get me excited sometimes! :)
Another positive thing that has come out of this whole powerless experience is realizing how wonderful my friends are (not that I didn't already know how wonderful they are, this just helped put that into an even clearer perspective)! Whether offering their home to me for a hot shower, some AC, and WiFi, calling/texting to check in on me, going out to eat and sharing a hot meal together, or even being willing to take me in until my power comes back on, many of my friends have really come through and exemplified the true definition of friendship. To all of you who might be reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I love you guys!!!! :)
Below is a continuation of my power outage experience via Facebook status updates, picking up where I left off on Monday...
And now another workday begins....Some people dread waking up and going to work in the morning, but as for me over these past few days, I've woken up looking forward to hot coffee, electric lights, a functioning computer, and AC, among others of life's little luxuries that we so often take for granted. Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Wednesday...and if you could find time to send up a short little prayer for those of us without power, and especially for those dealing with damaged property, it would be very much appreciated! Also, I go back to my orthopedic doctor tomorrow, and 3 weeks ago he said that we would discuss a timeline for gradually working back into a running plan...Based on the way my foot has been feeling since I got the cast off, I know there's still no way I can run on it just yet, but I would love to be able to get back out there and start jogging at least short distances soon, so I would also appreciate your prayers for quick healing and restored strength/mobility in my foot. Thanks a bunch in advance! :)
Take care, y'all! :)
Then, to top it all off, this morning as I was driving to work, a popular morning talk show host on one of the Top 40 stations that I sometimes listen to had the nerve to complain about his cable not working! Seriously?!?! Your CABLE?!?! Go cry me a freakin' river! Get over it and watch a dvd, buddy! There are over 190,000 people here who would very much enjoy having the luxury of watching a movie in the comforts of their own home...or simply being able to flip on a functioning light switch instead of using candles and flashlights for that matter. Geez! Some people! :P
Oops, there I go complaining again...I'm going to blame it on the fact that I haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet (but I'll be getting that very shortly. :) As I said in my last post, I realize that I should be thankful that I didn't suffer any losses or damage besides the power outage, since many didn't fare quite so well. That being said, it's just annoying when I look out my window and every building in view has power, except for my block. *Sigh* Maybe this is just another experience that God is using to try to teach me to have some patience...as I've fully admitted many times before, patience is not, nor has it ever been, one of my strong points. Now I'm doubly impatient for my foot to heal so that I can start running again, and for the power to be restored...maybe somewhere along the way it will finally sink in and I will learn to accept these things that I have no control over.
In the middle of posting this just a moment ago, the light at the end of the tunnel got a little bit brighter when I called Dominion's automated service line for an update and found that my power is expected to be restored on Thursday evening between 5-11 p.m.! Thursday night still seems a long way off, but that's slightly better than the Friday evening time frame they had predicted yesterday. Yay for progress! And even though I don't think any Dominion employees read my blog, I would still like to send out a huge THANK YOU to all of the DVP workers who have been tirelessly working crazy hours in order to get everyone's power restored ASAP. You guys and gals rock! (And hopefully that will counter my complaining from earlier).
It has been interesting coming into work the past few mornings and finding out whose power was restored the night before. Then, the rest of us proceed to grumble about how lucky they are and how jealous we are of them. On the upside, I haven't had to take any more super cold (and therefore quick) showers since Monday morning! Despite the fact that I haven't been able to use my gym membership for the past month and a half thanks to my fractured foot, it has definitely come in handy the past two mornings for getting a hot shower and being able to blow dry my hair! The little things in life get me excited sometimes! :)
Another positive thing that has come out of this whole powerless experience is realizing how wonderful my friends are (not that I didn't already know how wonderful they are, this just helped put that into an even clearer perspective)! Whether offering their home to me for a hot shower, some AC, and WiFi, calling/texting to check in on me, going out to eat and sharing a hot meal together, or even being willing to take me in until my power comes back on, many of my friends have really come through and exemplified the true definition of friendship. To all of you who might be reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I love you guys!!!! :)
Below is a continuation of my power outage experience via Facebook status updates, picking up where I left off on Monday...
Juliana just checked in @ Strawberry Street Café (Richmond, VA) Monday at 6:59pm via Foursquare
Take care, y'all! :)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Post-hurricane weekend (and beyond) of learning to survive without power :)
I must admit that this is the first of my blog posts that actually began as a hand-written journal entry…the combined result of boredom and wanting to get my thoughts down on paper. Actually, if it had been up to me, I would have preferred to type them, but since that wasn’t an option, the next best thing was sitting on my patio in the cool summer evening (as opposed to inside my sweltering apartment), jotting down everything that popped into my head under the subtle glow of the street lights and my hand-held flashlight.
So, let’s go back to last week when all of the earthquake/hurricane buzz began…
For most of the week, the topic of conversation on the news and by the water cooler was focused on Tuesday’s earthquake and Hurricane Irene’s impending path of destruction. Admittedly, I’m not usually one to freak out about acts of nature…I’m not sure why that is exactly. Goodness knows I worry about the safety of my family and friends on a daily basis, but for some reason, I just don’t take naturally disasters as seriously as I should. That being said, I’d pretty much shrugged off all of the warnings about how terrible Irene was going to be. Not to mention the fact that when lots of people in my office were freaking out about the earthquake, I probably wouldn’t have even evacuated the building if it weren’t for the fact that I’m a zone warden for my section and felt kind of obligated to leave with everyone else, since it’s part of my responsibility to make sure they all get out safely, but I digress…
On Thursday night, I was enjoying a fabulous dinner with some wonderful friends before we started a planning meeting for our new YPG alumni group (SO excited about this, btw!). During dinner conversation, someone mentioned the hurricane and how Richmond
“Oh yeah, it’s going to be bad. You should definitely make sure you stock up on bottled water, flashlights, batteries, etc.”
Now, we’ve been hit by plenty of hurricanes and floods back in the Valley over my lifetime, so I’m used to people taking precautionary measures to prepare for the storm…except back home, my parents and my big bro always took care of everything so I never really had to worry about it. (Events like this make me realize how many things I’ve taken for granted over the years….I know it’s too late to tell Dad now, but Mom and Jon, if you’re reading…thanks a MILLION for everything!!!! Love you guys!!!!).
Even back at JMU, I’m sure we had some bad storms during hurricane season (although snowstorms are the only thing that really comes to mind right now), but we never experienced anything bad enough where we lost power at our townhouse for any extended period of time. So, after pondering on this later and discussing with co-workers how terrible it was predicted to be, I finally started thinking that maybe I should take this thing seriously. However, then I heard that some of the Martin’s stores had already sold out of bottled water, and I didn’t want to buy anything perishable that would go bad in the event of a power outage, so I decided to avoid the supermarket crowds and stayed home on Friday evening. My version of hurricane prep included filling up two empty water bottles and freezing them so I could throw them in a cooler to keep my carton of milk cold for a few hours if need be. After all, no power outage could possibly last longer than just a few hours, right???
 |
| My living room fireplace in the candlelight on Saturday night |
Around 3:15 on Saturday afternoon, after 3 close calls of the lights flickering off and back on again, they finally flickered off….and didn’t come back on this time. My roommate and I each respectively exclaimed “Oh man!!!!” and “Nooo!!!!” With the storm raging outside, the sky was quite overcast, so we both pulled ourselves away from our laptops (which were now essentially useless, since the FiOs router needs power in order to function, which didn’t dawn on me until later when I wondered why Wi-Fi wasn’t working on my Blackberry, but thankfully my data plan was still running strong lol), and relocated to the living room to read by the window. At first, I kind of welcomed the quiet opportunity to delve further into The Help, which I was already slightly over halfway through at this point. So for the next several hours, I read and read some more, with the occasional facebook check to see how many others had also lost power.
After checking facebook and email one last time, I finally decided around 12:30 that maybe I should just attempt to go to bed and when I woke up, it would be light outside. Thankfully, my iPod was almost fully charged, so I crawled into bed and started listening to my favorite tunes while thinking about the memories that each song evoked in my head. Not one to ever go to bed early, my body was clearly not willing to adapt to this new bedtime, so I proceeded to listen to music while tossing and turning until I finally drifted off to sleep sometime after 2:30 am.
I awoke on Sunday morning to an absolutely gorgeous day as sunshine streamed through my bedroom windows. After quickly realizing that the power still hadn't been restored, my roomie and I decided to take a walk around the Fan to assess the damage. There were several blocks that looked just fine...lights were on inside the houses and the only evidence of the storm was the debris and leaves that covered the sidewalks. Unfortunately, others didn't fare quite so well. We saw several cars crushed under fallen trees, as well as a row house with a tree through the roof :( After this, I decided to try my luck by venturing Downtown (and safely crossing intersections where the stoplights weren't working along the way) to see whether my office had power (and thus ice in the ice maker!). To my pleasant surprise, all looked normal Downtown, so I was able to fill up a cooler full of ice and salvage several items from my fridge, all while charging my lifeline to the world so it would last me for the duration of the day.
I headed off to City Church at 4:00 and felt a sense of calm come over me during the service, as it helped me stop focusing on the power outage and realize that I didn't really have it so bad after all. We had a Vespers dinner afterward, so it was nice to finally eat some warm food in the company of new friends. Upon returning home, the power was still out and I settled in for another night of reading by candlelight. Luckily, the Starbucks down the street had power, so I got my caffeine fix with a grande skinny iced caramel macchiato and was able to do some reading under normal lighting conditions. The temperature had cooled down considerably by this point, so the roomie and I decided to get a reprieve from the stuffy apartment by spending the rest of the evening sitting on the patio and having a super long gab session under the glow of the streetlights (during which time I jotted down the highlights of this blog post).
This morning, I made it to work on time after taking what I'm sure was the coldest (and thus fastest) shower of my life, and also after starting on the dreaded task of cleaning out my freezer/fridge. I figured it was better to tackle it this morning before too much started leaking out than waiting until after work and coming home to a serious mess. And hey, who knows, maybe, just maybe, the power will be back on by the time I head home from work today.
To give you one last snapshot of my hurricane and post-hurricane experience, I figure nothing says it better than my collage of facebook status updates during the weekend. I have compiled them below in chronological order for your hopeful entertainment :)
To give you one last snapshot of my hurricane and post-hurricane experience, I figure nothing says it better than my collage of facebook status updates during the weekend. I have compiled them below in chronological order for your hopeful entertainment :)
MercyMe's new song "Move". It's from their new album "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" which will be released May 4, 2010. Lyrics: I'm not about to give up Because...
I would not have survived as a pioneer haha. But on the upside, I only have 60 pages left of The Help! Let's see how much I can get through b4 busting out a flashlight...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Where did summer go? Plus ramblings on anniversaries and an exciting week ahead!
Like every year, summer's end is in sight, Back To School sales are in full-force, and nobody knows where the time went. Haha. I must admit that I caught myself several times last week saying things like "Wow, how is it already mid-August?! It seems like summer just started!" And I'm not even a teacher or a student, so it makes no difference to me. In fact, I'm kind of excited b/c the end of summer means that my favorite season is on its way!!!! Yay Autumn!!! Football games, tailgating, hoodies, pumpkin spice lattes, pretty leaves, great running weather (although time will tell how much I will be able to take advantage of that)...Also on the exciting list for this Fall is a road trip to a friend's wedding in Alabama, and my cousin and her husband are having a baby boy in October! So much to look forward to in the Fall! But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. It is still August after-all, and there's plenty to be excited about this week alone!
Two great friends celebrated their first wedding anniversary today...I was so happy to be a bridesmaid in their beautiful wedding a year ago. But that wonderful memory also brings to mind a very sad day, as well. I know we're not supposed to dwell on the past, but I tend to remember life events and certain conversations quite vividly, almost like they just happened yesterday even if they actually happened years ago. While anniversaries are supposed to commemorate positive life events, I don't think I'm alone when I say that I also tend to associate certain dates with very painful memories, as well. Thinking about tomorrow's date inevitably reminds me of one year ago when I returned from my friends' wedding and went to visit Dad in the hospital. It was early afternoon when the doctor came in and broke the devastating news about the terminal cancer they had found, which before that moment had just been a possibility, but not one that my optimistic outlook would let me take seriously until it started sinking in at that very moment. And thus began the emotional rollercoaster of the next 5 months and beyond. I'm learning that it's true what people say about the grieving process getting somewhat better with time though. I mean, it still hurts a ton and we will always miss Dad so very much, and there will always be a void that nobody else can fill. But recently there have been less nights of crying (tonight not included since this post has the waterworks going again, but sharing my thoughts and feelings always makes me feel better in the end so it's a good thing. And thanks for reading btw..it's always nice to know that you guys take the time to read my ramblings), and I find it easier to think fond memories of him and smile instead of dwelling on the sadness factor. At least I should be busy at work tomorrow, which means less time to think too much about it until after work. It's interesting how dates on a calendar can forever be associated with different memories for different people...there's another tough one coming up for me at the end of this month as well, but at least the past year has helped heal that one to some extent.
Okay, that's enough of me being a Debbie Downer for one night! Sheesh, y'all are going to stop reading my blog for fear that every post is going to be sad! So sorry! I will do my best to remedy that and balance it out with more happy and upbeat posts! :) So, back to the exciting things about this week! Today I tried out two new churches here in Richmond: Redemption Hill and City Church. I enjoyed both services and am especially excited about the fact that City Church meets at 4 pm, which was admittedly a turn-off for me at first. Having been born and bred going to church on Sunday mornings for all of my life, the concept of going to church in the late afternoon kind of blew my mind, but then I realized that it will work out perfectly for football season so I can go back to the Valley for JMU games, attend the caffeinated service at my beloved HBC, have lunch with the fam, and then head back to RVA just in time for the 4 pm service. Yay! Of course, I intend to keep trying out both churches for several weeks, since you can't really make a decision like that after only attending one service. Nonetheless, I'm excited about potentially finding a church that's the right fit for me, as well as opportunities to serve the community that I've been looking for since I moved down here. Prayers that I will find the church where God can best use me (and for me to know which one that is) would be greatly appreciated! :)
Continuing on with the positives of this week, we're having a YPG reunion dinner this Tuesday night! I can't wait to see everyone and catch up! We're also going to be making plans to get our YPG alumni weekly small group underway! Yessssss!!!!!!
Next, I had my first follow-up appointment for my fractured foot last week and my doc said the x-rays show that it's healing nicely and I can stop wearing the air cast starting this Thursday!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!! I (naturally) asked him about the timeline for running again and he said we could discuss it at my next appointment in 3 weeks, but it's a definite no-go until then....ahhh I'm so impatient to get back out there and start running again! But on the upside, he said that I can wear heels for the wedding that I'm in this coming weekend as long as I'm not on my feet too long and they don't cause me any pain or discomfort. Which brings me to another super exciting event....one of my childhood best friends is getting married this weekend! I can't wait! And praise the good Lord that I won't have to rock out my stylish air cast during the ceremony....it doesn't exactly match my bridesmaid dress. Haha :P But seriously, it's going to be a beautiful day and I'm so happy to be a part of it.
Finally, I bought and started reading "The Help" today. I keep hearing so many great reviews about the book and the movie, but my rule tends to be that I have to read the book before seeing the movie, so I want to buckle down and make time to read it so I can catch the movie before it goes out of theatres. I'm only 22 pages in so far though, so I should probably get off the computer and read!
Okay, I think that's enough for now. It's going to be a crazy busy week, but it should be the good kind of crazy busy, which is my favorite kind :) With that, I am going to say good night, thanks for reading, and I'll leave you with this uplifting song from The Afters:
Two great friends celebrated their first wedding anniversary today...I was so happy to be a bridesmaid in their beautiful wedding a year ago. But that wonderful memory also brings to mind a very sad day, as well. I know we're not supposed to dwell on the past, but I tend to remember life events and certain conversations quite vividly, almost like they just happened yesterday even if they actually happened years ago. While anniversaries are supposed to commemorate positive life events, I don't think I'm alone when I say that I also tend to associate certain dates with very painful memories, as well. Thinking about tomorrow's date inevitably reminds me of one year ago when I returned from my friends' wedding and went to visit Dad in the hospital. It was early afternoon when the doctor came in and broke the devastating news about the terminal cancer they had found, which before that moment had just been a possibility, but not one that my optimistic outlook would let me take seriously until it started sinking in at that very moment. And thus began the emotional rollercoaster of the next 5 months and beyond. I'm learning that it's true what people say about the grieving process getting somewhat better with time though. I mean, it still hurts a ton and we will always miss Dad so very much, and there will always be a void that nobody else can fill. But recently there have been less nights of crying (tonight not included since this post has the waterworks going again, but sharing my thoughts and feelings always makes me feel better in the end so it's a good thing. And thanks for reading btw..it's always nice to know that you guys take the time to read my ramblings), and I find it easier to think fond memories of him and smile instead of dwelling on the sadness factor. At least I should be busy at work tomorrow, which means less time to think too much about it until after work. It's interesting how dates on a calendar can forever be associated with different memories for different people...there's another tough one coming up for me at the end of this month as well, but at least the past year has helped heal that one to some extent.
Okay, that's enough of me being a Debbie Downer for one night! Sheesh, y'all are going to stop reading my blog for fear that every post is going to be sad! So sorry! I will do my best to remedy that and balance it out with more happy and upbeat posts! :) So, back to the exciting things about this week! Today I tried out two new churches here in Richmond: Redemption Hill and City Church. I enjoyed both services and am especially excited about the fact that City Church meets at 4 pm, which was admittedly a turn-off for me at first. Having been born and bred going to church on Sunday mornings for all of my life, the concept of going to church in the late afternoon kind of blew my mind, but then I realized that it will work out perfectly for football season so I can go back to the Valley for JMU games, attend the caffeinated service at my beloved HBC, have lunch with the fam, and then head back to RVA just in time for the 4 pm service. Yay! Of course, I intend to keep trying out both churches for several weeks, since you can't really make a decision like that after only attending one service. Nonetheless, I'm excited about potentially finding a church that's the right fit for me, as well as opportunities to serve the community that I've been looking for since I moved down here. Prayers that I will find the church where God can best use me (and for me to know which one that is) would be greatly appreciated! :)
Continuing on with the positives of this week, we're having a YPG reunion dinner this Tuesday night! I can't wait to see everyone and catch up! We're also going to be making plans to get our YPG alumni weekly small group underway! Yessssss!!!!!!
Next, I had my first follow-up appointment for my fractured foot last week and my doc said the x-rays show that it's healing nicely and I can stop wearing the air cast starting this Thursday!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!! I (naturally) asked him about the timeline for running again and he said we could discuss it at my next appointment in 3 weeks, but it's a definite no-go until then....ahhh I'm so impatient to get back out there and start running again! But on the upside, he said that I can wear heels for the wedding that I'm in this coming weekend as long as I'm not on my feet too long and they don't cause me any pain or discomfort. Which brings me to another super exciting event....one of my childhood best friends is getting married this weekend! I can't wait! And praise the good Lord that I won't have to rock out my stylish air cast during the ceremony....it doesn't exactly match my bridesmaid dress. Haha :P But seriously, it's going to be a beautiful day and I'm so happy to be a part of it.
Finally, I bought and started reading "The Help" today. I keep hearing so many great reviews about the book and the movie, but my rule tends to be that I have to read the book before seeing the movie, so I want to buckle down and make time to read it so I can catch the movie before it goes out of theatres. I'm only 22 pages in so far though, so I should probably get off the computer and read!
Okay, I think that's enough for now. It's going to be a crazy busy week, but it should be the good kind of crazy busy, which is my favorite kind :) With that, I am going to say good night, thanks for reading, and I'll leave you with this uplifting song from The Afters:
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