hurricane prep - day 1

The hurricane is all anyone can talk about these days. Someone posted that waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. You know it's coming for you but it's so slow.

There are so many things I should be doing, so many things I could do but I find myself not wanting to do any of them. Maybe I'm in denial.

Yesterday I got home from work and decided to swim instead of going to the store. I know the store will be so crowded and they are already running out of everything so it's just too stressful. Swimming is much nicer and it's so warm and humid lately that swimming is a real pleasure. After dipping in the pool I always sit outside to dry off and read.

Then, it was still fairly early so I said "screw it" and took myself off to Epcot for the opening of the Food and Wine Festival. Here I am enjoying a croissant aux escargots in France.

It's always the first thing I get each year at Food and Wine. I LOVE escargot so much and it's not something easily found on a menu around here. I have Taz to thank for introducing them to me, it's not like I grew up eating snails. I'm pretty adventurous food-wise (although not nearly as adventurous as he was) which is amazing considering I grew up in a real meat and potatoes household where Chinese takeout was considered exotic.

Last year, at Food and Wine, Disney was giving away a cutting board to each annual passholder on their 4th visit to the festival. Taz really wanted these cutting boards (we would each get one) and he was afraid they would run out so he made us get up early each day of the Labor Day holiday weekend and get over to Epcot so that we could get the cutting board by Monday. We were leaving the next Saturday for our California vacation and he didn't want to take the chance of waiting until we got back. I started calling the whole weekend the Quest for the Cutting Board and posted pictures on Facebook about our progress.

It turned out to be such a special time (and now a beloved memory) because we took the time to ride some rides we hadn't gone on in years, ate breakfast each day at a new place and we took a bunch of selfies that are so precious to me now. Taz was thrilled with his cutting board, he definitely thought it was worth every early morning. I may have been a little less enthusiastic about getting up early on the weekend and holiday but I sucked it up and did it anyway because it meant so much to him.

This year Disney is giving away sets of coasters that look very similar to the cutting board so I have determined to take up the challenge and have invented a sequel to Quest for the Cutting Board called Quest for the Coasters. I plan on doing all 4 visits within this holiday weekend in tribute to Taz. Of course the dratted hurricane is threatening to derail my plans but hopefully it won't.

So last night was my first visit and I obtained the very much sought after magnet. My second visit (tonight) and third will be short ones, I basically just need to scan my band to enter the park and it records that I've been there. I will probably hang around long enough to get something to eat or drink and then head back out till the next day. Then on my Sunday morning visit, I will obtain the prized coasters!

Last night, after eating my escargot, I followed my usual pattern of getting ice cream in France and then walking over to Morocco to eat it. Taz LOVED Morocco and I love how you can lose yourself in the scenery and be transported back in time.

Isn't it such a special place? I love the whole atmosphere.

After a happy time in Morocco, I decided to head back home. I'm lucky that I live only 20 minutes from there so I can get back home quickly and still have some time to relax on the couch before it's time for bed.

So, I didn't end up doing any hurricane prep yesterday. Today I tried to find gas and the station near my office was completely out. That's a bit worrying. I'll run out later this morning and try again but there comes a point where you have to stop because you're using up all your gas looking for gas. I'm supposed to go visit my mother tomorrow but I won't be able to if I can't fill up. At least she's in assisted living now so she's taken care of during this storm.

I'm trying to be all brave about this but I cried again on the way in to work. I guess all of this brings up vulnerabilities that I would rather keep buried. And now the storm isn't supposed to hit till Tuesday so I have days of this to go through still. Can't wait.