It's gonna be 20 degrees when we get to Illinois!

Ahhhh! Only two days until we leave for Illinois!! I'm anxious to see the destruction on Bolivar Peninsula at the beginning of our drive. I had trouble wording that because I don't want it to seem like I am excited to see the destruction of so many people's homes, but we drive this way every time we go to Illinois. It will be interesting to compare the area before and after Ike.

I haven't been over to Bolivar yet for a number of reasons. One is that the ferry was closed for weeks after the hurricane. Two, even after it did open, it was only available for Bolivar residents. And three, I know the majority of the area was completely wiped out. No houses. Gone. Everything leveled. I even heard that there is only one school left standing. I figured that recovery efforts would be filling the streets as it is and I didn't want to add to the crowd.

I have already checked with the ferry system and they are running two out of the three ferries at this point. That means they come about every thirty minutes. That is still faster than driving through Houston traffic and around Galveston Bay. I have also clarified that the road that runs from Bolivar to I-10 (the main interstate heading to New Orleans) is intact. I sort of freaked out when I realized that the hurricane may have hindered our trip, so I'm happy to see we are still taking the normal route this year.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD! I'm driving first. I usually do because I'm a morning person and I function best first thing in the morning. When it gets close to lunch time, and definitely after lunch, I get sleepy easily. I like to drive first, then take a nap, so I'm ready for my next turn at the wheel. Thankfully, my time at the wheel will be minimum since we'll have four drivers sharing the trek north. Yay!

Last night I asked Ariel if Robert has a winter coat to wear while we are in snow country. Turns out, he doesn't! They are hoping to buy him a coat this week, but they are quickly running out of time. Travis offered to loan Robert his coat if he doesn't make it to the store in time. At least they have that option. It's funny because I already had to buy gloves and ear warmers because my cold-weather clothing has dwindled to almost nothing in the six years I've been in Texas. We have not had to worry about this for three years because we've celebrated Christmas here. Weird how you forget about simple stuff like that.