things i like and dislike about hurricanes

So first off is the disclaimer -- I have absolutely no right to complain at all -- we had the means and the ability to evacuate and CHOSE to stay in town for Isaac.  That said, here are the things I liked:

1. Listening to the wind and rain (cat 1, so not horrific!)
2. Reading by candlelight (the first 2 days)
3. Remembering how to get around in the dark (before I had LASIK I had this sort of inner-radar thing going on and was able to navigate the house in the dark without my glasses/contacts)
4. Tom's ingenuity -- he'd purchased a HUGE generator after Katrina -- we lost NOTHING in the refrigerator due to melting or being off temperature (we lost a head of broccoli from lack of use!). He enabled us to charge phones and other devices, rigged up the TV, washer and dryer and strong fans to make the house bearable -- he'd just about finished rigging up a window a/c when the power came back on
5. Playing card-games with my girls
6. Finished ALL my library books -- especially after remembering and finding the book-lights we had
7. Just being at home
8. Going to church Sunday
9. Celebrating Tom's b-day 

Things I disliked:

1. Showering in the dark (actually it was rather funny this morning -- the power came on while I was in the shower and Abby came to tell me it was on.  I let out a "whoop!" and had her call Tom and Maggie who were out buying MORE gas for the generator.  Then I realized I could turn on the light and did so.  THEN I realized I could also turn on the exhaust fan).  Bliss.
2. Cooking in the dark -- made spaghetti on Wednesday, the day it made landfall
3. Doing laundry in a serial fashion as only one big appliance could be run at a time -- wash clothes, dry clothes, then wash/dry second load.
4. House smelling like a locker room due to the fact that it got hot and humid and towels and bathmats weren't able to dry out
5. Having what seemed like EVERYONE else getting power on faster than we did
6. Trying to figure out what to do considering the fact that Tom's leaving for Holland tomorrow and we didn't have power yet this morning AND the girls go back to school tomorrow (plan was to get a hotel room for the three of us)
7. Not being able to enjoy my coffee
8. Feeling slightly "sticky" all the time

Considering there are more things I liked (also see previous post), I suppose it wasn't so bad.  Today was the first day I really felt like crying from frustration and everything.  All things considered I'll stay again for a cat-1 (maybe cat-2) and the biggest lesson I've learned is to include in the supply list PAPER PLATES (doing dishes is NOT one of my likes!).

Hope your Labor Day is wonderful -- I enjoyed a "normal" day including going to my yoga class and going to the grocery.......