Sleepless in Seattle

You know that part in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan and Bill Pullman are getting ready for bed and he's got the humidifier and the nasal spray and the Kleenex dangling from his nose?

That's what I look like. I had an allergy attack sometime on Sunday and, true to form, it's turning into a full-blown cold. And yes, I do have kleenes dangling from my nose. I've reached the point where the skin on my nose is so red from the rubbing and dabbing and nose-blowing and my ears pop every time I yawn.
The fiancee has been very sweet, tucking me up on the couch and bringing me tea and such. He even vacuumed the house yesterday because I was too tired. Sweet man.

And for those of you who don't know, Trinity Church (the link to the right) has agreed to host our wedding, nice people that they are. Mile and a half of aisle, here I come!

Once I can breathe through my nose again, that is. Why oh why must I have allergies?!

The folks are doing better. There is now electricity running to the house, even if there are no walls or appliances. But at least it means they can go there in the evening and turn on the lights. I think. I just hope that the house begins to look more like a house soon - mom's getting edgy sleeping on the hospital floor.

My family is so blessed. Not only did they have a safe, clean, dry and secure place to stay during the hurricane, they had cooked food to eat, and a host of people around them who were in the same boat. No one suffered any physical harm, and though it seems that my once totally New Orleans-based family is going to have to scatter for a while until houses and jobs return to normal, everyone is safe and accounted for. I saw a story on the news about these parents who put their two children on a rescue helicopter - ages 6 and 2, I believe. The parents ended up at the Astrodome. The children ended up as part of a "children's troop" led by the 6 year old, walking down Causeway boulevard with a bunch of other children who were otherwise unsupervised. All's well that ends well, but how would you feel if you had to put your children on a helicopter just to get them out of the water and then hope for the best? The damage done to lives and families is not over. It's not over just because Bush took responsibility (which I'll address at a later time) and Michael Brown resigned. It's not over because the rain stopped. And it won't be over until all of the people displaced have buried their dead, cleaned out their houses, hopefully put their houses back together, and several sets of birthdays and holidays have passed. And even then, it won't be the same.

I miss my home.