I'm starting to get those strange feelings as well wildman. Mine's only 15 and when she shows good, mature decision-making I feel a mix of pride in her and a twinge of sadness that she is one more step closer to not needing me anymore.

Kinda like "mission accomplished, ...damn".

Perhaps she would enjoy a long weekend in NYC, catch a Broadway show, hit the museums, shopping, . . .

Yeah, +1 on bug out. What's the old saying about third try is the charm?

Well, we talked about it some more, and the dive instructor is committed to the dive Saturday, so unless his plans fall through completely, her need to stay longer is pretty much temporal.

So her final answer is to go. Re-booking her flight on Frontier, their silly ridiculous rebooking fees etc will cost as much as just buying the damn one way ticket home. So basicially they are ripping me off, just because they can, and that is that. Not that I am so worried about the money, but the principal gets me down. The airlines have a nice scam going, even though the cost of flying is proportionately much lower than other forms of travel. I guess when you are in such a cutthroat and well regulated market, you gouge everywhere you can, just to make up for the bureaucratic lumps you take.

So the bottom line is she is heading home Tuesday. She will get her certification, and be able to spend some time going through her boodle she's taking back with her, and visiting friends and family she's not seen all summer long. It's been kinda nice having her all to myself, but I've reached the limits of my selfishness for now, and since I am having to leave anyways, might as well get her back with enough time to adjust to her college lifestyle again.

She would dearly love to go back to NYC. She too misses the pizza and bagels. Daddy has spent enough money on her this summer already, so that ain't gonna happen. She's going home with a complete new wardrobe, and a whole new set of toys and books and baubles. More importantly, she is going home with a new set of special memories, and a refreshed and motivated attitude, and the knowledge that her life is still the most important thing to at least one other person on this planet.

Mission accomplished...

Take a bow Sir, you done good!

Good luck to all in the path of Hanna... wish you the best.

Kris

Destiny today finds me in Denver with the wife again, watching the storms from a nice, safe distance. It's amazing how different the sunshine is here compared to Florida. It is just two different worlds.

Anyways, the kid went diving at Alexander Springs finally and got her certification, then went back to Blue Springs and did her first certified dive. Today she is playing with friends out at Disneyworld one last time, then will pack up and return home Tuesday night, God willing and the river don't rise, well, at least not too much more (St John's River expected to crest Wednesday over 2 feet above flood stage). All should go fine, and I will see her for a couple hours on the layover trip.

To quote one of my great fictional heroes, just doing what I can with what I got.

So getting outta Florida is a big refreshment, it'll be a relief when the kid makes it out too, but I ain't too worried about that now. She has everything she needs, including a few good friends watching over her, people I can trust. Maybe even a few angels if my prayers made it to their mark.

Newbie here - getting out of the path is rarely a bad decision from my few years down on the eastern NC coast.

I'm in the central piedmont/foothills region of NC now so this storm looks like it will pass more or less directly over us after making landfall. Not nearly as bad as being on the coast but depending on the size and speed of the storm (like Hugo, Bertha and Fran in past years) it will still drop a lot of rain and can still have a good bit of force when it gets to us. Less of the severe damage but still a lot of trees down and the related power lines and power outages. So my preparations are in gear and started this past weekend - adding to the water stores, canned/dried goods, extra propane for the grill, gas for the generator should we need it, extra ice in the freezer, plenty of charged batteries and fresh primaries for lights and radio, storing furniture and loose outdoor items, checking for clearly loose limbs and getting them down now, fuel in the vehicles in case we need to move to the inlaws home around 20 miles away (they are also in the path but may have power if we don't)etc...

Welcome newguy! It seems you've learned well from past experiences.

-Blast

Welcome Newguy!!!

Well, unfortunately I am in a quandry. I have to send DW to South Carolina on Thursday as her father is having surgery on Friday. Nothing like sending a loved one INTO the path of danger. I have been watching the weather channel as well as all the news channels. I wish this one could be avoided. However, with that being said, I feel better about having the DW down there to make sure that the father in law will be taken care of by family with common sense. I have very mixed feelings about this.