Nothing will whip some Floridians into a frenzy like a legitimate hurricane threat. That's just what Irma brought us in early September. She was an unpredictable monster, and no one knew what the best decision was. I usually gauge things based on the reactions of the most level-headed people I know. Well, all of the most level-headed people had already evacuated, or made plans to shelter up. So when the opportunity to go to some friends of Matt and Carrie's up in Tennessee came up, we took it! We left on Thursday, September 7th, and 19 hours later (!), we stopped at the Stone Mountain Hampton Inn in Georgia. It was a property owned by Nick's new company, and they were incredible. We brought Remy and Oscar, the tortoise, and the hotel was so accommodating. The next morning we hopped back in the rental van and headed to Chattanooga, where we stayed with John and Deb. They had the most beautiful home in a gorgeous part of Chattanooga, and made us feel so welcome. It was a scary time, as we left a lot of friends and family behind, and weren't sure what we were going to come home to, but we did the best we could to keep the boys distracted. They had fun patrolling the neighborhood with John and Deb's neighbor, Michael, we scaled the giant moon rocks down the street, went indoor rock climbing, saw the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and spent a lot of time outside. On Tuesday, when the coast was clear, we headed back home....another 19 hours! But we came home to very little damage, and safe family and friends, so it was all good.....
