Lynn’s Recollections and Reflections #43 – 2 Truths and A Lie

I’m sure if I ever play this game I will say “I was part of a hurricane evacuation from Florida” as one of my three stories and people will think it’s my lie!

A couple shares a kiss on their wedding day, a moment of sweet recollection. The bride, adorned in a white gown with a long veil, holds a bouquet as the groom wears a black suit with a white boutonniere. In the background stand palm trees and a modern building.

Celebration of Love

We went to Florida on October 4, 2024. A good family friend’s daughter was getting married. Our daughters Emma, Annie, and her husband and 10-month-old baby were also there. Our girls were childhood friends.

This lovely bride and groom were married at two different weddings. A Hindu ceremony to honor the groom’s heritage. That was celebrated on Saturday and was so beautiful and we loved witnessing all of the culturals wedding traditions. On Sunday night they had an American ceremony with the wedding rituals we are used to.

There was eating, drinking, and dancing at both events. A good time was had by all.

A couple stands in a traditional wedding ceremony, a moment destined for fond recollection. The bride dazzles in a red and gold lehenga, while the groom complements her in a beige sherwani with a red turban, surrounded by ornate gold decorations and vibrant yellow draping.

Monday Morning

Exhausted from two nights of parties, we were looking forward to a quiet day, having dinner with our friends later on but basically just being lazy.

The neighbor to our Airbnb came over around 11 am and told us that there was a mandatory evacuation for the area where we were staying and that the Tampa airport was closing at 9 am on Tuesday (most of our flights were booked for Tuesday afternoon).

We were taken by complete surprise. We knew this storm was coming but not until Wednesday night. We were sure we would get out on our flights on Tuesday.

Shortly after that knock on the door, our phones started to blow up from concerned friends and family who were obviously paying more attention then us.

The weather radar image evokes recollection as it shows a storm system over Florida, displaying intense red and orange colors indicating heavy rainfall near Tampa, Sarasota, and Bradenton. A blue dot marks a specific location near these cities.

Scrambling To Leave

We literally start throwing stuff in our suitcases while making phone calls to airlines and rental car companies trying to figure out what we can and can’t do!

With a 9-month-old baby, we had to consider not only our next move but also how to make sure that we had what we needed to feed him. Water, formula, and prepped food were important. Luckily, we found a small Styrofoam cooler at the house, and we were able to put ice and food into that.

A baby in a high chair is joyfully eating, with a face and hands smeared with food. The tray in front of the baby has pieces of avocado and other food spread around. The baby, wearing a light-colored onesie with a playful lion pattern, would definitely bring smiles to any grandparents' checklist.

Our Road Blocks

We couldn’t find flights out of any city in Florida. The soonest they were predicting that we could get out of Tampa would be 10/18.

Even though the airport had announced it was closing, the airlines wouldn’t refund us money until the actual flight was canceled.

Gas Stations were running out of gas. The shelves were cleared of water.

Our Game Plan

Tommy’s (Annie’s Husband) sister lives in Atlanta. According to GPS, we could get to her house in 8 hours. We also could get flights out of Atlanta.

Tommy and Tommy’s Mom (Robin) who came down to Florida to watch the baby had flights out of Tampa on Monday night and those flights were still scheduled to leave on time.

We could change the drop-off location of the rental car from Tampa to Atlanta (for a charge).

We would drop Tommy and Robin off at the Tampa Airport and then head north to Atlanta.

The Journey

All 7 of us piled into the car (thank goodness I rented the largest SUV) and started our journey.

Mission #1 – Tampa Airport

When we got into the car our ETA to the airport was an hour. We needed gas and went by many, many gas stations that were out of gas. Our concern about gas began. Luckily we found a little station that still had some gas and were able to fill our car.

As we headed to the airport, using several different apps for directions our ETA and travel routes kept changing. What was supposed to take us an hour took us 2-1/2 hours.

We dropped off Tommy and Robin with prayers that their flights would take off.

Mission #2 – Get the Rest of us to Atlanta

We started heading towards Georgia. This is when things got really sticky. It took us 2 hours to drive 12 miles. Our ETA to Atlanta had gone from 8:38 pm to 10:30 pm.

We again had dueling GPAs happening and major “discussions” about which route to take. “Handy” was thinking just how it would logically look. We were looking at real-time traffic on our apps.

Let’s just say that the 9-month-old was the best-behaved person in the car – for the whole trip.

Our ETA kept rising as we were creeping along in a parking lot of cars. It also started raining.

Luck was on our side once again when we found a small out-of-the-way gas station that had gas and the lines weren’t terribly long. Once we had a full tank of gas, we were back on the road. We stopped a few times to go to the bathroom and we had snacks for our meals. For the most part, we just kept moving – slowly but moving.

When our ETA reached 2:00 am we decided that maybe stopping for a few hours to sleep might be a good idea. We all search but there wasn’t a hotel room to be found.

Like it or not we had to dig in and keep going. “Handy” did the bulk of the driving but Annie and I took some shifts at the end of the drive. We made it to our Atlanta destination at 4:40 am.

A busy airport tarmac with several airplanes from different airlines parked evokes a sense of recollection. Ground equipment and vehicles are visible in the foreground under the clear, blue sky.

Finally Getting Home

We only slept for a few hours and then had to get up to get Annie and Harrison to the airport in Atlanta for their 11:00 am (Tuesday Morning) flight. “Handy”, Emma, and I had a great breakfast. We then returned our car at the airport and hung out until our 3:45 pm (EST) flight. We walked in our front door at 6:00 pm (CST).

It took us two days to feel like normal again. Keith and I only had 2-1/2 hours sleep in 36 hours.

There’s no place like home!

How Can We Help

The fact that we had a comfortable bed to sleep in with a roof over our heads, running water, and electricity was not lost on me. I recently discovered Samaritan’s Purse which is an organization that provides for the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. What I liked about the organization is that 100% of the money you donate goes towards helping others.

Feeling helpless, I choose to help with a donation. You can go HERE to help!

Peace & Love,

You can find the complete list of all of the Recollection Posts HERE

Just in Case

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Meet Me

I’m an Interior Designer turned full-time blogger who lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a 1,300 sq., ft., home with my “Handy” husband, Keith.

I’m an open book about my life on my blog. Find out more about me by tapping the button below.

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