Gustaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaav!

Here's where we are in our evacuation plans:

1. Started laundry and packing over the last few nights. All photo albums, yearbooks, college newspaper bound copies, school-mandated items, and favorite summer clothes and shoes to join us.

2. Packed winter clothes in trunk of Mark's car.

3. Dropped Mark's car off at a warehouse his boss owns out in Harahan. Four feet off the ground, never flooded before, here's hoping that holds true.

4. Bought disposable, covered foil baking pans to use as travel litter boxes, plus cat food.

5. Spoken with parents numerous times.

6. Exchanged numbers with next-door neighbors.

7. Picked up items in the yard.

8. My favorite, most bizarre activity ever: wrapped all meat and other icky items, such as eggs, in tin foil, placed in Ziplock bags, placed in garbage bags, placed inside other garbage bags. Tied tight. Will turn fridge and freezer temps up completely before we leave. Allegedly, this will keep foods good for the first 12 hours after losing electricity.

9. Printed out directions to Indianapolis.

10. Cried a lot.

11. Dropped my back seats off at my parents' house.

12. Started loading my car.

13. Panicked a bunch.

14. Contacted out of state loved ones to update them as necessary.

15. Set a timeline to leave between 3 and 4 a.m., with a bedtime around 8 p.m.

16. Change bedtime to maybe an hour from now...10:30?

17. Find little mementos that can't be replaced

18. Bag up jewelry

19. Tthrow remaining clean laundry in trash bags because we're out of suitcases.

20. Check in with in-laws and see what their plans are.

21. Finish loading car by playing suitcase Tetris.

22. Attempt to sleep.