ready or not.

What am I doing with these four books I just checked out at the library?

Well, we just got approved to be a foster home for Love of Labs! We should be getting our first foster dog this weekend/next week. I am SO excited!

Fostering is something I have been interested in but unable to commit to with my work schedule & apartment living. Now that we've moved into this bigger place & I cut my hours to part time... we're ready for this new adventure!

getting energy efficient.

Our last electric bill was $180. My boyfriend almost died. I don't even want to think about what the gas bill will be this winter.

Our building was built prior to the 1930s. The windows upstairs are plexiglass & the trim around them is rotting wood so the windows don't even touch the glass. First on our list is new windows. We also have zero insulation. That's second on the list.

I checked out this book from the library. Lots of great ideas! Here are some of the projects I'm working on:

• buy an energy monitor to see which appliances are costing us the most
• buy a Smart Strip so devices can really be turned off when we're not using them
• install a low flow aerator for the faucets
• check the hot water heater temperature
• we already have a tankless hot water heater
• clean the a/c coils
• seal gaps around windows & baseboards with acrylic caulk
• cover all outlets with foam gaskets
• seal the foundation gap with 100% silicone caulk
• add insulation
• check into weatherstripping the doors

We went to Menards this weekend & bought lots of supplies so I could begin my projects. Today I am tackling the foam gaskets! & we've gotten three estimates on new windows so that will begin (hopefully) later this month!

yikes.

photo taken with my phone as we walked down the bleachers to head for shelter

We went to the state fair Saturday evening. On the way down we heard a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect & the storms were in Lafayette. I wondered if the concert would even get started before the storms hit.

We ate an elephant ear & drank a lemon shake up before heading to our seats. We were all the way at the very top. Not good for concert viewing. Turned out to be good for other reasons.

As we waited for the show to start we watched the clouds rolling in. It got darker & darker & I wondered if we should leave. Just then a man came on stage & announced storms were on their way, but the band would be out in a few moments. If they needed to pause the concert, we could all head across to the buildings, but hopefully it would pass & the show could go on.

The clouds continued to get darker & closer & lightning got closer. I started to ask TJ if we should head for shelter now, because by the time the storms actually hit, it would be a madhouse. Several people were heading toward shelter. But before I could form the words, a huge gust of wind came through & rocked the stage. It happened in slow motion. From our seats at the top row we saw the stage sway... & then collapse.

It was like a scene from a movie. I heard hundreds of people screaming. I saw people running. I knew people were hurt. Then the slow motion stopped & everything kicked into high gear. People were running down the bleachers, running from the collapsed stage, running to the collapsed stage. I heard sirens. The wind was blowing debris through the air. People were hunched down on the ground, covering up, bracing for the worst. The wind got stronger & stronger. We started down the bleachers to head for shelter.

We went to the horse barn to wait out the storm. We couldn't see outside but it didn't seem like it rained very hard or for very long.

I found out later the stage collapsed right around 9p.m. We were headed home around 10:30. By the time we got home they were showing video footage of the collapse. It falls so much faster on t.v. than it seemed to in real life. The next morning we heard news that five people were killed & over 40 were injured. Truthfully I'm surprised to hear so many more weren't harmed. There was no way to warn those fans in the first few rows that it was coming down.

It was a scary, scary  night & I have been thinking & praying for all those people.