We're back home now...

but we still don't have power. The good news is that a "cool" front has moved through the Houston area and the highs are only in the mid-80's. At night, it is cooling down into the 60's. And the humidity has dropped immensely. So we are ready to tackle sleeping without AC again.

The bad news is that is challenging to get gas. We each spent 30 minutes in line filling our tanks today. Policemen are controlling the flow of traffic at the service stations that have gasoline. Most stations are still closed (either due to the lack of electricity or the lack of gasoline, I'm not sure which).

We decided it would be better to stay closer to home than to have to make the additional 30 minute commute each day.

We happened to drive past Henry's school today and found it open. They didn't really have a way of contacting the parents other than changing the message on their answering machine (which I never thought to call). So he stayed for part of the day today and will go back full time tomorrow. I feel like it will be most helpful for him to get back into some semblance of his normal routine.

Leslie will also return to work tomorrow. She's already checked the bus schedules and has a plan. I'll by trying to work at the Panera Bread down the road. They've assured me that they have power, wifi, and outlets available. My conference calls may be a little rough, but I have plenty of work to keep me busy.

The congregation has been very diligent about checking in with everyone. They had a "town hall" meeting in the parking lot on Sunday, just to make sure everyone was okay and to assess if anyone needed assistance. We weren't able to attend, but we had checked in with one of the elders so they knew where we stood. The meeting for Thursday was canceled to let everyone get themselves taken care of. We'll reconvene for a congregation bookstudy at the KH on Saturday morning, and then resume our normal meeting schedule on Sunday (provided that there is power at the KH by then).

Henry is riding his bike right now while I sit on the porch typing this. I hope he burns tons of energy so that he is able to relax and have a good night's sleep.

We keep hearing encouraging reports about power being restored. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that 1/3 of Houston's power has been restored. I'm sure it is just a matter of time before we hear the whir of the ceiling fans...