Extreme, Hunkered Down, & Ready

Tulsa is in a pretty "extreme" position right now... in more ways than one.  One way has to do with a secret I've had to keep for about a week now.  ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is filming in Tulsa this week.  They contacted the Food Bank at the end of last week to let them know they were hosting a food drive.  The last food drive the show had raised over 93 TONS of food!  That's a lot, to say the least.  So everything with this show is super secret until they surprise the family.  When you watch the show and they knock on the family's door and they seem pretty surprised.... that's for real.  These families really don't know that they will be chosen for the makeover build.  So mum was the word.  No one couldn release where the initial meeting was held because it was the prep site for the build.  Then I figured out exactly where the house is, and that was a booger to keep secret too!

Well it's out now!  At 8am this morning ol' Ty and his crew knocked on the home of the Starkweather family.  This family just happens to live doors down from our good friend Wade and just 2 measly blocks away from our own home.  It's just too exciting for words!

The other reason Tulsa is so extreme right now?  We're in the midst of an ice storm.  It started with rain, then freezing rain... next up is sleet and ending with about 5 inches of snow by 6pm tomorrow evening.  "Yay!"  So two days ago Shane and I decided to get serious and prepare ourselves.  The last time Tulsa had a serious ice storm was December of 2007 and it left most of the city without power for as long as 8 days.

So we started by finally buying a snow shovel.  After the xmas eve blizzard we tried to buy one and they were all sold out.  So we beat the crowd this time!  Next up?  Grocery shopping.  We stocked up on enough food to keep us well nourished for a few days if stuck in the house.  Yesterday Shane picked up some batteries and flashlights, too.

The one on the right is my one.  :)  It's more slick looking, slightly smaller, and has LED lights, so it's super bright and will neeevvver die.  I tried it out yesterday when I got home from work by playing with the dogs.... my current dogs show no interest in chasing lights though.  I was a little disappointed.  I used to 'entertain' Belle#1 for hours in my mom's hallway with a flashlight.... hehe....

Around 2:30 I left work today.  My windshield was already completely glazed with ice.  Slowly there after I started seeing icicles...

This is our garage (which if there is one tree to fall down in this ice storm we hope it's the giant pecan above this garage) seen through the japanese maple in our back  yard.

Shane is shooting a time lapse of the ice storm.  So this is a new "decoration" in our living room right now.  I walked over to the hiking boot on the floor and said, "Now why is your boot over here?" and went to pick it up.  In return Shane practically screams, "Noooooo!"  He then explained that the boot is holding the tripod in place.  I didn't ask, I just put it back and walked away.  I have no idea...

Then he left and came back with this stuff.  Notice the snacks are in sets of two... kinda like Noah and the ark...   there's one for me and one for the boy.  We both like the Pringles.  He likes cashews, I like the chocolate....  so now we don't have to fight over our snacks.  And all is well in the world of ice storms and extreme makeovers...

~Fran