I'm safe, having a good time and excited

I drove to Austin yesterday. OMG!! With as many exclamation points as you would like to add! The drive was the absolute worse I've made since we were coming home from vacation in 1990. To say it was raining would be a major understatement. I couldn't see anything but a watery view of the headlights in front of me. We were going about 35 mph on the freeway. I would have pulled off but I was too afraid of pulling off to a flooded access rooff ramp, an unknown area or any other unseen water hazard. I had no idea where I was other than almost to San Antonio. I just kept going praying that the watery red lights of the little red car in front of me didn't pull off the freeway. Those lights were my lifeline. I was so scared that I felt like I was going to throw up. I just couldnt' see anything. The closer we got to the bypass 410, the more worried I became about how I would drive up the ramp while not being able to see anything. I decided that no matter how slow I went, the cars behind me would judt have to deal with it. Luckily the entire group in front of me took the 410 ramp and we all continued on. By that point we were driving just a bit faster so the rain must have slowed just a bit. The rain finally let up near New Braunfels, after about 1 1/2 hours of driving. I stopped, gratefully used the potty, bought a diet coke, took a deep breath and continued on my way. It rained the rest of the way, hard at times but nothing like the deluge I'd just been through. Oh, did I mention that when the rain first began, I missed an accident by about 30 secs. They weren't even all out of their cars yet as we went past. While watching the news last night we saw a story of a couple here in Austin that got stuck in a low water crossing (why they call it a low water crossing instead of high water crossing is beyond me). The rescue workers were able to get ahold of the elderly couple and put a life jacket on the woman but not the man. While trying to pull them to safety, they were washed away. The woman survived but they found the man today. It is so, so, so sad. I mean, they had them in their hands! Then the news has shown them over and over being washed away and only the woman popping up. Sad, sad, sad. This is the reason I didn't pull off the freeway. Since moving to Texas, I have learned a healthy respect for Mother Nature, rain, wind, and the power of water. I don't mind if I have a dull and boring ride back home. I won't even mind if I feel like the time is passing backwards it's going so slow.

Exciting news, happier, much less scary and depressing.....not quilty but exciting. It seems my cousin that lives in Ontario comes to Austin every year for the South by Southwest music event. I don't think I've seen him in over 20 years. Well, long story short we are meeting for coffee in the morning. I'm so excited.

On a quilty note....well, I don't have a quilty note! I'm doing so good on not shopping that I drove past a quilt shop today and didn't stop in. I bought Ms. A curtains instead of going into Joanns! (it was probably alot cheaper)