One Year Ago Today....

...I spent the last full day in my home. I didn't know it then, that it was the last day.

One year ago today, my husband and I each went to work.

One year ago today, I talked to my dad on the phone--he mentioned that they'd probably have bad weather that weekend, due to a piddly little Category 1 storm, Hurricane Katrina. It had made landfall over Miami the previous day and was forecast to turn around, head back over Florida, and cause minimal problems on the north Florida/south Georgia coast that weekend.
One year ago today, I went to lunch with a friend/co-worker, Katie. We had lunch at the little Indian place above Lenny's Picadilly Lounge. On the way back, Katie asked if we could take the long way back, past the Orpheum Theatre and through the medical district. I said sure--neither of us were in a hurry to get back to the office, and we enjoyed the walk.

One year ago today, I left work, picked up Emmeline from daycare, and said goodbye to Ms. Gladys and Miss Ashley, her teachers at daycare. I told them "Have a nice weekend, I'll see you Monday." I had no idea that I wouldn't see Ashley again for six months and might never see Ms. Gladys again.

One year ago today, I drove up to my house, got Emmeline out of the car, checked the mail, and went inside. Emmeline and I played together, and then Kenny came home and we took her out on the screened porch to watch the birds. The screened porch isn't looking so good now, but the flood line is pretty impressive.

One year ago today, we invited our closest friends, Dorothy and Sean, over. We ordered pizza, played music, drank beer and talked the night away. Kenny insisted on playing "Louisiana, 1927," one of his favorite songs. Most people are more familiar with the song now--"Louisiana, Louisiana, they're trying to wash us away, they're trying to wash us away...." We talked about it, later, Dot and Sean and Kenny and I....he'd been adamant that we HAD to play that song--even when we couldn't find the CD until we did a thorough search--it seemed like some sort of weird premonition, in hindsight.

One year ago today, Dot and Sean left and I climbed into bed and turned on the late news.

One year ago today, Bob Breck, our local weather forecaster, announced that Hurricane Katrina was scheduled to become a Category 5 storm and could be on a direct path for the Mississippi/Louisiana Gulf coast.

One year ago today, I called my mother, who lived in Bay St. Louis, to discuss possible evacuation plans. We agreed to talk again the next morning and decide from there. Kenny and I talked and decided that if the forecast stayed the same, Emmeline and I would leave the next day. Kenny would stay, to wait and see what was going to happen.

One year ago today, I went to sleep in my bed for the last time. One year ago today, my daughter went to sleep in her room for the last time. My husband, although none of us knew it, had one more night inside of our house.

One year ago today, I had trouble sleeping--I was worried.