When the news of Hurricane Matthew were first starting I like many others thought the storm would just pass over us as the hurricanes always seem to pass over us. So I was not really worried especially as there was not any warnings of evacuation and so I continued throughout my week.

However, people were getting a little nervous with how big the hurricane was and after more and more cities were having a mandatory evacuation. My best friend/adopted sister was not having it and told me one morning we are evacuating and leaving that day (thank you for heads up sis :P). That same morning I remember the first time we heard the advisory evacuation turned into a mandatory one my co-workers kind of freaked out. Which is totally understandable to be honest I was kind of freaking out but just trying to remain calm and get done with work. Looking back I could have totally been in denial and did have mini panic attacks in the inside.

When I was finally able to home and pack me, my sis Brittany, and our friend Scott headed to Fort Stewart to where Brittany's now husband is stationed and stayed with him. We actually had a great time as we camped out in the living room watching horror movies and of course eating junk food! However, this did not last long as soon enough the power and water shut off.

Going without power and water not a new thing for me , but I still don't like it. I like showers a lot and I really wanted to finish the movie, but we made it work. We spent the time sleeping, playing cards against humanity, playing card games, reading, talking, and watching the news on our friend Scotts phone (he has Verizon) for updates on the hurricane and power. Though the most interesting part of that time would have to be the cooking.

Because there was no power we tried everything we could to keep the food inside the refrigerator cold and not spoiled. So whatever could not be saved we ate and of course it did require cooking. So how did we do it? Candles. You heard right we used candles.

We grabbed these assortment of candles we had 4 big ones and one small one and we grouped them together and placed a pan and just started cooking. And you know what? It worked! It definitely took awhile but the food came out great and was fully cooked! Though if it ever happens again we definitely need more candles.

When the power finally came back on the first things we did was go out to eat, then we finished that movie, and took showers (it was amazing!). We finally went back to Savannah that Monday and unfortunately there wasn't power and water again, but even worse was the damage done by the hurricane. Not to our house, but to the surrounding area and Savannah in general. Even though it was a hurricane 2 the damage was significant and I had to remind myself how blessed I am that my family and friends made it out safely. And not only that, but I had to remind myself to be patient and understand as the lineman went all over Savannah to fix the power lines. They were working their butt offs and I respected them and I was super grateful for all their hard work.

However, the one thing that made this hurricane super stressful was the week after Hurricane Matthew hit it was my adopted sis Brittany's wedding. So as you can imagine trying to still plan that and not having that power was a nightmare. We had the rehearsal with this one lone light outside in the yard (and boy was that difficult to clean), we had to find hotels as the hotel reservations got canceled because some were without power, appointments were moved, and we did not get water till the day of the wedding! Let's just say the shower at the hotel where she got ready was heavily used. Yet, we got through it and the wedding was beautiful!

My first hurricane was not that bad and I honestly had a pretty good experience compared to others first hurricane. I learned that being patient is paramount, always be prepared, stay calm, be smart, and everything will be okay.