Hurricane and Birthday Cake

By the time this newsletter hits your inbox , Hurricane Idalia will be gone, our lives will be back to normal and I will already be halfway through my vacation in Brazil.

Meanwhile, back in March when Ana and I were discussing our crazy idea of moving south, some of our friends brought up the topic of hurricanes. Our replies were simple: we knew it would be a real possibility. 

However, while researching the area, we were very confident that the odds were in our favor. According to Google, the last time Tampa was hit by a major hurricane was over a century ago. To be more specific, it has been more than 125 years since a major storm hit our city directly. 

When we learned that hurricane Idalia was coming our way, as a category 4, we decided that waiting around to see it in person wasn’t exactly the brightest idea. Full disclosure: Ana really wanted to stay in Tampa to experience “first hand” but I chickened out. 

After following the news over the weekend, I learned that a huge storm surge was a real possibility. And since we live on the first floor and about 300 feet from Tampa Bay, I thought that escaping a potential water invasion would not cause any harm. 

Not to mention that I’ve drowned twice before and still don’t know how to swim. Yeah, that was part of my motivation to get the heck out…

On Monday morning, our decision to leave was backed up by a text message from the local authorities. It read “mandatory evacuation for zone A”. And as you guessed, we live in zone A.

Luckily, we have a condo in Orlando so we headed there until the storm passed. It was kind of scary to watch the news knowing that the hurricane target was exactly where we live.

At the very last minute, the storm changed directions and our condo was spared with no damages reported.

Ana and I are the type of people that love exploring the new and the unknown. Living in Tampa for only 3 months and already experiencing a major storm had us feeling lucky in two ways. 

First, we didn’t have to wait 125 years to see a big one. It was like hitting the jackpot the very first time you visit a casino.

Secondly, we were very lucky for being spared from material damages or even worse consequences.

Speaking of luck, since I have been “reborn” 5 times, I am taking this opportunity to celebrate FIVE DECADES alive. Apparently, a big 50 only comes once in a lifetime and I am making sure to celebrate it in full force, like a Cat 5.

Thanks for all the phone calls, messages and concerns about our safety and well-being. They are truly appreciated. 

I also thank you in advance for any birthday wishes. But in case you want to send gifts, I suggest that you wait until I recover from the hangover.

All the best and see you next month.