"Bill, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown."

Jill's head was in her hands, our Honda minivan was starting to overheat, we were running low on gas, and we weren't moving. We'd been on the road for, I don't know, 6 hours, and we were only to Hempstead, stuck on a small side-road after an ill-advised attempt to get off of clogged highway 290.

"We need to get moving," I replied. I had walked over to her van from my Civic, where Andrew and Kyle patiently waited. Our other kids and our dog Cooper were in Jill's van, also patiently waiting (kids - I'm really proud of you for how you persevered).

So we turned around and zoomed back to Hempstead and 290. Driving back the way you came, toward Houston, was the only way to get some air moving over a hot engine. So we got moving and made it back to 290 to merge back with the throng. For most of the next few hours we moved at 10mph or less, and often we were going about 2mph. We pressed on, just two cars in a slow-moving metal river of automobiles streaming out of Rita's target zone.

We made it to Brenham, and Jill pulled over into a small parking lot, head in her hands again.

"Bill, what are we going to do? I'm almost out of gas."

"I don't know. Maybe we should turn around and go home, ride it out."

Bethany looked at me with panic in her eyes. "No dad! No! We can't go home."

Just then we heard the voice of an angel. "Do you need help?" It was a local Brenham girl, who's name I never got. She had walked up to Andrew and Kyle. "Can I help you?"

I walked over. "Yes, please. Is there any gas in this town?"

"Yes. I just got some. There's a line, though."

I could have hugged her. Our angel led us through backstreets in Brenham to a gas station that had two lines of cars leading to it. It was on its last thousand gallons, but we got our gas. And that's when I knew we were going to make it to San Antonio. The rest of the day, all fourteen hours of it ultimately, was slow-going and very tiring. It took us hours to go about 7 miles near Giddings. We got our first real meal of the day at around 9:00pm at an overtaxed Sonic there. They were out of hamburgers, nuggets, etc. but they had fries and shakes and chicken sandwiches. I wish I'd tipped the frazzled waitress more. And I'm glad I'm not the poor soul who will have to clean their bathrooms, which were, by this time, disgusting. The men's restroom had human waste on the floor. But the bathrooms worked, and the Sonic people were kind enough to let us use them, allowing us to walk right back through the kitchen and into the employee areas at the back of the store.

We continued on, making it to Paige and then south on the gloriously non-packed highway 21 to San Marcos. Jill was amazing with the map, and led most of the trip - she is my soulmate and she completes the parts of me that are lacking, such as my atrocious lack of direction. When we finally got back to 60mph it felt like we were doing 160mph. It rocked!

We made it to San Antonio near midnight. Mom and dad had food out for us, and showers, and beds. Thank You Lord.

Today we spent a fabulous hour or two at Beefy's with Thinkling Shrode, his lovely wife Melissa, and their three boys Joel, Joshua and James. I appreciate Phil so much; all during our evacuation he was sending me messages on my blackberry, with prayers, encouragement, and even offers to "come get us" if we needed. Phil - you are a good man. The Beefy's mini-moot ranks up there with the best of them. We discussed many topics, including Phil's travails and triumphs at church. All I can say is that Phil's church is very fortunate to have such a humble, dedicated, courageous pastor. I'm proud of you Shrode.

Now as we sit here in un-stormy non-windy San Antonio my thoughts go out to my friends and coworkers who are riding out the impending storm in Houston. While I'm thankful that they will not receive the brunt of this now Cat-3 Hurricane, I'm still concerned for them. Kevin, Megan, Gabe, Brad, Joey, Brian, Quaid, Stroke, (Rob T?), Butch, Durga, Johnnie, Kalerine, Courtney, and many others, I am praying for you.

And there will be many people that will lose their houses tonight in the areas directly hit by Rita. And some will lose their lives. Lord, protect us.

And I know that our house is not immune. It is in Northwest Houston and a lot depends on how bad the winds are and whether there are tornados, or if there is flooding. But I am here with the love of my life, Jill, and my four awesome kids Andrew, Molly, Bethany and Blake. And my wonderful parents. So everything that's truly important is here.

And God is so good. I know that even if we end up being de-housed, we won't be de-hoped, or de-faithed, or de-loved.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Lake Charles, and poor, suffering, flooded New Orleans.