Hurricane Irene

This is all that's left of my family's vacation home on the Pamlico River in Aurora, NC.

After all of the good times we've shared here as a family, nothing is left but a shell of a house and its contents scattered as far as the eye can see. Twelve years we've owned this property, and after 12 years of furnishing, decorating, repairing and upgrading, we hauled everything that was salvageable (and some stuff that wasn't) out in a few trash bags.

It's a total loss, but we still have all of the memories. No storm can take those away from us.

We know that we're fortunate to have a vacation home in the first place, and we're counting our blessings that everyone is healthy and safe, and the damage to my family's primary homes is minimal.

Once I can wrap my head around everything, I'll be back to share more details and pictures tomorrow.

Although all the pictures in the world can never truly capture the devastation, both physical and emotional, that this community is facing right now.