Noel

We are located in South Florida, about 3 miles from the beach. Since moving here in December, we have been fortunate enough to get through the year without a single hurricane. This week, we watched as Noel headed straight for South Florida, wrecking havoc in Haiti and the Dominican Republic on it's way. Noel took an erratic path a few days ago, making a sharp turn avoiding Florida completely. As we watched the hurricane move north, my husband and I sat outside in the beautiful sunshine eating dinner. When people are personally not affected by a natural disaster, sometimes we tend to put it out of our minds. I am a guilty party on this one, and I had my grounding reminder...

I received a phone call from my manufacturer (in the Dominican Republic) informing me that the deadly storm has greatly affected the country leaving more than 100 dead and many people trapped in the flooded areas. The factory was completely shut down, but I am happy to say that so far everyone and everything is okay. Our products are now going to be slightly delayed coming out of the factory as you can imagine, but if that is the worst of it, I am grateful.

I am definitely concerned that my first deliveries will now be going out at least a week after the promised delivery dates, but I am also aware that this is completely out of my control. I am hoping that our customers will be understanding to the situation and will not hold it against us long-term. It is a little disappointing, as you can imagine, but we can get through this.

My prayers are with the families there in the Dominican Republic as well as anyone else affected by this storm.