Jan31
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September was an absolute blur. I did not know that we had slid into October until two days in. Here’s what has been on my mind lately.
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Gosh, I don’t even know where to start with this since the devastation is so vast. As you know, Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina particularly hard. My husband is from Boone, and if you’ve followed along for a while, you know we have a place there and hope to move there eventually. So, seeing the damage in a place we love is incredibly heartbreaking.
Boone was hit hard, yes, but what I can’t get out of my mind are the tiny towns throughout the Appalachian region. And some places can’t even be called towns… people live in very rural areas that are hard to access under normal conditions, with minimal, if any, cell service. If you haven’t been there, it’s hard to describe, but the roads are narrow and wind along rivers, next to massive trees, and families will have a house tucked up against the water or along the hillsides. (And they’ve often been there for 200 years, generations of families living in the same area.) There is only one way in and one way out.
So picture a mudslide or a river overflowing in these remote areas, which become inaccessible because of downed trees. These families live in such rural areas that you wouldn’t know existed unless you had a reason to go there, and they can’t call for help. So rescue teams that don’t know what they don’t know, are relying on other locals to help, and those locals are also suffering. From what I see online, so much of the way they find people is by helicopter because there are simply no roads – they’ve completely ripped up and they’re blocked by fallen trees and debris (including things like cars, trailers, homes – yes, literal homes).
Most people in the Southeast understand the gravity of the situation, and the response has been overwhelming with donations and volunteers. But those in other parts of the country may not. I urge you to send donations and supplies and reach out to your local officials (you can find your Senators on Instagram and tag them in posts) to urge federal support, which has been disgustingly minimal. They need to hear it from all around the country. The damage and the needs are catastrophic.
You can donate to Samaritan’s Purse (headquartered in Boone and was a first responder). Or, feel free to order a few items off of these two Amazon Wishlists.
- Winter Clothes + Gear for Boone – This Amazon Wishlist is set up so that each purchase gets shipped directly to Studio K in Boone where they’ll distribute clothes. Much of Western NC won’t have power for a long time, and it’s already starting to get cold up there.
- Games for Kids in Boone – This is an Amazon Wishlist full of games and things for kids to play with. Each purchase will be shipped directly to Alliance Bible Fellowship, and things will be distributed from there.
Or, just start paying attention on Instagram—many businesses and organizations in the impacted areas share their needs, and you can support more directly that way (examples here and here). You can also have LMNT shipped directly to relief organizations.
FAMILY
I turned 40 last month! And I celebrated the same way I celebrated when I turned 39: a run in Blowing Rock, followed by coffee at my favorite coffee shop and then lunch with the boys and Lucy. I had a 90-minute massage in the afternoon and then dinner at my in-laws. It was absolutely perfect.
The week before my birthday, Tommy threw me a very small, low-key surprise birthday party with some of my church friends and employees (who are like family), and it was absolutely perfect.
We initially thought we’d do a big family trip for my 40th birthday, but with Tommy’s big golf trip (a week-long trip to Oregon) and the holidays right after, we decided to postpone it until next year. Heather already sent us some options for our trip, and we’re leaning towards Turks & Caicos (and likely taking the boys!!).
WORK
September was eerily slow from a work perspective. Hopefully, sponsored content will pick up in Q4 since it’s a large part of how I make a living. It usually does, but it still makes me nervous.
Hannah came to work in Winston-Salem for a few days, and I LOVE when we get to work together. We were so productive too, which I’m proud of since we usually just want to chat since we don’t see each other often. We knocked out two big projects that had lingered for a while and it felt good to get through them.
We have gift guides going up next week, which is always fun! I’m used to it, but I think people are always caught off guard by how far in advance I plan and publish content. I typically have Halloween decorations up when we’re working on Christmas content, and my Christmas tree goes up before Thanksgiving since I need seasonal photos when working with brands. But hey, I just view it as enjoying my favorite holidays for a longer period.
It’s a little hard to promote shopping and commercialism when so many people lack basic necessities like water. But a big part of the recovery efforts requires money. So two things will be true for a while: I’ll be doing my regular job, sharing shopping finds, outfits, etc., and sharing ways to help those who don’t have anything.
HEALTH
I had some bloodwork done in September since I’ve been having some really strange symptoms for years that have been worse since having Charles. The bloodwork did flag as positive for two autoimmune diseases, so now I’m waiting to get in with a specialist to confirm if I do, in fact, have an autoimmune (which wouldn’t be surprising since 4 out of my 5 brothers do and a ton of my cousins do as well). But I can’t get in with the specialist until next spring. So, I’m just doing what I can on my own to manage the biggest issue, which is joint pain.
What helps the most is my anti-inflammatory supplements. I can tell the difference when I run out and don’t have backup… I’ve run out 3x since I started taking it, and my pain gets a lot worse.
The other thing that helps is running only once a week–or not at all– which is hard for me to come to grips with since running was such a big part of my life for two decades. Somedays, I feel great when running and am hitting 6:30-7 minute paces (for short stints… I’ve been doing intervals a lot after listening to this book), and other days, the pain is so intense that I have to turn around after a quarter mile.
I have started doing personal training once a week. Just 30 minutes kicks my butt, and I really look forward to it. So my weekly workout routine is one pilates class, one personal training session, and two other workouts (usually another strength training session and a 20-minute peloton interval ride.)
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Alright, I’ve got to wrap things up and go wrangle the boys! Thank you for being here. 🙂
Leave a Comment
7 responses to “Letter from TeriLyn – September 2024”
The hurricane devastation is so awful. Thank you for not sugar coating the lack of support from the government!! Love your blog.
As a fellow North Carolinian, I’m begging you not to share misinformation. The federal government is helping as much as allowed under the law, which is more than minimal. Please educate yourself.
https://www.usa.gov/hurricane-helene
I’m curious — are there any laws you disagree with?
There are all kinds of laws I disagree with. But in this situation it’s not helpful to demonize the government when they are helping as much as they can. I know so many wonderful people who work for the government and they’re in it to help people. The “government” is made up of real, tremendously caring people doing the best they can. Unfortunately it takes a while to change laws. And while we should absolutely advocate for better emergency management laws, politics should have no place in an emergency situation.
I’m allowed to express my opinion on my blog — and my opinion is that the response hasn’t been enough. My brother works for the government – I’m not dismissing the employees. I’m saying in extreme situations like this (and I hope you do realize how extreme damage is), there needs to be a better way to handle it.
I’m also a North Carolinian who has been up and down 421 a lot over the past week and half. Many of our neighbors in Boone still don’t have power or water and have needed medicines, camp fuels and essentials that aren’t available on the mountain anymore. The response by the local people and local groups has been beautiful and fast and, yes, the response by the government has felt slow. This is simply a statement. There could be many different reasons for it. Some can be valid (it’s a massive area that was affected- literally all of WNC) and some may not be. But it doesn’t mean it’s not true. Let’s all both fulfill some needs on the wish list and ask our leaders to send more help. Terilyn is right. Boone was hit hard and is digging out and getting restaurants and stores back open which is so needed. And yet, there are still the small communities like Meat Camp and Valle Crucis full of ruined homes that make up Watauga County that need electricity, water, our personal help and the government.
Thank you for continuing to share what’s happening in Western NC! It helps to understand the impact from an “insider’s” perspective but it also lets us know that there is more devastation beyond the bigger towns like Boone, Asheville, and that it shouldn’t be one time donation just while Helene is still in the news.