Above all else, be prepared.

I come from a long line of survivalists. And more than a couple of times in my life I've fled hurricanes or pending disasters due to my grandmother's astrological predictions (that never came to fruition). Because of this, I feel like I have a healthy grasp of emergency preparedness skills. While I seriously doubt the day will come when we will have to "bug out or hunker down", most especially in Austin, it's in my blood to be prepared for nearly anything.

Shortly after having Izzy, I felt the need to prepare a "Go Bag" in the event we needed to leave town quickly and survive in the woods. Eccentric nesting, to say the least. So Chris and I headed up to Academy and stocked up on everything from mosquito nets to water purification tablets. $300 bucks later, we had the most well-rounded emergency bag one could ask for. Granted, there's no way on Earth we could carry this thing through the wilderness (essential for survival), but we could always ditch the tent, coleman stove and camping dishes if we absolutely had to. Regardless, we were prepared.

Today I got another itch. Perhaps it's our upcoming trip to the ranch. Perhaps the heat and the drought are getting to me. Or perhaps the recent Glenn Beck/Rush Limbaugh love-fest has freaked me out beyond repair. Either way, I felt compelled to make a quick run to Walmart today to stock up again. And now I can rest easy knowing that if the government collapses, H1N1 becomes a worldwide epidemic and zombies come out of the woodwork, I have done what I can to make it through another day.

In the event you want to 'hope for the best and prepare for the worst' along side me, here are some helpful links to get ya started:

Because everything you need can fit in a mint tin: Altoids Survival Tin

The authority on survival: Survival Blog

Everything you need on the cheap: The Sportsmans Guide

When shit hits the fan, go here: SHTF