Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Toto, I Don't Think We're In Kansas Anymore!

Well one week, total devastation, and havoc later... It's time to Blog! Of course everyone knows about the horrible storms that come through last Wednesday morning. It started at 5 a.m. in Guntersville that morning with the first of the tornadoes to come through. I, one terrified of storms girl since I had already been through two tornadoes, was up watching Brad Travis and that radar. James was getting ready to leave for work and things were calm in our neck of the woods. Cullman was getting hit hard with a bad storm and confirmed tornado on the ground. James left for work and I continued to watch the damage. It started getting a little rainy outside a little after 6 and they said that storm cell was moving towards Guntersville. I was getting anxious and a little worried so I had everything ready to take cover when the power went out. I scrambled to my phone going to call James to see if he could tell me what was going on. There was no service. I couldn't dial out, I tried to text my friend from work, Allison, and my text's wouldn't go through. So, I pulled up my facebook. Hoping something had been posted by somebody before I lost service, and my facebook was working!!! It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. I got a message from Gina McBride ( I will love you forever girl!!!), and she told me there was a tornado on the ground in Guntersville, and they said to take cover. I got the boys, woke Mom up (who yes...was sleeping through the whole thing!!!) and went took cover. We heard it coming and the house was shaking, but it passed really quickly, and we seemed to be in good shape. Of course after it had passed, I went looking outside to make sure things were okay, and there were several trees down in the driveway and the rocking chairs had been blown off the front porch, and appeared that one of them was broken, some siding was hanging down, but the back porch everything was in tact didn't even look blown out of place and everything looked good.

I looked over at Darlene's and her and her girls were out on the front porch. Talked to them and made sure they were okay, and other than some siding off of their house, Jeff's canoe somewhere in the woods, and being completely terrified... they were all okay. The phones started buzzing! Apparently pretty much every house around us had damage, Chad's car had been crushed by his huge Pecan Tree in his front yard and had barely missed the house, getting part of the porch on the way down, the Long's had got hit hard, their farm was a mess, they were missing deer, and their houses had been damaged. We didn't really know how bad it was. We couldn't get out and it just seemed like a mess. Then the phones started messing up again, but we were able to get in touch with James and Dad and they were on their way home, no one had power, and things were a mess. There was another round of storms headed for us that afternoon, and they were trying to get people home before then. We made it good. It was a little chilly, but sunny and pretty outside, the boys were playing and we're not sissy girls, so we could handle no power. LeAnne didn't have damage other than some shingles and patio furniture blown around so she was going to go get some food and some stuff from Wal-mart. She called to see if we needed anything and I was low on formula, so I told her to pick me up some. Well, she started down Pleasant Grove Road and seen that going anywhere was not going to happen!

We thought it was all so devastating... but it was apparently just the beginning. So as the day rocked on thanks to Will Harkins ( I will love you forever too!!!) who was in Mobile tracking everything for us and calling to warn us we were able to get some heads up before the storms were getting close. We kept getting calls of damages, my dear friend Kayla lost her home but so thankfully her and little Casen were okay, numerous more friends lost their homes, and then getting calls of lost lives. That's when it really become devastating. The days rocked on, we found out more people who had been killed and were just being found, and I hate to say I think is still the case, seen some wonderful generosity by everyone around, and am so thankful for wonderful friends like Kristina Whitehead who walked from her house to the Higdon Cemetery at night to let me know that my brother's rock and headstone weren't damaged by the fallen trees just because she didn't want me to worry about it! That meant SOOOO much! You will never know!

And although we're grieving over all of the lives lost.. I just want to say a little something about Wonderful, Hilarious & Crazy Mott! (a.k.a. Sis. Martha Michaels). This is truly a great loss to us. As tragic as it is loosing her and Bro. Buddy, I know the Lord knew that she wouldn't want him to go without her. But I was thinking of some funny times with her and just how much fun she was. I remember one time, riding up Gunter's Mountain and being a kid and always getting car sick, I started to get sick, and Pam couldn't pull over, she was panicking (imagine that...) and Mott just threw her purse in my lap right before I got sick all in it! I was so upset that she had done that, and she said.. "Aww... I needed a new one anyways, and there wasn't nothing good in it no way!" So, she will always be the only woman I know that was willing to let someone throw up in her purse without blinking an eye! I love you and I will miss you bunches!

I'm so thankful for so many things... One, I'm so thankful that it was not worse than it was in our area and that me and my family were safe and still have a home! Two, I'm so thankful for friends who think of you and warn you to take cover, keep you updated when they know you have no way to know what's headed your way, and go out of their way to ease your mind about something that is so unimportant in the scheme of things going on around. Three, I'm so thankful to have power back now! I know they thought we wouldn't before Friday, so to get it back this early, I am truly thankful to everyone all over the State that is working like crazy to help get things back as quickly as possible. Four, I'm so thankful for all of our great neighbors and friends who made it an easier time. Jeff & Darlene Rice.. for sharing your generator running freezer with us so all the meat I had just purchased two days before wouldn't ruin!!!! Rachael & Emily Rice & Chelsea and Hannah Long for hanging out, making us laugh, and entertaining my boys!!! Travis and Jacklyn Hopkins for all the help lately with everything and the wonderful conversations and laughs (although most as Travis' expense...) and for just being true friends. Mark & Trish Long for cooking all the food in your freezer and inviting us over to pig out!!! It has definitely been an experience that we won't forget. Driving around today and seeing the damage is depressing, but behind every cloud, there is a silver lining. Our silver lining is getting two new baby girls in the midst of these storms.. a baby Jolie who came last Friday, and a baby Hadlee who came yesterday! Although I haven't got to see either other than pictures, I can't wait to get my arms around and squeeze these precious little babies! And for all the rest of the madness, in the fabulous words of Ms. Scarlett O'Hara... "I just can't think about that today. I'll think about that tomorrow.... cause after all... Tomorrow is another day!"

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