Ellie Kate and Samuel are little fish and Abigail is still pretty timid when it comes to the water and she really doesn't care for the sand. She is such a silly little girl!
All packed and ready to go....
5.31.2011
A Much Needed Break!
We headed down to the beach on Saturday for a much needed vacation and break from the chaos that has been our life for the past month. We are here with Jeff's family! I forgot my camera cord and my usb drive so I can't upload my good pictures until we get back but I do have my phone so these pics will have to do for now.
Ellie Kate and Samuel are little fish and Abigail is still pretty timid when it comes to the water and she really doesn't care for the sand. She is such a silly little girl!
Ellie Kate and Samuel are little fish and Abigail is still pretty timid when it comes to the water and she really doesn't care for the sand. She is such a silly little girl!
5.27.2011
4.27.11
So it's been a month since our beloved little (93,000) college town was ravaged by a devastating F-4 tornado. I feel like I'm just beginning to catch my breath. Like I have said in countless posts before, this is a long term recovery effort so I know I might not truly catch a full breath for a long time to come and that's okay. I'm still not used to driving up on the devastation. I still think weekly, "I need to run to Hobby Lobby to get so and so"...and then remember that there is no more Hobby Lobby. I've become invested emotionally, physically, and mentally with a sweet single mom and her baby and it's like I have 2 more family members to care for. I know God has called me to it and I am so privileged to have been welcomed into her life no questions asked. She even listed me as family on her daycare form that she filled out yesterday. I look forward to all the Lord does in and through this unlikely friendship.
Today, I wanted to try and write out the way we experienced April 27. I haven't really done that yet, and I don't want to forget the details of that day so here goes...
At 5:05 am we were awakened by an intense thunderstorm with a lightning show like we had never seen. The sky was literally one strike after another with barely a second between each strike. We looked out the window and surprisingly the winds didn't seem too terribly strong. Jeff went downstairs to see what James Span (who would prove to be the all star of the day) was forecasting. You see, for days before April 27 weatherman all across Alabama were talking about the potential of bad weather. We were prepared but at the same time a little leery because for the past two weeks we had tornado warning after tornado warning with no big storm actually occurring. April in Alabama can be a rough time. Anyway, even though the thunder and lightning were bad...it didn't seem like it was a bad storm so we went back to bed until our kids woke up at their usual bright and early time of 6:30 am.
School had been called off the night before. This was such a smart thing for the city and county to do and I am so thankful for the wise foresight our school officials had.
After we got up, I checked my email on my phone and saw that Jeff's mom had emailed about his sister's house (in Birmingham) getting hit around 6:00 am with a small tornado. It was the same line that had come through Tuscaloosa an hour earlier. Thankfully they were okay, but their house was badly damaged from and will have to be rebuilt.
So after the storms that morning, the day continued to warm up and conditions ripened for what the weatherman were saying could be a really bad day across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. It was just an ominous feeling around town. Since the forecast was so bad, many businesses even decided to close early as well. I had been homebound for about a week because of potty training Abigail and really wanted to run to Old Navy to use a coupon I had since I was leaving for a little beach weekend on Friday. Jeff canceled most of his appointments for the day and warned the students he knew to watch the weather (college students are notorious for not caring or noticing weather warnings). He got home around lunch time and I ran quickly down McFarland and through 15th Street to Midtown Village where Old Navy is. It was eery. There were not many people in the area and you could just feel the tension of the weather. The sun was shining but the air was thick and it was still...too still.
I got back home around 1:30pm maybe and there were already super cells all over the state and in Mississippi. We didn't turn the tv off again the rest of the day. Sometime around 2 ish, James Spann cut over to Cullman, Alabama and caught a big tornado on their tower cam. We just sat riveted at the sight of a live tornado tearing through a town. Little did we know...it would get worse. Much worse.
After watching that tornado, we realized just how serious conditions were. I gathered up helmets for the kids and cleared out our coat closet that is under our stairs. I got my external hard drive, my file box of important papers, my purse, and my camera and put them into the closet as well.
I think it was around 4 or 4:30 when the skies began to get darker. James Spann had been covering tornadoes and super cells that were all over Mississippi and we were ready as some of them began to enter the western parts of Alabama.
The warnings began to go off and we have a siren right outside our house thank goodness. We got into our closet and closed the door. Our dish satellite went out but James Spann has live stream on the internet so we watched it all unfold online (thank you AT&T dsl) in our closet. This is what we watched with much trembling...
Fast forward to about 2 minutes and you will see the tornado begin to form. I've never been more scared in my life. At first, we weren't sure which direction the tornado was going to take. I'm trying to text my mom and my hands are shaking. I can barely text. Tears are welling up in my eyes (they still do even today as I watch this video back because as of now, it's still so fresh and my stomach still drops as I see that funnel cloud). Jeff and I are both shaking. Samuel is worried too, but the girls have no idea what's going on. Samuel exclaims..."WE NEED TO PRAY!" The problem is Jeff and I can't speak...so our sweet precious 8 year old boy cries out to our God for protection during the storm. I cry just remembering that. Oh, the faith of a child.
About 8 minutes into the video above (some amazing footage by the way if you haven't already seen it), we realize it's headed to the heart of our city around 15th and McFarland Blvd where I had just driven by a few hours earlier. While we are thankful it doesn't seem to be heading our way, we know it's tearing up where friends, students, businesses, and so many places we visit almost daily are.
The hours after are a blur and we were in shock. Cell towers had gone down so we weren't able to get through even with texts. Every once in awhile we'd get a bar of service and about 5-10 texts would come through from friends and family checking on us. We thankfully never lost power or internet so we just kept watching and waiting to hear what had happened to Tuscaloosa. Jeff was frantically trying to get in touch with students and our co-workers who we knew lived right in the path of the storm. We could hear sirens even at our house a few miles away. Chaos abounded. I kept checking facebook to see any updates. Problem was a lot of people were without power and internet. Jeff is trying to talk me into letting him leave to go into the madness and check on Justin and Alana. We were so scared they were injured or worse. As the reports came in of 15th Street being wiped out, we knew that they had most likely been hit. I just couldn't let Jeff leave though. The bad weather was still not over and we didn't know if there would be more tornadoes and plus we knew if it was as bad as they were saying, he wouldn't even be able to get very close to where they were. He finally got in touch with some students who were going to just walk to their apartment and check on them. Not long after that, a text finally came in from Alana saying they were fine, but had lost everything. We were so sad for them.
As I continued to check facebook, I will never forget the first image that was posted. I immediately bursted into tears realizing just how bad the devastation was.
It was not a nightmare. This was real and our city was not going to look the same for quite some time.
Justin and Alana arrived at our house about 10pm tired and shocked at what they had lived through. We were so thankful to see their faces and happy to welcome them into our home for a few days. I didn't end up getting to go on that beach trip, but of course that was the last thing on my mind!
The month since that fateful day have been days that I won't soon forget. I've said it before, but I'm really proud to be from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and am looking forward to seeing our city come back even better than before!!!!
Today, I wanted to try and write out the way we experienced April 27. I haven't really done that yet, and I don't want to forget the details of that day so here goes...
At 5:05 am we were awakened by an intense thunderstorm with a lightning show like we had never seen. The sky was literally one strike after another with barely a second between each strike. We looked out the window and surprisingly the winds didn't seem too terribly strong. Jeff went downstairs to see what James Span (who would prove to be the all star of the day) was forecasting. You see, for days before April 27 weatherman all across Alabama were talking about the potential of bad weather. We were prepared but at the same time a little leery because for the past two weeks we had tornado warning after tornado warning with no big storm actually occurring. April in Alabama can be a rough time. Anyway, even though the thunder and lightning were bad...it didn't seem like it was a bad storm so we went back to bed until our kids woke up at their usual bright and early time of 6:30 am.
School had been called off the night before. This was such a smart thing for the city and county to do and I am so thankful for the wise foresight our school officials had.
After we got up, I checked my email on my phone and saw that Jeff's mom had emailed about his sister's house (in Birmingham) getting hit around 6:00 am with a small tornado. It was the same line that had come through Tuscaloosa an hour earlier. Thankfully they were okay, but their house was badly damaged from and will have to be rebuilt.
So after the storms that morning, the day continued to warm up and conditions ripened for what the weatherman were saying could be a really bad day across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. It was just an ominous feeling around town. Since the forecast was so bad, many businesses even decided to close early as well. I had been homebound for about a week because of potty training Abigail and really wanted to run to Old Navy to use a coupon I had since I was leaving for a little beach weekend on Friday. Jeff canceled most of his appointments for the day and warned the students he knew to watch the weather (college students are notorious for not caring or noticing weather warnings). He got home around lunch time and I ran quickly down McFarland and through 15th Street to Midtown Village where Old Navy is. It was eery. There were not many people in the area and you could just feel the tension of the weather. The sun was shining but the air was thick and it was still...too still.
I got back home around 1:30pm maybe and there were already super cells all over the state and in Mississippi. We didn't turn the tv off again the rest of the day. Sometime around 2 ish, James Spann cut over to Cullman, Alabama and caught a big tornado on their tower cam. We just sat riveted at the sight of a live tornado tearing through a town. Little did we know...it would get worse. Much worse.
After watching that tornado, we realized just how serious conditions were. I gathered up helmets for the kids and cleared out our coat closet that is under our stairs. I got my external hard drive, my file box of important papers, my purse, and my camera and put them into the closet as well.
I think it was around 4 or 4:30 when the skies began to get darker. James Spann had been covering tornadoes and super cells that were all over Mississippi and we were ready as some of them began to enter the western parts of Alabama.
The warnings began to go off and we have a siren right outside our house thank goodness. We got into our closet and closed the door. Our dish satellite went out but James Spann has live stream on the internet so we watched it all unfold online (thank you AT&T dsl) in our closet. This is what we watched with much trembling...
Fast forward to about 2 minutes and you will see the tornado begin to form. I've never been more scared in my life. At first, we weren't sure which direction the tornado was going to take. I'm trying to text my mom and my hands are shaking. I can barely text. Tears are welling up in my eyes (they still do even today as I watch this video back because as of now, it's still so fresh and my stomach still drops as I see that funnel cloud). Jeff and I are both shaking. Samuel is worried too, but the girls have no idea what's going on. Samuel exclaims..."WE NEED TO PRAY!" The problem is Jeff and I can't speak...so our sweet precious 8 year old boy cries out to our God for protection during the storm. I cry just remembering that. Oh, the faith of a child.
About 8 minutes into the video above (some amazing footage by the way if you haven't already seen it), we realize it's headed to the heart of our city around 15th and McFarland Blvd where I had just driven by a few hours earlier. While we are thankful it doesn't seem to be heading our way, we know it's tearing up where friends, students, businesses, and so many places we visit almost daily are.
The hours after are a blur and we were in shock. Cell towers had gone down so we weren't able to get through even with texts. Every once in awhile we'd get a bar of service and about 5-10 texts would come through from friends and family checking on us. We thankfully never lost power or internet so we just kept watching and waiting to hear what had happened to Tuscaloosa. Jeff was frantically trying to get in touch with students and our co-workers who we knew lived right in the path of the storm. We could hear sirens even at our house a few miles away. Chaos abounded. I kept checking facebook to see any updates. Problem was a lot of people were without power and internet. Jeff is trying to talk me into letting him leave to go into the madness and check on Justin and Alana. We were so scared they were injured or worse. As the reports came in of 15th Street being wiped out, we knew that they had most likely been hit. I just couldn't let Jeff leave though. The bad weather was still not over and we didn't know if there would be more tornadoes and plus we knew if it was as bad as they were saying, he wouldn't even be able to get very close to where they were. He finally got in touch with some students who were going to just walk to their apartment and check on them. Not long after that, a text finally came in from Alana saying they were fine, but had lost everything. We were so sad for them.
As I continued to check facebook, I will never forget the first image that was posted. I immediately bursted into tears realizing just how bad the devastation was.
 |
| This was a picture I took on April 29 but the picture I saw was of this general area with Hobby Lobby and Big Lots next to it completely destroyed |
It was not a nightmare. This was real and our city was not going to look the same for quite some time.
Justin and Alana arrived at our house about 10pm tired and shocked at what they had lived through. We were so thankful to see their faces and happy to welcome them into our home for a few days. I didn't end up getting to go on that beach trip, but of course that was the last thing on my mind!
The month since that fateful day have been days that I won't soon forget. I've said it before, but I'm really proud to be from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and am looking forward to seeing our city come back even better than before!!!!
5.25.2011
Our Little Slugger...
Samuel's little baseball team is in the playoffs right now and it's been busy! He's been in a bit of a hitting slump the last few games, but last night he more than made up for it...you have to watch to see... (and you can excuse my high pitched mama screaming:))...
5.21.2011
Life from the iPhone...
I have been HORRIBLE about taking pictures lately with my good camera...mostly because we have been ON.THE.GO and busy busy busy as the school year comes to a close, baseball games, and continuing with tornado relief efforts.
I figured I better post some pics from my phone though or y'all are going to stop visiting the ole blog:). I am also working on another tornado post (I know y'all might be tired of me talking about it but it's just how it's going to be) where I just go through the details of the day for us. I don't want to forget the basics of what we felt and what April 27 was like for us.
Anyway....here is some of what we have been up to lately...
been helping this precious baby (tornado victim) and his mama get back on their feet after the storm
My parents are in town and so we drove around a little to look at some of the damage from the tornado. It's still so hard to take in. We drove into Holt today...a little town right outside of Tuscaloosa (like 5 minutes away) that was hit really hard. There has already been a lot of work done there in large part because of this little church that was miraculously still standing among the rubble. Seriously amazing that they only had a few windows blown out while houses just yards away are rubble.
Alright, that's a wrap! I will start using my good camera again because while I love the convenience of my iphone it's just not the same as my beloved Nikon of course!
I figured I better post some pics from my phone though or y'all are going to stop visiting the ole blog:). I am also working on another tornado post (I know y'all might be tired of me talking about it but it's just how it's going to be) where I just go through the details of the day for us. I don't want to forget the basics of what we felt and what April 27 was like for us.
Anyway....here is some of what we have been up to lately...
just being cute:)
Mcdonalds dinner at the baseball park on a very cool May evening
Still not used to seeing this destruction as I drive around town
picnic lunch at the park on the Black Warrior River wearing cute tornado relief tees
building a road in our backyard wooded area
Our preschool art show was precious!
I think it's safe to say neither of my girls are very artistic (which makes me laugh and want to cry at the same time. ha ha)
impressive huh?
been helping this precious baby (tornado victim) and his mama get back on their feet after the storm
you can tell my girls are a tad bit obsessed!
how amazing are these hydrangeas from my mom's house???
And today, we had the first playoff game for baseball. Samuel's team won 10-3!!!! YAY! It was a hot day and hard to believe that just 4 days ago we were at the same ball park wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts. Crazy weather!
My parents are in town and so we drove around a little to look at some of the damage from the tornado. It's still so hard to take in. We drove into Holt today...a little town right outside of Tuscaloosa (like 5 minutes away) that was hit really hard. There has already been a lot of work done there in large part because of this little church that was miraculously still standing among the rubble. Seriously amazing that they only had a few windows blown out while houses just yards away are rubble.
this is what you see to the right of the church...
Alright, that's a wrap! I will start using my good camera again because while I love the convenience of my iphone it's just not the same as my beloved Nikon of course!
5.17.2011
A Few Links
I read a parenting blog post the other day and it is one of the best parenting posts/articles I've read in a while! Makes me not feel so bad about how we are doing in our household since Jeff and I could relate to pretty much everything he said. My favorite quote is "My kids are probably not as crazy as they seem to me (at least that’s what I keep telling myself anyway), but if I ever write a book on parenting I’m going to call it The Inmates Are Running the Asylum." Click on the following link to read the entire post. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/05/10/parenting-001/
Our church service this past Sunday was one of the best we have had since Jeff and I have been at Trinity. We had a guest preacher/teacher Richard Pratt come and speak to us. He is one of our favorites because Jeff and I had the privilege of taking an Old Testament class under him one summer so we were so excited he was going to be at our church! He did not disappoint as he spoke to us about taking risks and trusting God as we begin this road to recovery after the tornado. I highly encourage you to listen...it is well worth the 30 minutes!!!! Click below to be directed to where you can listen.
http://trinitytuscaloosa.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/a-helpful-sermon-by-richard-pratt/
Both of these subjects are areas where I deeply need the wisdom of the Lord and His peace. Being a parent is so hard, and trusting God as I follow His call on my life when it means taking risks is really hard! I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me towards some risks and I want to trust Him even when it feels scary! I hope these two resources are a blessing to you just as they have been to me!
Our church service this past Sunday was one of the best we have had since Jeff and I have been at Trinity. We had a guest preacher/teacher Richard Pratt come and speak to us. He is one of our favorites because Jeff and I had the privilege of taking an Old Testament class under him one summer so we were so excited he was going to be at our church! He did not disappoint as he spoke to us about taking risks and trusting God as we begin this road to recovery after the tornado. I highly encourage you to listen...it is well worth the 30 minutes!!!! Click below to be directed to where you can listen.
http://trinitytuscaloosa.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/a-helpful-sermon-by-richard-pratt/
Both of these subjects are areas where I deeply need the wisdom of the Lord and His peace. Being a parent is so hard, and trusting God as I follow His call on my life when it means taking risks is really hard! I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me towards some risks and I want to trust Him even when it feels scary! I hope these two resources are a blessing to you just as they have been to me!
5.13.2011
Life Going On
So many of us here in Tuscaloosa are having a hard time with life going on after our devastating tornado. And yet it does. I will point out that it is a new way of going on. The last few weeks of our lives have been abnormal and full of things we don't normally do. I have been a horrible housekeeper and cook...yet I have been able to spend countless hours loving on precious children displaced because of our tragedy. It has been a privilege to give of myself in this way. Our church preschool program has welcomed over 30 kids into our building and even extended the hours until 4 pm so that these parents can try to put some pieces of their lives together. Most of these children look very different than us, but I am just so thankful that we have been able to get into their lives and show them the love of Christ. It's been messy...but it's been overwhelming to see how the Lord has provided for us to then be able to give food, diapers, clothes, shoes, transportation, toys, and more to the families we have met through reaching out to them.
This week, I have had a few normal hours where I was able to catch up on some laundry, vacuum, and even fix a meal (first one since the tornado over 2 weeks ago). Otherwise, I have been up at our church helping where and when I could!
In other news, we got new cell phone service and phones. We had been with sprint for years and had had enough of the bad service and dropped calls so we made the switch to verizon and of course had to get iphones. I'm mostly excited about the camera feature so that I can snap pictures without having to lug my big DSLR around! I was thinking about buying a small point and shoot anyway, but this way I was able to just get it with my phone! I have had too much fun with it for sure...
And just because...a few more mother's day gifts...
This week, I have had a few normal hours where I was able to catch up on some laundry, vacuum, and even fix a meal (first one since the tornado over 2 weeks ago). Otherwise, I have been up at our church helping where and when I could!
In other news, we got new cell phone service and phones. We had been with sprint for years and had had enough of the bad service and dropped calls so we made the switch to verizon and of course had to get iphones. I'm mostly excited about the camera feature so that I can snap pictures without having to lug my big DSLR around! I was thinking about buying a small point and shoot anyway, but this way I was able to just get it with my phone! I have had too much fun with it for sure...
love these little blessings...
sweetest little wooden bracelet Ellie Kate made for me at preschool for Mother's Day...
one of the precious babies I've gotten to love on and take care of...
And just because...a few more mother's day gifts...
tulips {my favorite} from Jeff
and a cute little ceramic teapot/planter from Samuel that he made at school
5.10.2011
Dinner Under the Stars
Last weekend, my partner in entertaining crime Carlley, and I, hosted a little dinner party. We debated on whether or not to do it after the tornadoes, but decided to stick with it and I'm so glad we did! It provided a much needed wonderful night with friends underneath the starts.
We copied the idea from Darby's blog when one of her friends did something similar. It was such a fun dinner to put on! Carlley's family owns a plantation home in Eutaw, AL (about 40 minutes away from Tuscaloosa) so we decided to have our dinner party there on the lawn overlooking the valley. It was a breaktaking view of sunset and the weather was perfect!!! The plantation is called Myrtle Hill (click on that to read more about it on Wikipedia) and her mother in law has it decorated full of southern charm and antiques....most of what we were able to use for decorations. The only thing we spent money on was the food itself. Myrtle Hill had blooming roses and magnolias we used for floral arrangements and we brought our own assortment of china to eat on.
On the menu was shrimp and grits, roasted asparagus, strawberry salad, and rolls. An assortment of yummy appetizers and wine were also brought by our guests!
Enjoy a glimpse of our magical evening...
We copied the idea from Darby's blog when one of her friends did something similar. It was such a fun dinner to put on! Carlley's family owns a plantation home in Eutaw, AL (about 40 minutes away from Tuscaloosa) so we decided to have our dinner party there on the lawn overlooking the valley. It was a breaktaking view of sunset and the weather was perfect!!! The plantation is called Myrtle Hill (click on that to read more about it on Wikipedia) and her mother in law has it decorated full of southern charm and antiques....most of what we were able to use for decorations. The only thing we spent money on was the food itself. Myrtle Hill had blooming roses and magnolias we used for floral arrangements and we brought our own assortment of china to eat on.
On the menu was shrimp and grits, roasted asparagus, strawberry salad, and rolls. An assortment of yummy appetizers and wine were also brought by our guests!
Enjoy a glimpse of our magical evening...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)