In the words of Rafiki: 'The weather - Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?

From The Lion King

Rafiki: The weather - Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?
Simba: Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.
Rafiki: Ahhh. Change is good.

My, did we have quite the afternoon today or what?! Tornado in October?! I went home early from my grandparent's house because of the bad storm we heard was coming and I’m glad I did! I got a call from my dad in the afternoon telling me to get to the basement because there was a tornado warning. Just then, I heard the sirens. I was like…'ok think. What do I do??' It was kind of like when I heard my smoke alarm go off in the middle of the night and I was like ‘Oh crap! What do I tell the preschoolers to do when this happens?!?’ All I could think of was to grab my external hard drive that has my 10,000 pictures on it and get to the basement…oh ya, and grab Cooper and Kota:) Well, I didn't have a battery radio (I know, I'm married to a firefighter and he'd kill me for not knowing where it is) and the power went out so I couldn't watch good ol' Darren the meteorologist on the TV. So I went back upstairs and when I looked out the window, I was like 'Is this it?' It wasn’t dark out and I’ve definitely seen worse winds and rain. But then the next thing I know I have people calling me asking if I’m alright. I was thinking, well ya-just a couple tree limbs down and the power out. Then they told me about Cridersville, the town I live in. A couple blocks down the road, a tornado made its mark. It was that quick. Too close for comfort in my book! It did its usual houses torn apart, trees uprooted, and debris everywhere. Once again, I thought...wow, reality seems unreal.

Sometimes we forget about reality until it seems unreal. I don't have to point out the obvious cancer in my life in this reference. But this storm today too. To be so close to something like that makes you reevaluate life and priorities again. I remember going through something like this when I was on campus during the Bluffton University bus accident that killed some college baseball players and the bus driver and his wife. It’s a bit surreal when you are standing on campus, seeing the TV crews pull in, then watching CNN and MSNBC on TV taping right where you are. You are there, in it, but not. It doesn’t seem real because it's not the norm, but it is real. And you may not be effected directly, but you are. It turned real for me when I had to call Andrew because he was at the Army drill and tell him his hall mate was killed. It turns real when you drive your car down the road and see your town dismantled by nature. But sometimes those unrealistic moments become real and change your life. We can use these moments for change...a good change in our lives. The Bluffton bus accident made me call Andrew when we were ‘on a break’ and tell him the sad news. In that moment, I was scared and the only person I wanted to be with was Andrew and I couldn't. From that point on, I knew I didn’t want to be without him... and we have been together ever since. :) Today, I saw a community come together to help out the people who needed shelter tonight. It gave the opportunity for people to talk to the strangers they just passed by before. Cridersville will be okay, sometimes bad things happen to open new doors. It will be interesting to see the out come from today's events. I learned that I don’t like being without power! Especially on Tuesdays…that’s my night for shows! It’s ok, my brother saved me from my powerless house after the storm and I stayed at my parents with Cooper. I didn’t miss my Glee or the Time Warp dance from Rocky Horror Picture Show…phew! I mean, let's talk about priorities ;) JK! My prayers are with Cridersville and that God's peace and guidance will be with our little town this week. I'm so thankful that I am sleeping in my bed in my room and not my bed up in a tree. I'm so lucky!

Here are a few pictures I took today to show you that there is always calm after the storm…always. Check out my FB to see a video footage of the aftermath from down the street or pictures at Local News Photo : LimaOhio.com

I have never been stuck in traffic in Cridersville before...until today.

On a better note...I relived my childhood yesterday. I’m not sure I will have the opportunity again, since I am 26 and all, but yesterday I stayed the night at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Just like the old days :) Grandma made her famous chicken noodles and mashed potatoes with corn and rolls and yes…a special desert just for me. PEANUT BUTTER PIE! YUMMMM! I did all the rituals, took a bubble bath (even used the old powder grandma had!), smelled all her perfumes, and had a root beer float. We even created some new ones, like staying up until 2:45 talking and changing our profile pics on facebook. We did leave some old traditions behind, I didn’t make the upstairs a haunted house and I didn’t put on ALL of grandma’s jewelry and have a pretend sale. We didn’t play BINGO or OLD MAID for candy either…those traditions are for when you spend the night with cousins at grandma's. Either way, it was just good to spend time with people who have a grip on reality and can give you advice for the future. I love talking with older people who can really set us straight. They have been there, done that and actually have good advice because they honestly have your best interest at heart. I love grandparents and I’m so glad I still have Gma Pat and Gpa Paul to love me :)