The state of Alabama was hit by terrible storms last week. We are very thankful for our safety! The National weather channel says this was the largest tornado to travel the furthest distance causing the most damage EVER in history! And sadly it is very likely going to be the deadliest in history too.
Last Wednesday (4/27/2011) the weather anchors were on full steam ahead talking about the horrible weather that was to come and how it would break records of all kinds for our state. To tell you the truth I was not really buying it (they have been known to blow things out of proportion from time to time). That all changed as they began to show to massive tornadoes live on the screen all over the state.
I was in awe as I watched an estimated F4 or F5 tornado rip through Tuscaloosa, where we have spent many Saturdays tailgating before Alabama games, leaving it demolished! Me and Allie Kate headed down the my mom’s house with my sister and her fiancé to wait it out in their basement (we have a basement but we don’t have a TV down there and my mom’s is huge with nice couches and about 10 TV’s plus a lot more room for Allie to run around, and the bonus that I would have someone else there besides just me and Allie Kate.
The tornado tracked all the way from Tuscaloosa straight into Fultondale the whole time on the ground leaving destruction in its path. We were fine (without power but thankful for our safety and our homes!). It hit about a mile or two up the road from our house. We came home after everything had calmed down and people were walking up and down the road telling stories about what they had heard and where it had hit and how many are confirmed dead and when our power was estimated to come back. We “roughed it” for one night with no power and I must say it was not all that bad. We opened our window and a few others in the house and it was really cool in our house, the only bad thing was the food situation. We couldn’t cook anything for Allie Kate so we decided to get a hotel the next day down in Hoover.
Allie Kate had a blast! She thought we were on vacation! And it was nice to have a TV and hot food…and LIGHTS! I am very afraid of the dark so that was a big one for me was not having lights I had our house lit up with literally about 40 candles! Heath kept joking that our house was going to burn down!
Friday Heath had to work so I took Allie Kate to the YMCA to go swimming at their indoor pool and she had a BLAST!! I also realized how hard it is to do that all by yourself…the hard part was after we were done swimming and getting a shower, not getting our clothes soaking wet in the process, getting dry and dressed without the whole room seeing me naked (haha) and keeping us both warm in the process! Oh and trying not to forget anything. But it was all worth it to have the memories of her sweet smile and laugh! She kept screaming the sweetest little shrill scream and laughing and it was indoor so it was super loud. She looked so cute in her little bikini. We had fun.
I was really glad to have power back and see the news and couldn’t believe the horrible devastation…to see the shear power of this thing was amazing! When you see some of the houses (rubble) and then hear that people survived you know that God himself was there in that house with his arms around the survivors. And then I can’t help but think of the people that lost their home or loved ones and know that God is with them also right now. My grandmother “Rue” used to tell me when I was afraid of a storm and I would ask her “Aren’t you scared?” and she would say “Why no, the Lord’s driving that thing.” He knows all.
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