Oh, Lord.....

It's hard to find the words to begin with this post....yesterday I thought I knew exactly what to say and was prepared to do so...then we lost internet along with power and it isn't back on  yet....we just happen to have gone out of town today so I'm able to get online...If I had written yesterday, I would've spoken too soon. Little did I know the worst tornado in our lifetime would hit my state....   and then my city....we had already had a tornado hit the fringe of my street and neighborhood at 6:00 am without my knowledge! Seriously....no one believes me that I am practically deaf....my husband was up and checking things out...he never worries about weather!!! We quickly turned on the news to find out that Cahaba Heights was devastated! That's my stomping ground! That's where I go everyday and where my friends are and our first house "was"! ...we were stunned but still didn't get it!!! We had put in a generator about 2 years ago so we were relatively fine! Once the internet went out we really had a hard time keeping up with what was happening! Once I saw the  horror of how many trees and power lines were down on our street and in our neighborhood I really got scared! Miller and Will ( my son and nephew) really had no idea what was really happening....they thought since school was called off they could go out for breakfast...only to find they couldn't get off of our street! They were stuck and I think it was then that the devastation began to hit home. The boys went to my sister's house and picked up my precious neices, Hannah and Kathryn to come over as well and they  entertained themselves upstairs while Jim and I tried to figure out what to do! We tried to make the most of the day and made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and then  homemade pizzas for lunch....and then, after talking with neighbors.... discovered what was headed our way later in the day and I began to make plans.....I've always been scared of weather but in the past few years had gotten complacent! NEVER AGAIN!!!

I can't tell you the things I got accomplished without power and internet...I began thinking this wasn't so bad after all!!!! We heard that school was also cancelled for Thursday and the boys began plotting who's house to go to when they got their cable back! They truly didn't understand and neither did we!!! Until I heard about the possible F5 tornado headed right for Tuscaloosa! Everyone in Birmingham knows that the tornados typically come right into Birmingham from Tuscaloosa! I listened to the radio for a minute and then my heart and my brain met and began to scream up the stairs to Miller and his friend Sam at this point....Will had already gone home to his basement! They didn't take me seriously at first....and I'm not sure Jim did either until I was truly frantic....honking the horn and I remember my brain thinking...but what about the pictures!! you just printed pictures of Layton! It's odd where your brain goes! I always thought I'd be in control if we had a fire...I've got things in certain drawers in chests that we all know to get out! But this time....I left with NOTHING!!!!! I remember shoving my computer under a chair...in case it got wet!!! That's how little I really knew!!!! Later, I thought of all of things I should've done except that you don't have the time!!! I specifically heard the weather man say...."You have about 20-30 minutes if you live in these areas....." and I panicked!!! We raced to our neighbors house that had earlier told us they would be there...and they weren't!!! So I REALLY panicked!!!! WE drove to my sister's house so fast...dodging power lines and downed trees ...I felt like we were on a race track and I didn't care!!!! WE flew into her basement...we all sat around the radio and we all prayed! and the younger children cried! I'm sure the older ones wanted too....I know I did!!!! and I did....and I have....and I was very glad when they said the killer tornado had made a more northern track....I was relieved...we hurried back home to check on the dog! Still not understanding....and truthfully, not able to understand without tv and computers....until today...today I woke up crying! I cried some yesterday but it seems to keep coming today! When I woke up this morning my legs were in horrible cramps..seriously, as if I'd been running miles...and I'm sure I did in my mind! I couldn't make since of it all in my foggy state when I was trying to wake up and then I remembered and I knew....I was running from that storm in my mind.

Today we all are trying to take it all in....I've forgotten that I even have a shop that wasn't touched at all! It's odd how something so close to me cannot be affected at all!!! Jim went last night to use the internet there....I thought I wanted to...but I really didn't. I just went to bed.....
Today we've come to Destin...a trip already planned but hard to do after all of this....and we are just now seeing the footage...the pictures...the reports from the news crews and the people it happened too...and I'm crying again! I cried alot of the way here...especially when I learned of a missing young woman that is the sister in law of a dear, dear friend! She and her husband were in their home when it was demolished by the tornado...he had something lodged in his side and was rushed to UAB for surgery....the wife can't be found....anywhere! they've checked hospitals and morgues alike.....she can't be found....and we are all still praying!!!! They were newlyweds...as someone said to me last night...."Storms are not respecters of people"....very true!