They are Up

So today was not as fun as I had hoped. Both boys ended up grounded due to some serious attitudes and in turn we missed a birthday party and Danny's Chess tournament. I really hated to do it, but I also knew if we did not stick to the punishments that it would be a long summer. The boys were both excellent so it must have worked.

We spent the day cleaning, working on the business stuff, doing Handwriting homework, and just being together. It was pretty nice.

Back in January when we were putting our Christmas stuff up it would not work. The closet where we always put it just would not hold it all. Brandon finally gave up and we stuck the boxes in the bathroom downstairs. The tornadoes that ripped through the state on April 27th had us pulling the boxes that were in there out so that we could get in. This closet is under our steps and we knew that it was the safest place to be. The tornado that damaged Tuscaloosa and so many other areas of the state came directly over our house, but it had lifted up and we were okay. Today Brandon decided to put what he could in the closet. It all fit. We figure that God knew that it would have taken us much longer to clean out this closet if it was all in there, and by not letting it fit we were able to get it emptied out and us in it very easily. While it was frustrating in January it all made sense. Now all of the Christmas stuff is where it belongs.

This simple Little act reminded me that there truly is a reason for everything and while we usually do not understand it right away the answers sometimes come later.

Well, I managed to get a day behind on my blog so there will be another one tonight! I hope that you all have had a great weekend so far. Enjoy the last few hours.

Practice...

This morning was Danny's practice for his First Communion. I cannot believe that he is about to make his First Communion. It does not seem like it was that long ago that he was Baptised. He did not want me to stay for the practice because he wants me to be surprised by what he is doing. He is funny like that. He likes me being there and being involved but sometimes he just wants to surprise me.

While he was at practice Brandon and I took John Michael and got breakfast. Then we just hung out it in the parking lot. I finished my book, the new Jodi Picoultti (sp?), which was a great one. I love her books. She has such a unique writing style and I cannot wait for a new one. Right now I am caught up with hers. I have several other authors that I enjoy but if anyone has any recommendations I am an avid reader. Not picky on genre either!

We went to Pratt City today and saw the devastation. It was truly a sight that will never leave my eyes. It was heartbreaking and also promising. It is hard to explain. I have heard so many people talking about the war zones and that is a statement that probably describes it best. I cannot wait to help out. As I am sure you all know and please share with everyone I am doing all photography for these people across the state for free. When they are ready they can have any session or event that they need covered. I know that it will not replace what they have lost, but I do hope that it can help them start to rebuild. I will travel so all they have to do is call.

Tonight my boys took me to dinner. Brandon did not have to go to Homestead Hollow today, and is not sure about tomorrow, so we went out for Mother's Day tonight. We went to Munoz. I have to say that I love their margaritas. It was a great dinner. They then took me for doughnuts...BTW The Hot and Now Sign is always a guaranteed smile.

While we did not get to get everything done today that we wanted to we all had a great day. I hope that tomorrow is as good. We are planning on the 8:30 Mass and then we do not know. If Brandon does not have to go to Homestead Hollow we will hopefully make some progress where we did not today. If he does then hopefully the boys and myself can get something done. We shall see.

Well, I am off to bed. All of my friends and family are in my prayers. I hope that all of the Moms, Godmothers, Aunts, Grandmother's, etc. have an amazing Mother's Day tomorrow.

The Headlines..

Last night before I went to bed I waited to hear the speech that Obama was coming to give. To hear that Osama Bin Laden was dead was something that seriously made me sleep a little better. But what I did not like was the fact that he took credit for his death. While he might have given the go ahead this was carried out by men and women in uniform for the United States of America. This was something that these men and women have been fighting to do in order to give some closure to all of the citizens who were affected by the events that unfolded like a nightmare we could not wake up from on September 11, 2001. This was not something that he should be given the credit for, as an American, he should be humble enough to thank all of the men and women who have died fighting for our protection.

I am concerned about what these people will do seeking retaliation. These are people who are extreme, and an extremists in any area of life is never a good thing. Passion is one thing, but extremists take things to a level that no rational person would go. I pray for all Americans as this news travels the globe. I pray for our men and women overseas who could become even more of a target for these people who hate us because we are free.

To all of the men and women who fight for us, past, present and future. Thank you. Thank you for the freedom to write this blog, to tuck my children in at night, to say my prayers, to attend the parish that is near and dear to my heart. Thank you for all that you do so that I can vote, and so that I can complain when the votes do not go my way. To their families, these are the troops that we do not talk about the ones who stay at home and become single men and women to have a happy home waiting on the return of their soldiers. Thank you all. You are the true American heroes and you all deserve the credit! Thank you and know that you are never forgotten!

Now, to the tornadoes that have truly left a scar on this state. The Aeriel footage shows where this state has been hit but not at the heart, in fact people are coming together which is what makes Alabama and the South so amazing. Tonight I watched a video done by one of the Fox 6 guys and I have to say I have never been more humbled. The sights, the song, it was just amazing. What was captured was not what was lost but the heart of so many, their tears, their hugs, and in spite of all that has been taken from so many their faith. I cried hard watching this. It was so moving and so real and that is something that is not seen everyday. This same video was shown on the news tonight at 6, and I am sure at other times and I hope that you were all able to see it. If not it is worth finding on Fox 6's website.

Well, I am off to bed. I end by saying that I am proud to be an American and an Alabamian! There is an amazing atmosphere in the South and if you want to meet amazing people please visit and offer a hand! So many people are suffering, yet themselves they have put second to others! Please, thank you, mam, and sir, y'all, grits and sweet tea might be what people think when they think of the South, but know if you have never been you are missing out on a spirit that stands strong and together. Tonight I will pray for all of my friends and family as I do every night as well as the soldiers, their families, and all who have been affected and are assisting with the devastation across the South. I also pray that Obama realizes that his lack of humbleness is not something that goes unnoticed. A nice suit and speech does not make you the one that got the job done, it makes you a messenger. Know that a little humbleness can go a long way!

April is Gone?!

It is really hard to believe that April has come and gone. I cannot believe that we have passed 4 months already in 2011. WOW is about all I can say.

I have decided to use my photography business to help the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through the state on April 27. I will be donating all my profits to these victims. I will also give a free session to all people who were affected. I wish that I could do more, but I have nothing extra to give monetarily, but I can give what I make to those who need it more than I do. Towns are gone and I hope that I can do something to help them rebuild.

We were going to take some of our cub scouts down to help tomorrow, but we will be waiting until next weekend when we can plan a little more at our upcoming meetings. I am not sure if we will take donations of items or if we will be taking donations of money and purchasing food to take to everyone. Hot dogs, or sandwiches, or something of that nature. Something that the boys could take down and pass out to help people. Stay tuned to my blog as I announce when and where we will collect and what we will be collecting.

Both boys had games today. John Michael played Pinson at Clay and Danny played Pinson at Pinson. Now let the rant begin. John Michael's team lost, but Brandon said fielding they had down, but they could not hit. Hopefully we will get it all together soon and these boys can get a win under them. Danny's team lost, but it was such a crooked game. The umpires at Pinson are anything but fair. They obviously are in need of glasses and a reminder that they are paid to be fair. It was seriously nuts. The ballpark was about run down and it is sad since it is not that old...the bathroom well let's not even go there. The water was brown...seriously brown! Scary stuff. I was just glad to go home. Looking forward to playing at Clay next week. I hated that I had to miss John Michael he got a hit and made it to base! Anyway, sorry I needed to vent for a few minutes.

We came home and watered the plants and played outside for a while then came in and ate and then Brandon went to cut his hair. The boys decided that they wanted their hair cut too and well it is SHORT! Brandon did not change the guards. They like it an fortunately it will grow back. ;)

Now I am headed to bed! I am praying for all of my friends and family as well as the tornado victims. I heard tonight that 11 tornadoes have been confirmed to have hit down. One stayed on the ground from state line to state line. It is absolutely devastating.

A Day for Prayer

Waking up this morning was almost like waking up in a dream, everything seemed so impossible, and then the news was on and it became more than real. There was a lot to do today too, but we managed through.

First was getting to John Michael's zoo field trip. Danny was out of school so he got to go with us, which was fine with him. I told them before we left we would not be there long and that we did not have the money to go to everything so we would go check out the trails of Africa at least and then as soon as Daddy called we would have to leave. I will say I cannot wait to go back, but with their new prices the only way that will happen is with a zoo pass. We have done that in the past and I will say it is a great summer trip. The new prices though are slightly insane!

Well, Brandon called literally as we walked out of the Trails of Africa. We left and went home. Of course the boys' did not want to leave, but it was discussed and we left.

We went home and headed to the lake. We have a place there and we knew that it went through the area so we needed to go check on everything. The thing is it either needed to be fine or completely gone, because I do not have the money for repairs right now. Again, God protected our property and we arrived to find everything ok. Now we did not try the water or power, but everything was ok. We are very thankful for the many blessing that we received when so many were not as fortunate.

The boys want to be a part of the clean up and while I want to help in anyway that I can I also know that sometimes tiny extra hands can just be in the way. We talked to my brother in law who took off to help in Tuscaloosa and he said that they should be able to help with handing out the donations that people bring to the people who need it. This means the world to them and makes me feel good that I can do something with my hands. With my heart I continue to pray for everyone who is involved.

We came home and Brandon's mom and Meemaw came over for dinner and to wash some clothes. They are still without power. I pray that it comes on soon as they have a neighbor who is disabled and the machines that are needed to keep him alive run on power. They do have a generator, but I do not know how much fuel they have. I know that his mom and dad always have his health first and I pray that the power is on soon so that they can at least sleep a little easier. So many of us forget that power does not just mean the ability to play the Wii or watch TV to many it is life and death.

The pictures today are from the zoo, and the other is a tree that was down on our way home from the lake, this was just one of so so many. There was so much damage between us and Pell City, and I know that it is worse throughout the state.

Well, we are about to go to bed. Know that there is nobody involved that is not in my prayers. The victims of these horrible storms, the power company employees who are working around the clock, the rescuers, the friends and family of those who lost their lives, the clean up crews, the insurance adjusters, the media, and the list goes on. Love and many prayers going out to everyone!

Wednesday Storms

So I am still a day behind, but with the storms last night I did not turn the computer back on. I will catch up tomorrow, or maybe tonight.

The pictures are actually from the morning's storms.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 was a day that started and ended with storms that were beyond severe. I have lived in Alabama my whole life and NEVER have I seen anything like what happened.

It all started at about 4:30 when we were woken up by our weather radio going off. We got up to watch the weather and let the boys sleep. It was about 5:30 when we could literally feel our house shaking. We went and grabbed the boys and put them downstairs. Brandon said that he did not even know he could still pick up Danny especially from a sleeping state. We waited down stairs watching the weather and when the straight line winds were past us we brought the boys upstairs and let them sleep for a little longer, but this time in the living room. We got ready for school and headed out. We had to detour our normal route due to trees down. I got Danny to school without too many problems, just a lot of trees and limbs down. On the way to John Michael's school there were many more trees down and as we got closer I wondered if they even had power. They did not so I paid for the zoo and we came home. Danny's school closed at noon and so did the Network, so Brandon picked up Danny and they came home.

The first part of the afternoon seemed mild. Then it started.

First was watching the tornado live in Culman. It was unbelievable and very scary. Usually these storms come through overnight and they cannot be seen because of the terrain in Alabama and or the fact that it is dark, this was totally different. This storm was very big, and the damage was scary.

Then a storm was headed for Tuscaloosa, this path usually means it is headed for us next. We watched the weather as the stations were getting their cameras aimed in the direction the storm would be coming. When it showed up it was HUGE. My heart sank for all of the students and the parents of those students who were not there to hold their babies. I know when weather is bad there is nothing that I prefer to do than know that my family is together. We watched in complete shock as this monster ripped through the city. It was truly the most terrifying thing that I have ever seen. As we continued to watch this monster was headed to us on the ground.

The landmarks that were being used for this mile wide storm were less than a mile from us. We had moved our Christmas decorations from under the stairs and went in there. We took the cushions from the couch in the den to cover with and we prayed. We heard the storm, the hail and then a strange sound followed by silence. We knew then it was over us. We prayed and then it was over. We are so thankful that we are safe, our house was safe and all we know is that it is because we put it in God's hands and He kept it in the air above us and did not let it drop down. Our prayers quickly changed into prayers of Thanks and then for the safety, and healing of the many people who were not so lucky.

We went outside, picked up the debris that had dropped and came back in to continue to watch the weather. There was another line of storms, but in comparison it was nothing. We also watched as the tornadoes continued to devastate other areas in the state.

We went to bed with heavy hearts and many prayers.