Back to a Routine Sort Of

Brandon headed back to work, the boys to school, and me, well laundry was on the to do list and then some. Of course there was so much going on that I did not even get half of what I wanted to get done but it is okay. Mom and I were able to get some things done that had to be done and that is definitely the most important thing right now as she starts rebuilding her life.
Brandon said that it was a long day, and I definitely believe that. He said everyone asked about mom, and all of us, which is so appreciated. I wish that they would have given him the time off with pay and without having to use his PTO, but I am very thankful that he had it.
Catholic Schools week is this week and my name was mud with John Michael because today was hat day and I had no idea. He never brought his bag upstairs, and I never thought to check his folder because of everything that was going on. Hopefully I will do better.
I will get my list of stuff done as soon a possible, and it will all work out. Nancy, thank you so much for dinner, it was delicious and enjoyed by everyone. Again the outpouring of support from so many people has been so touching, I honestly cannot even begin to truly explain.
I cannot believe that it has been one week since the tornados changed so many things for me. I will get into this soon.

Helping Hands

Saturday was moving day. The boy's decided to miss their basketball games and help at Nana's. This was a decision that they made on their own and made me so proud. They are growing up to be truly amazing children. I cannot explain in the blog how proud I was of them.
So many people showed up to help pack up mom's house. We knew that the upstairs we could get but the basement was going to be a challenge. So many memories and so much stuff. I have a list of thank yous I know that I will leave people out but to everyone, all I can say is you have no idea what it meant to me, Brandon, my mom, and even my boys to have your help physically and mentally.
We took one load to storage, well Brandon and the men did. Metro was amazing to work with and I recommend them to everyone who needs a truck or a storage unit. They helped us in so many ways and they were so understanding and patient. Thanks to everyone at Metro.
There was so much to go through in the basement and I hate to think about everything that was destroyed. It is just sad, a lot of memories, will soon be a pile of rubble.

It's A Total Loss

So this morning I went to reserve a large truck from Metro after I dropped the boys off at school.

They were excited because today was an out of uniform day. I went to the home and school meeting on Tuesday and that is the reward. I would go anyway, but this incentive is what makes them push me to go, even after a day like this Tuesday.

This morning the foundation engineer met mom and Brandon at her house at 8:00. After about 10 minutes he made the call to total the house. He said that it is safe for us to continue moving out but it is not repairable. This was the news that we knew was coming, but it is still not easy to hear.

I got the boys from school and we headed back to work. Almost all of my mom's upstairs is cleaned out. Well, what is being kept is boxed up, and what is not is either still there on the floor or is in bags. With a bulldozer coming I am not stressing about the trash or about what is being left behind. If it is damaged we have taken pictures of it so that she can itemize her list for the insurance company. If it is just not needed or wanted it is just there.

Tomorrow is finishing everything off upstairs and tackling the garage. Right now I am get it done mode, but I also am an emotional wreck. There is so much to do and so little time so that is definitely keeping me motivated.

Thank you again to everyone who came out today and helped. Mrs. Terri the cookies were amazing and so were the sandwiches, but those cookies....Wow! Mr. Mike, thank you so much for helping go to storage and getting that process really underway. Beth and Brandon thank you again! Packing up and taking out means so much. To the guys and girls from Trussville High School. Thank you so much for helping get the truck on its way to loaded and for all of the boxes. Sonia thank you for the help packing and the boxes, tape, and bags. To Regions thank you for the hot hamburgers! To everyone thank you!

Thank You

While the emotional roller coaster is definitely running fast, there is more than enough time to say thank you. I am a little behind in posting so this is for Tuesday, January 24th.

Thank you to the power company for working around the clock to get the lines down cut off, new poles up, new lines run, and risking your own to be there for others. While I know that there is a pay check involved, these men and women are going through and not only working they are there for the community and they are risking their own safety to get things done. While we cannot turn on the power at mom's because of the wiring in the house being ripped and the risk of fire being high this is something that is small and means so much.

Thank you to the Jefferson County deputies who are working tirelessly to keep people out who do not need to be in these areas. They are out offering help, directing traffic, and doing all that they can to ensure the safety of all who were affected.

Thank you to the endless stream of volunteers. Those cutting trees, cleaning debris, bringing food, bringing water, helping to tarp, and everything else that you are all doing. You are selflessly giving of yourself. Many of you have taken off work just to lend a hand.

The list goes on. So many people have been wonderful and I know that I am leaving people out. To all of you, thank you so much.

Thank you to my friends and family who have offered to do whatever they can to help.

My post for the next few days, weeks, who knows it could be months will probably contain some type of thank you or problems or whatever. For now we are hoping that the insurance adjusters make it today, with the rain coming tomorrow we want to be able to get as much as we can out, but they are telling us we need to leave what is in there so that they can see all of the damage.

Thank you all for prayers, for thoughts, and for everything that you have done. The picture is of the boys helping move limbs after school. They have been so worried and wanted to help so we gave them some gloves and let them help.

The House that Built Me

Since I first heard Miranda Lambert's song The House that Built Me I was in love. There are so many things about the house that we grow up in. Maybe where we had our first kiss? Maybe where we said goodbye? Maybe it was where we learned how to walk? No matter what the memory they are powerful and there is a strong association to the memory and the house.



At 2:00 this morning I was up watching the weather and praying for God to keep my family safe. At 3:00 we started to call our family to make sure that they were awake and watching the weather. At about 3:20 we got the boys up and headed downstairs to watch the weather. From there my timeline is off and there has not been anytime to read the paper, no Internet to read online, even my 3G was up and down which took out the cell option. But what I know is we got into the closet under our stairs when it was coming through CenterPoint. We got out to try to find out where it was. We thought it was past but not sure. We started to try to call and text but the lines were so jammed. As we did get to people we were thankful that they were safe but the story was just getting started.



The tornado ripped through Clay, AL. This is my hometown. This is where my family lives. This is where Brandon's family lives. Friends and their families all in this one town that until today was still a place in Alabama that so many people did not know existed. It is an amazing community, it was before it was a City, and is today. Clay is a family and today they showed it.



We knew that Brandon's mom, pop, Aunt B, and Meemaw were safe and that they had no damage. We knew that mom was safe as well as my grandmother and uncles who live down the street. We knew that friends and family were safe despite having nothing left. The tears of loss, the anger of the destruction, the fact that everything has changed in a few seconds will come but today we were truly thankful for the lives that were spared. To say we were blessed is an understatement. The fact of miracles were ever present today as house after house the words we are okay were uttered.



The first time I arrived on my mom's street it hit me that the house I grew up in was going to be gone. While it is still standing the foundation has cracked in several placed, and that is just the start of the damage. The thing is the woods that I used to "get lost in" with friends, just so we could make getting out an adventure were gone. The basketball goal that I learned to play 21 on was gone. The landscape was changed and my heart was broken. I am so thankful for the safety of everyone that is what cannot be replaced, but there is something about walking down a street that you know as well as you know your own hand and finding out that you have never seen it before.

There are many pictures I could have used, but this is of my old bedroom.

This is not a message that ends tonight, but for tonight I am done. More to come soon. I am exhausted, a day behind, have lots of company, and well, I just need to get a shower and get some sleep so we can get back to it tomorrow.