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.

Tornados At Bay...Seriously!

We woke up this morning and I was a little sad. The rain was coming down and the skies were rumbling. Fortunately it did not last long and we were on the beach!

The ocean was pretty rough again, with a serious pull, but it was great for boogie boarding. The boys had a blast. I am quite enjoying my time on the sand with my book, and in the ocean. I cannot wait for the day that I call the beach my home. It is where I truly feel at home. Anyway.

This afternoon I had a photo session on the beach. I so could do that everyday It was a lot of fun, and the family was wonderful. I cannot wait to get to work on the pictures. Stay tuned for a small sample on my other blog (which I need to catch up).

When I got back from the session Brandon came running in to tell me to get my camera and get outside. From our house you can see the bay and are on the beach. Talk about simply stunning. Anyway, I did as I was told and was amazed to see a tornado in the bay. This means it was a water spout and it did not come on land. I was hypnotised and had I had a few more minutes I would have driven to get closer to the bay. It was truly amazing to be so close yet at a safe distance away from this storm.

Not much later a storm did come up and while there was definitely nothing to worry about it was enough to have us inside for the night. I read to John Michael, played some games with Danny, and watch So You Think You Can Dance.

Well, tonight has definitely been a great one! I am definitely getting tired and will probably be in bed sooner than later. I will pray for all you. Know that whether the day is full of excitement or just a lazy day in the rain it can be as spectacular as you want it.

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.

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.

Relay For Life

Today started off very hectic, the boys woke up wild. They tore the shelf down above our bed, well John Michael did jumping to get a hat off of it, after I had told both of them to get off my bed. Needless to say it just escalated from there. I have no idea what the deal was but I think it is Easter candy overload and the lack of school! John Michael will be out again on Monday, but Danny returns so there will be some kind of normalcy happening.

Tonight was the Relay for Life. This is something that means so much to me. We walk in memory of my daddy. I wish that I could write that we were walking because he was a survivor, but there are many out there who are. We walk so that hopefully one day there is a cure and so that more birthdays are celebrated each year. We walk with the hopes that nobody else has to tell there Daddy or their Granddaddy goodbye so early in life. I could go on but for this I will let the pictures talk for me.

Before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of my family and friends. Those whose lives are turned upside down by natural disasters, such as the tornadoes that we just experienced, or by something like cancer are on my heart heavily. I pray for you all and I hope that everyone is able to find away to celebrate life and the fact that we are alive and can make a difference.

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.