Devastation

Since my last post, our little town was hit with an F3 category tornado. I've never experienced an event like that before, and I must admit, that I think I'm suffering from some light form of post traumatic stress. The wind barely whips up and I'm scared all over again.

It was about noon last Thursday and I was just looking for my keys to go pick up MiniMe from school. Suddenly golf-ball sized hail came down. I saw the neighbor come outside to take pictures of it. I also wanted to grab my camera but MiniB was fussy and wouldn't let me put him down. The hail let up for a minute or two and then it started again but it was bigger, much bigger. At that point I tried calling B because the fear set in. The windows started breaking and I rushed the dogs and the baby to the basement. Then the noise came and the darkness set in. It was a rushing sound and the rain was pummeling the windows with such force of the wind that it was impossible to see outside. The power then went out and it was very dark in the basement. The baby was crying and the dogs were whining. I immediately thought of MiniMe who was at her daycare very close by. I just started to pray. I'm glad I didn't know exactly what it was. We aren't in tornado alley. I just passed it off as a very bad storm. I've since heard so many stories of the "funnel" and "huge dark cloud." Because MiniB was so fussy, I was unable to go outside to really see what was coming our way. I wasn't watching tv or listening to the radio. Had I really known and received warning that we were under a tornado watch, my basement time would have been the longest eight minutes of my life. In a way I am grateful for my ignorance. I was scared for my daughter but I would have been in a real panic had I known just how close she was to where it touched down and what was happening all around me.

Suddenly the noise passed. Text messages and emails were coming in on my phone. Lots of "R U OK?????" It still didn't register with me. We had no power and though I was getting text messages, my calls kept failing to B. I went upstairs and that is when it registered. The debris. The destruction. Our house was intact and standing but walls, fences, patio furniture, roof shingles, and porch pieces were all strewn about. And then my heart really started to beat for my girl. Neighbors emerged from their homes. I realized without power I couldn't open the garage door and putting MiniB down to find the pull cord in the dark wasn't an immediate option. I was scared to leave him. I was scared to trip in the dark with him. I needed help. I see my neighbor and he tells me that he just heard that the roof had ripped off of the car wash and threw the owner on his back. The car wash is right next to MiniMe's school. My girl. My girl. I call B and finally get through. He's on his way. I'm scared he's in the path of it. He says he'll be careful and get MiniMe on his way. Our neighbor is able to help me with the car so I can go. I can't wait for B to get her. When I get there, I'm relieved that the building is intact. I've never been so glad to see MiniMe. All of the cars in the lot were severely damaged rearranged and the kids are scared but they went to the interior of the school and sang songs and sat cross-legged with their heads in their laps. The wind was still so strong but I had my girl and she was fine and nothing else mattered. I could move on to worrying about B making it home.





In the end everyone was ok. One man lost his life. And I don't take one life lightly. That is terrible but it could have been so much worse. It was daytime so many people were at work in neighboring Fort Collins so that helped. We lost power for days. We have insurance and everything that was lost or broken we will repair and replace. Our home is at least still standing. Those are just material things though. Our little town is just devastated. Our sister church is gone. Our veterinarian's building is gone. The subdivision across the street from ours is no longer. The daycare and bank that is visible from MiniMe's school experienced terrible damage and though they'll rebuild, I can't imagine the post traumatic stress those people will have. Eight kids at MiniMe's school lost their homes. Two teachers also lost their homes. It is is sad. We drove around and I just can't believe the loss.

Anyway, thank you for bearing with me if you've read this far. I think writing it helps. I just keep thinking how strange it all is. If the path had shifted or touched down even a quarter of a mile there is no telling what our story would be. How can one house be intact and the one next to it completely destroyed? It's odd and sad. There is a cemetary next to a stoplight where I'm always stuck waiting. If you don't live in the area you don't understand the strange void that now exists when parked at that light. The wonderfully old, large trees are missing. It feels strange. I'm amazed though at the clean up efforts. You really see the heart of people in these situations. That is the silver lining of this whole experience....

Why I love YouTube

Tonight is MiniMe's first recital. We've been hearing about the "cital" for weeks. We've heard from her about how the "Annies" and uncles and papas and moms and dads will all be there. Oh and there will be cake. That is huge to a three-year old.

Anyway, for all the hype of this thing, I'm worried about her hair. I can never do MiniMe's hair. I'm hair challenged. My daughter is the one who usually has bumps in her pony tails. B laughs at my cockeyed pig tails. I don't know why I can't seem to make her hair work. I blame it on B. She has his hair and hence his stubborn swirl pattern. I've run out of ideas for her hair. I was thrilled when she decided she likes wearing headbands. To my dismay I still can't get those to keep her hair out of her eyes, face, food, etc.

I need a tutorial. I need guidance. Enter YouTube--my online tutorial. Who knew a bun was so easy? Well, it looks easy. I will attempt it tonight. MiniMe will more than likely not stay very still so I have to get it right quickly. Recital pics tomorrow....!

Knitted Baby Mary Janes

I'm about ready to forget this whole ABC along. I'm skipping J. I have an idea for J for later. I'm a huge rule breaker. Anyhow, on to K. K is for knitted baby booties. Aren't these cute? They're pretty easy to knit too. I found the pattern at Bekah's Etsy shop. I know quite a few pregnant women. Unfortunately most of them are either not finding out the gender or they are having a boy. But all is not lost. My dear friend Debbie just had a girl so I'm sending these her way! These were a perfect project for me right now because life is so busy.

Did everyone have a nice Mother's Day? Mine was ok. Mother's Days are still kind of hard for me given the loss of my mom. It's weird. I can't predict it. Some years I am not really emotional about it. Others I can't help buy cry in moments throughout the day. This year was the latter. Now that I'm a mom my issues are different. I find that a huge void is filled in having my little ones in my life. But I also feel sad that my children won't know her and I hurt for them. MiniMe will ask me questions about her "Strawberry Grandma" in heaven. Why she refers to her as that is beyond me. It didn't help that B had to leave on a business trip on Sunday. He felt terrible but I admit that I was mopey about it. He bought me a wonderful necklace that I need to take a picture of. It is silver and has two squares that each have one of my kid's names on them. And there is a cute pearl too. Hard to explain but it was a perfect present. Totally perfect. Here are some pictures we took before church:




Did I mention I got a new camera? I'm loving this new camera. I saved and saved for it. In the end, B chipped in to my fund. I'm enrolled in two photography classes this summer so hopefully my images will improve. The camera is so good, I almost don't even need to know anything.

We've been going out on walks and to the park so I can practice taking some nature shots. In honor of my mom, I took these pictures.




She loved spring and the cherry blossom trees. At the end of her life, she lived in Washington D.C. and she died just two days after taking pictures of the blossoming tress. I found the roll of film before she was able to develop it. It is very precious to me because there were a few with her leaning on the trees. She loved to tell me the story and history behind the trees in D.C. Being a teenager at the time, her words went in one ear and out the other. Now I appreciate them so much and always stop to remember her this time of year.

I is for Interesting Brooches

Can you tell at this point I'm really struggling to keep up with this ABC along? "I" just isn't a letter that is easy to back up with a craft. So here is my best try.

MiniMe is loving these little brooch pins I made with my extra buttons. I read artsy-crafty babe's tutorial and had to give it a try. Like everyone else, I have a lot of buttons. It's so easy!

And now for some random happenings around our household. Ever gone to the bathroom only to see an orange spider walking ON TOP of the toilet water? Seriously, the spider was walking on the water. I did a triple take to make sure it wasn't wading in the water. Nope, it was walking on top. And it wasn't just a light hue of orange. The sucker could glow in the dark--it was that orange! MiniMe was so interested she couldn't stop looking at it and shrieking with delight. I don't know the abilities of a day glo water-walking spider but I was scared that jumping might be one of them so I asked her to flush him down for me. Kind of funny that my three-year old had to take care of the spider for me. My gosh. Where did that freaky specimen come from??? Makes me wonder if there are more wandering around.

Another random around here is MiniB's recent interest in baby dolls. I am not one to care if my son plays with dolls and B just laughs at it. Though if it continues, I'm sure he'll start purchasing some boy toys. We have so many girl toys that buying more toys just becuase hers are so girly seems dumb at his current age. But MiniB holding a baby doll is kind of cute--for now. He doesn't play with the doll the way a girl does. He is still very boy about it all. He chews on her bald head or smashes her head into the floor. He also twists her arm around and around. I think he just likes the idea of something smaller than him to be the boss of. But when he wakes up from nap and has her in his arms I just have to laugh. If I pull her away he goes crazy.

The other news we got this weeks is that MiniMe's thumb sucking is finally starting to affect her teeth. The dentist predicts there will definitely be orthodontics in her future. The roof of her mouth is kind of forming to a shape that is common to thumb suckers and her bite is off. The dentist says it is too soon to really tell but he can see signs. If you have a thumb sucker in your house and have heard similar news but it never came about, please reassure me. I don't have it in me right now to get on her for it. Right now I have MiniB who I need to ween and a puppy who is peeing and pooping on everything. I get kind of tired of hearing myself say no to the puppy all the time. I don't want to start hounding my daughter. Or maybe a little part of me doesn't want her to grow up and the thumb sucking still makes her my little girl. Could be a little of that too.....