Don't Mess with Texas

As most of you know, in Texas, we are fortunate enough to experience the forces of nature. NOT! It is the season of thunderstorms and tornados and very early Thursday morning was no exception. Now when I first moved to Texas my experience with severe thunderstorms like this and tornados was nil. I remember sitting at work and experiencing my first Tornado Warning. If you can picture a "deer in headlights" saying "What?" "Excuse me!" Fortunately, over the years I have learned more about them and some safety tips. Thursday morning around 330am I was awakened by some rain and very strong winds. The weather man had indicated we had a chance of some severe weather in the middle of the night. I knew when I heard the wind blowing that this was a little different than just a severe thunderstorm. I woke Woody up and we looked outside to see pouring rain, heavy winds and constant lightning. Shortly thereafter we heard the tornado sirens going off, which means take cover. Yippee! So we gathered the kids and went to the bathroom with pillows and a mattress. The power had gone out so we lit a candle and waited it out in the bathroom. Needless to say it was a looooong night! I don't know what time it was when we finally got back to sleep. I am grateful that everything at our house was all right, including our dog Sage who weathered the storm. I know that our Heavenly Father was watching over us. We've seen lots of damage nearby from tree limbs snapped off, trees split in half or uprooted and even parts of buildings torn off or wrapped around other things. Here's a picture of some of our neighbors down the street with large trees branches in their yards. Ya know, they say everything is bigger in Texas. Well Texas, you can have your tornados...I won't miss you when I'm gone!