it's tornado season

Monday and Tuesday of this week made me a little uneasy.  Actually, more than uneasy.  On Monday we had our first tornado watch, turned warning, of the season.  This East coast girl doesn't really know how to handle this type of situation.  To say I wasn't shaking when the tornado sirens went off would be a lie.

Having weather applications on my phone sets me at ease a bit - at least I'm kept informed and updated.

 We are so thankful that this house came with a tornado shelter.  It isn't in the best shape, and it leaks a bit when it rains, but like I told Travis, I'd stand in 3 feet of water in that shelter if it protects us from a tornado.

 On Monday, Travis texted me when the base's tornado sirens went off and told me to get in the shelter.  Let me just tell you how difficult it is to carry a baby, a bag, AND open the storm shelter door while shaking with fear as the adrenaline RUSHED through my body.  I had tossed (not really tossed, but you get the idea) Ellie into the shelter as soon as Travis had texted me.  After we were in the shelter for about 5 minutes, I heard the town's sirens going off.  SCARY STUFF.  The city of Enid has never suffered significantly from a tornado, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.  The possibility exists.  And this is all new for us.

We settled in and got cozy.

{sorry for the minimal lighting - I only had one flashlight on in the corner of the room}

There were several large tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma a bit south/southwest/southeast from here on both Monday and Tuesday.  The city of Piedmont suffered tremendous loss (on Tuesday).  Be prayerful for the Hamil family.  My heart aches for them. 

{Tuesday's local tornadoes}

 After it was safe to leave the shelter (we spent about an hour in there), we made our way back into the house. 

A little while later, Callan and I took a walk in the backyard to investigate the sky...my jaw dropped when I saw these clouds.  A friend (Hi, Kristen!) informed me that they are called mammatus clouds (she's an extreme weather fanatic).  ;)
They were incredible.  I've never seen the sky look more alive.  Amazing.

 Weather predictions were much worse for Tuesday, so we (we, as in Travis) ran out and bought a shop vac to suck out the inch + of water from the storm shelter that dripped in during Monday's weather, added weather stripping to the top of the shelter door to minimize leaking, picked up a battery powered lantern, and packed a few more necessities, as well as valuables (gun, hard drive, video camera, lock box, etc.) into the storm shelter.  Thankfully Tuesday's weather, here in Enid, was much milder and the tornado sirens never went off.  We were thankful for that.  Other cities weren't as lucky.

Once the storm passed, we were able to smile, well, I was - Callan didn't know the difference either way - he was smiling the whole time.

 

You know how some things don't really seem real until you experience them, or at least a legit threat of them?  That's how I'm feeling.  The devastation of tornadoes has been close to home.  It makes it really real, ya know?  I never had to worry about these intense storms before.  Now I do.
All I want to do is keep my family safe.  
I can't imagine being a resident of Joplin, MO or of Piedmont, OK (about an hour South of Enid) (or any other town that has suffered from a tornado)...the loss is tremendous.
Not just of things, but of life.  

{Thanks for letting me get serious here for a moment...}

On a lighter note, I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day and take advantage of being outdoors this long weekend!  Enjoy every moment.