Last night was big fun. If you like tornadoes. And 80 mph straight line winds. And hiding in the laundry room for a very long time. And watching your backyard stuff blowing in circles. And then losing all power and living the life of Laura Ingall circa nineteen-seventy-something like Little House on the Prairie sans bonnet.
It was really awesome.
Somewhere around 8:00 the sirens went off. I’ve lived in Texas all of my life. I’ve done more tornadoes than I care count and I take them VERY SERIOUSLY. The Man and I immediately herded the kids into the laundry room, although it is very small, it is the safest room in the house as it has no windows and is located beneath a stairwell which makes it the least likely room in the house to collapse. Comforting, right? The kids loved it though….what an adventure for them. Me? Not so much.
Gracie enjoyed some “relaxation time” in a laundry basket:
Then, they both got bored and decided to move to the actual washer/dryer combo.
Yes, she is actually IN the dryer. Mr. C, however was totally chill, reading “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” on top of the dryer. (He is totally not wimpy…wasn’t scared at all…unlike his Mom)
The kids were having a great time. I was in the process of a pretty major freak out. I kept sneaking out to see what was going on. I was fairly sure we were mid Armageddon and the house was coming down.
And I was out of wine. Dammit.
Anyfunnelcloud, we did not get hit but we did loose power until exactly 3:27 AM when it all came back on full force. Have you ever been asleep and had every light in the house turn on in the middle of the night accompanied by loud cartoons and some really loud murder movie in the family room? If not, you have not really lived. The Man and I got up, turned everything off…and never went back to sleep.
Tomorrow, I face the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Miss G is in a summer camp at Cowboy HQ and she will be doing her final performance. I will be there to see it with the ginormous bags under my eyes. I don’t need this kind of humiliation in my life…Hold me…I’m too tired for this…
Did I mention I’m a Green Bay fan?
Good Lord, I’m going to sleep n ow…and I’m not waking up until Sunday.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
I actually didn’t know you guys had tornadoes. Texas has officially fallen off my “list of places I might actually consider possibly maybe thinking about moving to”.
Guess you’ll just have to move here.
Blizzards? Nah. Not THAT often.
Keelys last blog post..They were later found to have had a suicide pact, one was just a procrastinator
And oh holy crap I was first. Did the interwebs go out to tea?
Keelys last blog post..They were later found to have had a suicide pact, one was just a procrastinator
I drop my kid off for college in Dallas, and what kind of a welcome do you give him?
He calls me on the cell to tell me they’re down in the basement of the rec center, huddling through the tornado.
Not friendly, guys. He’s already shell shocked from Ike.
The Mothers last blog post..Potty Training, Modern Style
That’s terrifying. We get tornado warnings all the time here but never any sirens (and usually no actual tornadoes). I’m glad you thought to bring the camera down to blog the disaster!
Caseys last blog post..Funky Foto Flashback: Complete With The Stevie Nicks Garb
Glad to hear you didn’t land on the Wicked Witch of the East. I suggest picking up some wine at your earliest opportunity ’cause – isn’t tornado season just STARTING?
Jim Styros last blog post..Flash fiction: Classical gas
OMG, I am so shallow, because my first thought when seeing those pictures was not, “Oh that must have been so trying for them,” but, “Wow, Mary Anne’s laundry room looks really tidy! I can see the floor even!”
Glad you didn’t blow away!
Beckys last blog post..Remembrance of Windfalls Past
JR didn’t even know that there were tornadoes in the area. I asked if he had heard the sirens. He said; “yeah but I thought it was Bloomington, IN and just ignored them”.
Micheles last blog post..Friday Foodie – Pumpkin Ravioli in Herbed Cheese Sauce
They don’t build basements anymore in tornado country? I’d put in a full bar, bathroom and playroom for the kids. I don’t think that this would deter me from moving to Texas as we have Earthquakes here in Cali and you can NOT see them coming…..good luck with the cheerleading performance!
Reinventing Dads last blog post..Hey it’s R.D. Daughter! Comment?
We have had that kind of week too—-Monday I think was our big twister day. I lose track at this time of year, since there are so dang many!
Glad you did not take a direct hit
paiges last blog post..A twofer–Gabi/Tequila
Hide somewhere safe? Now there’s a thought! I was standing at the window watching the weather play on the swings… And then later the flashing lights of a fire engine blocking the road, presumably keeping motorists from running into downed power lines. Yep, the ice cream is ruined. But hey, I’d rather be without power than water any day.
ShoozieShoess last blog post..Emptying Out
Oh, girlfriend, I’ve been right there with you. Down here, just a little bit more south, lights were out, trees were felled, streets were flooded, and grown men were . . . almost crying.
But I like your family’s sans-electronic technitude. You sound peaceful. Resigned. Laid-back. And this is a good approach, yes? After all, no phones, no bells, and no working computers mean sanity . . . at least for a while.
The Lawyer Moms last blog post..How Am I Awesome? Let’s Reverse the Meme.
I’m sure the Dyson would have kept the roof up. Those things are pretty tough.
Captain Dumbasss last blog post..He Blogs/She Blogs: Go To Your Room!
I hate my laundry room I would of died hanging out in there! So glad everyone stayed safe! Get some sleep and have a wonderful weekend.
NO WINE?? Girl, you have GOT TO properly outfit your tornado shelter!
The Dental Mavens last blog post..Take Two Aspirin And Call Somebody Else In The Morning
Just glad to hear you’re okay! I’ve been wondering about you since I emailed you last night! Like I said, with hurricanes, we stock booze.
Sprite’s Keepers last blog post..Spin Cycle: Where the hell has Summer gone?
Anyone who owns a Dyson, cannot bitch about anything.
Ever.
But I’d be a little pissed about the wine.
Hold me, Dyson.
Amos last blog post..Six inches lighter…and that has nothing to do with my hair color.
TSM’s house? Always impecable, neat and stylish. Her children? Beautiful AND smart AND cute. She? Witty, smart, beautiful, funny, AND has the best shoe collection this side of the Rio Grande. Her family? Delightful. Yep, she’s the kind of gal I would love to hate if I didn’t love her to pieces.
But the storm was really awful. We’ve lived in the Dallas area for about 8 years and had never been through a storm like that. We hid in the little entry closet (the 3 of us + Australian Shepherds + 2 hamsters) for over 30 minutes. Thank God I didn’t know what that whistle and train sound was while I was listening to it! I would literally have freaked out. I am SO glad we DID have plenty of wine and liquor on hand!
The things that are adventure for the kids are often a nightmare for us.
Glad you’re all OK.
We spent the night in the media room (our ONLY interior room with no windows) which is pretty much just a dark stuffy room when the electricity goes out. Luckily no damage, except to my good night’s sleep I was planning on.
Spent the night with two kids in my bed sleeping sideways with no a/c and daddy happily tucked away in the guest room. We must be on the same grid because my power came back on at exactly the same time. My husband decided to wake me up to tell me. At which point, being awake, I had to go rerun the load of laundry in the washer that stopped mid-cycle. Ditto with the dishwasher.
Must pledge eternal gratitude to Apple for inventing the iphone. Otherwise, how could I download People, browse Facebook and text friends in the middle of a tornado???
We crammed into a half-bath under the stairs..SO much fun when my 14 yr old son keeps telling me how the DOGS are freaking out (nope, kid..its YOU!) and with the hubbs out of town he felt the need to take his place and keep telling me how he needed to go out of the bathroom, and step out into the backyard to see if the sirens were still going off. My response? “Get your ass BACK in here and YOU sit on the toilet! Now pet the dog.” Ha!
Dorseys last blog post..SO much to tell!!!
First thing you need to do is update your Tornado Preparation List. You can find some pretty decent wine out there with screw tops these days. You need to stock that laundry room!
Good luck with the cheerleaders!
When I hear the word tornado here in Iowa, too, I’m clearing paths and begging forgiveness for whatever sins are to come to the sweet baby Jesus. No thank you, and btw, sweet baby Jesus, do we really need these tornado things?!
We’ve already been to our basement once this season, and since we bought a weather radio last spring, let’s just say I’ve slept like crap. That thing so much as sputters, and I’m downstairs and have the news stations on, scouting weather radar.
foradifferentkindofgirl (fakdog)s last blog post..toot, toot, hey, beep, beep
GREEN BAY!??!! I thought there were laws on the books in TX that outlawed that sort of thing.
Camerons last blog post..Grudge Match: Letterman vs. Palin
I was driving in Murphy when the sirens started going off, the wind picked up and the leaves were swirling around in mini tornados and the sky was green.
It scared the shit our of me! I felt like I was living my own Twister movie.
Funny too because I had just passed the Murphy Fire Dept and thought, hmmm, should I go seek shelter with the hunky men whose duty it is to protect me? At that time the sirens hadn’t gone off and there was no wind. 1/4 mile later and EVERYTHING changed.
I should’ve turned around…..
Bobbis last blog post..I Have Been Seduced By Twilight
We had a tornado warning before. I was flipping out thinking that we were all going to die. My husband kept going outside to see if he could see the tornado and I was shrieking, “GET INSIDE before you blow away!”
Good luck with the cheerleaders. Cheerleaders tend to scare me with their perkiness. Oh, and the fact that they’re so bendy. It just doesn’t seem natural.
Ambers last blog post..More Letters to Tom
Sorry to hear about the wine.
pamelas last blog post..lesson of the week: in which i lecture on blog etiquette to an absolute moron.
I woulda been highly upset if you had blown away.
Alli Worthington ( @alliworthington )s last blog post..Fight the Frump- OHmommy’s summer wardrobe staples (The first ever Fabulous Featured Frump Fighter!)
I live in an apartment complex, we have a huge concrete ‘bunker’ we’re supposed to walk down to when there’s a tornado warning, I never went there. If we were in a warning scenerio, I’d gather up my canine kids and head to my mother’s house. No matter what time of the day or night.
Now I have no kids … canine or otherwise, and I just stay in my apt, I’m still averse to the ‘bunker’ … It’s unsafe, but my peace of mind is in tact regardless. I hope you don’t have too many more of these storms though, what a pain!
SweetPeaSurrys last blog post..F2: Manchego Cheese and Garlic Dogs
That’s really scary. I always thought that you were supposed to go into the basement during a tornado because if the house gets pulled up, you’re underground. But I could be totally off. I am glad that everyone is safe.
I love the washer/dryer picture. And now I’m obsessing about where I should drag the family if there is a tornado in the DC area. Because my earthquake nightmares aren’t enough. Not to mention the tidal wave ones (it’s called a “tidal wave” not a tsumani, here on the East Coast). OR the ones about house fires… That’s it! I’m buying those rope ladders for the second floor tomorrow. Weekly fire drills commence on Monday. That is, if a giant crack doesn’t open in the earth and swallow my family in the meantime.
How you survived without wine is beyond me!! (Glad all is OK)
It’s tought to live in the ‘1970’s’ without any modern conveniences, isn’t it??? Try raising a family during those times!! Life was tough!!!
zelzees last blog post..This Little Piggy Went To Market………
That is why I live on the East coast. We have Hurricanes. You can plan for those and get all the wine you need.
Glad you survived. I hate the Boys too. Skins fan.
DCUrbanDads last blog post..The truth of fatherhood is…..
That must have been terrifying! We have bad storms and tornados in GA but no sirens. Only the TV news that informs you every ten seconds of where they have been spotted. I always brace for a tree falling on the house. And keep my ears peeled for a train. Glad to hear you survived. Hope the weekend was better.
I recommend stashing a few bottles of Melanto Terrace Zinfandel, only $12-15 and has a screw top. It should be at the head of everyone’s emergency preparedness list. One of the few good things about basements, you can store stuff and hide when necessary.
the mayors last blog post..48 Hour Leave Of Absence
Couldn’t help but notice what looks like a Maytag Neptune duo in that laundry room. Had them when in a house I built in 2000, when they first came out and the washer was AWFUL (ended up in a class action suit against Maytag and without that washer for 6 months). Hope yours are newer specimens with all the bugs worked out
the mayors last blog post..48 Hour Leave Of Absence
That’s a little scary! The part about the cheerleaders… and the tornadoes too I guess. Sort of like being stranded on a desert island with a shampoo for oily hair and a conditioner for dry hair: worst case scenario.
Saucys last blog post..a few final thoughts on blogging
Reading “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” . . . love it! This is something my son would do in a heartbeat.
When I was in college, I had a CD player that would start playing automatically after a power failure. Of course the amp took a few seconds to fire up, so there was always the mad rush to the stereo rack to prevent waking the dead . . .
tysdaddys last blog post..Window
being originally from 15 miles south of saint louis, in tornado alley, i appreciate the tornado drill. but now i live in san antonio- our most exciting weather is drought. yeah. it’s awesome.
bexs last blog post..FFF: mom
Okay, I just found your blog today – how did I not find it earlier in my blog career? I love it. You posted (first) on my friend’s site (big piece of cake) and I see your commenters here mention first too. It’s a new thing and I’m on it.
Holy cow – so glad that twister didn’t hit your house. Them’s scary. Cute photos of your kids though…off to read about the cheerleaders!
Christy
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