Storms are Scary

Today the kids had off from school for Good Friday. We needed to run several errand in town. Post Office, shoe store, (poor Joseph just informed me that his church shoes were a size 8. He now wears a size 11 1/2!), buckets at Lowes, you get the picture. A very busy, but productive day. We were just leaving Fleet Feet when my personal storm tracker (my sweet mother-in-law) called telling me that a tornado was heading for our house in about 20 minutes. Well, it takes 20 minutes to get home from town so I thought, hmmm, where can I go with 7 children that will be safe in town? Walmart was the closest place so we pulled in as the storm approached. We each grabbed a little one and raced into the store as the storm got closer. We dallied around and just thought that we would kill about 30 minutes and then head back out on our merry little way.

I was in the process of getting some photos printed off when they told everybody to go to the middle of the store, because the storm was upon us. I questioned the lady if that was the safest place. Wouldn't the back be better? She assured us it was, so I gathered up everybody and we headed to the middle of the store. I might add that our Walmart is under renovation and is a TOTAL DISASTER!!. The aisles are too close for two buggies to pass by each other, but that made for a good spot for our family to bunker down in. We had our priesthood holder say a prayer for us : ) and we just waited. We could hear the rain and wind, but it didn't seem to be all that bad. After a little while the "Easter bunny" came by and gave all the kids candy, which I thought was a great idea to settle them down. Now I have to brag that my kids did exceptionally well for sitting between the boxer briefs and hanes socks for over an hour. I am truly thankful that they were not at school or at home by themselves. It makes me feel so much better when they are all with me.

Just a side note about the people that we were around. When we were first told to gather in the middle, everybody was crashing shopping carts and one lady in a wheelchair/shopping cart was freaking out! She was crashing into everybody exclaiming, "They tell us to go here, they tell us to go there! I can't move! AAGGHH!!" All I was thinking was, get me away from her. She will be freaking out and yelling the whole time! I have to say, there was nobody around us either. (I wonder why?!)

After about an hour they told us that we could move and we headed back to the very back of the store, where we were at when the storm came upon us, and what do I see? ALL the Walmart employees coming out of the back! I KNEW THE BACK WOULD BE SAFER!!!

Anyway, we got soaked racing to the car and the tornado missed our house. It however did not miss the area right down the road from the very place we thought would be safe. From what we can tell the tornado passed RIGHT OVER Walmart. I am so very thankful that we were safe.

I am so thankful for the 51 phone calls that I got in Walmart. (yes I went back and counted them) I am so thankful for the wonderful example of my sons and that they hold the priesthood. I am thankful that our house was spared. There are many that were not. Friends from the community with a son that has cerebral palsy lost their house. I am thankful that Heavenly Father kept us safe.

I really do not like tornados.