Refuge...

...from the storms.

Eli was obviously unfazed by the severe weather threat...this was after he slept through a combination of tornado sirens, our weather radio, our security system beeping, & Jasper barking. He woke up content and smiling...already teaching mommy a thing or two.

I'm sure you've heard by now that we had some pretty scary weather around here on Friday. It was our first real threat of tornadic activity since April 27th of last year when an EF-5 touched down only a couple of miles away from our house. That day is one that I will never forget...

The weathermen had been warning us for days, something I don't take lightly. I was home with Jasper (Eli was in my belly but we didn't realize it yet) and thankfully Blake got dismissed from school early. We spent our afternoon and evening in and out of the tiny toilet room of our master bath. We were watching live coverage of the tornado itself when it took out the camera and radar...it was terrifying. Once our power went out we were dependent on our parents to send us text messages and notify us of when we should take cover and for how long. Thankfully we were spared from any damage. It wasn't until the next morning that we realized just how close we were to the damage and exactly how severe it was. It was nauseating...we definitely didn't take our safety for granted and we are even still extremely grateful.

Back to this past Friday...once again the weathermen had been warning us. A lot of what they said sounded eerily similar to their April 27th coverage. Blake was at school and I was home with Jasper and, this time, Eli. My anxiety was extremely high and the thought of taking cover in our tiny little room with a 7-wk-old and a 75 lb. puppy seemed insurmountable on my own. We had previously discussed going to my parents' house during times of severe weather...they have a better "safe place" than we do. After a minor melt-down (another tornado traveled down Hwy 72 close to our house and I may or may not have flipped temporarily) and a teary call to Blake at school, we decided to pack up and head to Mom and Daddy's once Blake got home from school (once again he was dismissed early).

Once we got to their house, my anxiety was cut in half. I still had the weather on but I felt like I was able to breathe again. Thankfully our night was blessedly quiet. The weather went around us...others weren't so lucky. It was when we were settling down for the night that I started thinking about the refuge my parents were providing for us. It's the same sort of support and shelter they give us in every aspect of our life. During times of stress, they are there to make us laugh or just listen to us while we vent. My family is very affectionate and vocal with their love. We hug a lot, we say "I love you" a lot, we laugh a lot, and if there are issues to discuss we tackle them head-on and squabble. I can never say enough how blessed I have been with the family God gave me. My grandparents are now living with Mom and Daddy...that's a post for another day...and having them there made our slumber party on Friday even better.

Hoping we can make it through the rest of spring without any more major severe weather systems... it's comforting to know that even when the storms approach, we have a place to be safe and cared for.