Severe weather is no fun...

I needed 24 hours to let everything sink in before I typed up this blog entry. Living through severe weather is nothing that I enjoy. Living with a lineman who gets UBER excited about severe weather makes it even harder to deal with severe weather. He never wants anyone hurt from the storms (although that tends to happen) he just wants the lights to go out. Hey, he's bringing home the bacon, so I can't blame him.
On Saturday, Jason and I had the opportunity to attend a wedding reception 3 hours away without any kids. My Mom offered to watch the kids, so I knew they were in good hands. The drive out to the reception was raining, so we passed the time talking and listening to music. I wasn't feeling top notch ~ stupid summer cold but I was excited to meet some other lineman that he'd worked with in New York and to meet their wives as well. It was a beautiful setting for a reception or any kind of party. An old house that had been completely re-done inside and out. Two humongous outbuildings sitting on about 4 acres. A pond, walking paths, and a big bonfire pile were also present. These country folks sure knew how to throw a party. The food was delicious, there was a good mix of music from the DJ, and everyone was offering us a place to crash for the night. After about 5 hours, I'd had enough though. I couldn't stop coughing, my head, back, and neck hurt. So I told Jason that I'd just like to make the drive home instead of staying the night in a strange place. He was all for it, so we said our good-byes and congrats, and headed home.
Now mind you, I knew we were supposed to get heavy rain at home, I didn't know storms were included in that. Just as I am about to get on the turnpike I see that my neighbor is calling me. Jason grabs the phone and they chat. Jason would say things like "She's doing well. We'll probably meet it in Toledo. Nothing yet." I just kept on driving because it was already almost midnight. Our neighbor called at least 4 more times and finally I asked what was going on, was everything okay. My dear, protective husband says "There is some bad weather headed our way, but you just keep driving like you are and we'll be just fine." He pops in a CD and we jam to the music. I never encountered any rain, we did see some lightning, and felt a couple of wind gusts, but nothing that predicted what we were in for.
After each CD, my hubby would put another one in, never wanting me to hear what any local radio stations were saying. At the time, I didn't think that was extremely odd. Now I know he was just protecting me from hearing what was headed our way.
I knew we were low on gas, but he kept telling me "Just head home, we have plenty." We get off on our exit and start the last leg of our journey home. The rain started and we saw some more lightning. As we pulled into our driveway, the clouds opened up and it poured. The wind was whipping things around and the lightning was extremely bright. Once I turned on the radar, I freaked. I grabbed the dog, my pillow, my phone and said "Come on J, let's go downstairs." Little did I realize that I was talking to no one because my dear hubby was already back outside watching the storm come in.
My Mom and I texted each other back and forth, she giving me updates on my kiddies and me giving her updates on myself and Jason. Just then I hear that the exit we took to head home, had been hit by a tornado. We had just been there 20 minutes earlier. The wind was whipping so hard I feared it was going to push open my front door. It was howling, the rain was falling sideways and I just wanted to head up to my Mom's to be with my kids. Luckily I'm a major thinker and realized that me possibly being sucked into a tornado while heading up there, would do no one any good. The reports that were coming in were very scary. People missing, houses demolished, trees uprooted, power out, gas leaks, schools ruined, fatalities. It was just so much to take in and it took a minute for it to sink in that we could have driven right into that. I don't know how I would have handled myself in a vehicle on a major highway.
I'm thankful my kids were not in the car with us in case, that did happen. I'm thankful that I have a basement and that we were home to be in it (or at least I was in it). I'm thankful that the destruction wasn't worse, but I'm saddened that things were destroyed and lives were lost. I'm thankful that my kids were in good hands and that Jason was here with me. And I guess I'm glad that he didn't tell me exactly what we were headed for. I'm thankful that both my brothers were okay as well.
I hope this is the worst of the storms this year because I'm not how much worse I could handle.