The Art of Life
Photobucket I'm so glad you're here! "The Art of Life" is where I share my journey as an artist & Momma. It's a place where I hope to encourage other women that they are artists too. In this small little space I seek to share, document, and be reminded of God's wonderful grace, all around us. ....And I would be so happy to have you journey alongside me! So grab a cup of coffee and linger for a while. I hope you leave feeling refreshed. Photobucket

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Crazy Day in Tornado Alley


~~Yesterday started out normally enough. I dropped Sierra off at school and Savannah and I spent a quiet morning and afternoon at home. She played legos and magnet books and I finished up some drawings. It was one of those quiet, peaceful days that I enjoy. But you know that saying..."the calm before the storm?!"
~~In the afternoon the sky started getting dark and there were thunder rumbles. I'd heard that there was a chance of storms so I didn't think too much of it. At 3:00 when we left to get Sierra the sky was getting darker and it started to rain. Savannah and I hurried up to the school doors and just then, the tornado sirens went off. Suddenly it was organized chaos. The school went into lock-down mode and we all headed inside and down to the basement. Thankfully, as I rounded a hall corner I found Sierra. She was very shaken up and started to cry as soon as she saw me. I was so glad that I was there.
~~The school basement is not a very large space and is definitely not made to hold a school full of kids plus parents and teachers, but we made due. And truly we were all thankful to be there as we kept getting reports of more and more tornadoes. I think the hardest part for me was not knowing exactly what was going on and where the tornadoes were touching down. The teachers did an amazing job of keeping order and calm. Some had brought stacks of books that they passed out. Others led sing-along songs. One teacher brought stickers that she passed out to the ones who were nervous. I was so impressed. I'm thankful to know that even if I hadn't been there, my daughter was still in great hands.
~~After about an hour I decided to head home during one of the calm moments of the storm. I wanted to see the news and knew that the girls and I could take shelter in our home basement if needed. Besides, Sierra was very worried about our cat Brenden being home alone. When we stepped out of the school the girls shouted, "Snow!" Only, it wasn't snow. It was hail! The ground was literally white with it! We hurried home where I turned on the news and started gathering together a flashlight, batteries and water bottles. Thankfully we never had to go down to the basement (which we enter on the outside of our house) since the dangerous parts of the storm had finally passed. The school stayed on lock-down until about 5:30.
~~Dustin left work at about 5:00 and I was nervous for him to be driving through the rain and hail. He works about 35 miles north of our town. When he finally came in the door I was so happy and thankful that we were all home together and safe.
~~There ended up being several tornadoes and the nearby town where we go to church suffered major damage in some areas. The slide show is mainly that town and Oklahoma City which is about 30 miles south of us. I've been checking up on friends today and thankfully no-one was hurt. One town in Southwest Oklahoma didn't fare as well. Sadly, 8 people are confirmed dead and some are still trapped in their houses.
~~I've lived in Oklahoma most of my life and yet tornadoes still scare me. I've seen enough of them to have a healthy respect for the terrible power they possess. I think most Oklahomans feel the same way and I have to say that we have some of the best warning systems of any state. They're not something to take lightly.
~~Today I'm feeling extra thankful!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had no idea the storm came so close to you all! Glad that all is well today! Please let me know if anyone we know needs any help!

Alison said...

Glad you and your family are safe. We have had high winds down here in Mississippi all day today.

Ann said...

So very glad to hear you all are okay! Scary stuff, those storms.

Jo Castillo said...

Whew! I am so happy you are all OK. I thought of you as we had the first measurable rain in months and plenty of lightening and wind and the warnings north of here were scary. Hugs...

Jo Castillo said...

Thanks for the video, too.

Vikki North said...

Hello Beautiful Artist Kassie,

We have been watching you. We are artist also. At least that's what they call us. You may even know us. We'd like to invite you to a member of our very Private Club. We're very selective and only an elite few are welcome on our hallowed grounds. We pick you.

We even have a little 'chit chat' room just for the likes of you. It's rightfully called Dante's Pub. But when your enter BEWARE! You are entering the abyss of the artist mind! You may not find your way out.

You're welcome to watch from afar while drinking your brew or pull up a chair and join us for a little chat. Be sure and register and then log in. After all, this is a very private club. We don't allow just any wanderer in our midst.

Don't dilly dally now! It wont cost you a pence. Check out The Artist Challenge and Dante's Pub- that is if your daring and think yourself worthy to be amongst the souls we've claimed?

Farewell...until we hear from you,
Master Mike and the Pub Wench

Artist Challenge- http://www.theartistchallenge.com/
Dante‘s Pub - http://www.theartistchallenge.com/art-forum/

Heather Jerdee said...

I'm glad God kept you and your family safe and of course your cat too :)

Valaine said...

Oh Kasie! Thank God you are all safe! What a blessing that you were able to be there for your daughter. That's terrible about those people. I hate tornadoes... we have them here in Georgia too. Thank God my family has never had to experience one.

mornin'lady said...

I too am thankful you all are okay!
The tornado in Lone Grove was quite bad. My son Jacob being a volunteer firefighter with a small town close to LG was there at a trailer park that was wiped out and was deeply moved by the ferocity of such a storm that happens so quickly and then just as quickly it is gone, leaving at times such heartache. But the miracle of this whole thing was the one trailer that was left standing belonged to a sister in the Lords son and family whom we have been praying earnestly for for the past few months. How merciful is our God!

Anonymous said...

Glad everyone's OK!!

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