Tornado 2010 (Part II)

Let me start by saying that I am a tight sleeper. When I was young I had no choice but to be a tight sleeper. My Dad snored so loudly that it didn’t matter where your bedroom was. If you weren’t a tight sleeper… there was no sleep to be had. So, it’s not surprising to me that I don’t really remember Brent saying (loudly) to get the boys and get downstairs. I really don’t remember all the little details. All I knew was that he flew out of the bedroom, and I was following him. It was pitch black, and I didn’t know what was going on. Brent ran in to Karter’s room and grabbed him. I grabbed Brody, and we all headed to the basement.

It’s funny how after a little time has passed and you have time to stop and think (or wake up) you remember little details.

Example 1: In the confusion and chaos Brent and I ended up running right into each other. I’m not talking about just bumping into each other. No, I mean a collision in our pitch black hallway. It was when we were trying to get to our boys. In true Kelli fashion, in one of the most inappropriate times, I got a serious case of the giggles.

Example 2: When I went in to grab Brody out of bed (still not really sure what was going on) I remember feeling this strange draft of air.

So, we’re all sitting in our basement. Brody kept looking at me like I was crazy (I couldn’t argue with him there). Karter was scared and unsure of what was going on (totally justified). Karter had to go to the bathroom, and he didn’t understand when we said we couldn’t go back upstairs to go to the bathroom. We let him pee in a spare bucket that was down there. Normally that would be fun for him, but not in the middle of the night when your parents rip you out of bed and can’t explain why.

The thunder was loud and the lightening was constant. We could watch the action from our basement windows. We sat, the four of us, on a spare mattress while all around us the wind had reared its ugly head. I remembered hearing what sounded like a dish falling to the floor. I remember feeling very unsettled. I didn’t dare ask Brent any questions, as I didn’t really want to hear his answers. I wanted to sit on this mattress with my little family. I wanted to cuddle, fall asleep and wake up to a big misunderstanding.

That didn’t happen.

“Mommy, why is Kevin barking?” Brent and I had the same thought, “Hallelujah, Kevin is barking.”

The power was out, and our cell phones were our makeshift flashlights. After about 30 minutes in the basement, we talked about going back upstairs. Just as we were discussing it, we started to see headlights outside, and then we started to see flashing lights. We headed upstairs and looked out. Brent’s worst fear had been confirmed. Our neighborhood and our house had been hit by a tornado.