Tornado

It’s Saturday night. We had two events to attend, and at the last minute Evan and I decided to not go to either. It had started to rain and the winds were picking up. We decided it was a good night to stay home. I got in my pajamas and grabbed a book. The boys decided to head to the neighbor’s to jump on the trampoline in the rain.

Then the weather alert on our phones sounded. Thunderstorm warning. We turned on the news to see that the forecasters were tracking bad weather very near us. The boys walked in the front door just as our phones sounded again. Tornado warning. We grabbed the puppy and headed for cover. The windows rattled hard and then the unmistakeable sound of a freight train. We knew then a tornado was over us. 60-90 seconds and it was over. Just like that. 

The next few hours were filled with alarms, sirens, gas leaks, dripping roof, wet floors, police officers, reporters, and chaos. It wasn’t until the next morning that we could see the extent to which the tornado damaged our neighborhood.

The following Sunday hundreds of people unloaded buses looking to help. Neighbors we had never met were helping strangers clean the debris. Restaurants were donating food. A church was passing out tarps to cover the holes in our roofs. The local sanitation company sent dumpsters to help with clean up efforts. A local builder sent tractors to help remove the rubble. The Red Cross was offering assistance to those displaced. It was community exemplified like I have never seen. 

We are lucky. Our house still stands. We get to sleep in our own beds tonight. We have lost nothing but gutters. We might have buckets in the entry way to catch the rain water, but it could have been so much worse.

Ryker

Ryker may be the cutest dog ever, but I don’t yet love him. He’s wild. 

He’s teething. He jumps on me. He licks the dishwasher, the floor, the cabinets, my legs. He doesn’t like his leash. He bites. He chases the cat. He prefers to sit on the couch. He cries when he’s outside. He bites. He likes to sit in front of the stove when I’m cooking dinner. He barks at the bird feeders. Did I mention he bites?

I’m sure I will love him in about two more years when he’s too old to jump and too fat to chase the cat. 

Two more years.

That’s all.

Basketball

Evan claims his basketball career has ended. Friday night’s game was his last of the season and the last of his school career.   

Had I known that Friday night, I would have surely taken my camera. Instead, all I have are pics I have pulled from other sites. 

He has decided to play soccer exclusively. With our travel soccer team winning state, our opportunities to travel farther and play more have become more demanding. He just can’t play both and play both well when the seasons overlap. This was a tough decision for him and I’m still hoping that next fall he will some how be able to swing playing both. It saddens me he is unable to play both, and it saddens me that boys are forced to play one sport at such an early age.

Weekend Sports Update

Basketball season came to a close today for Keagan’s middle school team. They lost in round one of the district playoffs. I’m not sure I want to commemorate a losing season, but one day the losses will mean nothing and we will remember middle school basketball with fondness.

At least seeing the boys dressed like this on game days will be remembered with fondness.

We only won three games the entire season, so losing by six to the second seed was actually quite the accomplishment. Keagan assured me next year is the year. He said that this year, though, too.

He won’t let anyone forget he started as a seventh grader and was the only seventh grader to get any playing time in varsity games. 

Meanwhile, Evan and I were in Atlanta for a soccer showcase tournament. We had the privilege of playing at a complex that can best be described as the Mecca of Soccer Complexes. We played some fairly good teams, and we still came home with two wins. I might also mention it was cold - especially when you arrive at the fields prior to the sunrise.

We also ran into some of our soccer friends from Georgia. Catching up with friends, and soccer friends at that, always makes for a great weekend!

Snow Day - Take Two

We’ve been in the house since Thursday night with only a brief reprieve on Sun afternoon and Mon afternoon. I’ve cooked six dinners, four breakfasts, two batches of cookies, and countless mugs of hot cocoa. I’ve read books, created 18 months worth of scrapbooking times 2 boys, and washed everything in my house. I’be helped Keagan study for a cell test and Evan prepare for his driving permit test. I’ve watched all of season two of This is Us, and I’ve read every travel article on Iceland. 

Last night, our two inches of snow turned into five. I have a million things I could be doing outside of the house today,  but I’m not because everything is closed. 

The boys have played in the snow - but not nearly as much as they did two years ago at the last big snow. 

Just got the call. Snow day #3 is tomorrow. Whatever will I do stuck in the house one more day?

Big Day

We’ve been snowed in for 60 hours with a half inch of ice and two inches of snow. We’ve been unable to go or do anything because of the thick ice. (You know the roads are bad when the Southern Baptists close the doors on a Sunday morning.) Round two of snow and ice begins in less than 24 hours, so this afternoon was the perfect time to get out and play some indoor soccer.

Keagan played futsal at a local gym with some of his former teammates. Team Panna played up against freshmen. After some easy wins and highly frustrated opponents, his team won first.

The highlight of his day, though, was bringing home this guy!

After ten years, I finally conceded that a boy (all three of mine) needs a dog. Now to name the little guy!

Snow Day

Two years ago we missed a week of school due to a winter storm of ice and snow. Last year we didn’t get a snowflake. I decided in December that a snow day was necessary this school year, and I would do whatever I needed to do to ensure that happened. In other words, I pretended I was seven years old  again and flushed ice cubes, wore my PJs inside out, and put a white crayon in my windowsill. 

I’m proud to say my efforts were not in vain. At 1130 on Thursday, the boys’ school system made a decision to close on Friday. At 2:30 post decided to close. We left school with a temp of 67 degrees and a hard time imagining we would awake to snow. 

We didn’t awake to snow, though, but to something even better when you are attempting to hunker down and avoid the real world - sleet! The snow began at lunch time. These boys couldn’t wait to get out and play a game of football in it.

We will be home again tomorrow. I will cook; the boys will play.

Love the snow days!