The Land of Oz.....

Today has been a pretty terrifying experience for me, as well as the rest of Memphis, TN. All of the Memphis City Schools closed down at 12:30 this afternoon. Val was home shortly thereafter. There was talk of extreme inclement weather, though it was still sun-shiney and 70 degrees outside! We ran a couple of errands and within about 15 minutes of our arriving home we were in our closet waiting out the tornadoes. Luckily we have a master bedroom, so the closet is pretty reasonably sized, even with four people inside of it. We grabbed some water, snacks, books and crayons for the girls, a flashlight, and sat it out. We didn't realize how unprepared we were until the moment was upon us! I know I had to deal with tornadoes and hurricanes and such growing up, but it really has been so long, that I guess I forgot how prepared you need to be! We will definately be preparing a tub of essentials for the next time this occurs. We were in the closet for probably an hour and a half total. The girls weren't completely thrilled with this, but we kept them entertained with stories and songs. When it was determined to be safe to come out, we tuned into the local news and watched as they told of all the damage that has already occurred. As I write this we are still not completely out of the woods. They are severe storms and tornado warnings on either side of our county, and we are hoping to not have to bed down in the closet tonight. A mall about 15 miles from here had a wall completely destroyed and many businesses have had roofs cave in, and fires start, and much, much more! A gas station on the state line even exploded! A tornado actually touched down about 2 miles from here and when we heard that my heart was in my throat! I've gotten alot more anxious the older I've gotten. I hate to admit I've developed more fears, but I think that becoming a mother has made me that much more aware of all the not so great stuff that can happen in our world! I know I get my mother tiger instincts from my mother, and I would do anything to protect my children! Needless to say, after exiting our closet I wondered if we were going to emerge into some kind of Land of Oz! An hour and a half in a closet, and being pregnant, makes your brain come up with all kinds of wacky stuff! We pray that we will continue to be safe and that those affected by these storms will get the relief that they need!