The day I survived a baby shower

This weekend was an absolute whirlwind (no pun intended.)  Friday night was a girls night - Saturday we had THREE birthday parties to attend - and Sunday we had church, lunch with cousins, a baby shower, and then small group at our house.  I didn't have a chance to even look at the weather but in the back of my mind I knew tornadoes were a good possibility.

Sunday at lunch, my parents come join us and then Haylie insisted on going back home with them. Since I'm planning on going to a baby shower not far from their house, I let her go with the promise of picking her up soon.  Justin, Jace and I go home and the J's are practically asleep in the 15 minutes we were there before I left.

I head to my friend Peyton's beautiful new house so we could celebrate our good friend Brooklyn and her soon to be baby boy.  She is doing a nautical themed nursery so the decor was pretty cute!

Fast forward - the shower is in full swing when Peyton's husband comes out of the back room and tells us the tornado path is directed right at us.  Awesome.  Lots of women + tornado threat = panic.  Lots of people rush out the door while others of us race to our cell phones.  I'm nervous because I know Justin and Jace were sleeping and Haylie is with my parents...I was wishing at that moment we weren't scattered all across town. We watch the TV for awhile and then hear sirens...we head to their utility room and cram about 10 of us in there (including 2 babies and 2 toddlers).  Dusty peeks in and tells us we have some shelters open to us if we want to go. So about 8 of us (including all the kids) head over to their neighbors house in the rain (we would have rather of not been in church clothes!) and crouch on the cement floor waiting for the storm to pass.  We hear some incredible hail but finally we are through the storm.  We all tromp back to their house with Brooklyn's little girl eating the hail along the way.  "It tastes like rain!"

Back at Peyton's, we grab phones and Brooklyn's husband had sent her this:

Incredible...except for the fact that he was on his roof to take this.  Anyway...about this time I hear that the areas that actually had a tornado hit were the cross streets where I live.  We all said hasty goodbyes and I leave trying to get a hold of Justin.  It takes forever for me to get to him, but finally he says they went to the neighbors shelter and no damage at our house. Just no power.

There were moments when I couldn't get a hold of anyone and wasn't getting calls back.  I was in full panic.  I am so thankful for cell phones but when they don't work, it causes major stress.  I am thankful Brooklyn had a wonderful baby shower and no one was injured or hurt during the storms.  I am thankful for my home that is still standing and the power that finally came back on at the kids bed time.

But most of all, I am thankful that God was watching over ALL of us, protecting us all day long with His mighty hand.