Where we've been

You may be wondering where we've been for the past few days, especially if you've been watching/listening to/reading/(whatever you have the capability to do) the news. Wednesday was a day that will go down in history. No one could have predicted the level of intensity of the tornadoes, the sheer number of them, or the damage they would cause. We were extremely fortunate. We had tornadoes pass by our house on both sides, but we had no damage to our house. The destruction around us is astounding, but we are safe and unharmed. I am so thankful, yet so heavy hearted for those around us. I can't imagine losing everything in just a moment as so many around us did. Whole homes were lost, even lives were lost.

For those of you that have been to our house, you know we have a big ditch that runs along the length of our backyard. We went out and took a picture of how full the ditch was from all the rain during the storm. You couldn't even tell that there was a ditch, and the water came all the way up to the railroad ties.
We have been without power at our house since the storm and don't expect to get it back for a few more days. The substation that powers our neighborhood was completely destroyed in the storm. Fortunately, my parents live on the other side of Athens (which is actually only about 6 miles from us) and they have had power almost the whole time. So, we've pretty much moved in with them for a few days. We're just waiting for them to get tired of us and kick us out. Frank even had a dream last night that they told us to leave. But seriously, my parents would never want us to leave. They are thrilled to have Little living with them for an extended period of time. This is actually the first time she has spent the night anywhere other than home, and she's doing great.

We discovered yesterday that in the midst of all that's been going on, she got another tooth. I mean, we completely missed it coming in. Tooth #7 has not just broken through...it is all the way in. Also, she has truly become a good little walker. It's safe to say that walking now trumps crawling. It's so fun to see her walking around because she's just so little. I can't even believe how grown up she is. She's been having a great time at Momma J and Daddy J's. And Momma J made her a bunch of new bows for her hair. I really should have brought my sewing machine over here (random thought).Here she is cleaning up after playing outside before dinner.We will continue to pray for those who have been affected by the storm and for safe travels for those who have left the city or are coming back. I am certain that we will be rebuilding our state for some time to come, and some people will be completely rebuilding everything they lost. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.