Weeeee're off to see the Wizard...

...the wonderful wizard of Oz!

Okay, so we're not really - but I sure thought we were last night. I didn't think anything of the rain during our Girl Scout troop meeting, until I got home and had an ominous voice mail from my mother-in-law, who informed me that a really bad storm was on the way. (She was obviously very concerned, as she had already gone to sleep by the time I called her back. But I digress.)

Put the girls to bed, made a few phone calls, waited for Gene to come home, watched a little TV. It rained a little, on and off, but nothing to worry about. It wasn't until bedtime that it started storming. And then the phone rang.

My dad - from who I received many wonderful traits - was keeping an eye on the weather and called before I had a chance to check it again for myself. A bad storm was indeed heading our way, quickly, and it wasn't long before the radar picked up "multiple rotations." When the storm was barreling along at 42 mph toward a spot about a mile from our house, I grabbed my babies and headed for the cellar.

Okay, that's half true. I yelled at Gene to grab Rachael, since she's a) heavier and b) sleeps on the top bunk, which is harder to access anyway. Milly's little foot was conveniently hanging off the edge of the bottom bunk, so I grabbed it and unceremoniously hauled her off the bed, down the stairs, and into the safety of our cluttered, stinky cellar (which Rachael has dubbed "the smellar.")

I had already moved my wallet, camera and external hard drive to the cellar, and my laptop was just outside the door. My phone was still glued to my ear, since Dad was listening to the weather radio. I perched uncomfortably on a lumpy dehumidifier and waited for the storm to pass, while my (usually a little more intelligent) hubby stood at the door, hanging out and watching for the tornado. *insert eye roll here*

The storm passed by us with no theatrics, and we eventually deposited the children back into their room. (I was highly impressed at their lack of screaming and willingness to go right back to sleep!) The worst that happened was a loss of satellite signal - electricity and internet stayed on. It was almost nice to turn the computer back on and find (thanks to Facebook) that I wasn't the only one who had dragged my children to the basement. I'm not crazy after all! Just paranoid about storms, is all. Rightly so, sometimes - the National Weather Service later confirmed that a tornado did touch down to the east of us. It was "only" an F0 with 85 mph winds, but I was happy to have avoided it nonetheless.

I actually slept a little after that, which wouldn't have happened except that my father is a bat and doesn't sleep at night. (Okay, so he's a third-shifter and wasn't working, so he was awake anyway and on weather detail all night. If not for that, I'd have had to stay up and watch the weather myself!)

Gene called to check in from work today, and I died a little when he said that more storms were expected tonight, with more tornado watches and warnings. Thankfully, they all passed to the south and east of us, and we avoided the smellar altogether today.

I've had quite enough weather drama now to last me for the rest of the year, at least. Unless it wants to snow a little...that would be okay. :)