Tornadoes and stuff

It's that time of year again!

I woke up last night shortly after 1am, hearing another round of thunderstorms outside our windows. I decided I better get up and check things out. Right as I opened our bedroom door, Chris was on the other side, and said, "I was trying to decide whether or not to wake you up." Of course fear kicked in a bit at that.

I've always lived in the Midwest and have developed a pretty decent fear of tornadoes. I don't think I'm extreme about it, but they do bother me and I do get "scared" sometimes. My knowledge of tornadoes does help me to know that the likelihood is very small of a tornado actually hitting our house, and that really, the wind and debris, and not the tornado, are the main concern. It doesn't help though that Chris thinks it's kind of funny and teases me about it.

When I was a kid, I remember falling asleep one afternoon after school and then being awakened by a family member saying, "Lori, wake up, there's a tornado warning!" I come to, and hear the sirens blaring, everything is dark and the rest of my family is in the basement. There has been at least one more experience like this since I've been married. It freaks you out a bit, especially when you have children and animals you're responsible for. We also don't have a basement so there's always this moment where we have to make a decision - stay or go?

Then, there's the dreams. I've had many, many, many dreams about tornadoes. Most of them consist of me looking out and seeing a tornado coming and then running -running through buildings, trying to find somewhere safe to hide, running outside as far away from the tornado as possible...

I'm happy to say we're fine. I'm thankful for advance weather reporting - although what happens when the power goes out? I'm also thankful for prayers of peace and safety. Hopefully we'll all make it safely through another tornado season living in the Midwest. ;)