Close Call

It may be redundant, but I love storms. I freaking love them. There's a catch. Yep, there's always a catch. I don't love storms that carry tornadoes heading straight for us.

Last night when I tucked the girls in I had to promise to wake them if there was a tornado warning. LOL like I was going to take shelter and leave them to fend for themselves. I was glued to the weather after that. The storm raged on all around us and at one point there were 5 warnings in the counties to the north, south, and west of us. It was inevitable that we were going to get slammed. There was a tornado on the ground about 15 miles NE of us that was heading our way. The weather man started his take shelter if you're in this area speech, but I didn't stick around to hear it as I got all the stuff I needed ready. I called my younger sister and let her know since it was only 8 or 9 minutes out for her. Then I woke Michael up and got the girls into their safety zone. Michael grumbled about having to get up, but I told him that this was a bad system and we weren't taking any chances. He stepped outside with the dogs so they could go before the storm hit. While he was out there he said the pressure in the air was intense. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then it hit. Hard. Mother Nature unleashed her fury on us and I have to admit that we were both truly scared. This went on for about seven or eight minutes and then the worst had passed.

We made it through with just our backyard swing blown over, lots of leaves, and small limbs down. There were trees and power lines knocked over throughout town and some damage to buildings, but we were all fortunate. They said they can't confirm if it was a tornado until the weather science investigators come through. I don't care what it was, I'm just thankful we're all safe and sound.

Another year older

And another year wiser? Definitely.

My thirty-first birthday was yesterday. Michael bought me the most gorgeous flowers. The girls all made me sweet cards and we grilled for dinner. I got lots of messages and calls from friends and family. Just a perfect day.

So now I'm officially in my thirties. Some may consider turning thirty already being in your thirties, but I felt like I was on the border. Still not immersed in my new age bracket, teetering between two groups. That's no longer the case. Yep, I'm a thirty-something. Growing older isn't a scary or negative thing to me. I remember when my older sister, Kim, was thirty-one.  I was twenty at the time and already a married woman who was trying to have a baby. Seeing her married for years with three children of her own very much appealed to me. As much as I welcome it, it's still hard to believe time has gone so quickly.

There are perks to growing older. It's said that with age comes wisdom and I so agree. I know much more than I did ten or even five years ago. I'm more comfortable with myself and who I am as a person and it's just a nice place to be. Hopefully there will be many more birthdays for me and many more years to continue to learn and grow.

Life ain't easy

Why does life have to be so hard sometimes? I mean really. I see so many people struggling to make ends meet, to overcome illness, to have or grow a family, and the list goes on. It's hard to see pain and suffering, especially when it's people you care about.

Then you see some people who have it all. Or maybe it just looks that way. Maybe they're fighting for something too. I think hardships are universal and everyone has their story. Some just aren't as forthcoming with it.

How do you handle these things? How do you keep your head up and keep trucking along? I know I use my faith as my way of getting through those times. "If God brings us to it, He will see us through it." Amen. All we can do is keep the faith. Pray and know that these things will come to pass.

It's difficult. It's hard to release that control, to let go and let God if you will. My best friend and I used to sing a song in church that echoed this sentiment. When I Let it Go by Sierra. Good song, even better message.

So yes, it's true that life ain't easy, but I truly do believe that God will never give us more than we can handle. I guess some of us are even stronger than we ever would have imagined. That strength will continue to see us all through the trying times and will bring us out even better in the end. I have faith in that.

Boss lady

I like to make plans.
I like things done my way.

I like to be the boss.

I've known this for a long time. It has been my personality since I was a little kid. I used to start clubs left and right, hold meetings, set up businesses, and basically set the itinerary for all the kids in the neighborhood. They all knew what they were getting into, but that's the way they liked it. And I will say this for myself, we definitely didn't have a single moment of boredom in our childhood.

Fast forward to today and you'll see that I'm still that way to an extent. If I want something done then I'm the one who makes the plans. This doesn't always hold the appeal it used to. Sometimes I find that I'd like to be the one that sits back and says, ok that sounds like a good plan. I'm in, you set everything up. That would be pretty sweet.

Or so I think. Would I really be able to turn over control? Could I hand over my plan making, manager style ways and let someone else step up? I've tried before, but found that things don't get done. If I'm not bossing(in the nicest way possible lol) then it's not happening.

Maybe that's the way it will always be. Furthermore maybe that's the way I want it to be. It's who I am and at thirty that's not likely to change. Really this skill set if you will has gotten even sharper with having four children to guide through life so it only makes sense to continue on this path, right?

Guess Springsteen isn't the only Boss.

Mob Mentality

Hide your children! Light some torches and storm the castle!

It amazes me how people can be swept up into a frenzy so easily. They start siding with one another and soon you have a mob of angry, confused people feeding off of each other's emotions. Scary. A little matter becomes a big matter and people are ready to throw down. This is the time when people should reevaluate the situation before reacting, but by this point they're too swept up for that. The mob strikes out and doesn't stop to think about the person(people) they may be hurting.

I witnessed something like this recently. It all started out simple enough, but the next thing you know names were being called, angry messages sent, and the recipient crying for days. That person never intended any harm and it breaks my heart to think of everyone lashing out over something so silly. Where's the compassion, people?

Sigh.

It's Friday though and I'm in a good mood so let's move on, because I can't hate on a mob in general..and I won't comment on certain familia mobs. ;) Instead I'll say that Flash mobs are pretty nifty. That's a mob I could get into. Hundreds of people simultaneously breaking into song or dance in the middle of an otherwise boring day? Winning!

...and I'll leave you with my favorite flash mob video


:)

Playing catch up

Here I go again. I can't seem to get in a good blogging groove, but I'm sure going to try.

Can't believe it's already April. 2011 is proving to be as quick of a year as the last. March was a wonderful month for us. Ella turned three,had a great party, and we took our first real family vacation...and what a vacation that was! I only wish we could have stayed another week. It was truly a blast and the girls were on cloud 9 most of the time. Dining with princesses, riding in tea cups, and watching fireworks every night. A girl can get used to that kind of life! Even more exciting, we're already making plans to go back. :)

This month is my nephew's birthday, my birthday, Michael's and my dating anniversary, and Easter. It's sure to be a happy and full month. I wish you all a happy month as well!