The storm is getting closer!

Well the storm is getting closer and so we went through everything in the Emergency Packpacks and storage. Found out that we didnt't have any batteries or not that much non perishable food so... Jeff and Brad went to the store and got a few more things. We have areas right around us that are getting evacuated so we are trying to make sure that things are ready and that we are keeping the news on. Until then we are going to just sit still and hope that the electricity stays on.

Krystal was saying that she loves the weather channel and that she and her Dad used to go out on the porch and watch the storms come in. I asked if she by some chance liked the movie Wizard of Oz, she said Yes, just like I knew she would. I on the other hand had terrible fears as a child of storms, floods and high winds. I actually would stay awake at night wondering if our house was going to flood or blow away. I actually hated the movie Wizard of Oz and tried not to even show it to my kids. :)
But I am getting better and braver as I get older...thank goodness. So for now we are going to just do alot of bonding as a family! :) So at least we are together and safe and we are grateful!

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship."  ~ Louisa May Alcott
"Storms make the oak grow deeper roots."  ~ George Herbert

 

Day Nine

We got up a bit early and started off from Topeka, Kansas today. Our goal was to make it into Denver, Colorado, but that didn't quite work out... so we ended up in Colby, Kansas just about 1 1/2 hours from Denver because when we checked the weather of Denver it didn't look good. Last night they had 8 inches of hail and even a tornado touched down there. They were Tornado warnings and they were predicting high winds and more storms for this evening. My brother called and suggested that we stay in a town closer, instead of driving onto Denver. So we ended up here in Colby, Kansas. We were glad to be in a place that was safe for the night. The trip was not real exciting but still beautiful non the less. Lots of wheat, windmills, farms and farms and farms. Here are a few photos to show you the beautiful landscape of Kansas.

As we tried to get our stuff out of the car,  the clouds and winds were coming in fast and hard. I think the winds are something  normal here in Kansas. I can't imagine living in such winds. I told Shirley that I don't like the winds and the storms. It reminded me of the movie The Wizard of Oz, we had everything here except the witch riding a bike with Toto in the basket!  :) Here we are trying to get out stuff out of the car, it was crazy. Once we got everything in safe and  sound, we headed out to a clothing store and just tried on clothes for a couple of hours, it was soooo much fun.Last but not least ...we went to dinner, then came back to the hotel and I got my swimming in. We will get up in the morning and see if we can make it a bit further then we did today. I just have to be home by Sunday, that is when my flight goes back to Seattle!  I am sure we will make it by then!

Good night dear friends!
“the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.”
― Norton Juster
 

“It's funny how, in this journey of life, even though we may begin at different times and places, our paths cross with others so that we may share our love, compassion, observations, and hope. This is a design of God that I appreciate and cherish.”
― Steve Maraboli, 

 

Day Three

   Well today started out at Leroy's Auto Shop again. This time he put 4 new tires on the car, so we should now be ready to head out of town tomorrow. We walked around town for the hour that he put the tires on the car. There wasn't really alot to do in the town, most shops we closed or empty. I kept asking myself what do the people do in this town. 
   After we picked  up the car we went to Lexington, Virginia and went to see some of the homes that had a lot of history in the town. Actually my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was a well known mason and we visited one of the mansion that he built. That was on my grandmother Austin's side of the family. That who our son Lee was named after. Interesting enough, the street that the Manson was built on was called Lee Street. We took pictures of the bricks that he made the sidewalk out of, I think some of the patterns would work for a beautiful quilt. We took photos of the house from the street and then I told Shirley we should ask the family if we could take photos of the house outside. She said no, we shouldn't... but I thought what do we have to lose. So we walked up the long walk way and bravely knocked on the door. After telling her who I was, she invited us in and then had her husband come down stairs.
His name was Grigsby and he was a descendant of our family. He and his wife had bought the house just 4 years earlier, and he had done extensive search on the history of the home and the whole town. It was unbelievable how excited he was to meet us and hear what genealogy information that we had. He went around and showed  us some really neat things about the home. Like the orginal windows that the glass maker etched his name in one of the window panes. Yes, it was great that we knocked on that door!
   Next we went down in to town and to a local book shop that was suppose to have some more books with information about our family history. I noticed that outside the weather was getting really stormy. We turned on the radio to find out that there was a storm watch and a tornado watch going on. I am not really fond of big storms so I told Shirley that we should probably head back to our hotel. She however doesn't have the same fear and so she told me that everything  would be fine and so we went on to a local Antiques store. We bought an umbrella earlier but there was no use to open it up, between the hard wind and rain there was no use. We got into the Antiques shop called Dukes and the electricity was out from the store but they had emergency lights on and so Shirley said that was good enough. She is a die hard collector I believe! Sounds like me and the Quilt Stores! But there aren't any Quilt Shops around here, can you believe that?
Luckily the tornado touched down in Richmond and in one other town closer to Buena Vista, where we were this morning. Lucky for us that we were visiting in Lexington instead! :)
We finished up the day with dinner and then back to the hotel to swim and pack up for tomorrow. What a fun day.
Good night dear friends.

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future"

Author: Alex Haley

"But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations."

Let it Snow, let it Snow, let it Snow!

Today was a fun day. It began snowing early on this morning and the predictions were that a storm was coming. Now for Washington, we don't usually have to worry about snow storms but, still it was looking a bit foreboding. I called Amy and the girls, and asked if they wanted to come over. They did and so we just had a snow day, it was so much fun, we made pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, we made soup and hot chocolate... when we came back in, from playing in the snow. We also made Christmas gifts and even made a Christmas twill skirts too!

Tonight we are doing a sleep over, Angie is sleeping in the Secret Bed and soooo excited. Jenny is in her crib, in Lauren's room, so everyone is in safe and sound for the night.

Our family in Utah and Idaho think it's funny, when we tell them that school is canceled tomorrow because we have freezing weather and 3 -1/2 inches of snow! For them a foot or two of snow, is the only time things slow them down...but not here! Tomorrow isn't suppose to get above freezing, and so it looks like we get another family snow day! We love these days, just wish that Brad and Krystal were here to share in the fun! We really are missing them!

(This is Angie's first snow)

So I am thankful today for....

Snow...and how beautiful and clean it makes everything look.
Family...and the chance to be together and have fun ( and the fact that we liked to be together is no small thing!) 
Shelter...almost 5 years ago, we had a terrible storm and it left us without electricity for 7 days, we now have a gas fireplace and so no matter what... we will be able to stay in our home and at least keep warm. I know there are many people who don't have even that.
Food...glad that we have our food storage and enough for not only us, but others who may need it.
Health...for this moment in our lives, we are all pretty healthy. That is no small thing in our house! 
Friends...what a sad place our world would be without so many dear friends. Thank you for being in our lives!

"I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life."  ~ Barbara Bush

Prepared or Afraid

Ever since I was a little girl I was deathly afraid of storms. I used to watch the news at night to see how high the winds would going to get and if a storm was coming in. Now with my background of abuse, I had way more fears than a normal child should have had, but nevertheless...storms were a big deal to me. Our family lived with my Aunt in her home for my first 10 years, she too was scared of storms and if ever a big storm came up when I was upstairs in  her apartment with her, we would have to stop whatever we were doing and go sit in the middle of her bed. Then she would take out all of her hair pins because she was afraid lighting would hit her, and there I would sit with her shaking like a leaf and holding me until the storm stopped. That probably didn't help my fears either.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that my faith was pretty darn weak to be that afraid of anything. I really hadn't relied on God like I should have. That was something I began to learn and truly had to put to the test when I became a mother, because I didn't want my kids to be scared of everything like me. It was probably one of the greatest lessons that I learned. I finally after reading scripture after scripture about not being afraid, realized that I just needed to always try and to the best I can and leave the rest up to God. If I was to be protected and taken care of...I would be. What a comfort that has been as a mom, because there are sooooo many things out of your control when it comes to your children. So many times, I have had to ask the Lord to take care of them, when I knew there was no way I could be with them or protect them.

So today in church I got this sweet story and I thought as I watch out the window tonight at the storm coming in with the wind blowing hard, that I should share it with you. It is simple but direct, we can either have faith and be prepared or we can be constantly afraid.  I hope we can choose faith rather than fear! Good night!

 

(Painting called Stormy night by Don Cook)

A farmer was looking for some hired help and he interviewed a dozen or so men until he found the last one with the qualifications. He asked him one final question, "why should I hire you?" and the man said, "because I can sleep when the wind blows." The farmer thought that was a curious answer, but hired the man.

One night a terrible storm blew in and the farmer was worried about his live stock and crops. In the middle of the night he bundled up and went to make sure everything was alright. As he walked around the farm, everything was already taken care of. The animals were safe and secure as well as the crops. The farmer was astonished and went to look for his worker. He arrived at the barn to find his worker peacefully asleep. The farmer finally realized what he meant when he said " I can sleep when the wind blows".

      2 Timothy 1:7  "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear..."

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live."  ~Dorothy Thompson