Crazy Weather

Last night we went to bed knowing that the fire pager was going to go off around midnight. The chief called a meeting earlier in the evening to get a game plan together. In DeKalb the firemen are also storm watchers. So if there is a tornado we are at the mercy of all firemen to see it as it comes. You have to understand that a tornado came through DeKalb about 8 yrs. ago and completely wiped out the downtown area. So folks in DeKalb don't mess around when the word tornado is mentioned. It gets very serious around there. Aaron's post was out by our house. Shelby was with her dad in Texarkana so it was just the two of us. I watched the weather until about 11:15 and then finally drifted off to sleep. Only to be wakened at exactly 11:30 by the most awful noise in the entire world... the fire pager. It is one of those sounds that will literally make you CLEAR the bed in no time. I had already laid out my clothes and shoes so I would be ready. No I am not on the fire department. I just don't do well when storms come and I was not staying home by myself. So we quickly dressed and headed out the door. I grabbed my pillow and a blanket because I wasn't sure where we were going and how long we'd be there. I just knew that if I had to sit in the truck all night I wasn't staying home. When the lights go out at our house it is pitch black. It's dark out where we live. There are no city lights to help light the sky. The wind was blowing, the rain was coming in sideways and I was SCARED!! We started for the fire station and as we were driving Aaron's group was already in route to their post. Of course Aaron's phone was ringing like crazy and they were telling him that most of the wives were at the storm shelter. Apparently I wasn't the only scaredy cat wife because they were a lot of girls there. We enjoyed catching up with each other but we were all a little anxious about what was happening outside. I was very worried about Ed and Bandit, our blue heeler dogs that live outside. I started asking Aaron early on in the night what we were going to do with them. He assured me they would be fine. They are Shelby's playmates after all Bandit is the only one who will jump on the trampoline with her. At one point, one of the firemen who really gets a kick out of picking on me, ran in and said "Corrie, your house is gone". I knew he was just being a meany but it still sort of frightened me. Not in a way of oh my gosh are you serious but in a way of oh my gosh that could really happen. Finally the storm passed and everyone and everything was safe. We were all home and drifting BACK off to sleep around 2a.m. It was an eventful night and one that I will most likely never forget. I think that's the scaredest I've been in a very long time.