Crazy Day!

The storm that did so much damage in St. Louis on the 19th, skirted the area around the Church. We had wind and a few limbs down from trees. Not much else. Precious little rain. Hamel was harder hit (two miles to the south). Thursday basically seemed a normal day until about 6:30 p.m., when we lost power. Cindi, Lauren, and Jo headed to the Gerber's in Staunton to do some laundy before Lauren's trip to Colorado. David was at his practice in Belleville for Suessical, the Musical. Bekah had gone to a friend's house for the night. As the darkness grew, Dave and I sat in the living room and talked. The power came on about 6 in the morning, and it lasted for a few hours. We'd headed on errands and for lunch, when the second storm approached. Power was lost at home at 10 a.m. - we just got it back on about 8:30 p.m. We were eating in the Mexican restaurant in Collinsville when the storm struck. Power was lost. And we sheltered in the dark restaurant until it was mostly over. The trip back up the interstate was interesting. Trees and limbs blown into the road. A tractor trailer on its side. Powerlines down with the poles snapped in two. A wild and crazy ride. We are all fine, but we pray for the folks in the hardest hit areas. At one point over 1/2 million folks in the area were without electricty and it was stifling (though not as bad as it had been). Now the window are open, a breeze is blowing in, and all seems well. For now.