Storms and Stories

I love, love, love a good summer thunderstorm. We are in a warning right now. Now, keep in mind, I say this with a certain naivete. I have never lived through tornadoes like they have in the south, or hurricanes, or tsunamis...I'm just talkin' your typical thunder and lightening job.

With that said, however, I almost did not survive a storm one night. Not because of bodily injury, but because I think I nearly had a heart attack. Here's the story...

It was the eve before our annual "Valley Fair" excursion (think Disney World...like 1 teeny, tiny little smidge of Disney World...but, hey, we gotta take what we can in MN!)...so, 'twas the night before Valley Fair when all through the house (okay, I'll stop with that now). So, anywho, a storm was brewing...very unbeknownst to those of us sleeping soundly in our beds...when out of the blue black came CRRRRAAAACCKKKK!!!!!!! I kid you not, it sounded like our home headboard had been struck by lightning! Heart pounding, mind racing I sat up in bed...nerves at the ready. Mr. Wonderful had simultaneously leaped out of bed and breathlessly said "Get the kids!!!! Get downstairs!!!!" Now, I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but Mr. Wonderful is pretty cool headed...not much rattles him, especially a little storm (or even not so little storm...he'd love to be a storm chaser!). Needless to say, his reaction terrified me...and his knowledge of storms made me think "uh, oh. This must be a big one!"

I'm not sure how exactly I did it, and I'd love to have seen video footage of it, but somehow I made it over the bed and out the door to the children's rooms before Mr. Wonderful even had his terrifying sentence out of his mouth (he, ahem, sleeps closest to the door...I think I must have plowed him over to get past him!).

Let me tell you something else...in addition to being terrified, I had to make a decision...which of my bunk bed sleeping boys to I grab first? Arrgghhhh, that was AWFUL! I decided to go for the smaller, knowing I could get him down and be back up quickly...so, scoop and run and I was off to the basement...where Big A was already asleep on the couch (it was cooler downstairs!)! Imagine his surprise to be have a little brother thrown on top of him and a frantic mom telling him to "WAKE UP!!! There's a big storm!" Then off I was again, this time to get E.W. It was on this trip upstairs that I met Mr. Wonderful with our two girls, holding baby, dragging/carrying Miss E...but rather calmly, in fact, looking at me like I was a bit of a wacko. Didn't faze me a bit...I railroaded right through them, muscled E.W. out of his top bunk, barreled past hubby and the girls, down the stairs, where I sat on the couch and could literally see my heart beating through my chest. I think I may have been hyperventilating, I'm not sure, I was too busy reliving the life flashing before my eyes.

So, Mr. Wonderful makes his way down, where it is about 2 am and we have 5 very awake children, watching a delightful display of lightening and hearing some thunder. Turns out, Mr. Wonderful was awoken by the crack of thunder from a very deep sleep and was, um, a little out of sorts.

I don't think I fell back asleep that night...I don't think my heart slowed down 'till morning, at least...I don't think I'll trust my quickly awoken husband for anything anymore!