Alabama Tornadoes

CRAZZZZZZY weather here in Alabama. It's actually chilly today while it was eerily hot yesterday as we awaited round two of a tornado outbreak. The kids and I had already spent 30 minutes at daybreak early Wednesday morning in the partial, dirt-floor basement trying to stay out of harm's way during round one. Unfortunately, many are still missing here in Alabama after a day long event of dangerous storms and tornadoes. Well over a hundred are confirmed dead at the latest count and thankfully, our community escaped safely, no deaths in my immediate area.

However, many of us are finding lots of things along our roadways and yards aside from downed trees and limbs. As we walked around our yard late yesterday and early today, we found lots of pages from various books, but this seems to be the most fitting, the most interesting...

 A few pages from a small Bible

My child ran to me with tattered pages in her hand. I took the dirty, wet scriptures from her plump, seven year old hands. She said, "What is it?" and I smiled and said, "A gift from God, I can't wait to read it."

We also found a bank paper with a name, a page from Chapter 15 of a history book with The Battle of Bull Run on it....

 We found a Kentucky Fried Chicken receipt, ironically all the way from Calvert City, Ky...not sure how that ended up here, it was a debit receipt signed by the customer, from several years ago...

We also found photos and an old baseball card...

We are very thankful this morning, we are praying for those who weren't so lucky....

If you are interested in seeing photos of the damage in AL, click here.

You can also watch the tornado that we saw live on TV as well ripping through Tuscaloosa (many miles southwest of me) HERE.

School is out again today, the kids are not excited that they will likely have to go a couple of Saturdays to make these days up...but we live another day, to love, to complain, to carry on as 'normal'.

I felt the warm sun on the back of my neck as I hung clean laundry on the line this morning. I was teary as I hung up my children's clothes that I placed on their small bodies yesterday, not knowing if it was all they would have left at the end of the day...

We are blessed.

It's perfectly fine...

It's perfectly fine to tell your child as you pull into the parking lot of her pediatrician's office that they will use pliers to pull that dangling tooth out before they give her a strep test...

she decided to pull it out before we went in, and she got lots of cash for that tooth that literally hung around for over a week...

It's also perfectly fine to pay your children to do housework-even if they are recovering from strep because they want money and you don't like to everything all by yourself anyway...

after all, you need to rest on the patio from all that you DID DO during the week...drinking coffee in your swimsuit, no make-up, hair pulled back wearing extra large shades will be fine for a half day chillout...

but just before the husband comes home, turn on the Scentsy or light some candles so the house smells fresh and clean...jump in the shower, apply make-up and brush through your hair so he has no clue that you've done absolutely NOTHING...

AHHH-it's perfectly fine to have an awesome weekend...hope you all had a great Easter!

Because we are the Blakelys, and that's how we roll...

I have to admit, I need one off-day a week...while everyone else is away at work/school...just to catch-up and mentally process the days that passed. If you have ever met us, you know we are some crazy people up in hurr! Mama needs some time to write out all the insanity so that when I do lose it for real, someone can remind me all the glorious things that led up to my mental deficit.

My kids...love 'em love 'em love 'em...but I've had to learn to laugh-off many incidences that would have really sent a normal person over the edge. Like when Brook wrote Gage's name on the bathroom wall...how did we know it was her? She used her own pink fingernail polish! Yep...I'm still waiting for the laugh on that one...let's move on.

What about all the random quotes my kids' (ahem, GAGE) gives faculty at school? ESPECIALLY when I'm around...remember I do work there part-time as a sub too, so they are MY CO-WORKERS!! It's a wonder any of them even call me to work-as nutty as my kids make me look! The most random quote ever that wins the blue ribbon is when my kids jump out of the car and before they could shut the door, they tell the Assistant-Principal that I WANT TO DANCE FOR HIM!!! Most random thing ever!! Now-here's where that came from...

I always try to embarrass my kids as much as possible-as you can see, the little rats deserve it! So this particular morning, I said that when we pull up at school, I was gonna start dancing in the car to embarrass them in front of their friends...
The only thing I could possibly do after he told the man this random information, is shake my head and drive-off, I couldn't hold up the car line just to get myself outta that mess! So from now on, when my kids tell you something completely off the wall just remember, we are the Blakelys...and that's how we roll...

We've been invaded

Wow, talk about a shocker...showed up for spin class and it was her. I've heard stories about her spin classes, they've even thought about hiring a bouncer to stand outside the spin room at the gym for crowd control, that's how many nuts people want to get into her classes. I've never been crazy enough to show up for had the pleasure of participating in one of her classes and a last minute schedule change landed her on the instructor's bike at 5:15 am...lucky me.

And guess what? She brought her own crew too. We were invaded, we didn't have a chance...Her crew is very loud...very loud indeed for 5:15 A.M.
But that's fine, I kept my mouth shut and peddled. The girls were outnumbered. I knew my neighbor from Zumba class, but I barely muffled a "hey" to him. He was fast on his feet and I knew he was about to out-do me and then rub my nose in it. I tried to look at Carol and Jerry who were across from but I couldn't see their faces, my glasses were in the car...dang. I wanted to give Carol the WHO THE HECK ARE THE INVADERS AND WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH US? But she kept her head low, and didn't make eye contact with anyone...she's smart. I'm hoping Jerry at least has CPR certification...just in case, but his glasses were reflecting light and I couldn't tell if he was looking at me, or if he'd closed his eyes completely...picturing the end of our ride. The room reeked of sweat and Huddle House...musta been the testosterone...

We all survived, the chest pains I felt have passed so apparently it was only heartburn, the asthma attack I'd hoped for (to get me outta class) never came either, so I live to ride again...

I'm going to sleep in the car line

Went to The Gym and saw Lady F. I've decided what I experience in her class is sort of like hypothermia...only I'm about 10 degrees hotter than necessary for the condition. My body must be confused on how to handle such vigorous activity that it doesn't see outside of that gym, and it begins to shut down. Just the thought of going into that room, makes my bladder malfunction. I always make one last run to the restroom for that 'just in case' last attempt so that if I do faint, rip something, or die, they'll be less to drain all over myself in front of people. Then, after the 5 min. warm-up, my body has to make decisions...which parts are most valuable RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW? So my brain immediately shuts down 75%, in order to keep the vital limbs in action. Kinda opposite of hypothermia I guess. I watch myself move around the step at an alarming high speed, do lunges, repeaters, squats, chest presses, biceps, triceps, etc. etc. Shutting down part of my brain allows me to keep participating physically, but exiting mentally. But I was able to do most of what she ordered us to do, at least. And I must say, my 'hangy-down-thangs" are a lot less hangy...according to my daughter who describes my triceps in her adorable 7 year old kinda way. She is for sale.

I am tired and drowsy. I've exerted myself and now I need a nap, but instead it's time for me to go get in the car line at school. With the warm sun shining down, I know how cozy and comfortable it will be in my car. I plan to nap. Only wake me if I am holding up the car line, or my if my mouth is hanging wide open...otherwise, I'll wake myself soon enough by the unscheduled head doddle or the unexpected moan which I tend to do as I drift in and out of consiousness. But please feel free to give me that courtesy honk or a gentle tap on the window if I do begin to hold up the car line traffic. Thanks!