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Thursday, December 1, 2011

It all started with a loud wind storm that woke us all up around 4am. I could see debris flying all around that looked like wild bats. Every few minutes we'd hear a huge crash and thud. Trees falling. I started getting texts from friends around 6am, wondering how we were and if we had power. A smarter person would've charged their phone immediately and done other storm prep, but no- I wasn't taking this seriously yet. Just a little freak wind storm. Then our power went out. POOF! Sorry kids, no toast for breakfast. Or oatmeal. Keep the fridge/freezer shut! Sorry no PBS Kids. No Wiggles music. Gotta take a flashlight into the bathroom and closets with ya. Can't drive anywhere because the garage won't open, and the car might tip over out there! 95 mph gusts! Federal state of emergency declared in Centerville. Schools closed. Brian's out of commission at his office, with a lot of customers needing replacement vehicles after theirs were smashed by falling trees/poles/wild bats. And he felt pretty isolated, being the only branch in the area to lose electricity. This storm just hit Davis County then skipped over the rest of the state, apparently. Lucky us. It's frustrating to know that just twenty minutes away, life is going on as normal. Their backyards aren't covered with roof shingles and random trash. I'd like to say that we embraced our lack of electricity and enjoyed just playing at home. And we kindof did- I mean, I got the house super clean since there was nothing to distract me. The kids all took a long nap... since there was nothing else to do... But no- I LIKE ELECTRICITY. We missed gym time, storytime, grocery shopping, SuperWhy, WordWorld, warm breakfast/lunch/dinner, HEAT, the elevator, LIGHTS, washing machine... The Lord put me in the 21st Century because He knew I'm no pioneer woman. I like buttons and switches that make life better. The only good that came of this was that I realized how ill prepared we are for a real calamity. I'm buying a small generator ASAP. And matches. We had to borrow from a neighbor to light our candles. So embarrassing. We're all going to bed now wearing 548 layers of clothes. And no sound machine. I miss that. It's so quiet it's freaky! And looking out the window at a dark city is freaky. And thinking about no hot breakfast tomorrow is freaky. I better go to bed now - since I'm sure we'll end up with all three kids in our bed. Family bonding time!

3 comments:

Becky said...: Yikes! I'm glad you're alright.; December 2, 2011 at 6:29 AM
Julie said...: glad you survived!! I heard that was pretty crazy! My sister lives just a little north of you and their gigantic trees all snapped in half and their siding was ripped off their house. Craziness!; December 2, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Megan Smith said...: Wow - that storm was pretty severe for UT! Thinking about not having electricity --for me, in having to cook w/out it -- is not a fun thing to have to think about either. We are very lucky to have all that we have living today.; December 5, 2011 at 6:46 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Thursday, December 1, 2011

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