Okay - update.

Here it is Monday April 13 - and I am checking in to this blog of mine.

Charlie and I left on Monday, a week ago, to travel to McDonough, GA by way of Auburn, Alabama. That route takes 5 hours instead of 3 hours when we go up to Chattanooga and down 75. On Tuesday morning we left McDonough for Clearwater, Florida. Charlie's niece was getting married down there and we shared a rental house with Charlie's brother and sister and mother and our sister and brother-in-law and other 2 nieces. So - in the house which had 6 bedrooms - stayed 3 married couples, 2 young women, and Charlie's sweet mom whose birthday is April 19. We celebrated her birthday while we were down there. She will turn 87 on the 19th and is blessed with an incredible genetic makeup. Sharp as a tack and physically fit - she's great fun and was on the dance floor at the reception. Amazing. The wedding was on Friday and we drove 12 hours to make it back on Saturday - didn't want to miss Easter with our new church family and all our grandchildren and children. If you go to Laura Beth's blog you can read about what happened to their spending Easter with us. Hers is www.adaupdates2.blogspot.com. We were just ahead of them in Atlanta traffic when they had to turn around. We were talking constantly on the phone during their whole ordeal with Ada's illness which began while in the car.

Anyway, we're back and so glad to be here. I do love home. Had a good visit with Sarah and Kate, who returned to Auburn yesterday. They'll be here for the summer in 3 or 4 weeks.

Okay, so if you're reading this and you're from S'boro - you already know about the weather phenomenon which happened in the wee hours. The noise of the wind woke Charlie and me at 2:00 am. I got up to turn on the TV, knowing there MUST be tornado warnings. Our slightly locked front door(hard to explain about that) was blown wide open. I closed and slightly locked it once again and check the weather reports. Nothing. Nothing was being said on TV. Nothing. and I was thinking, "You gotta be kidding - come on guys - you report everything!!!" But there was nothing. That horrifyingly strong wind went on for quite sometime. I knew the power wouldn't last, and it didn't. I couldn't sleep in our bed - just knew our bradford pears were going to come through the wall - but they never did. I slept on the couch. Charlie stayed where he was. Had he known what we now know - he wouldn't have stayed in that bed. Today - huge trees all over Scottsboro are down. It looks like a hurricane went through. Powerlines are down everywhere. Some areas are just now getting power - at 11:00 am and at 1:00 PM. We got power at 9:00 am.

Charlie found out that it was a rare phenomenon called Gravity Wind and began to explain it to me - so I just googled it and was going to copy and paste the scientific explanation here on my blog - but I didn't find anything that sounded like what we experienced last night. It wasn't predicted by the weather guys - it wasn't reported while it was happening, but it will surely be explained tonight on the local channels. Surely.

Anyway, the two of us here at 1412 Byron Road were very fortunate - and we have friends all over Scottsboro who have awful damage to their homes and property.

Ann said someone told her gusts were measured at 80 mph. Crazy! I knew it sounded scary.

We're due for more severe weather this afternoon, but I'm not sure about that. Need to turn on the TV to get any reports. Haven't done that.

As I post, I'll just also add that on Wednesday Ann and her 3 little ones and myself travel to South Alabama for another wedding. This is the wedding in which Ellie serves as flowergirl. I posted about the luncheon Mary Ann and I hosted in March. Well - that wedding is on Saturday. We'll return on Sunday. Active times now.

When we return Ann will begin to prepare for the celebration of Ellie's 4th birthday. Older moms - remember all of that? Quite a workout for mom - making that birthday so special. Love to do it. Have to do it. But it's a ..... well - one doesn't miss preparing for all those birthday celebrations.

Following that week - I drive to McDonough to stay with Ada while LB and Scott take a little trip to Destin - or Rosemary Beach - to celebrate their 3rd anniversary. awwwww. I don't get to see much of Ada - thought I'd see her Easter - but that was not to be. I saw her briefly when we stopped over in McDonough. I miss that little redhead so much. I just need to pray them in this direction. I wish it could happen.

And after all of that - Sarah and Kate will be here for the summer. We all know that is going to be a challenge. When adult children come home. It's just for a brief summer, but still - we're all adults now and adults need more space - don't you think? It's really mine and Charlie's idea - we just need a summer's break from the financial drain of school. Honestly - Sarah and Kate would much rather stay in Auburn - but they are being brave and coming home.

That is all for now. It's an update. I'm going to add some music to my playlist. Gary Chapman was the musician at the wedding in Clearwater - so now I have his music on my brain. I think I'll try to look for it on playlist and add it to my music.

That's all.