Praying...

Tonight I am so thankful to hear that my family living in the Oklahoma City area

are safe and well.  My Dad and his family are Oklahoma natives and my Nana and  aunt/uncle/cousins still live in the area.  My Nana lives in Moore, right in the heart of the devastation, but 

somehow her house is fine.  One to two blocks away, in her same neighborhood,
the area is demolished. 

She was at a funeral at the time the tornado hit and she weathered the storm at the church with the other funeral goers.   She was pretty shook up, but I imagine was comforted not to be alone

during such a frightening experience.   My Nana had left her cell phone at home, so between that and the jammed lines  it took quite a while before her very worried children were
finally able to get through to her.

My mom, dad, and younger siblings were living in Oklahoma City in 1999, when
 the F5 tornado tore an almost an identical mile-wide path through Moore.  It was one of the most destructive tornadoes to ever hit Oklahoma and the devastation was absolutely heart-wrenching.
They, with their church congregation, spent weeks and weeks helping people to sort
through the rubble and rebuild their lives.

Photo credit: Capital Weather Gang via OklahomaNick

They are saying that today's tornado was much worse than that. 

Now we are praying, praying, praying for all those in the path of today's storm...

and for all those that call Oklahoma home.

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“There is terrible suffering in our world today. Tragic things happen to good people. God does not cause them, nor does He always prevent them. He does, however, strengthen us and bless us with His peace.”

—Rex D. Pinegar

  

Adventures with a GPS

I've always been directionally challenged. I've come to accept it as one of those weaknesses that I just can't help (not being able to sing being another one, but we'll save that one for another post)…I can try and try and try but I just don't have what it takes. Lest you think I'm exaggerating about how poor my sense really is, just ask my brother Nate who one time jumped out of the car in frustration because I'd asked him one too many times which way I needed to turn. Or my grandmother who came to babysit us while my parents went on a trip. My parents had assured her that I could direct her to church on Sunday…good thing Kristina was there.

So when I started hearing about GPS units a few years back, I got really excited. These were definitely invented for people like me. How fun it would be to always know exactly where you are in the world. Not only which street and city, but exact latitude and longitude too…right up my alley!

All these years I've admired this new technology from afar—afar being from the back seat of my parent's cars and wondered how this would change my own life. Instead of trying to read my mapquest print-out at stop lights or even worse while driving down the freeway, I could have a pleasant, patient voice telling which way to go—turn by turn. But alas, modern technology is expensive and we've just never been able to justify owning one of these wonders.

So when I got to Oklahoma City and found that the only car available on such short notice was a Hummer, and it came with a GPS unit, I definitely was not disappointed. Three of us were sharing the cool set of wheels, Pete, Heather, and me. My sister, Heather's flight did not arrive until midnight (that would be 1am by my eastern body), which left us with only one simple task at this point. Drive straight from the airport to the hotel, which we were assured was not very far and easy to find.

So we eagerly type in the hotel's address to the GPS unit and confidently start on our way. We should've been a little wary by the split second delay in the vocal instructions, which told us which way to turn just AFTER passing by the turn off. But she (a pleasant woman's voice) was so patient as she said, "Recalculating" each time we passed by yet another turn…each time throwing the three of us into fits of hysterical laughter (a little late night giddiness).

Well after about an hour and a half of driving, lots of recalculating, and being thrown into the middle of a run-down rural neighborhood and our ever friendly GPS telling us to turn into the Comfort Inn parking lot on our right (right street name—wrong universe), we broke down and called Dad. He gave us simple directions that took us back towards the airport and right into the parking lot, simple as that. So much for modern technology!

But at least we were in a cool car!

Day of Reflections and Reunions

As I'm sure you can tell from my previous post, my grandfather passed away after a long and happy life. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend his funeral in Oklahoma City on Tuesday...thank you to the many people who helped it happen (friends and family who watched my kids, Glen who sacrificed many of his work commitments, and the dinners which were brought--I truly could not have gone without your help).

The services were lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing stories about my granddad that I had never heard before. He truly was a loving man who has left quite a legacy of faith and love in his stead.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Granddad.

My Granddad served in the Navy in his younger years, so he received military honors at his burial--with the playing of TAPS, presentation of the flag to my grandmother, and a 21 gun salute.

My Nana--the rock of our family and me

Reunion with half of my immediate family--my mom, dad, brothers Pete & Matt, and sister Heather

The absolute only car available on such short notice--yes, that would be a Hummer (I had to dole out turns riding in and driving it to my jealous cousins and uncles)

Late at night just hanging out at Nana's house playing "Spoons"--a dangerous pasttime amongst a competitive group such as our family

And the highlight of the evening...Leg Wrestling! Apparently a family tradition, however not one that I had ever witnessed before so I was a little shell-shocked by the two plus hours of challenges, rematches, and screaming. This video is a favorite of mine with my cousin, Morgan beating my poor sister-in-law Karey (a newby in the family) and then apologizing. The men were definitely not so polite in their exploits!!

A Tribute to my Granddad

We love you Granddad and will truly miss you. Nana--you are hearts and in our prayers now and always.

Adventures in OKC

After countless summer vacations to Utah we decided it was time to bring the family to Oklahoma City to visit with my Nanaw and Granddad. It was a long journey in the car (thank goodness for portable DVD players), but worth every moment to be here to spend time with them.
Here is Adam hanging out with Granddad. We've really enjoyed listening to many of Granddad's stories about his days in the navy during WWII.
The kids are completely loving having Glen around and undistracted. There have been more pillow fights and wrestling matches in the last 24 hours than there have been in a long time.
Wow! We had forgotten what a fantastic cook and hostess my Nanaw is. Every meal was completely delicious, well rounded, and a work of art. I am inspired to go home and do better in my own cooking. We also really enjoyed looking at many old family pictures that my Nanaw has organized into albums...another inspiration for me!
Our only mishap was Ellie's little tumble into the bricks which required a little medical glue, but other than being tired she is little worse for the wear. She had been cheerful and excited to visit with Nanaw and Granddad!