Monday, May 18, 2009

I'll huff, and I'll puff...

On Good Friday an F-4 tornado tore through the city of Murfreesboro.  One of the hardest hit areas was the Blackman community where we live.  This YouTube footage shows the tornado passing over I-24.  Where you first see the funnel touch the ground on the left of the screen - that's where we live!

WKRN Tornado Footage

We were so blessed to come through the storm safely with barely a scratch on our house.  Many of our neighbors however were not so fortunate.  As you leave our house and head toward I-24 the damage gets worse and worse.  Our closest neighbors had roof damage and lost backyard fences.  At the end of the cul-de-sac houses had windows blown out and structural damage.  The photos really speak for themselves.
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I also want to thank everyone that helped us out - for all the prayers, to the Hills who loaned us a generator, and a BIG thank you to my brother and his family for taking us in that night at the last minute.  We love you all!

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Getting older...

I simply cannot believe that my little boy is growing up so fast!  Ryan turned four at the end of March and I'm coming to the realization that my baby boy is not a baby anymore.  The birthday party was a big hit.  We lucked out with a gorgeous day and had the festivities outside which was great considering that fitting everyone in the house makes things a little tight.  The family made the pilgrimmage from Clarksville and we also invited our next-door neighbors, the Wootens.  We had a Thomas the Train party complete with decorations (thanks, Summer!) and Thomas-themed cake.  Some of Ryan's gifts included a family membership to the Discovery Center here in Murfreesboro, LOTS of Thomas accessories like a crane and bridge, clothes, swim stuff, pirate stuff, and much more.  Our big gift to him was his first bicycle.  Our first attempt resulted in a two-hour assembly followed by a refusal to ride so Jon ended up taking it back and trading it in for a smaller green one that Ryan picked out himself.  All in all, a great day that Ryan will remember for a long time.

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