Cullman Rising 5K

It was a hot one. That's for sure. Robbie ran with me, and I didn't want to jinx it, but we were on pace to break a 30min 5K Mile 1 was 9:28; slowed it down a bit for mile 2 10:28; and mile 3 sort of fell apart at 12:07. 

I ran the course Thursday with Stacie, Nicole and Jennifer and I knew the hills were in the beginning, so when we were keeping that pace with the hills, I was feeling good. But it was unshaded and hot and humid, so I won't complain too much. 

The course weaved through where the tornado went through. A lot of stuff is starting to be demo-ed, so it's strange to see broken trees and dirt where houses used to stand. 

I will take my 33:55 time and run with it- and the day I break 30.. I will fist pump and dance across the finish line. :)

Addy says she wants to run the next one with me.. how do you train a 4 year old? Maybe we should just do the 1 mile fun "walk" or should we man up and do the 5K? It's July 23rd.

Emotional Rollercoaster

I realize that people are probably tired of hearing about the tornadoes, but it's all that I think about.

I have been having bad dreams, not sleeping well, and generally in a funk. I am so thankful that everyone I know was safe, but it's so hard to see the devastation around us. A high school friend's house was destroyed.. so many of my own memories in that house. :( 

The town has really pulled together. I think most people have power. But businesses destroyed. Homes destroyed. It's so easy for me not to want to leave the comfort of my cocoon. I have power. Internet. A house. 

I have been on an emotional rollercoaster in the past 2 weeks... thankful. nostalgic... and angry. Angry at people living their own lives. Tweeting about going to Starbucks or shopping. Do they not know what I see on a daily basis? People trying to pick up the pieces, literally, of their lives and businesses and churches. It's a complete culture shock. I was so angry for a while about everything. Not about what happened, but how people reacted. 

But I have been on that other end of the stick. "Will they not stop talking about Katrina?" Or even now, I am guilty. I have power and internet, so I am back living my life. Like nothing's changed. 

I hate going into town and seeing what has been destroyed. It's all Addison will talk about. "Look at that damage, Mama. Look at what that mean ol' tornado did. I am so mad at that tornado- someone needs to kick it's hiney." And I've even heard, "I don't want that tornado to eat me. I am scared of tornadoes." And she keeps asking where so and so's safe place was. It's too much. My baby shouldn't have to worry about things like this. 

It's time like these that I am so proud to be from a place like this. People helping people. It's what we should do. Not judge others, but offer a helping hand to those who need it. 

School started back today. I am hoping for more and more normalcy around here. I know we could all use it. 

I am ready for the healing and rebuilding process. I am trying to work on my emotions and get back to a happier place.. one that involves fashion posts and running. :) 

Cullman Tornado 2011- Life Changing Events Over Here!

*This turned into a SUPER long post. Apologies.*

While I still may not be able to say, I have lived through a tornado, I came pretty dang close. 

Let me back up and say, I never check the weather. Ever. John had been telling me how bad it was going to get, and I just kept going on about my business. 

Wednesday, April 27th, I set my alarm to 4:45 to go workout.. out of pure laziness, I didn't go- I could hear the wind and a little rain, so I snoozed. John ended up getting up at 5:00 to go ahead and go into work, so he could get there before the storms hit and he could get a head start on work, since we were planning on going to Huntsville that afternoon. 

Around 5:15, I hear the sirens going off in Hanceville, I get up and get in the shower- I was pretty disgusting and needed to wash my hair. I put a tweet out for anyone to call me if I needed to take cover- kind of as a joke. I get a text from Ashley after I have gotten out of the shower saying, "Probably not your best idea. Don't get in the shower." I try to turn on the tv, but stupid electronics don't allow that to happen. I am cursing John. 

My phone rings. 

It's my mom.

"Go wake up the girls and get in the bathroom, a tornado is hitting Hanceville." 

I run and wake up the girls. Get them in the bathroom, I turn on the radio and then we lost power. 

It is pitch black in our house. 

I text Ashley. She tells me their barn is destroyed. And the power line is down, so we won't be getting power back soon. I go to pack up the girls to go to moms, and notice we have a Bradford Pear down. 

As I am driving over to moms, I see it. Trees down across 31. The barn roof off of the man that I buy strawberries from. Trees on top of houses. 

A tornado definitely came through about 1/2 mile from our house. I kind of start to freak. 

We get to moms, John wants to go to Huntsville before the second wave of storms come through that afternoon. So, we go. We get caught in Huntsville with the sirens and take cover at a malls parking deck. 

We decided to make a break for home and the whole way home the weather is weird. 

Black clouds on the left. 

Black clouds on the right. 

But blue skies over the interstate. 

Almost like a beacon for us to get home. 

We get to Cullman around 2, and decide to go home and get a few more items since we will most likely be staying there without power at our house. 

We found out that a tornado ripped through downtown Hanceville, flattening most of it. 

John drops me back off at moms and heads back to work. 

I am not there long before getting dragged into the basement. 

I keep seeing tweets about people watching hit downtown Cullman. I tried to petition for James Spann, but I lost that battle. 

I tweeted, " It's here. Things just got real." And then lost power, internet and cable. 

I walked outside with my step dad, and we kept staring at this dark black cloud towards the city limits- it was actually the tail end of the tornado. 

I get a text from John.

"We got hit."

"My car is screwed."

I can't get a phone call out. I start getting frantic. I know he texted me so he must be okay, but I am honestly scared to death. 

I finally talk to him and all he is talking about is his car. How he can't drive it and I will have to come get him. 

So, I decided to head on. As I am driving into town, it's eerie. Nothing's wrong with 278. Then, I hit Main Street. 

The gas station awning is completely turned over. 

I turned right, headed to Buettner's, and I can see nothing but trees down. Cars everywhere. I want to scream at the traffic to get out of my way. I can't turn down 7th because it's nothing but trees, so I thought, "I will go up to John and Linda's and park, make sure their houses are okay and then walk to Buettner's."

I turn down 9th. 

Trees down. Everywhere.

A man stops me and says it's blocked.

I pointed to the trees. "That's my In Laws! And my husbands grandmothers house! I've got to get to my husband, he is at Buettners!"

He says my MIL's name and tells me their house is okay, but the little white house is gone. 

Paw Paw's office. 

John's grandfather's law firm. One of the oldest houses in Cullman.

I go down as far as I can, shut the car off and start running. 

I ran through the check John and Linda's and MeMe's houses. I check on Richard, their neighbor and relative. And Paw Paw's office, indeed has a tree through it.

I get to Buettner's and half of it is missing.

Mostly from trees. 

I talked to my brother in law, Jay, who lives in Tuscaloosa. He wanted to make sure everyone was okay. 

He never tells me of the tornado headed towards Tuscaloosa. 

Once we round everyone up, make sure everyone has a safe place to go, we headed back to moms and hear about the tornado headed to Tuscaloosa. I called Jay. He told me they were at the stadium, in the locker room, but had gone up to the top to take pictures of it and it was huge. 

We don't have power at moms. We went to bed with heavy hearts. How were our friends and family? 

Bill and I decide to go walk the city on Thursday morning... and we just thought the devastation on the west side of town was bad. It's minor compared to the east side. 

This is Buettner's.. I literally took pictures here last Saturday... and half of it is missing. 

John's car. I know it doesn't look like much damage, but the only piece on that entire car that isn't scratched, is the sunroof. His windshield looks like it has bulletholes. Apparently, a garage door completely rolled over the thing. 

 Lumber yard damage.

 This is through town... mostly around First Baptist Church.. the side is all beat up because there is a tire store at the end of the block.

The east side is pretty much blocked off. You can't get back there without a pass. From what I have seen, it's terrible. Blocks are completely flattened. Churches gone. 

This is John's families damage... trees completely uprooted. The white house is Paw Paw's office. A tree smashed their storage shed. 

I am so thankful to say that I don't know anything seriously injured through this. Hundreds dead and hundreds more missing, but everyone I know is safe.