Weekend updates

My weekend was great until the insane weather hit last night. I had a WONDERFUL time visiting Jenn's family in Asheboro on Saturday night and Sunday. It was such a great thing to get out of the house and be around people! I was showed great hospitality and for that I am eternally grateful. I was treated to a home cooked breakfast on Sunday morning and a great after-church-dinner (I would call it lunch, but if I am not mistaken, “dinner” is the noon meal, esp. on Sunday, right Lu?) before we headed back to Raleigh.

On our way back we started hearing warnings for bad weather along our route. We raced the storm and made it to the house just minutes before the menacing cell came roaring through (I was getting way too nervous in the car… but you wouldn’t blame me if you had seen the clouds in the sky we were headed towards). We were under a tornado warning as soon as we walked in the door and we knew this wasn't a drill when 1"+ hail started falling from the sky. Good ol' Greg Fishel (WRAL Chief Meteorologist) was on the TV showing the path of the *CONFIRMED* funnel cloud and it was coming straight for us!



Jenn was brave, as she should be with her background in atmospheric science, and she watched out the window as I cowered in the corner furthest from the windows. We saw IT, we witnessed the ominous funnel cloud barreling through the sky just outside our window. Thankfully the worst passed in about 15 minutes. The only damage was leaves on my young herb plants.


Jenn left soon after and within about 20 minutes I realized I did not have my cell phone, it was in her CAR! On its way to Wilmington :( I called my next door neighbors and asked if I could hang with them for a while (as it was still booming, flashing and pouring outside). About 20 minutes after I got there Jenn came back! She had encountered another part of the storm (more hail!), and knowing she had my cell (as I had franticly called it while looking for it!), she came back. We hung out with the neighbors for a little while and then decided that it was time for some food and needed to find out where her husband was (as he was also on the road, on I-40 somewhere around Greensboro) so that she could meet him and they could caravan the rest of the way to Wilmington. We rolled up to Moe’s at 8:56pm (they were closing at 9pm) and got some dinner. I was so thankful they served us as they turned everyone else away. She called me later in the evening, about 10:30pm, to let me know they were still running into bad weather! She was shaken as well, it was just too much! What a crazy evening! Video and more pictures from the storm on WRAL (pictures above are from their site, I was such a wreck that I didn't even think about the camera, I was too concerned about keeping my heart in my chest). Also, you can check out their blog, "Cumulonimbus Corner"

On another note... all of my family are still doing well on the other side of the world... mom & dad were able to get their luggage (as they had arrived without it last Friday) without a long delay. Justin showed them a great time in Kyoto and sent me this picture from his cell phone:

They had encountered some rain and they left Kyoto on a bullet train to get back to Justin's apartment. I can't wait to catch up with them tonight (if I can catch them on skype)!

Paul has been delayed, yet again, so his return is unknown! I am trying to accept that I may not see him for another week. It is not easy. But what can I do, it's his job. The grass ain't getting’ cut again. This is day 14 of his trip. It feels like forever. At least he is bring home wine.