Alright, already,

enough with the tornadoes. There were sixteen in OK last night. I dropped a letter in the mailbox at the Glenpool Post Office while the sirens were going off. I realize I should have been at home in the bathtub with a football helmet on my head and a twin mattress over the helmet but I was busy and too distracted to notice my life was in peril. When the sirens sound it apparently signals the time to go outside anyway and see what is happening. I saw plenty of gawkers. Last week as we drove to Nauvoo we learned of the pending tornado breakout predicted for later that evening in OK. It was to be spectacular!? The final count that day was 34 tornadoes. Tulsa was spared as the stormy weather lost it's oomph heading east. The Tuckett family arrived home late Wednesday night after the wedding. Thursday morning a F-1 tornado found their front yard. And their tree.

That same storm tracked past our house. When we drove into the driveway later that afternoon we could see the gutter spout that sits on the ground beside the garage door up the hill in the backyard. Our once clean white house was covered in dirt, grass and leaf debris. On the bright side, it was too wet to mow. Their were seven tornadoes in Tulsa that morning. We claim number 3 on the chart.

Lest you think our destination wedding was balmy, the night after the event was the storm of all storms in Illinois. The hail was only golf ball size. Embarrassingly small really. The rain though was something else. The rain was relentless. And torrential. Was someone building an ark? Was there still time to repent and find someone building an ark? There was no pause between the lightning and thunder. And that one time when it hit the house it was REALLY loud! The smoke alarm went off. Doesn't that mean the house is on fire? Did we need a fireman and his truck with all that rainfall? Eventually the house didn't burn down and we went back to sleep. Thank goodness because the house was awesome.
This was Emily's bed where she slept through the storm and didn't wake up when the house could have been smoking hot because lightning struck and the alarm was alarming and her covered wagon was close to floating down the Mississippi.

This was Justin and Miranda's bedroom where the lights never worked again after lightning struck and they were scared to death but not enough to wet the bed.

This was Lonny and I's room and yes as a matter of fact I always do make the bed.

These implements which hung on the opposite wall were not implemented.

My advice would be to not sleep with the enemy in this room.

This is what the bedroom looked like from the hallway.

This is the bathroom. Not sure what Colton was doing in there but it may just be better not to know.

This was the great room which you can see was just so great.

The view was also grand from the wagon.

The kitchen. Who would not want to sit across from this crowd in the morning?

And when you were full of pancakes you could brush up on your horseback riding skills. And get your photo taken. Ha!

This was the boys bunk room.

And this was the balcony of the bunk room where somehow Geoff's friend Wade ended up sacking out between WWF matches featuring Colton and Bryce.

And standing on top of the bunk bed gave Kirsten a birds eye view of the collateral damage.

Take the family to Nauvoo. You won't be sorry.