North Carolina--Land of Peril

So, we can now add tornado to the list of natural weather wonders we have have experienced living in little ol' Winston-Salem. That's earthquake, storms from hurricane and now tornado. Now we just need volcanic rumblings--I've always thought Pilot Mountain looked sort of suspicious and sneaky so who knows.

We were up late packing for our vacation (yea beach!) last night when I turned on the tv and got a call from our neighbor at the same time--a big storm with "cyclical winds" and a possible touch-down about 10 miles from us headed our way. We watched for a little bit and finally made the call (they said Ardmore) to go get Owen from upstairs (lest the roof and entire 2nd floor were to get sucked away) and head for the basement. Owen and I waited down there and Kyle ran outside in his PJs and work books to throw some blankets on our new-to-us car (reports of big hail) and warn a couple of neighbors close by whose lights weren't on. Owen stayed asleep for a little bit on my shoulder but then woke up. How strange that probably was for him--he goes to sleep on his own in his bed/crib and wakes up in mommy's arms in a strange musty room (I never take him in the basement).

Anyways, all is well. We weren't down there long. Kyle kept popping up to check the tv and we never lost power. There was some damage SW of us, but not tooo significant (not like storms in TX) and no one was hurt. But the Today Show isn't on this morning because the local news is still talking about it. (This kind of stuff is undoubtedly the highlight of their year!)

Anyways, before I forget, here is a not-great vide of the little guy demonstrating his rolling prowess. It's a few weeks old and he's even more proficient now--still preferring the one shoulder.

We're leaving this evening for Raleigh and then from there a relaxing! week in a great big house on Holden Beach with some of our best friends from TX and Vandy. We're really really excited. I think its the first vacation (as opposed to packed-tight trip) that Kyle and I have ever taken. So, I'll post pictures/stories (Owen trying to eat sand?) when we get back.