Tim-ber!

I was in Atlanta Friday night for a senior high girls retreat. Aly had been sick with the stomach bug (yes, the third since December!) earlier this week, so when my phone rang at 1am, I assumed Chad was calling to tell me that Caroline was sick. To my surprise, it turned out that the two-century-old oak in our front yard had collapsed into our house! Just the call everyone wants to get! On Chad's end, I can only imagine how scary the sound must have been! He had fallen asleep knowing that there were tornadoes in the area, and awoke to what he thought was a tornado in our house! He ran straight to the girls' room, both of whom had sat straight up in bed, assured them it was just thunder, then looked out of their window to see the huge oak...literally right out of their window! He couldn't get out on the front porch or out of the driveway, so he waited for the fire department in the rain with a few neighbors out in the street. We have holes in the roof but amazingly enough, not a single window was broken so we are able to stay in the house while the roof is repaired! After getting the call, I was unable to quite get back to sleep as I tried to grasp the idea that this enormous tree came just feet from changing our lives. I kept picturing kissing the girls 'good-bye' before I left for Atlanta while not giving the tree a single thought or look back. The girls' beds are on the same side of the house as where the tree hit, and I can't shake the feeling that we are blessed that we are very tired this weekend but not more! God is good!
And if you're wondering about Caroline, she did get the stomach bug...last night. Chad and I were literally walking to bed, so excited about the good night sleep we were about to get. Ha! I guess that we can sleep later! We have a safe family and a safe house. What more could we ask for?!