A Covered Bridge...

On June 3, 2008 a small town was hit by a tornado. Several homes were destroyed, including our friends' home. Our house is about 6 miles north of this town. And the path of the tornado ended about 2 miles south of us. It was a little too close for comfort. I remember huddling in our basement that night hoping that everything would turn out okay. Fortunately for us, it did. But several others suffered a loss that night. Brad and his dad went to help out that night. Brad tried to call our friend's cell phone, but couldn't get through. He later learned that their house had been hit, but didn't know the extent of the damage because the roads were nearly impassable. Luckily, he knows those roads quite well and even assisted the emergency personnel by hauling them in the back of his truck. He finally reached Ben & Nikki's house and they were okay. The tornado basically lifted the roof off the house and set it back down. The most horrific thing, for me, that night was lying in bed listening to the sirens. It seemed unending. I felt helpless. (Plus, I was 6 months prego, so there wasn't a lot I could do!:). This small town was best known for its covered bridge. In fact, they have a festival honoring it every year. The covered bridge was also destroyed that night. Workers are slowly rebuilding that bridge. Brad, Mel, and I went to see it the other day. (B was with her grandma). They have a long way to go, but it is nice to see it all coming together.

People have rebuilt, but the beautiful trees that lined their backyards look like this...

A constant reminder of that night.

Mel seems to be over her fear of water and enjoyed wading in the river...

She held onto Daddy's hand for a little bit...

Then decided to let go...

We will go back and this time take B and our swimsuits!