The windstorm!

This windstorm freaked me right out, I hated it.  Like most people that I've talked to we didn't get much sleep at all that night.  We have an awning that is attached to our house over the steps of our back door.  Well, we didn't know this but it was not securely fasted to the house so the wind was picking it up and it kept slamming into the house.  It was loud and annoying and we were worried it was going to fly off and hit a car or a person.  Dan was in and out of the house all night and morning.  Luckily that was pretty much the only real bad damage we had.  Well, the fence between the apartments and our house got blown over and my poor, poor snowflake lights really, really took a beating.  They are big snowflakes that Mom S gave us and that we get tons of compliments on each year.  They aren't that hard to put up but I always have to do it and with kids everything takes 20 thousand times longer so I was proud of myself for getting them up.  I thought that were ruined for sure but everything still worked, I was shocked.  Some of them are beyond repair but when they were on and it was dark you really couldn't tell too much.  Nice!

I had to take them all down and untangle them and then put them back up.  I forgot to get a picture of the whole mangled mess but I did get this one.  

Two huge pine trees blown down.

Bishop (who is also our neighbor) on the roof helping Dan but some shingles on. 

The ward clean up was awesome to watch.  I was able to go help clean up a little bit while Ellie napped but then I was stuck in the house with her the rest of the day.  I kind of wanted to be out there helping but it was touching to watch so many people work together to get things cleaned up.  A lot of hands makes light work.  Dan was gone pretty much all Sunday helping out.  The kids and I were bored after a while so we went for a drive and I was so overwhelmed by what we saw.  There were people everywhere I really couldn't believe it.  It was awesome.  

It made Dan and I realize how little and insignificant we are.  I mean one storm, one accident, anything can change your life in an instant.  Glad it's over and hope we don't have another big storm of any kind for a long, long time.  I'm a whimp like that.