Great Plains Storm Chase

The last week of May, I flew into Oklahoma City to go chasing after tornadoes.  I knew it was going to be an adventure when I climbed onto this crazy small propeller airplane and took an hour longer than anticipated to land due to turbulance (we bounced around like a roller coaster for a while with a lady behind me screaming).

 Our first day we segregated with the women in one van and the men in the other.

 We stopped at a different park every day to wait for the storms.  We titled this park "The Creepy Park."  I mean really, who would put their kid on that swing?  I think there is a body buried somewhere at this park.

 I bought a wiffle ball and bat and made everyone play a game.  It was super fun.

 When people ask what it is like to storm chase, I have to admit that it is pretty amazing and awesome.  But honestly, much of the time it looks like this (super bored and hot waiting for something to happen):

 This was my favorite park we went to.  The inside was a huge castle looking park.  And there was a train that went around it and you could ride the train.  There was a zoo right behind the park that was closed.  There was a huge sink hole from all the flooding and the animals had to be moved.

 This is what we looked at most of the time.  

 We were standing waiting for a storm to approach.  I was going to take a selfie with the van.  But just as I was about to push the photo button, instantly and huge hail and rain storm hit.  It was so sudden that this what the photo I got:

 We kept getting warnings on our phones for flooding, lightening, and of course tornadoes.

 Santa was out storm chasing too:

 Here are all the students on the trip:

 I have never seen a Magnolia before.  They are huge.

 As we chased, there was always a laptop, cell phone, and walk-e-talk-e.

 Cool hail:

 Funnel cloud (this one did NOT end up turning into a tornado):

 I could not get enough of the amazing circulation in the clouds everywhere.  It was mesmerizing, kind of like staring into a fire.

 We stayed every night at a different hotel in a different city.  But there were TONS of Holiday Inn Express hotels all around the south.  So we stayed in a different one every night.

 Rainbow:

The flooding was terrible in Texas. 

 I was surprised at how many storm chasers there were.  When people ask me if I was ever scared, I think of this storm.  I never really was too scared (except for some of the driving).  But this storm made me a little nervous as it passed directly over our heads.  But it didn't touch down until after it passed by us.

 I love the green hail core that is visible in this photo:

 The best tornado we saw.  It was an F2.  Unfortunately 3 people were pretty seriously injured in this one.  It hit an oil rig.

 Helicopters fly overhead to see the storm (if there is enough warning):

 There are abandoned homes like this everywhere in the great plains:

 The first town we entered in Kansas had Dorothy statues everywhere.

 Look at these boring long straight roads:

 Palo Duro Canyon, TX (the second largest canyon in the U.S.):

 We had to stop for some cows:

This is the entire group:

 And Kathleen took this photo.  I finally made it home after being rerouted the wrong direction.  What a site:

Baseball, Birthdays, and Basement

At school Kathleen wrote a book and read it to preschool children.

Baseball season is our busiest time of the year at our house.  All three kids love ball (Kathleen doing softball).  They are so cute. 

 Dying Easter Eggs:

In case you haven't heard yet, we are excavating under our house and adding a basement.  It has been quite the process.  It is coming along.  First they dug down and busted through the side of our house and started digging a narrow tunnel underneath. 

 Brandon and I stopped for gas on the way to a baseball game and there were firemen filling up next to us.  They let him in their truck and even gave him a hat.  They were so awesome!!!

 Sunday afternoon at the temple (we have to do something to kill time until dad comes home from meetings):

 Ryan is coaching Kathleen's softball team this year.

 Basement progress.  They pour sections of walls at a time, then dig some more, then pour some more...

 Cody went on a field trip to the original school in town.  It was awesome.

 We all participated in a play that our church did.  I don't have any good photos of it though.  Just some of us backstage.

 Ryan was so cute entertaining all the little girls.

 Mom's birthday:

 Ryan went and got a pedicure with me.  He is such a good sport (and an AMAZING husband).

 Making pinewood derby cars:

 Cody came in 4th:

 Mother's day breakfast:

 Kathleen made me the cutest gift for mother's day.

 Basement floors are poured:

 Brandon had a birthday.  He is so cute.  His favorite gift was the rip-stick from Grammy and Pompa, which he can ride like a pro.  The smooth basement floors became the neighborhood rip-stick park for a couple weeks.

 Kathleen is by far the best player on her team (and probably on any team we played against).  She is so cute.  

 Brandon had an army themed birthday party, complete with marshmallow guns the boys had to make themselves.  

 We decided to do an experiment to see which kid has which parent's eyes.  What do you think?

 I loved the yellow uniforms for Kathleen's team.  Ryan wasn't too sure.  But they sure do look cute.

 Cody got an awesome necklace at his end-of-season party.  And it just wouldn't be an accurate photo of Cody without something sweet in his hand.

 This is the cute man I get to watch keep score at baseball games:

 Memorial day means the pool is open:

 Some framing has begun:

 And the stairs are going in:

Whew!  It has been busy lately, but I think you get the gist from these photos.