Our First Day Volunteering

The night the tornadoes roared across Alabama, we lost power not long after 5:30 p.m.

It will be on in a little while, I thought. Luckily we had a battery-operated clock radio which continued to feed us information. As the night went on, it didn't sound good. Apparently TVA had suffered some damage. Just before we went to bed we heard it could be 5-7 days before we had power.

5-7 days??!

When we awoke the next morning, that information was confirmed. The thought of living without power with two small children for 5-7 days seemed a daunting task so we decided to load up and head out of town.

Our first thought was to head to Tuscaloosa where my parents have a place. Remember, we hadn't watched television coverage since 5:30 p.m. the night before. We had no idea that Tuscaloosa was in shambles. Once we learned that horrible news, we decided to head to the beach - where our closest family lived.

As we drove south, we listened to the radio and heard the harrowing reports of how badly our state had been damaged. I looked at Chris and said, "I feel so guilty heading to the beach while so many people are hurting." He agreed, but felt there wasn't much we could do at that point with two little girls in tow.

Once we reached the beach, we turned on the television. We were astounded by the devastation in Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham area. Then Chris turned on our laptop and we saw the destruction that happened in our own county and in nearby Hackleburg and Phil Campbell.

We couldn't believe what we were seeing.

We enjoyed our time away - the girls got to play with their cousins which is the greatest thing ever in their books - but a heaviness hung over us. We mourned the lives lost, we cried over video we had seen and stories we had read, we hurt for those who had lost everything.

And I continued to feel guilty.

Friends of mine pitched in to help victims. As I read their stories and emails, I felt such admiration for them and knew that once I got home, I wanted to help.

We finally did today.

Chris and I went to a church in the Harvest area where they were handing out supplies to people in need. We got to pack up what they needed, then personally deliver it to their cars.

To say it was uplifting was an understatement. It was so touching to look these people in the eye, load supplies into their cars and give them encouraging words.

The very last person we helped seemed to be in a daze. She had a two-month-old child and as we loaded things into her car, her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. I told her of the things we were giving her and she said little in return. She almost seemed numb.

As we loaded the last thing into her car, she grabbed me and hugged me and thanked me. It was a spontaneous outburst of emotion. We hugged her back and wished her the best.

As we pulled away, I said to Chris, "Did that last lady seem..."

"In shock?" he said, taking the words right out of my mouth. "Yes!" I said. "Amy," he answered, "we have no idea what she has been through. We don't know if she lost her home or not. And she has a two-month-old child to care for. She's probably scared to death."

I hope that somehow the kindness of strangers gave her hope. Not just from us, but the kindness of those who donated the supplies that would help her family. The kindness of those whose hands sorted those supplies long before she had received them. The kindness of those who had put in untold hours to help people like her.

Chris and I haven't even done a sliver of the work that most of you have this week. As we drove home I told him I knew we had only skimmed the surface during those hours this afternoon, but that brief work has given me a burning desire to do it again. I feel as if I have an actual hunger to go out and help the victims of this horrifying disaster. And I can't wait to find the many opportunities that lie ahead.

My hat is off to those of you who have spent countless hours volunteering this week. To those of you who left the comforts of your own home to help others. To those of you who worked on your off days instead of relaxing at home. For every tree you cut, limb you pulled, meal you cooked, item you sorted and hug you handed out, you have made a difference in the life of someone who is hurting.

You have shown the love of Christ in a mighty way. You may never know the impact you've had on the people you have helped.

You have proven that actions really do speak louder than words.

The Tooth Fairy Came Back!!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I blogged about Ann Catherine losing her first tooth? Haven't had that much excitement at the George household since Chris came foot first through Lily Baker's closet (but that's a post for another time)!

Last night, another tooth started wiggling.

I'll let you in on a little secret about myself. I have been pooped on, peed on, spit up on and thrown up on by my kids. And I am fine with that. Didn't miss a beat.

But, I CANNOT pull a tooth!

Can't do it. I don't know what it is, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Just the thought of yanking that tooth out gives me the willies.

Luckily, I married a hockey player.

He grabbed a kleenex and started pulling. AC began to cry and came running to find her lamby. I told her just to wait and let it come out on its own. But she wanted that sucker out so she went running back. This time Chris pulled and out it came!

When the tooth fairy took her first tooth, she was a little bummed. I had shown her a little container for her first tooth that someone gave her when she was a baby and she really wanted to put it in there. So Chris and I told her that the tooth fairy always brings back your first tooth, but you never know when it's going to happen.

It happened last night! She brought AC a card with her first tooth inside - and a dollar for losing her second tooth!

Does it get any better for a five-year-old??!



Now she's really a Snaggletooth with that big gap in the middle. And she could not be happier!

Hackleburg is Gone

Hackleburg, Alabama is just a little dot on the map.

It's a tiny town (population 1,516) where everyone knows everyone. There was one Pharmacy, one grocery store, one manufacturing plant, one high school.

Now all of that is gone. Gone. As in, wiped off the map. The EF-5 tornado that slammed through the city last Wednesday with 200 miles per hour winds took care of that. So far 17 people have been confirmed dead and others are still missing. Rescue workers are still finding bodies there.

My dad grew up in this tiny little town. My precious grandparents helped start a church there that they attended until the day they died. They are both buried there.

My aunt and uncle and cousins still live there. The good news is they are all alive. The bad news is my aunt and uncle lost their home when a tree fell through it. Luckily they have insurance, but it can't be easy to start over in your seventies.

Please pray for the people of this small town. Not only have they lost their homes and loved ones, most of them have lost their jobs since everything there was destroyed. Please pray that they won't be forgotten!

My grandfather passed away in 2006. It would have broken his heart to see his town reduced to ruins. Please pray for those in this tiny town who are dealing with the aftermath of one of mother nature's deadliest blows.

Pray for Alabama

Except for a year and a half in Florida, I have lived in Alabama all of my life.

I have hunkered down and ridden out tornadoes in bathtubs and closets more times than I can count. As a reporter at Channel 19, I chased them - usually fearlessly - for eleven years. I have interviewed people who have lost their homes, their loved ones and all of their possessions because of deadly twisters. I have seen destruction that looked like a war zone.

But I have never witnessed anything like what happened Wednesday.

I still find it hard to fathom what happened to our wonderful state. I know the pictures and video don't do it justice.

My best friend lives in Tuscaloosa. She's a nurse and she worked in the Emergency Room the night of the deadly tornadoes. She said she had never seen anything so horrific. So many adults, children and babies lost their lives.

She told me I won't recognize Tuscaloosa when we go back in the fall for football games.

That breaks my heart.

I absolutely love Tuscaloosa. My four years there were incredible. I love the University of Alabama. I love the historic town. I love the people there. I love everything about it.

And now, so much of it is gone.

But those things can be rebuilt. It won't be easy, and it will never be the same, but Tuscaloosa will arise from these ashes. I have no doubt about that.

What breaks my heart even more are the people who tragically lost their lives. The adults. The babies and childrens. The students. I can't imagine what it must be like as a parent to leave your home in another city, another state and travel to Tuscaloosa to search for your child. Or worse, identify his or her body.

Seven people in my own county lost their lives Wednesday. People who - just like me - were going about their daily routines that day. By nighttime, their lives were over.

It's hard to imagine that.

As Lily Baker fell asleep next to me last night, I felt her breathing. And with tears in my eyes, I thanked God that my child was breathing. And not only that, but that she was right there with me and that I could hear her breathing.

Some parents will never hear their children breathe again.

Please pray for the people of our state. We will rebuild and we will come back stronger than ever. But it is going to be a long road.

More than anything, pray for those who will spend the weekend preparing funerals for those they love.

Take a moment today to tell the people in your life that you love them. And thank God for another day with them.

Life is fragile. Alabamians learned that this week.

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. If you live near us, how could you not with the sunshine and warm weather?!

We had a wonderful day. Here are some of my favorite moments:

The girls in their beautiful Easter dresses. They loved getting dressed up for church!







Attending the Easter Egg Hunt down the street at our friends' house. Easter eggs and good friends - how can you beat that?!






Meeting the Easter Bunny!



Fun moments with these Four Musketeers. They had a blast all afternoon!




And a thanks to Miss Brooke for hosting such a fabulous shindig!



And my greatest reminder of what Easter truly means - the tree we planted soon after Melissa died.



Easter represents hope to my family. We WILL be with her again one day! I love you, my sweet angel :)

Happy Easter everyone!

Spring has Sprung!

And oh, am I a happy camper!

I love this time of year. The gray dreariness of winter is gone and everything is renewed - what a perfect time for Easter this year!

I've been looking forward to today for a while - a Saturday with no t-ball, no soccer, no birthday parties, no activities. Chris and I decided we would plant our flowers.

But before we could do that, we dyed Easter Eggs this morning. The girls love doing this with Chris. We decided on pastel colors this year and the girls loved getting their eggs the "perfect" color.



After that, we headed outside to plant. Chris built a vegetable garden in the backyard for me last weekend. Today he planted tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, squash and strawberries. I can't wait until it's ready! There is nothing better than fresh vegetables from the garden.

From there, we went to the front yard. LB is my little gardner. She LOVES planting flowers, which thrills my dad to no end. My dad loves working in the garden. He has the most beautiful flowers and has always has a vegetable garden. When we go to my mom and dad's house LB says, "Come on Poppy! Let's go work in the garden!" (Now if she just goes to pharmacy school that will be a double whammy for him! :)

She was so excited today to help plant flowers. She loved digging the holes for Chris. Then after he planted them, she'd water them.



AC, on the other hand, isn't quite as crazy about gardening. Within a few moments, she started saying, "Mommy, I'm thirsty" or "Mommy, I need a popsicle." Her favorite part was playing with the water hose once we were finished. :) I love these pictures of LB chasing her with the water!






After that, we went back to the backyard and got out the water sprinkler. As the girls ran through the sprinkler, squealing with delight, I thought it's funny how we spend so much money buying our kids the "right" toys when a backyard water sprinkler makes them happier than anything.

And the cherry on top of the sundae? The ice cream truck came through our neighborhood! The girls both got a popsicle.




What a perfect ending to a perfect day!

My Toothless Wonder

I was going to post today about our awesome Spring Break trip to Walt Disney World, but then something even more awesome happened at our house.

Ann Catherine lost her first tooth today!

What a big deal that is to a five-year-old. Quite a few kids in her class have lost their teeth and it's driven her crazy. Last week at WDW, she kept asking "Mommy, is this tooth loose?" After I answered no for the 50th time, I told her it would happen when it was time to happen.

Last night at Bible Study at our friends' house, our sitter who was watching the kids in another room brought her to me and said she had a loose tooth. AC was pumped!

Once we got home, it was wiggling all over the place. Chris kept asking her to let him pull it, but she wanted no part of that! Her excitement quickly turned to apprehension and she kept asking if it would hurt when it fell out.

This morning I was shooting some videos at church when I got a voicemail from AC at school. "Mommy, I lost my first tooth!" she said. It started bugging her this morning, so she let her teacher pull it. "It didn't even hurt!" she told me when LB and I picked her up this afternoon. Let me tell you, she's wearing that gap in her teeth like a badge of honor! :)

It's an exciting milestone in the life of my child, but it's also made me a little sad. Losing a tooth is another step towards independence.

She's losing her baby teeth. That means she's not a baby anymore.

That snaggletooth smile means she's growing up.