Monday, November 18, 2013

The Storm Passed Me By...


As I sit here at my desk writing this post, the wind continues to howl and blow but I am safe and warm while others not too far from here are without power or have lost their homes completely. An unusual November storm pushed and I do mean pushed it's way through the state of Illinois leaving many areas without electricity and others in total devastation.  Wind gusts of 75 miles an hour were recorded not too far from my home.  I was not home when the heart of the storm reached my humble abode, and by the time I arrived home it was dark so I have not had a chance to really survey the property to see if there is any major damage, but as I can tell only small branches from the trees seem to be the only residue.  The "kids" were sure glad when I opened that garage door and entered the house.  I am sure there was some trembling going on while the storm moved through.

Sunday was the day of our church's annual Advent Tea and while driving to this event which was about 25 minutes south of my home I could see the storm clouds moving in...they were rather ominous, great images to capture on camera. The wind was fiercely blowing and I was all "dolled" up for this event so the thought of stopping and taking some pictures was not going to happen, at least if I wanted to look presentable when I arrived at the TEA.  Driving in pouring rain, hail, and wind gusts that shook the car I wondered, "what the heck am I doing out in this?"  Shortly after arriving at the country club (we have moved from the church's basement to a country club, a much nicer venue for a lovely afternoon) the warning signals that a tornado was in the area had us all descending to their basement for safety.  A big screen TV with the BEAR's football game for those that had gathered in the "bar" area for watching kept us informed as to the progress of the storm. Since the storm was moving from the south it hit us first then gradually made it's way to downtown Chicago where the football game was halted and everyone scrambled for safety. Can you imagine trying to clear a football stadium with thousands of fans quickly.

We stayed in the basement for about 45 minutes, the danger eventually passed so our Tea was back on track.  Lovely decorated tables by individual hostesses was a delight for the eyes. Ofcourse I had my camera, didn't stop for the clouds, but sure had fun capturing the beauty of the event.











So there was just a few of the many many pictures I took yesterday of the beautifully decorated tables....each one different, each one with their own individual theme and look....pure eye candy. And after oogling over these beautifully decorated tables we were served a tasty lunch and afterward a lovely spiritual filled program with beautiful singing by a mother-daughter duo (I swear it had to be angels singing) a narration of "Seasons" and a slide show with my images....images of the 4 seasons...I had so much fun putting that group together.

So today my gratitude is overwhelming...1) that the storm passed my home by without damage 2) that I remained safe eventho I drove thru the middle of that terrible storm, 3) that I attended such a beautiful Advent Tea, blessings abound!!

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."  ~ H. G. Wells

Until next time.....


26 comments:

  1. i am glad your area was spared. so very sad for those hit hard.

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  2. Can you believe I thought of you when I was hearing on the radio all the storms in your area?...so glad you are okay. The mug image brought such delight to me...Find Joy in Jesus! Blessings.

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  3. So very glad you and your 'kids' are safe. I could tell the storm seemed to be south of you {had no idea you'd be out roaming around, tho I should have known!} but I did wonder if you lost power. Glad all is well! xo

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  4. So thankful that your home and your fur babies were just fine! What an unusual type of storm for this time of year there, when I grew up there, it was usually snowing by now..... next thing you know we will be having snowadoes. along with the thundersnows. Looks as if you tea was just wonderful and yes... lots of eye candy there for sure. glad your day ended well and that you are safe.

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  5. What an incredible story, Deanna. I had heard about this weather, and you have made it very real to those of us not affected. I'm glad you and your house(hold) are safe and sound. Oh, and what beautiful images today - congrats on the slide show!

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  6. SO thankful you were safe in and from the storm.. my heart aches for people lost and property destroyed... so wrenching. Lovely TEA, and I know about being dressed up and then wanting to brave the elements for 'that shot!' How was you photo trip to the Appalachians??

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  7. I have watched the terrible devastation on the BBC so glad you are OK and my heart goes out to those who have suffered..

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  8. Wonderful to hear that all is well for you and that you made it safely to the tea. What a variety of lovely Christmas decorations.

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  9. So glad that the storm passed your by and that you and your home are safe. Terrible weather for this time of year and I feel so bad for those that lost so much.
    Lovely photos of the Christmas table decorations.

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  10. Beautiful photos of the event! So glad to hear that you were unscathed in the storm. I was a bit worried about my friends out that way, but I don't know of anyone that I know who had anything bad happen. Such a weird time of year for a weather event like that.

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  11. Good to hear that all is well! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. That should be a song!

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  12. Glad to hear you're ok. Looks like those storms were really bad.

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  13. That was quite the storm you had! My mom lives in Batavia, she said the hail and wind was a bit frightening. Glad your beautiful event was able to be held, looks like many talented hands worked on the decorations.

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  14. another interesting post Deanna with wonderful photographs too; I could 'see' it all happening before you as you wrote your words of the events that unfolded. The tables looks SO beautiful, and I'm sure your slideshow was very much applauded also. Glad your home was safe and you too of course.

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  15. What a gorgeous tea and I'm glad you are safe.

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  16. I'm so glad you're safe! I could hardly believe it when my daughter called yesterday to let us know what was going on. All is well with her, too. Your tea looks lovely - I'm happy you were able to enjoy most of it!

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  17. So glad you are safe and the tea was lovely! The pictures are so peaceful!!

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  18. I am so glad that you are okay, Deanna!
    I saw this on the news last night, and could not believe the damage that was done.

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  19. Ohhh-I think of you EVERY TIME I hear storms up that way. SO glad you are ok and feel so bad for others not so fortunate. Can I say how gorgeous those table are? I love that the tables are all decorated so differently and festive.

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  20. I am so glad you are OK! I feel so sad for those who got the brunt of the storm. I'm glad you were able to enjoy the tea and capture such lovely images! How nice that each table was decorated individually. That's a lot of creativity!

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  21. Deanna,
    I am so glad to hear you are safe and so are the "kids" and house!
    Looks and sounds like you had a wonderful day in spite of the storm. Sounds like an appropriate place to be.

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  22. Whoa! What the heck is that comment above me? Scary. Anyway, I thought of you as soon as I heard about the storms! I am so relieved to hear you are ok! There was quite a lot of devastation. Praying for all those who lost their homes or loved ones. So tragic.
    Your tea is wonderful! The table settings are magical. So glad you were all safe. Hugs xo Karen

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