Wornoutwoman

It's May in Oklahoma. Anyone that lives in Tornado Alley knows what this means. This mixture of cool and warm temperatures leaves the area with high probability that severe weather will break out.  We even have a national storm center here, in Oklahoma, with one of the top meteorology schools in Norman.   Why do storm chasers flock here?  Because the below picture is a common theme for Spring in Oklahoma.  This multi-vortex wedge tornado was just forming when I took a quick photo of the news, but it went on to cause some major damage last night. As Oklahomans, we get asked how can we stand living here?  We must be crazy!  Well, there is extreme weather everywhere.  Name a region that doesn't get tornados, earthquakes, flash flooding, tropical storms, or ice storms.  Oklahoma just happens to get all of them.  Last night, the storms were staying south of us, traveling east.  (See that little circle up there? That's...

So, it seems that every Wednesday that rolls though brings severe weather and tornadic possibilities. The tornado that hit last night was a nail biter - like all of them are.  But this one hit a little closer to home than I'm comfortable with. First let me state that we, in Oklahoma, have some of the most amazing meteorologists in the world.  They predict this terrible stuff hours before clouds even roll through our sky. So when they say, 'it will hit within the hour - find your safe spot', and you look up to the sky and see nothing but blue sky ... heed their warning as they're usually on target. Yesterday, there were conflicting reports on when it was going to hit.  Some stations said 3:45 while others said 6:15.  But all said to find your safe spot by their predicted time. And as a mother ... I'd rather be safe than sorry, so I took my kid (at a time somewhere in between the two), packed him in the car, stopped at home to ...

Since I moved here in 1990, I've been asked multiple times, 'Why do you live in Oklahoma?'  And, as the weather has become more and more extreme, here in tornado alley, my friends across the nation shake their heads saying, "Why would you stay there knowing you could get blown away by a tornado?" Here's my answer. Every state or region has its issues. I've lived in other countries and nationwide throughout the US. I've lived through typhoons, tropical storms, earthquakes, ice storms, blizzards, and tornados.  So, to not live in Oklahoma due to tornado would be ridiculous because when it's your time... it's your time. Here's why I live here.  The heart of this community is like none other.  We rise in the face of defeat.  We lift each other up.  We breathe determination. We love with a heart bigger than the heartland itself. We smile when we pass a stranger in the street. We give eye contact and say hello.  We show our neighbor kindne...