What do you do when lightening strikes your house and you have no phone/internet/tv ...

YOU SWIM!!!

Well first you call your husband while he is away on 'business' (whatevah!!! An ATV rodeo is NOT considered business as far as I am concerned - esp when you call your poor wife at 11:00 to tell her you are sitting on John Rich's bus -- THAT will get you a dial tone MISTER!) -- and FREAK OUT!!! We had a terrible terrible storm on Friday night. Cameron and I were snuggled in the bed trying to go to sleep and one lightening bolt later and a big CRACK - I soon had 2 children clung to me for their dear life -- actually, I don't know if I was clinging to them or vice versa - but we were all scared. The back lit up like daylight - it was NUTS! It finally started raining and I remember my Mom telling me that once it starts raining, the thunder and lightening will stop. Well, this was NOT the case Friday night. The bottom fell out and I was thanking the Lord for sending us some good FREE water and then the loudest SNAP CRACKLE POP I have ever heard happens -- literally in our back yard. It might as well have been in our living room. We all screamed and then the power went out - THREE TIMES. I started lighting candles and had anyone come in my house - they would have surely thought we were having a seance.

The power flickered back on and we quickly realized we had no satellite. THEN the alarm started this beeping -- call Brinks (discover no dial tone - so had to call from cell that had dying battery and after reading a chain email I received earlier in the week - I refuse to call while my phone is charging b/c I am CONVINCED my head will blow up) and discover that our system is having problems connecting to the phone. DUH!!! SO - we decide to watch a movie. I decide that I want to watch a "mommy movie" and since Wedding Crashers is sitting on the bar b/c Shannon Gordon finally returned it after having it for a YEAR (granted, she didn't watch it until recently -- her rental dues are WAY high) - well, that is the movie I want to watch. NEVER EVER NEVER watch this movie with your children - esp. the beginning. Kennedy is still wondering why I jumped at warp speed to fast forward past the beginning -- so we end up watching "The Wizard of Oz" -- why not?? It's about bad storms any dang way!! But you know what? I loved it and loved sitting on the couch, snuggling with my babies and watching a movie that I probably would have never sat and watched with them because I was just 'too busy'. Plus, Chad had all of Cameron's Wiggles movies in his truck -- that is another story in it self but a trip to Best Buy on Saturday (twice - once in the morning to get a new router b/c the storm blew ours and once again to get a different router b/c the mean Verizon guy said I bought the wrong one - i was smart enough to pick up a couple movies for the kids) took care of all that.

ANYWAY - now that my novel is almost finished - we spent Saturday swimming -- all day. The kids were worn out by the time we went to church - NO - we are not Seventh Day - we just have a really cool church that has Sat service. Kennedy can now swim really well -- all because of peer pressure. Her friends come over and swim like fish - she gets aggravated and starts to swim b/c she doesn't want to feel left out. Our phone finally came back on Sat morning and I was able to sit outside and call everyone (except for Direct TV - Chad called them and they even came out on SUNDAY!!) to come fix our stuff. You never realize how much you miss internet, tv and the phone until you DON'T have it but honestly - you realize almost how much you DON'T need it. Kennedy said she was mad at God because he wrecked our house -- after a little chuckle, I explained to her that God does everything for a reason and look how much fun we had all weekend long because we didn't have all the other 'distractions'. I even got caught up on laundry and reading a book that I had started. We are now back up and running and yes, everything was fried in our house -- well, the satellite receiver and the security system panel was toast -- and they all said lightening probably struck the GROUND and that is what caused it ... lightening capital of the world they say!! At least now we have battery back up on EVERYTHING!!

PS - Yes, I know my pool area looks like it is in the running for an "EXTREME MAKEOVER patio edition" but that is my August project. Don't worry - I will attach pictures once we get it done. LOTS of good ideas .... if we didn't have that white lattice up -- none of you would EVER come visit if you saw what was back there ..... let me just tell you, it gives the Clampetts a run for their money -- gotta love Florida zoning laws!!