Tornado Warning

My husband and I were first introduced by a mutual friend in passing. A few days later he and I met for coffee for the first time. One thing I learned about him that day was he wanted to rent an RV and head out West to see the national parks. That was definitely on my adventure list so I was excited to learn he was the adventuring type. Fast forward to 2020 when we had a two week trip planned to travel west and visit the national parks. Then Covid hit and our trip was cancelled. In Spring 2021, we bought an RV trailer for camping. The weeks leading up to the purchase I had a whole list of reasons why buying this RV trailer was not a good idea. I don’t know anything about them, what if it breaks down, what if I can’t pull it, what if we don’t use it. My husband (fiancé at the time) finally said if you’re looking for reasons not to buy then you’ll find plenty, but what if we buy it and we make some really great memories. So we did!

By the time we camped at Clinton Lake we had learned a little about RV camping. During our very first camping trip it became clear each of us needed to contribute if we wanted to have an enjoyable experience. Preparation, set up, and tear down are a lot of work. Eventually we found our rhythm and everyone knew what was expected. I learned how to pull a boat and a camper, we learned how to fill our tank with water, and we learned how to empty at the dump station. This was all super important so that when you encounter a situation like what we did at Clinton Lake you’re ready. We set everything up and then came the rain. We ate, played charades, and just hung out hoping for clear skies. The clear skies eventually came and we made the most of a summer night on the lake.

We woke up to more rain the next day.  Again, we made the most of the clear pockets but eventually learned severe weather was heading our way.  The tornado sirens started to go off and we headed to the restroom area to take shelter.  We didn’t see any twisters, but the sky was ominous and we heard it was going to be a long night of severe weather.  We made the decision to pack up and head home. 

We had a small window to get out. Everyone pitched in and moved quickly. I was so proud of our kids that day. I pulled the boat home and my husband pulled the camper. It was scary because we knew the storms were closing in on us. We made it home safely and unpacked just as we were met with cloud to ground lightning, a torrential downpour, and more tornado sirens. We made it though, and it wouldn’t have been possible without teamwork. It’s moments like these I will treasure. Moments where our family worked together effortlessly and without hesitation. Moments that were made possible because we chose to buy the RV in hopes of making some awesome memories with our kids.

“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.“ (Unknown)