Large street lamp that snapped and toppled over during the storm. For those who know the area, this is near Tom Thumb and Wendy's off of the 2499 and Flower Mound Rd.
One of
many trees we found ripped up from the ground.
This home is located in the Wellington section of Flower Mound. I saw several roof with this type of damage, as well as shingles everywhere. The roof companies are licking their chops this year! I think they have hit the jackpot in Flower Mound. I hope ours made it through unscathed because I don't want to cough up the $5,000 deductible to get it replaced. For those not familiar with Texas, most roofs only last 8-10 years if your lucky. Where I grew up, I think they were 20-30 years. This type of weather changes everything.
Let's just say that I do not recommend leaving home without checking the weather report here in Texas. My good friend and I decided we would head out for dinner with our kids since our husbands were out-of-town. We left at 5:30, arriving at Sweet Tomatoes 20 minutes later. Upon sitting down to eat, we get a panicked phone call from my mom's friend, asking her where on earth she is. My friend tells her mom that we are with the kids eating dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. Her mom tells her that tornadoes are in our path and that we need to get home immediately.
We leave our food, grab the kids, and run to the car. As we drove west, we could see the bad weather. It was terrifying. The radio reports were not good - as we drove closer to the town of Grapevine, the reports indicated that a possible tornado was in the path of Trophy Club, Grapevine, and Flower Mound, which was the direction we were driving. DFW Airport was closed. I was panicked as I exited the 635 freeway onto the 2499. Cars were beginning to slow down as they recognized that they were not going to be able to outrun this weather. We actually felt the wind go underneath my Honda Pilot and practically lift it. At that point I made a split decision to make a sharp left into the Grapevine Mills Outlet mall and run for cover. We grabbed the kids and ran as fast as we could.
Most people in the mall were oblivious to the danger outside. No public announcements were made and no sirens could be heard. One woman visiting from Connecticut saw the looks on our faces as we were running through JC Penney and decided she best follow us. We sought shelter in the center of the mall, behind all of the stores in the emergency exit hallways. I called Dale to let him know where I was in case something happened and then my battery died. Of all the days not to charge my battery up! Anyway, we could hear the storm over us, particularly because of the flimsy metal roof over us. I cannot even begin to convey the fear I had - how would I protect my children. If a tornado hit the building, how would I hold onto a metal door frame AND hold onto both of my children. It was extremely sobering. My friend and I later discussed how difficult it was to be the adult in charge of such a stressful situation. Our three kids were counting on the both of us to get them home safely. In my mind I kept thinking, "how on earth could I, a news obsessed woman, not turn on the television that day to check in with the world. I would have known the danger I was putting me, my kid, and my friends in that night. My excuse was the guest bedroom I was trying to paint - I was really trying to get it done before Dale's mom came to town at the end of the week.
Anyway, we camped out there for what seemed to be 1 1/2 hours, but it could have been less. Time literally stood still. We finally converged from the depths of the mall and peeked outside. The weather still looked bad, but it was pouring rain which we considered to be a better sign than had it been still and quiet, our had it been hailing. We made the decision to run for the car and get back home before something else came. The roof at the mall was beginning to leak and the toilets were backed up. If another storm came through, we would not want to be in that mall with a flimsy metal roof that would eventually collapse under pressure.
As we drove north on the 2499, the damage was staggering. Multiple power poles snapped in three pieces, metal street signs bent in half, sirens blaring, trees uprooted and thrown to and fro, power outages, etc. As we turned onto the main road heading back to our home, police had temporarily closed it down as they removed trees and debris that covered the road. When we pulled into our neighborhood, more trees and fences were blown over.
My neighbors trash bin from across the street was now on my property and my recycling bins were nowhere to be found. Our back fence collapsed in 4 places. Our BBQ had been moved to another part of our patio. Overall, we got away pretty well. Our neighbor 4 doors down said her roof was shaking as the storm passed, and our other neighbor actually saw a funnel cloud go over their house. I want to ask him what on earth he was doing looking outside!
The other developments got hit much worse than our development. Roofs torn off, shingles strewn about, trees all over, etc. We were told that an F-1 tornado touched down less than one mile from our house, but I haven't checked the validity of that source. After driving through that area, I could see how that would be possible.
I am just grateful to be alright and to know that so many others in our area are safe. While the power is still out for a large number of people, we can all thank our lucky stars that the situation wasn't worse. I've thought about those heavy duty storms that shoot through Kansas and Oklahoma and I have a new appreciation for the people who live in the path of such storms. Frankly, I would be putting my house up on the market if I lived in an area like that. I just don't think I could handle the possibility of such storms coming each year. The 80-85 mph winds our little town of Flower Mound endured caused quite a bit of damage, but some areas of the country endure 140 mph+ storms that level entire towns. It's a very sobering thought.
I will never forget this exciting evening for as long as I've lived and I promise, promise, promise, that I will never leave home without checking the weather report if it looks the least bit overcast, rainy, etc. I have learned my lesson in a most profound way!
I/We did it!
Here is a picture of the dean of my program hooding me at the convocation ceremony. I can't believe what you have to do to wear one of those!
My parents flew to Chicago to support me - they have been amazing the past few years as I've worked towards completing this degree. Dad even flew to Dallas for two weeks to help me with the kids while I finished up my thesis. Of course, Dale has also been a great support to me and my endeavors. I'm grateful for all of the love and support. These two pictures (above and below) were taken on the beautiful campus of Northwestern. I spent many hours sitting next to Lake Michigan, finishing a book or completing homework assignments. 
After years of hard work and sacrifice, I finally finished something I never thought I could. Last week we traveled to Chicago where I graduated with my masters degree from Northwestern University. I'm so glad that I had that opportunity to attend graduation and bring to a closure a very exciting and stressful period of my life. During the course of my studies, I brought two children into the world, lost four babies, moved three times to three different states, and supported Dale through his MBA program at Wharton. Looking back, I recognize the love and support I received from family and friends that helped make this possible. I never could have flown to Chicago to attend classes without the help of my parents and Dale's parents who watched Laurel. I never could have survived my philosophy class or my American literature class without Dale, my sounding board and idea generator. I was very surprised when the dean of my program spoke about me at the ceremony and the difficult circumstances I've had to overcome to finish my degree. It reiterated to me something that I've always known - we must never, ever give up. One of the best things we can teach our children in this day and age is to finish what you start and to do the best you can. Reach for the stars. Don't be afraid to fail - there usually is someone there to grab your hand and pull you back up. For me, my family (parents, husband, children) performed that role beautifully and without complaint. Thanks to my mother-in-law, who made it possible for us to leave our children behind in Dallas. It made for a much easier trip. Now on to the next adventure and challenge! Stay tuned for more pictures from our trip to Chicago - we had such a wonderful time.
