Life with the Chivers: July 2011

Chelsea had all of the kids playing games in the pool.

Grandma Lo-Lo made a guest appearance.

Rori snuggled with Chelsea.

What a weekend! Friday we were able to spend the day at the Bucks with friends. Tanner finally had his Pic removed after a long three weeks of iv medications followed by an allergic reaction, and he was ready to swim with his buds. We are so thankful that the doctors were able to figure out what was causing his high fevers and treat him accordingly. Thursday and Friday temps were in the high 90's. We were actually sweating in the pool. Julie turned the pool heater off because it was too warm. Fun day with some of my favorite people to hang with!

Friday night we had planned to go to Long Lake and set up our tent. Instead, the storm clouds rolled in around dinner time and we spent a couple hours without electricity giggling on our bed with all of the kids being silly. We lit candles and waited for the air conditioning and lights to return. Bill Chivers text Aaron to let him know there was a bad storm in Grantsburg and our hunting shack may have been hit. Aaron jumped up and decided to head out to the shack to have a look. I didn't want to stay home in the dark alone with the kids, and Aaron was pretty sure that the storm was over, so the kids and I rode with. As we were leaving, the power came back on. As we turned off of B and on to 87, we soon began to see the devastation from the straight line winds. Trees were down around many homes, and on top of some. A few roads were difficult to get through, but we were able to keep going. As we made our way down O, we could see flashing lights up ahead. Not something you see in the Barrens very often. As we got closer, I could see that it was a cop car, and it was approaching our vehicle. He told Aaron that there was another storm front moving in and we needed to get out of the area. When I heard him say 70 mph winds, my heart sunk. I glanced at the three little faces in the back seat and had a little meltdown. I'm not prepared to lose another one of them and panic set in without warning. Aaron wasted no time getting to the cabin. As we approached the gate we could see a few larger trees covering the driveway, but nothing we couldn't negotiate around. We sped up the driveway and Aaron ran to the door and worked ferociously to get in. We ran in as the rain poured down around our worried faces. Aaron calmly lit some lanterns and started the generator. He was sure that we were in a safe sturdy structure and would be fine inside as long as we needed to be. The kids and I sat down on the couch, prayed for safety, and thanked God for our lives. We started to calm down, and Aaron was able to find a news station with a weather update. After about 90 minutes, we felt okay to set out for home. We tried to take Pleasant Valley Road over to Evergreen. We have both drove the road hundreds of times as it led to my family cabin. The road was unrecognizable. Trees were down about every 50 feet. We had to drive in the ditch most of the way, weaving in and out of trees and limbs. A few of the limbs that we had to drive under were questionable and I feared that they would fall on our car. I just tried to be quiet and pray as Aaron drove. The kids were wide eyed as we made our way slowly down the path. Finally we could see flashing lights ahead of us. As we approached the lights we realized it was a truck of lineman from the utility company. They wanted to know if we had seen any lines down on our way. We hadn't. They thanked us and we turned on to Evergreen, which was free from disaster, and the rest of our way home was smooth and uneventful. I don't think any of us will soon forget this night.

Our hearts go out to all of those who were affected by the storm. Grantsburg and the surrounding area suffered devastating damage and even death. We were so sad to hear about the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed when a tree fell on her tent. Aaron and I both felt sick for this family who we have never even met. Our minds quickly jump back to those early weeks of raw grief after losing Drew, and we just mourn for the days and months that the family of this little girl has ahead of them. We pray for God to surround them and hold them as they grieve their precious child. Every death we face jolts us back to the realty that we don't know how long any of us have on this earth. We need to keep our eyes on Christ, and remain focused on leading our children to living lives for him. In the end, nothing else matters.