In Love & Tornadoes

Saturday 3-3-12 proved to be a trying day for me. I work full time as property manager of two communities in Valdosta, Ga. Tuesday - Saturday. Putting out fires is my main job description, and let's just say the fire nearly consumed me that day. I was frazzled and at my breaking point by noon. After talking to my boyfriend (and numerous other people in my contacts list) I was feeling pretty calm. My amazing boss, on the phone with me pretty much every step of this truly testing day, even told me to go home an hour early. Awesome right? NO.

What I failed to mention is that it was a torrential downpour pretty much all day, and though I work in Valdosta, I live in Lakeland, Ga. If you watch the news, this may sound familiar about now. Here's a news blip http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=726664#.T1Vrw_GPUSY.

It took me 4 HOURS to get home... about 15-20mi from where I work. The tornado touched down at the end of our road, ripped up trees, power lines, houses, pecan orchards, etc. I'm feeling very lucky to have a home at this point, so when the main road to my house is close, I think no big deal, I'll just go the other way. UMMMM yeah... I'm not very familiar with this state yet, I've only lived here about 7 months, and it's not like I'm driving when we go tour back roads.

My car will not make it down any dirt roads, so I have to stick to the main roads. I got diverted to Ray City, another half hour out of the way, only to get there and have that road shut down, in which I got diverted to another several highways (South Georgia "highways" are one step above a two lane gravel road, ok)... an hour or so later I end up in the town of Lakeland to take the back way to my house... nope, shut down. SO I drive all the way back to Valdosta because I heard the main road was now open, only to find out that yes, the main road was open, BUT MY ROAD IS CLOSED with no estimate of when it will open.

I won't even lie about this because at this point I am 3 hours into this trip home after a particularly bad day and I am bawling my ever loving eyes out. AND the cell service out at my house wasn't working apparently, so I couldn't get ahold of my boyfriend, who I count on like I count on air to breath.

I call my mom, my friends, everyone CRYING and pissed and tired and just wanting to be home with my man and dogs.

BUT Josh finally calls me... and in my heaving cries I tell him I just need him to come save me and find me a way home. He drops everything to come to my rescue... my night in shining camo, and finds a way to get home that won't beat up my beautiful car (it's still raining, I can hardly go down a dirt road when they're dry) & we make it home safe and sound...

Except we have no power. Not surprising, but my dear wonderful man has beer in the cooler (Eff my diet for the day, ok, I deserved it) and the grill in the garage, music on the fully charged iPad, and we had each other, beer, wine, and deer meat pasta.

So now I'm saying bring on the zombie apocalypse because not only is my man my rescuer, my night in shining camo and big truck, but he's a survivor, and not only will we survive, but we'll make a party out of it.

Yeah, I'm a lucky girl.

Josh cooking while I sit on the 4 wheeler & drink beer. Did I mention I'm a lucky girl? And yes, his deer meat pasta was gooder-n-fuck.

The recipe? I was feeling the beer and wine by then, but it had penne pasta, deer cube steak, zucchini, garlic, onion powder, sriracha.... and I don't know what else, but it was basically amazing & I'm not just saying that because I've been on a diet, was having a bad day, and was slightly tipsy. Nope, not at all.