More storms hit the Heartland.

OK, so I'm totally over this season. All these Severe Weather Watches and various warnings are really getting old, and I'm tired of being afraid. Tonight was no exception, course.

The past few days we've been really lucky and have had pretty nice weather. Humid, of course, but nice nonetheless. Well, today I kept hearing that we had a severe weather warning, but never really had time to look at the weather report to see where the storm was. We had plans to go to a BBQ tonight, so Chris and I went to the store to grab dessert right after he picked me up from work. So, we walk out of Hy-Vee (similar to a Safeway), and we see the clouds looming overhead, and quickly moving our direction. We both let out an "Oh shit", and quickly got into the car to get home On the way home we, of course, found ourselves stuck behind the slowest, stupidest driver ever (well, typical Council Bluffs). Shortly after we left the Hy-Vee parking lot it began t rain. Then it began to rain harder. The radio station we were listening to was reporting 60 mph winds in midtown Omaha, and a storm that was moving about 50 mph east...our direction. Then it began to hail, hard. Not too large, maybe marble size...but enough of that, mixed with very heavy rain, made it extremely difficult to see, and drive. After navigating various obsticles - including stupid drivers, a wading pool that decided to blow across the street into our car, flying branches, and a downed tree on our road - we got home safely and ran inside, bringing only the parishables with us. Shortly after we arrived home the tornado sirens started going off. We weren't too worried though since the storm seemed to pass really quickly and it was already getting sunny outside again.

The whole thing was really scary, but the aftermath was what was really amazing. You really gain a new respect for nature after seeing the pictures we did. There were trees uprooted all over the city, houses with their shingles and roofs ripped off, and trees and parts of trees strewn all over the city streets. Two people died today in Council Bluffs - not too far from my clinic - from a fallen tree. The Qwest center where the Olympic swimming trials are being held had part of its roof ripped off. Crazy stuff. Our local sports guy said he'd never seen anything like it. I've been hearing that a lot this season. Makes me think what else Mother Nature has in store for us.
Below are some pictures we got off the local news websites. This weaher is just amazing. If you want to learn more about the storms check out http://www.wowt.com/ or http://www.ketv.com/.

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for visiting our blog!

Well, it'll be a year next month that we've been living here in Iowa. As most of you know, we traveled over 1300 miles last summer, from Washington, to our new apartment in Council Bluffs, IA so Chris can attend Creighton Medical School in Omaha, NE. Council Bluffs is just right over the Missouri River from Omaha, and we actually spend most of our time on that side of the river. http://www.mapquest.com/mq/3-xCU*AMmyUCog

Chris' first year of medical school was just as difficult as he thought it would be. It definitely kept him busy! He attended classes five days per week, all day, and spent his nights studying hard. We tried to get out of the apartment as much as school would allow, and were lucky enough to gain some good friends in the process.

After working a few months at the Starbucks in downtown Omaha, Angela got a job with Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs. She works as a Health Care Assistant in the Council Bluffs clinic, which basically consists of medical assistant type duties within the clinic. She's very proud of the organization, and its role in the community, but still feels the need to look for new work with better pay. Hopefully something will come up within the organization, but she's also looking elsewhere.

Since Chris' first year ended, the both of us have been very busy. Shortly after the end of the spring semester, Chris traveled to Ghana, Africa for a four-week long medical mission with Global Volunteers. He went with nine other medical students from Creighton, and they all had a great time working in the small village of Senchi Ferry, and traveling around Ghana.

While Chris was gone on his African adventure, Angela stayed home and battled loneliness and horrible weather. Throughout the four weeks he was away there were numerous severe storms and tornados that hit the area, including some parts of Omaha! Our friend Ashley (who's boyfriend was also away) took care of Angela, and let her seek shelter in her basement. It's the season for severe weather here, and the scariest time of the year for us foreigners! We just can't seem to understand how people here can just go about their normal routines while the threat of

getting swept up like Dorothy looms over our heads! Needless to say, it's this time of year that we miss the comfort of home the most. Besides ducking for cover from storms, Angela kept busy with work, and hanging out with friends, and her visit from her best friend Shauna! Shauna came to visit shortly before Chris returned home, and stayed for three nights. We went to the zoo, the Taste of Omaha (a big food festival featuring local restaurants), and ate at some yummy restaurants including the Melting Pot! It was so good to just hang out with the other love of my life, and get some good, quality time together.

Since Chris' return two weeks ago we have just been spending some well-deserved time together, and hanging out with friends. His dad came to visit this last weekend for a bit, and we had a great time. Omaha hosts the College World Series, and we went to one of the games. The game almost got rained out, but the storms seem to pass pretty quickly around here. On Sunday, the three of us went to a barbeque at our friends Bob and Ashley's house, where we played games and ate yummy food with good friends. On Monday and Tuesday, while Angela was working, Chris and his dad got to play raquetball at the Creighton rec center. Other than that we just got to enjoy some great dinners, including one that Angela cooked at the apartment, and just hang out.

This summer, we're looking forward to more family visits from Chris' mom and sisters, and our big move into Omaha. Yep, we're crossing the river, and moving into a three-bedroom duplex that's very close to Creighton, and pretty much everything else we need. Chris begins school again mid-August, and then it's back to the grindstone for him!

Stay tuned for more updates, and pictures!