It's Going to be OK

So I'm not even sure how long it's been since I posted a blog- a tornado and a lifetime ago.
The Moore tornado happened on the 21st, I think. It was about 5 miles from my house in Norman.

Some of my friends lost their homes. Some are displaced right now and living with friends, relatives or at a shelter or on the OU campus where free housing has been arranged.  Kevin Durant, the star Thunder player, has donated a million dollars to disaster relief.  I know several people who were teaching in schools in Moore at the time, and two who were in schools that suffered direct hits. They are all ok. Their kids are ok. Lots of people are ok.  The communities are coming together- Shawnee and Carney were both hit as well as Little Axe, south of Norman.  Lots of damage.  Lots of people feeling lucky.

And guilty.

Not everyone made it. Those who breathed a hug sigh of relief after checking in with loved ones (like I did- everyone safe) exhaled and felt awful for those who would not be coming home to their families. And guilty for being so fortunate.

So many people are donating time, materials and energy to the clean up and recovery efforts. President Obama flew in to survey the damage and the governor actually met with him. She hates him, but he's the best chance of getting disaster relief.  Both of our US Senators voted against relief for hurricane victims. I hope they feel ashamed. They said sending relief would lead to government dependence.

Lots of celebrities have chipped in- Tobey Keith, Carrie Underwood, Sandy Bullock and many more. It's inspiring. And people have driven in from all over to help out.  But I think the biggest heroes are the people who live in Oklahoma. The ones who are cooking for their neighbors, donating their time, scooping up debris and running facebook pages dedicated to returning items to their rightful owners. The animal rescue folks, the veterinarians and dentists and opticians offering their services free of charge- even the insurance adjusters (like the one who does my homeowner's insurance) who showed up in Moore with a checkbook to help ASAP.  Or my friend Mike who shows up to his church to help sort donations and make them easy to find for those in need. And the ones who organized benefits and dinners and shows.  And the local businesses who are helping out.  Those people. The ones you don't hear much about because it's not for fame.

There were many good reasons I left Oklahoma, but the people are truly like this.  Humble and pretty darn effective. They'll pull through.

Now, in my life, everything has been on fast forward.

I was approached just after the first of the month to write three parts of a giant grant to get a new program funded for five years.  However, the grant is due at the end of the month and I'm not only teaching 4 classes, but also doing research and finishing up my online class. Yikes!

I talked to Grey about it and we agreed that I'd take on the project and that he would help me.  There was no way I could get it done on my own with any chance of the grant succeeding.  Grey is a wonderful researcher and he has done some editing for me too. We worked for a couple of evenings and an entire Saturday and got it done- did I mention that my parts were due last Monday?  It was a bear getting information out of people. Like I said, Grey is a good researcher and a really good editor.  We got it done and I think the committee was pretty happy about it.

All week has been crazy too. I had a class field trip on Thursday to prepare for and on Thursday night I met my friend VP in Yakima.  She flew in with her boyfriend for a wedding.  Random and lovely, but I ended up grading papers until midnight. We had a great visit and totally worth it. Friday she and her BF came and talked to one of my classes. I taught the others, then got a call from my sister, Yvette. She and her boyfriend were in Yakima and needed a place to stay. The state girls fast pitch softball tournament was going on and they were postponed for rain. Grey and I had planned to attend that day because my friend from elementary school, Carrie (DeWitt) Speer was coaching. Carrie and I had played softball together in little league. But everything was put off. So Yvette and Jim came over and we passed a fun night. After a run, I woke them up Saturday with breakfast- homemade blueberry pancakes. I wasn't feeling really great- had a sinus headache for a couple of days. But what are you going to do? We went to watch my niece, Jessica, play short stop for her team. We also caught a game with the Quilcene Rangers duking it out with another team. It was exciting and stressful and by the time we left, I wasn't feeling so great. Both teams advanced to the finals - though they wouldn't face one another. Yvette stayed over again and I started going downhill. The long and the short of it is this: I'm in bed where I've been all day. ALL DAY! I can't stand being sick. I've not had many unproductive days in the last 15 or so years. But I know my husband and he'll behave himself next time he is sick if I relax and just rest. Good thing, too. I slept all day. Missed the finals- both teams took trophies. I think the Rangers got 4th and the Dayton Bulldogs got 3rd in their respective divisions. And Yvette went home. And VP went home to Oklahoma. And I'm home in bed with a cat who has an addiction to treats that give her flatulance. Oh, and tomorrow is Memorial Day. And Tuesday? Yeah, I turn 40. So I've been a bit busy, a bit crazy and a little bit sick. I'm excited about this summer though- there are lots of things we have planned. A trip to Portland, our first anniversary, a family reunion and lots of visits with relatives. And maybe some hiking. I'll be keeping an eye on Oklahoma news too. I hope all goes well there. Oklahomans have a lovely spirit, one that gives me hope that everything is going to be ok even when everything falls apart.