Beer, matches, and a flashlight

What was planned as a fun evening of softball and hanging out with friends turned into softball, a mad rush home and 45 minutes of shelter in our basement.

Here's how it went down ...

Corey's softball team played their first game in the McQuade Softball Tournament on Friday at 7 pm in Mandan. The fields are about seven to 10 miles from our house. Because of the massive amount of people at the games, we parked a distance from the fields. But we got lucky - most people parked much farther away.

The game started on time and progressed quickly. The teams were neck-in-neck. About half way through the game, I became preoccupied with the dark clouds that were starting to surround us. I knew there was a storm warning for our area and tornado and hail warning for areas near us. In the last inning the lightning and thunder started and the wind started blowing. The game should have been cancelled, but they kept playing. Corey's team ended up losing the lead in the last inning and the game ended with a loss.

As soon as Corey stepped off the field, he looked at me and suggested we just head right to the car. I couldn't have agreed more. Corey still had his cleats on but we started a brisk walk/run for shelter. We got to the car, jumped in, and Corey drove us quickly and safely home. The whole drive (which seemed to take forever) was nerve racking. The sky kept getting darker and scarier. It was very humid and the wind was blowing so much dirt upward, that the air looked foggy. When we pulled into our neighborhood, the tornado sirens started. I got scared.

I took my necessities to our basement - you know - my computer, phone, radio, purse, flashlights, and camera. Corey quickly changed, unplugged our electronics, and then took his necessities down - you know - reading material, snacks, a candle and matches, and a beer for both of us. He claimed the beer was to calm me down. It worked wonders.

And then we waited. We sat on chairs in the bathroom (which we deemed the safest room the basement).

The wind got noisy. The lights flickered. It rained and then it poured. The radio cut out. The tornado sirens continued.

And then it all just stopped.

Corey went up to check things out. We survived and so did our house and yard.

Although we only got about an inch of rain, many of the streets in downtown Bismarck and Bismarck Expressway were totally flooded. Funnel clouds were spotted west of Mandan and a tornado was spotted north of Bismarck. I'm so thankful we made it through safely.

Corey's team plays again today at 6 pm today. I sincerely hope the weather is less eventful.