Wednesday, August 5, 2009
On July 25th, we had such a fantastic thunder storm here, never before seen by the likes of me! It was AH-MAY-ZING!!!!! I, for one, love love LOVE the sound of rain...it's very contemplative, you know. And I love LOVE LOVE the thrill of the sounds of a downpour as it sounds energetic and purposeful. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE a thunderstorm...just for it's sheer power. WELL, this storm showed a power I'd never seen in a storm LIVE, that is.
We were starting our Heat Wave (which broke records...yay go us...grumble*grumble...it was HOT!) and on day two of it when the clouds overhead started to change. Not grey like a normal rainshower. And not black like a storm either. Some of the sky stayed blue and full of fluffy innocent white clouds. But then there were some patches of grey mixed in, but even they didn't cover the sky. So, as you're looking at this sky, which was WHITE mostly...no clouds, dark or blue...just white. Not bright, just...white. ..you can start to see flashes of lightening. The party is just about to begin!
I stood on our deck and watched the sky as lightening fascinates me! We could see it to our right (east-facing), then there would be a flash in front (to the north) of us. A few moments would pass, then the thunder followed. I enjoyed it immensely, and loved explaining to Abi the power of it all and the science in lightning/thunder. She stood with me on the deck and watched the sky go from blue clouds to grey clouds on the east to Whiteness above and facing north. It was so NEAT. A block over, we could still hear the cheers from the ball field (games are played there every weekend and most evenings by several teams) and I was wondering if they didn't care about the thunderstorm nearing us or if they just didn't notice, because this was coming fast and in such a way I'd never seen before!! (did I mention that yet?)
As we stood on the deck, suddenly to our right, about north-east, at about 2 o'clock (LOL), this is what I saw:
Okay, so that's not at ALL what I saw, as this picture was taken by my BIL and posted on FB by my Sister (hope she doesn't mind that I "stole" it!!! LOL) But this is ALMOST. Just like. So close. a replica of what I saw!!! (minus his view from his condo deck!!!) This AMAZING jagged bolt of lightning burst from the sky! It was AWESOME!!!! I had NEVER seen a bolt like that before IRL!!! (in real life) I was beyond giddy!!!! (see how White the sky is??? This was around 7pm the storm hit us)
For the next 20 minutes, this is what Abi & I watched on our deck. The lightning would shoot out in jagged lines and every time it floored me with it's awesomeness and it's power! Then we'd hear this low rumble of thunder which just made my skin crawl in excitement!!!
Yes, I know, I know, I'm such a dork! But, hey, I can't go on amusement park rides, and I can't watch horror or thriller movies as I'm a wimp, but this? This is what I LOVE! This gives me my thrill. And I can't even describe it to you...you'll just have to read my excitement to understand how wonderful it was.
As the storm approached, the clouds were partly white and partly grey and had opened up in a rainfall. By then, the lighning was starting to hit near our house. I could still hear the baseball game playing and I was wondering if they were planning on ignoring the rain and the lightening. (Yeah, b/c that seems smart!!!...standing in the middle of a ball field during a lightning storm!) Abi & I went inside...myself rather begrudgingly. I wanted to keep watching the lightning, but knew it wasn't safe. (not that I thought I'd get hit standing on my deck, but hey...let's not be crazy! there are kids around!) So instead, I opened up the blinds in our living room (which faces south) and sat on the seat in front of it, watching the rain,and listening to the BOOMS of the thunder. (because that's safer, lol)
Our sky would light up in this intensely bright flash, not even a light, then the thunder would clap. Abi, who was out there eagerly watching the flashes with me, now clung to my arm at the sounds! Kai, who isn't very brave concerning storms, held on for dear life to my other arm! Meanwhile, Bryn looked at me questionably whenever the thunder would sound (and I'd grin and say, "wow! isn't that neat?" LOL) and Rhys sat on the floor playing with toys only looking up every now and then when the crash would become noticeable to him!
The storm passed over our house and made it's way southward (heading towards the border to USA, which is a 20 minute drive from here!), but every now and then you'd see another flash nearby. It was like that all evening...you'd think it was gone, but then a flash here or there of a straggler, then some more thunder/lightning on the other side, showing a lesser storm following. Fascinating!
Soon after, I got the kids into bed excitedly talking about the majesty and power our Father has. He created storms; the science of how sound travels to make that splitting thunder, and the electricity to produce the sparks in the bolts. These things are powerful and dangerous and can cause lots of problems. (like many of the raging fires going on in the Interior of BC right now. Keep the families who live there, the firefighters putting their lives at risk, as well as everyone else involved...in your prayers please.) Yet, despite the power involved in this half hour show, isn't it amazing and wonderful and scary all at once to realize that God has MORE power than that? He can stop the storm with a snap of his fingers. In fact, Jesus ended a storm while He and the disciples were fishing once by commanding it to stop! (the poor men were frightened and bewildered that He could sleep through it!) Isn't it great to know that Our GOD, our Creator, can defeat something so powerful? Isn't He someone you want on Your side??
About an hour after the storm was over and I got the kids to sleep, I popped over to the grocery store for something. On my drive home, the sky was so magnificent. It was the brightest orange and red I'd ever seen! It was truely amazing!!! I had to grab my camera for a picture.
It was such a spectacle that it was discussed muchly on FB by friends afterwards! (the storm not the photo, lol. I didn't post it!) It's one that can not be properly explained.
The next night was supposed to show some more thunderstorms, but it never produced. Instead, the moon had a bright red/orange glow around it. That was neat to see, but also kind of creepy!
Days after this happened, we went full into our Heat Wave. It was unbearable for me! I was so relieved that my parents offered to have myself and the kids stay in their basement while it passed by. I am so blessed! (Hunny had to stay home and work. I felt bad for him, but thought it would be better for him to be able to have the house to himself, as he get *grumpy* in heat!!!) It was so freakin' HOT! The hottest day was 35 degrees, which is HOT...but that's not the actual level of HEAT out in Chilliwack. The Humidex is what you needed to pay attention to. That day, it climaxed at 42.5 degrees, and broke the record! It was incredible. I am thankful that it's cooled down now (about time!!!) but my chest and throat still struggle with the effects it hit on my asthma. I'm just happy that it didn't effect my Mom's or my kids' asthma the way it did mine.
What a week!!!!!!
We were starting our Heat Wave (which broke records...yay go us...grumble*grumble...it was HOT!) and on day two of it when the clouds overhead started to change. Not grey like a normal rainshower. And not black like a storm either. Some of the sky stayed blue and full of fluffy innocent white clouds. But then there were some patches of grey mixed in, but even they didn't cover the sky. So, as you're looking at this sky, which was WHITE mostly...no clouds, dark or blue...just white. Not bright, just...white. ..you can start to see flashes of lightening. The party is just about to begin!
I stood on our deck and watched the sky as lightening fascinates me! We could see it to our right (east-facing), then there would be a flash in front (to the north) of us. A few moments would pass, then the thunder followed. I enjoyed it immensely, and loved explaining to Abi the power of it all and the science in lightning/thunder. She stood with me on the deck and watched the sky go from blue clouds to grey clouds on the east to Whiteness above and facing north. It was so NEAT. A block over, we could still hear the cheers from the ball field (games are played there every weekend and most evenings by several teams) and I was wondering if they didn't care about the thunderstorm nearing us or if they just didn't notice, because this was coming fast and in such a way I'd never seen before!! (did I mention that yet?)
As we stood on the deck, suddenly to our right, about north-east, at about 2 o'clock (LOL), this is what I saw:
Okay, so that's not at ALL what I saw, as this picture was taken by my BIL and posted on FB by my Sister (hope she doesn't mind that I "stole" it!!! LOL) But this is ALMOST. Just like. So close. a replica of what I saw!!! (minus his view from his condo deck!!!) This AMAZING jagged bolt of lightning burst from the sky! It was AWESOME!!!! I had NEVER seen a bolt like that before IRL!!! (in real life) I was beyond giddy!!!! (see how White the sky is??? This was around 7pm the storm hit us)
For the next 20 minutes, this is what Abi & I watched on our deck. The lightning would shoot out in jagged lines and every time it floored me with it's awesomeness and it's power! Then we'd hear this low rumble of thunder which just made my skin crawl in excitement!!!
Yes, I know, I know, I'm such a dork! But, hey, I can't go on amusement park rides, and I can't watch horror or thriller movies as I'm a wimp, but this? This is what I LOVE! This gives me my thrill. And I can't even describe it to you...you'll just have to read my excitement to understand how wonderful it was.
As the storm approached, the clouds were partly white and partly grey and had opened up in a rainfall. By then, the lighning was starting to hit near our house. I could still hear the baseball game playing and I was wondering if they were planning on ignoring the rain and the lightening. (Yeah, b/c that seems smart!!!...standing in the middle of a ball field during a lightning storm!) Abi & I went inside...myself rather begrudgingly. I wanted to keep watching the lightning, but knew it wasn't safe. (not that I thought I'd get hit standing on my deck, but hey...let's not be crazy! there are kids around!) So instead, I opened up the blinds in our living room (which faces south) and sat on the seat in front of it, watching the rain,and listening to the BOOMS of the thunder. (because that's safer, lol)
Our sky would light up in this intensely bright flash, not even a light, then the thunder would clap. Abi, who was out there eagerly watching the flashes with me, now clung to my arm at the sounds! Kai, who isn't very brave concerning storms, held on for dear life to my other arm! Meanwhile, Bryn looked at me questionably whenever the thunder would sound (and I'd grin and say, "wow! isn't that neat?" LOL) and Rhys sat on the floor playing with toys only looking up every now and then when the crash would become noticeable to him!
The storm passed over our house and made it's way southward (heading towards the border to USA, which is a 20 minute drive from here!), but every now and then you'd see another flash nearby. It was like that all evening...you'd think it was gone, but then a flash here or there of a straggler, then some more thunder/lightning on the other side, showing a lesser storm following. Fascinating!
Soon after, I got the kids into bed excitedly talking about the majesty and power our Father has. He created storms; the science of how sound travels to make that splitting thunder, and the electricity to produce the sparks in the bolts. These things are powerful and dangerous and can cause lots of problems. (like many of the raging fires going on in the Interior of BC right now. Keep the families who live there, the firefighters putting their lives at risk, as well as everyone else involved...in your prayers please.) Yet, despite the power involved in this half hour show, isn't it amazing and wonderful and scary all at once to realize that God has MORE power than that? He can stop the storm with a snap of his fingers. In fact, Jesus ended a storm while He and the disciples were fishing once by commanding it to stop! (the poor men were frightened and bewildered that He could sleep through it!) Isn't it great to know that Our GOD, our Creator, can defeat something so powerful? Isn't He someone you want on Your side??
About an hour after the storm was over and I got the kids to sleep, I popped over to the grocery store for something. On my drive home, the sky was so magnificent. It was the brightest orange and red I'd ever seen! It was truely amazing!!! I had to grab my camera for a picture.
It was such a spectacle that it was discussed muchly on FB by friends afterwards! (the storm not the photo, lol. I didn't post it!) It's one that can not be properly explained.
The next night was supposed to show some more thunderstorms, but it never produced. Instead, the moon had a bright red/orange glow around it. That was neat to see, but also kind of creepy!
Days after this happened, we went full into our Heat Wave. It was unbearable for me! I was so relieved that my parents offered to have myself and the kids stay in their basement while it passed by. I am so blessed! (Hunny had to stay home and work. I felt bad for him, but thought it would be better for him to be able to have the house to himself, as he get *grumpy* in heat!!!) It was so freakin' HOT! The hottest day was 35 degrees, which is HOT...but that's not the actual level of HEAT out in Chilliwack. The Humidex is what you needed to pay attention to. That day, it climaxed at 42.5 degrees, and broke the record! It was incredible. I am thankful that it's cooled down now (about time!!!) but my chest and throat still struggle with the effects it hit on my asthma. I'm just happy that it didn't effect my Mom's or my kids' asthma the way it did mine.
What a week!!!!!!
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