As most of you know, an F5 tornado came racing through Moore on Monday, May 20th. It came through around 2:40pm. I actually had gone to get Austin from the Jr. High around 1:15 because he didn't finish a project for one of his classes. (blessing in disguise) After I picked him up, I checked Sydney out of school as well. Megan came home right around 2:15 because she didn't have a 6th hour, so me and the kids were all at home. My parents were at a funeral at the church building, and my grandpa, Brandon, and Jaree were at the farm. In Oklahoma.. there always seems like there is a tornado warning/watch but.. it rarely turns into a huge threat in your area. I have always loved watching them, and still think they are pretty amazing..haha I mean it's crazy what strong wind can do so.. when the sirens went off, it seemed like no big deal. We went across the street to our neighbors because they have a shelter and we watched the news. We watched as the tornado set down in Newcastle. Austin and I ran outside and watched the tornado as it headed east in our direction. At this point it wasn't all that big, but it was still amazing to see. The family we were with made us get in the shelter and we watched on an iPad as the storm went through Moore. It stayed about a mile north of my house. I was really worried about my parents at the church building, but it didn't even dawn on me until I got out of the shelter that it could have hit the farm.
The next hour was awful trying to get ahold of my family and having no idea if they were okay. I couldn't drive anywhere because the roads were blocked off, and cell phone lines were down. I just listened as they said over and over on the news that "Orr Family Farm was gone." and that my elementary school was gone. My aunt teaches there and so I was worried about her as well. Ah.. it was crazy! I would never wish that on anyone! I was overall pretty calm... I just knew that my family had to be okay. It's one of those things where you don't let yourself think otherwise. Plus I didn't want to freak because the kids were all with me. FINALLY we talked to my mom. She was pretty upset on the phone. I've never heard her like that, so I thought the worst. But THANKFULLY the entire family was safe and sound. The farm... was another story. (My house was okay and miraculously my grandpas house was too. Trust me.. the power of prayer is real. There was a barn hit north and south of his house but right in the middle... my grandpas house was missed. It's amazing.)
My grandparents opened Celestial Acres, a horse training center, 36 years a go. My dad has lived and worked there since he was 12. There were many barns, a huge arena, a hay barn, and many horses. Not all ours.. most belonged to trainers that rented out the stalls. That is just what we owned.. About 12 years ago we sold a large part of the farm, but that is where my parents first house was, the house I grew up in, and so many other places. All of it.. was in rubble. It was awful. When you look east all you saw was destruction. All of it was destroyed. The Orr family farm part of things was very damaged. Most buildings were still standing, some were completely gone, but we were very blessed that it wasn't worse.
Since Monday.. I have worked all day, everyday. I have quite the farmer's tan (or burn..)Oh yeah, and... I'm going on a mission Wednesday. How bout that. :) It was the last thing on my mind for most of this week, but the last couple days I've realized I need to start focusing on it again. It's been really tough with all that is going on, but I'm doing the best I can. I am still speaking this Sunday. Church will definitely be an unusual Sunday. It is going to be casual dress. Jeans, and t-shirts so everyone can go out to work in the community afterwards. In all of my 20 years, I have never seen our entire building in casual clothing.. it's always Sunday best. I'm actually pretty excited about that. So.. life has been crazy. I think I have all the stuff I need.. it's just a matter of packing it, and preparing mentally.
But even though it has been crazy.. so much good has come out of this week. I cannot express to you in words the amount of help we have received. Throughout this entire week we have easily had over 1000 volunteers on our property helping us pick up debris. In addition to those, we have had lunch, dinner, snacks, and plenty of water and supplies provided for us. My faith in humanity has definitely been restored. There have been so many people that have dropped everything and driven thousands of miles to come and help the people of Oklahoma. I have just been in shock at everything that happened, but at the same time I'm in shock of everything that has been done since. I feel like my mind has been going a million miles a second. There have been CNN reporters, Anderson Cooper, The Today Show, KSL, LDS Church News... you name it.. they've been here. It has been stressful, but overall really good. It has really changed my perspective on so many things, and has made me look at myself and my priorities. It has been an emotional week, but I've been pretty proud of myself for not shedding any tears, though I've had a lump in my throat countless times. The generosity of this community... there just aren't any words. There really aren't. I love Oklahoma. I love it so much. There are not better people anywhere in the country. We are very resilient, and that's one thing that has become more and more clear as each day passes.
Here are some pics of the farm.. They show it more than I can say.
If you see that big circle.. that is the training track. To the right of the parking lot that is where all the barns were. Below that is where the houses I grew up in were. By the parking lot you can see where the Orr Family Farm part of things is.
This is the Before and After of the Train Station.
This is a before and after of the carousel.
This is where the horse barns and indoor arena once stood.
The Beast of a Tornado
This is a photo of where the last 3 huge tornadoes through Moore have gone. Red is May 3, 1999, Blue is May of 2003, and Green is May 20, 2013. Pretty crazy stuff.
This is where the equipment barn once stood.
My family has been very blessed. We have each other and that's what matters most! The rest.. is just stuff. :)
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