Os' Birthday Weekend Day 1 - Part 3

Note: For the first two installments of this series, look here for part one and here for part two.

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While I was looking through the closet for the clothes I wanted to wear Friday night, I heard a weather alert come on the television. A severe storm was moving into the Dallas-Fort Worth area from the west. They warned that a tornado was imminent and to be ready to take shelter as the storm approaches your area.

Yes, we were the path of a tornado!

I've survived countless hurricanes in my lifetime and even an earth quake when I was in San Francisco years ago, but a tornado was a first for me. (Okay, I slept through the earth quake, but they told me there was one.)

By now Lori had finished showering and we watched the TV together trying to figure out if we would die on our first night in Dallas. A reporter directly in the tornado's path was huddled with her crew in a ditch. The debris circling in the air above them, indicated the tornado was passing very close to them. Then the transmission was lost. Soon though, they reported they were okay and had been in contact with them, probably by cell phone.

The storm front was a fast moving, and looked like it was going to pass north of Dallas. I started to feel comfortable until the wind picked up dramatically and the hail started hitting our window.
The hail at hitting the hotel was about 1/2 inch in diameter, but the TV station was being hit with hail the size of golf balls.

I really wasn't too sure how to get to Shumpy's house for the party, so I called No One on her cell phone. They had the same directions as I did, so she couldn't really help. Besides, it seems that she and her hubby were preoccupied with the storm passing over head. They were camped out under an overpassed to avoid the hail damaging their truck.

When the storm passed them, they were further delayed getting to the party, because they were kind enough to pulled five cars stuck in the mud. Luckily they had a four-wheel drive truck or would have been stuck too.

The storm quickly passed and Lori and I headed for Shumpy's. Again I was very happy to have had my GPS. Last November when Lori and I were in San Diego, I rented a GPS with the car. Getting around was so simple with it. One night we were in the city of San Diego and Lori wanted Vietnamese food. I checked the GPS and found out there were none in the area, but there was a Thai restaurant less than a mile away. So I pressed the button and it gave me the directions. After dinner, I pressed a few buttons again, and was directed right back to the hotel. I'll never travel without on again. Sorry, I'm digressing.

Lori and I were the first to arrive at the party, about two hours late. When we drove by Shumpy's, we saw him was standing in the garage waiting for everyone to show. I'm sure he knew we would all be late due to the storm, but I'm sure was still wondering where we all were.

He invited Lori and I in and gave us a tour of his place. Then we hung out in the kitchen, made a couple of drinks and waited for the rest of his guests to arrive. One by one, everyone showed up. The last to arrive was the Os party, but fashionably late.

Shumpy had the burgers, hot dogs and chips, and No One brought lots of other goodies. She even baked cookies. I'm not a desert person, so didn't try the cookies, but they sure looked good.

No One's hubby volunteered to do the cooking.




No One even found plates that matched the old Os shirt, may it rest in peace.



This just some of what No One brought along and set up for the party.







No One brought along her pink Stetson, which lots of people just had to try on.


Here's Lori wearing it.


Those two chicks make hot looking cowgirls, don't you think?

Here are a few G-rated pictures with me in it from the party.



But once the shots of tequila and Jagermeister started flowing..................










...........................and Shumpy brought out the jello shots, which went very quickly.










Things started to, shall we say, pick up a bit.



Lori and Tara seemed to have taken a shine to each other.



Os and I even join in on the fun.

Sorry, but that's about all the pictures I can show you from that night. I have a lot more, but we all took an oath, that.........