Counting my blessings

It's been a crazy, crazy five days since I clocked out of my weekend job Sunday.

Ryan and I hit the road for Hot Springs, Arkansas to see his family around 9:30 Sunday morning. When we got there, we were so busy getting lunch ready for some visitors and packing to go camping, I forgot to send my dad a message letting him know where I was.

My phone died soon after we got to the campsite. What I saw after I got it recharged broke my heart and lifted it at the same time.

A tornado came close to where Ryan and I live, and my dad was terrified because he didn't know I was out of town.

But what touched me the most about this situation were two voicemails left from a number I hadn't seen on my screen in a long time. One of my uncles and I had a falling out last year.

He was the first person to call, trying to check up on me, when my dad 'sounded the alarm'.

But it gets more surreal. That afternoon, Ryan and I went out with some good friends. The weather was beautifully sunny and the predicted afternoon storms stayed away. We enjoyed some pizza and frozen yogurt piled with tasty toppings.

While the guys were climbing a rock, I pulled my phone from my backpack. I had an alert from my local news application.

Devastation. Complete and utter devastation. Just about 5 miles from my apartment in Norman, an F5 tornado tore through the town, killing 24 people and displacing hundreds.

Just five miles from me. It has rocked my community's world. I can't even describe the shock I felt. I could hardly tell the guys what happened. As they bounced around back to the car, my mind was whirling.

We turned on the livestream of the news, which had preempted national programming since the Sunday tornadoes. Tornadoes are normal for our area, but devastation and chaos like that isn't. It's still unreal to look on my Facebook page and see Mountain Home friends going on as if nothing ever happened, while it has consumed my OU friends' lives. Many of them coming back to the area from their homes to provide aid.

Amid all of this tragedy, so much good has sprung. Initial death tolls dropped dramatically. So many people have appeared at Red Cross volunteer training that they've had to turn people away. Millions of dollars have been pledged by major benefactors.

Checking my email is quite the chore right now. The station email is flooded with people offering their services or asking for help donating. It's overwhelming to see that much support. If you look at my Facebook page, I've reposted countless bits of information on ways people can help.

Personally, I have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful we got out of Oklahoma long before the storms began. My puppy is extremely scared of severe weather and I get more than very nervous when it's near. A once broken bridge between a family member and me has begun to repair. I sat on the side of a mountain in an equally beautiful and terrifying place today (Albert Pike) and agreed to marry my best friend and love of my life. I got to spend the week enjoying the giggles and play of Ryan's sweet nephew.

Life gives us so many trials, but this week I saw the best of Oklahoma, the best of humanity, and I basked in the spoils of a really, really good life.

What wonderful things have you witnessed this week?