Boom.

Well, our Summer of Awesome II kicked off with a bang. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the type of excitement we were anticipating. Instead of laughter and fun, we had a bolt of lightening strike two of our giant oak trees in our front yard. Our area experienced wicked storms on Saturday evening, and while we were expecting downed limbs and lots of debris, we were taken aback by the lightening strike.

We weren't home when the strike occurred, instead we were trying to drive home from the airport
after picking up my Mom. The torrential rain, strong winds and constant lightning made the driving difficult and the typically quick drive long. We didn't notice the tree damage until the next morning when the storm stopped and the sun came out. At first we weren't sure what happened to the tree, but Mr. Bill confirmed that he both saw and felt impact of the lightening strike on our trees. 

Not only did the lightning damage our trees to the point where we will have to cut them down, but it also damaged several electronics inside our house. The random damage is confusing because we can't pinpoint the common variables between what was destroyed and what survived unscathed. The cable box in the living room, which was close to the lightning trees, remained fully operational while the one in our bedroom was fried. Our cordless phone base broke, as did the television in the kitchen.  Our internet modem/router was affected, rendering us without internet (the horror).

Yesterday was spent calling our home owners insurance, surveying the damages and trying to find a new modem/router so that we could get back online.  Internet was definitely the top priority, primarily because I work from home. We quickly discovered that the router we needed was not sold in stores, and would have to be ordered online for delivery on Wednesday. Scott was undeterred, took to Craigslist, and found a new router about 40 minutes away. 

By yesterday evening we were back online, the cable box from the broken kitchen television was moved to the bedroom so that Robby could still watch cartoons, and our life was returning to normal.  We still don't have a house phone, but to be completely honest the quiet has been nice. (I didn't realize how often it rang until it was silenced.)  Hopefully this storm is not a predictor of the rest of our vacation, and that we can return to sun and fun.