And there was thunder ...

I think that this is more of a postscript to my last post. Because I forgot to include the excitement of Saturday night ... when it hailed so hard in Sioux Falls that the roof on Target was "rent" and lightning hit gas lines INSIDE the building. The hail also broke out windows of cars in the parking lot. 

And, of course, our lovely hotel (because there are too many of us to stay with Mom) was 6 blocks (per my brother ... ) from Target. Yikes. I was babysitting that night after the birthday dinner and a movie. Everyone left ... but Becky & Brian and we discussed the foreboding thunder clouds. We  agreed that if the weather got bad, I would take my relatively new car across the street ... and park under the gas station's canopy. 

What none of us had factored in was my lack of a car seat (yeah, the babysitting part of the night). But they left ... with Sabrina was sound asleep. Within 30 minutes, I had turned on the local news and weather, to learn that golf-ball size hail would be hitting in 8 minutes. Sent a quick text to Becky who gave me permission to bundle Sabrina into the car ... and off we went. 

Nothing like tearing through a hotel with a just-awakened two-year old in your arms. "GeeCee ... where are we going?" (I've taught her to respond by saying "Going crazy ...") I said, "to the car, Sabrina." "Not going crazy, GeeCee?" Not yet, Sabrina Fair, not yet. 

We hit the lobby at a dead run ... racing out into the pouring rain with Sabrina chortling with glee. "It's dark!!" (No kidding, kid!) "It's really raining." (Yes, Sabrina. And gulp, yes, she was soaked ... but I had that new car to rescue.) 

We traveled the few feet to the car where I did at least buckle her in before I took off like a bat out of hell ... and traveled all of 30 feet to the canopy at the hotel. (No one else had thought to park there.) Here's where we stay!

There was baseball-sized hail everywhere ... forget golf ball-sized!  But not a dent in my beauty of a car. Nor on my beauty of a granddaughter. Me ... I thought I was having a heart attack ... I am NOT used to running full-board for that long!

And lest you think I'm totally obsessive (which could be somewhat accurate) about my car ... my past 4 cars, all purchased new, have each been hailed on in Sioux Falls some time during their first two years of life! But so far ... not the Audi. 

PS ... Becky said that the next day, they got into her car and Sabrina immediately tried to get into the front seat ... and looked at them as if to say, "Hey, but GeeCee lets me ..."