One BIG Happy Family...

2,698 Strikes of Lightning...

...and a sleepless night for one very tired Dad of 3 very young girls. 2,698 lightning strikes - that's what the guy on TV hyped up on 29 cups of coffee (also known as a meterologist) just said. Deep thoughts at 12:45 AM: Why do thunderstorms seem to primarily come at night? Why does cottage cheese have an expiration date? Why do we park on driveways and drive in parkways? Or to ponder Homer Simpson's great metaphysical question: Can God heat up a microwave burrito so hot that even he can't eat it?

You know what's funny? I've always liked storms. As a kid, there was just something about playing baseball outside in the spring or summer and watching huge thunderheads roll in across the corn fields of the Midwest. There is certain smell just before the rain starts to fall in giant drops that look so big that they could drown you. The entire world seems to wait in anticipation. And there is something about the unrestrained and uncontrollable raw power of a storm that still captures my imagination. I think there's something about them that leaves us in awe and reminds us that maybe we're not so big after all.

You know what, I still like storms. Even if I'd wish they'd stop at the moment so I could go to bed.