Friday, January 4, 2008

Shaking on the 16th floor....

Today was another first for all of us...our first earthquake!!!! JT had just finished giving Jett a bath and the girls were beginning to watch a movie. I was on the computer, and all of the sudden, we felt the room sway. Seriously...we are on the 16th floor, and the entire room began to sway. Not just a slight sway...but almost a foot in either direction. It was like we were all of surfboards on top of a hotel.

I told JT that I thought it was an earthquake. He looked out the window and felt the room sway again...not very comforting at that moment. We heard yelling (in Spanish) in the hall and ran to the door. A hotel employee was directing us to the stairs with other hotel guests. A teenage boy told us in Spanish that it was an emergency and so we had to evacuate. So, in our pajamas and with no shoes, we all ran down 16 flights of stairs. Exercise for the day...done! (On a side note, Kaitlyn was coherent enough to take her favorite stuffed animal...bad memories from the fire I guess).

We get to the lobby where the front desk employees assure us that this happens all the time. Then, why evacuate???? Anyway, we were told that everything was okay and to return to our rooms. We find out that the earthquake was a 5.6 on the Richter scale. Can you believe it? We survived an earthquake.

We are grateful to our Heavenly Father who protects our every step. He has certainly guided us to this point and has protected us during this time. We are so thankful! Please pray for our girls as they tend to scare easily since the house fire....they are a little wired and worried at the moment. Pray for their sleep and peace of mind. (Side note...Mommy and Daddy were fascinated but now tired from the 16 floor hike).

4 comments:

Carlye Stringfellow said...

Hello Turners - Wow - ok, so the picture of Sheryl and Jett...I'm still sniffling. All praise and all honor and all glory to our Heavenly Father. We join you in shouts of praise. And... this is only the beginning of this glorious journey...how awesome is our God!
With love from Bham!
The Stringfellows
(Matt, Carlye and Riley Kate)

Anonymous said...

I am so enjoying hearing your story as you get a little closer every minute to coming home (siempre). Now you get to add an earthquake to that story. Wow. Jett looks great and so does the rest of the family. I'm glad you guys made it through alright. We'll be praying for peace for you all these next few days.
Tim

Stephanie said...

WOW- What stories you will have to remind Jett of when he is older!
I am so glad you are all okay!

I am so happy for you. Jett looks so happy to be with his family! I pray you have a fun time the rest of your stay and a safe return home!

Anonymous said...

Oh my! We just read what happened to you! I would have LOVED to see your face when REALITY of the Earthquake hit! We knew and prayed for the many 1st you would have but this QUAKE was not one of them we even imagined! I just discovered that I could have been "Blogging Back!" I bet you are thankful for that! (HAHA) We love you and can't wait to here about the Zoo and all the other exciting things that each of you are experiencing!
Love, Prayers, and Blessings!
The Whitmires