I've been at the school every day this week with either Angie or Josh celebrating field day with them. Well today, Angie asked me to spend an hour with her. I got there around 11, and we were hanging out in the classroom. The kids started talking about lunch, and Angie got up to check the menu. Hot dogs were on the docket, so she asked me to take her to McDonald's for lunch.
We told her teacher we'd be back after lunch, and left.
After lunch Angie talked me into letting her skip out the rest of the school day. We ended up at Kolomoki going paddle boating. It was such a pretty day, and the water was so calm and nice.
Walking from the truck to the boat, we were watching the red winged blackbirds nesting. We saw one chick resting his beak on the rim of the gourd. The parents were very busy bringing food and water to the nest.
We found our boat, and got comfortable in it. We had been given a key, but the boat was simply tied, so we didn't need it. The next 20 mins or so were spent just lazily paddling along, enjoying some peace and quiet. It was nice to spend some alone time with Angie and talk. Also to relax-this week has been hectic and crazy.
All was quiet and still when suddenly a big hawk flew right in front of us and tried to catch a fish. The fish jumped, but I think the hawk missed it. Awesome-right in front of us.
We noticed that the storm clouds that had been behind us seemed to be following the boat. It blocked the sun, and cooled things off for us. We kept paddling along, looking for critters and talking.
Then we noticed it was getting really dark above us, and the wind was picking up. The previously calm lake was getting rougher. We thought about it a minute, and decided to head back to the dock. We were quite a ways away from it.
As we paddled back, the wind picked up even more, and it started to sprinkle. Everything progressed quickly from there, until it was pouring rain and gusting wind. The lake had moved from small ripples to good sized swells. We were going against the current, and it was nearly impossible to pedal. In the midst of all this, an alligator jumps out of the water right in front of us. I think Angie and I about wet our pants.
Alligator disappears, but it starts to thunder and lightning. (only me, I swear, only I would get into these messes). Angie is scared to death, we can barely get the boat to move, paddling as hard as we can. Now we're soaked to the skin. We could actually see the lightning-ground lightning we call it-ahead of us. Straight lines right to the ground. Booming thunder. And to think it was sunny and blue just 30 minutes ago. The only thing that got us through that was praying to God and asking Him to keep us safe. We prayed and sang praise songs all the way back.
We finally get the boat back to the dock, and parked. I tie the boat as best I can, and we run for the truck. Which of course is locked. I did have the key, it just took an extra minute to get in.
We sat in the truck for a long time calming down and thanking God we got thru it all okay. Also telling Him we'd never skip school to go paddleboating again.
We drove back to the museum to drop off the lifejackets and key. They invited us to stay for a while until the storm blew over. We walked around looking at the things on display.
Then we sat in the rocking chairs and talked. Angie was really scared out there-to the point of shaking. She finally started to calm down and relax in the museum. Poor girl, I didn't intend for it to happen that way. When she started flipping cartwheels, I knew she was okay.
The storm moved on, and bright sunny skies returned. The whole storm probably lasted an hour tops. We headed back to the school to pick up Matt, Josh, and Angie's stuff. It hadn't rained a drop at the school. Talk about isolated thunderstorms.
We sheepishly returned to Angie's classroom, and decided there was nothing to do but tell the truth. It's not like she was missing anything anyway. We walked up, and her teacher met us, saying, "That was an awfully long lunch hour missy! Leave at 11:30, and get back at 2:55." She was lighthearted and all about it. :0) Everyone was amazed when we told them our story.
So the moral of the story is, don't skip school. And if you do, don't go paddleboating. If you must, take the Lord along. And before you tell me to check the weather next time, I did. It was only a 20 percent chance of rain. We also learned that in times of great trial, cling to God, and just keep praying.
