An Exciting Evening

You won't believe the dinner that I almost didn't eat.

A few weeks ago I was chilling out at home alone, working, studying, etc., and I decided to get some dinner. Now, I might have just whipped up a sandwich for myself, but then I remembered the NMS Covenant. 


So I got creative. There really was nothing in the refrigerator. Well, yes, there was a little leftover chicken salad. I thought I might put it on toast...no. I decided to go all-out, even though I wasn't altogether sure that I'd want to eat my creation after I was finished with it.

What I did was this: tortilla chips went into a bowl. In a separate bowl I mixed up the chicken salad with raisins, a handful of sunflower nuts, a good dose of curry powder, and a splash of honey dijon salad dressing. Spooning the salad stuffs onto the chips I sat down to a completely creative meal of Curry Chicken Salad Nachos. 

I can see your face right now.

But believe me, it was actually delicious! The sharp tang of the dressing with the sweet raisins and flavorful curry was a delightful medley that sort of waltzed across the tongue. The crunch of the chips and the smooth chicken salad went together beautifully. But more importantly: it wasn't a sandwich.


However, I almost lost the chance to eat my amazing creation. Just after snapping the photograph above I got a phone call from "LITTLE ROCK, AR", according to our caller ID. Since we know no one in Little Rock I answered with some apprehension, to be greeted by a the recording of a woman's deadpan voice saying something like, "The National Weather Service has declared a tornado warning for your area. Take shelter now." 

I called Mom and Dad, who were in town about an hour away, and they said to get down to my grandparents' basement. It was then that I had a thought I've had many times during tornado warnings over the years, "I have about three minutes to take everything that matters most to me. What will it be?" If you've ever had a close shave with a home-destroying disaster then you know that feeling. What does is come down to? 


You can't take your library, you can't take your furniture. Your filing cabinets and piano must stay. What can be replaced, and what can't you live without? For me it was the journals that I've been keeping for years--they are almost the only record of my life thanks to my terrible memory. I also snagged my Dad's old Bible, my precious laptop, my Mom's digital camera, and, of course, my nachos.


Bumping wildly over gravel roads in our suspension-challenged Explorer, getting out to shut the gate and feeling the cool wind and sprinkles coming faster and faster, watching the swirling dark clouds in the sky above and hearing the shriek of a warning siren all came close to frying my nerves. The nachos, precariously perched on top of my schoolbooks, bumped along with the car and, as I got everything out at my grandparent's home, most of the nachos spilled out on the parking lot. On the verge of tears I hauled everything inside with Grandma's comforting help, and then sat in the living room watching the radar on television for about 45 minutes until we were sure that the tornado had gone around us. Praise God!


All in all, a very exciting evening that prompts the question: what would you take with you with only minutes to leave the house?