I thought of you and my other southern/midwestern friends when I saw the paper this morning. I come from Illinois farm country, so I'm no stranger to tornadoes- my mom nearly strangled my dad when he went out with a videocamera instead of hiding in the basement with us. Still, it sounds like you had a couple of close shaves! I remember a section of woods off a highway that a tornado tore through, and it looked as if it had been clearcut. I do know what you mean about it being both scary and exhilarating. It's really amazing to see nature in all her fury, and there's just something about wind and rain. And lightning! Not that we get much rain or lightning in San Diego. At least we get wildfires and earthquakes!