Wow. That was some experience.
On an almost nightly basis, we have a little man come creeping into our room, where I (the super light sleeper) will lift the blanket and wrap it around him as he climbs in.
Well last night, after singing several horrendous rounds on Wii Karaoke American Idol, I was sleeping like a brick (nothing like thirty minutes of tearful, hard laughter to help you sleep). 
Me before 1 amAlong comes the heaviest, nosiest child I have ever experienced. He stomps up the stairs, jumps up and down beside my bed and begins shaking it.
Alright, I know I was sleeping soundly for a couple of reasons.
My bed is a sturdy African Cherry Wood bed that stands high enough that even with my tall 9-year old, the matteress hits him about mid chest-- pretty hard to move it around.
I also can't imagine how any stomping could sound like a freight train.
So, still fuzzy headed, I lifted the blanket for him, but there was no one there. That's when my husband and I sat up simultaneously and said, "What the crap was that?!" It's not exactly what I said, but this is a G-rated blog.
We came downstairs to look around, still trying to determine-- was there a mangled plane crashed somewhere in our garden? Was our house side-swiped by a juggernaut?
[All Things British moment: this is what we would call an 18-wheeler. It's a large lorry, or truck]
As I'm tossing these ideas around in my head, I knew it was probably an earthquake and was typing in the address for the U.K. Seismology department. Couldn't get through. Funny thing about that-- the morning news stations keep quoting the U.S.G.S. Dept. I know where to go next time. (next time?!)
My high-strung husband (not) then says, "I'm going back to bed".
"What?! What about the after shocks? What about the kids?".
I blogged (of course) and then sat in front of the telly listening to callers sharing their experiences.
Hats off to you in the western states. I would move. Some people find this stuff exciting. I find it thrilling in the same way of participating in a 36-car pile up on the freeway.
My dusty, useless degree contains a minor in Geology. I know what is happening inside the earth to shake the outside hard enough to mimic a stomping child and I don't like it. It has a way of reminding me how little control I have over the grand scheme of things and how little God consults with me before making any final decisions. I don't like it.
What I do like is the British sense of Humour.
They're playing Martika's version of "I Feel the Earth Move" today.
Oh wait, there's something coming across the telly on the news ticker...
"Largest earthquake felt in Britain in 25 years said to have been caused by...
Some really horrendous karaoke somewhere near Norwich."
Uh oh. The Americans have done it again.
Scrolling Saturday is the ingenious idea by Manners and Moxie and Rock and Drool...Mom Gone Mental that allows us saturday away from the computer, but also lets us dust off the dust from great posts in the past when only our mothers were reading our blogs.
