So, my Dad almost got struck by Lightning yesterday!

There I was, sitting at my desk, playing on the interwebs when I heard THE loudest crack of Thunder/Lightning I have ever heard IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!

Stuff from my closet went flying to the floor, I screamed, my kid screamed!

Then I heard my Mom from the other room just totally lose it and start screaming at my Dad!

I went running to the living room, 

looked outside to see a GIANT plume of smoke!

Then my Dad came racing in the house! alive!

He had been outside, standing on a metal ladder, holding an umbrella while cleaning out the

metal rain gutters we have on the side of the house.

It was pouring down rain and they were packed with pine needles so the rain will spilling over the side.

He has done this a billion time before.

He had JUST stepped down and was on the porch still holding the umbrella when the lightning hit

a HUGE tree in our backyard!

The force of the hit pushed him physically back 

and sent the umbrella flying!

Which is all my Mom actually saw and thought he had been hit & thrown from the ladder.

It was Totally and complately insane!

My Mom was crying, my kid was crying....My dog was standing in the middle of the room looking at us like we had all lost our minds!

My Dad was trying to laugh it off...but I don't think he'll be cleaning out the gutters in a rain storm any more!

I still can't believe it happened! Thanks goodness my Dad is OK!

Only a few things were damaged when they fell off the walls, and

nothing that would be missed like we would miss my Dad :/

here are some pics of the damage...please click them to view larger.

It's hard to tell just how crazy it looks form these pics...but it basically just looks like the tree exploded! there is debris everywhere!

Be careful out there people...when you hear thunder, just go inside & wait it out!