On December 26, 2015, David Collins went to a movie. It may be the best idea he ever had.
That evening, as Collins set in the movie theater, a tornado tore into Collins' hometown of Glenn Heights.
NBC 5 meteorologist Brian James watched it move across the community in southern Dallas County from NBC 5's Texas Thunder Truck.
Collins received a phone call.
"My daughter called and said, 'Daddy where are you?'," said Collins. "I said 'I'm at the movie.' She said 'I'm sitting here watching on the news, Channel 5. It's tearing up a church and coming across the field.'"
Collins rushed home from the movie to find his home had been in the direct path of an EF-3 tornado.
The next morning, NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist David Finfrock reported live in Glenn Heights and Collins invited him into his home.
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Viewers saw a heavily damaged home when a non-existent ceiling and roof.
Nearly a year after the tornado, Finfrock revisited Trishia Lane.
After spending time since the storm in a hotel, Collins moved back into a rebuilt home in early December 2016.
Collins said his U.S. military experience, including time in Vietnam, helped him get through the storm.
"Without that training, I don't think I would be able to stand up and say 'hey, I can always rebuild,'" said Collins. "That training showed me how to prepare myself. There is a better day."
Collins is grateful.
"It's a blessing to come back to see something that's been re-created," said Collins.
Collins will spend Christmas 2016 with his family in his new home. As for the day after - the exact one year anniversary of the tornado that destroyed his home - he has tickets, but not for the movies.
"No, I am going to the Dallas Cowboys game," said Collins with a smile.
