Adventures

Well...the end of last week was a bit of a crazy adventure. All week, the weathermen had been mentioning the possibility of a winter mix on Thursday night, but it was just to be a trace--probably not even enough to get a school delay. But as Thursday approached, the estimates for our county kept rising. By the time I was driving home Thursday night, they were talking about the possibility of an inch of ice. Unfortunately, they were correct.

I got home from class just in time to watch sleet start to collect on the deck. By 3 am, our power was flickering. By 6 am, it was out. We spent the morning cuddling and playing. Thankfully, smart phones let us know that some power had been restored by lunch, and Brad went out to bring home a hot lunch. By the time he got home, he announced it was a mess out there and he would be shocked if we got power before dinner. After lunch, we all piled into our bed with lots of blankets and took a nap. When we woke up--still no power. By dinner, Brad had made a hotel reservation and we were throwing things in suitcases in the dark.

The kids loved our night at the hotel, and even Viv got to make the trip. The house was getting cold and dark. The real problem, though, was the falling branches. In the dark, you could hear the crack but you couldn't see where they were landing. The kids and Viv were on edge.

About 10 Friday night, we got word that we had power, so after breakfast Saturday morning we made our way home. We were beyond blessed. We didn't lose a thing in the refrigerator, and we only had small branches come down. Issa cleaned up the front yard in less than an hour. The investment we made last year in an arborist to come out and do some serious work is looking like one of the best decisions we ever made.

As we drove home, though, we realized we were one of the few. Many, many neighbors lost whole trees. One had a tree come down on the house; another lost a truck to a tree fall. Many people in the county are without power. Schools are still closed today. Even though it is supposed to be 70 today, the ice is still wreaking havoc. They are not expecting life to be completely normal around here until late this week.

In all of this, I have been so grateful. Grateful that we are all safe and we didn't have any real damage. Grateful that we are in a place where we could just pick up and go to a hotel. Grateful to know that even if we couldn't have found a room we have friends we could have called who would have taken us in. But more than anything, I am grateful for a husband who stays so calm in these situations and takes such good care of us. He really is our rock. Love you, babe.