If you want the full story on the pages below, just scroll down for the rather lengthy play by play of our Snowmaggedon experience. The “fun” snow pictures will be a separate post!
It started off just a normal day. Threat of snow was in the air but not imminent. Hurriedly, Noah the girls and I rushed out the door at 8:40 a.m. After dropping the girls off at school Noah and I headed to another appointment. At about 9:30 a.m. I noticed that snow was falling fairly steady. By 10:00 a.m. I was concerned. Eyes wide with wonder, Noah and I hurried to the car. Must retrieve girls! I knew by the look of the parking lot time was not our friend. Frantically, I called Eric and begged him to head home immediately. Upon reaching the interstate my heart sank. It was already getting treacherous. Bundling up the girls we tore out of the parking lot of the preschool...or I had hoped we would. Instead, we barely made it up the hill. I had the fleeting thought to just head straight to the Edington’s not but a half mile away. But I brushed it away and set my mind on home. Not my best decision. Sliding, skidding and stressing we arduously made our way down the road that we hoped would take us home. Cars were out of control everywhere you looked. Knots of tangled messes of metal littered the streets. My hope of home was fading fast and my blood pressure was rising in equal amounts, as was Noah’s. We made it down Highway 150 as far as Publix when we saw an impassable scene, so we snuck up the steep hill to Publix and found it clear of ice and snow! Tearing across the parking lot at 5 mph we wove our way back to Highway 150 where it crosses beneath I-459 and the picture above shows you what awaited us there. Pressing on to the goal we continued. By now, I had my parents on speaker phone for moral support. When the car began sliding into the next lane without me doing anything…it was comforting to have them with us. Only by the grace of God did we actually climb that hill past the Target and I mean that. Thank you Lord Jesus! We inched down the other side and finally made it to CVS. I decided that there was no way we would be able to climb the hill before us and make the left turn onto South Shades Crest. Clambering out of the car we rushed the doors of CVS only to find them locked! What?! However, an employee hurried to open them in order to let us know they were closed and the registers were down. Seriously?! They let us in and after a potty break for all, the kids ate their school lunches on the floor. Another woman in the store offered Noah some bread, lunch meat and a banana- kindness of strangers. Soon the manager informed us she was closing the store and walking home, so we’d have to leave. Sigh. Before I could even gather all our things she also told me she would open a register and I could buy whatever I needed. Score! Pull ups, wipes, bottled water, Gatorade, Goldfish, animal crackers, applesauce, cashews, and fruit bars...check! I decided to try the impossibly steep hill at CVS to position myself on South Shades Crest from a different angle. It worked! However, after over an hour on this road the realization that we’d have to abandon the car sank in. Who did I know? Who could help? We were sitting very near to our old neighborhood when the Holy Spirit whispered the name, “Alex.” in my ear. Of course, the Sheppard’s, our old favorite neighbors! Alex used to babysit for us all the time. I texted her to see if she was home, praise Jesus she was indeed. They invited us to come over and Alex came to meet me on the road to help with the girls. The walk to their home was half a mile, it was snowing, and 19 degrees! Upon arriving to their home we were informed that the windshield was actually 9 degrees! I still am not sure how my littles made it that far, again...God. My right hand was numb and purple. How I had the notion to keep the girls hands in their jackets as we trudged along I’ll never know...wait...Jesus again. MEANWHILE, Eric tried to make it home but only got as far as West Valley Avenue when he deemed it better to head back to the office. But before doing so he spent hours helping people and pushing their cars out. His home base was Naji’s Pita Stop, they kept him well supplied with coffee and plenty of food. He decided to head back to the office as the sun was going down. A woman, who lived on Valley, needed a ride home, so he took her home on the way to the office. It was getting late and the trek from Valley Ave. up Beacon Parkway he said was brutal due to the cold and setting sun. In the office, he set up camp by using cushions from the tops of two drawer filing cabinets. He had never understood their purpose, a place to sit perhaps, but was grateful to have them to make a make shift bed. Co-workers, who had made it home, contacted Eric to let him know to raid their food stashes. He settled down for the evening with his laptop and internet for company, which for him is good company. Back at Camp Sheppard, the rest of the Williamson clan were being well taken care of by Gail and Alex. The kids loved Alex! Brownies were made. Bellies content. While the kids watched cartoons, the “adults” watched the weather station and got reacquainted again! Later, Mommy made a palate for the girls on the floor and put them easily to bed. Nothing like a ½ mile hike in the snow, uphill, in almost sub-zero weather to wear out your kids. Noah and I watched a bit of Animal Planet then hit the bed. As Yaya woke me up 4 times, Eden once and Noah multiple times, (I should have put him on the floor instead of in bed with me!) I thanked God, each time that we were in a warm house and not our car. Morning came too early for me, the girls were up at 6:30 a.m. A large screen T.V., paper and crayons, and books entertained my children most of the day. Perfect angels! About 11:30 a.m. Alex and I headed out to my car to get “kid food” and pull ups. We wanted to survey the situation to make a determination about our chances of getting home. No go. Roads were still slippery with ice and the cluster of cars blocking the intersection were still doing that very thing. Taking some pictures along the way we enjoyed the time out. When we returned with the kid food, my children were thrilled! Poptarts all around! Eric phoned to let me know that he would try to make a break for it around 2:00 p.m. Praying silently, I tried not to get my hopes up. He called around 2:00 to let me know he had gone the long way around the mountain to get home, putting him on the opposite end of Hwy 150 and he had to abandon his truck. Back on foot he was still helping push people out and he pressed on with determination to reach his family. I got a text at 2:30 letting me know that he had caught a ride to the back entrance of a neighborhood that joined the one I was currently in. However, he was still a good distance away. Back at the Sheppard’s, Glory to God, Kevin (Mr. Sheppard) made it home. He relayed to us that we could likely make it home if we got the car. Alex and I bundled up again and headed out to get my car! Luckily, it was a breeze getting to my car and bringing it back to the house thanks to some good Samaritans who were directing traffic. Back to Eric. After, pushing out three more cars, Eric was noticed by another driver and she gave him a ride all the way to the Sheppard’s home! I saw a white car pull into the drive way and Eric stepped out of the car. Running like a goof in a bad romance movie, I threw myself into his arms. By this time I already had the car packed up and the kids ready to go. Gail put some warm soup in a bowl for Eric to take home and there were hugs and kisses all around. We rallied to the car. We carefully drove home. We made it! Never, in recent history, can I remember being so happy to be home with my entire family with me! Later the kids got some good “snow time.” But that’s a different page. God is so good!
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