Snowmageddon 2014, Part 2

I just realized that I never specified where Nick was during all of this. He stayed at the office until they officially announced it was closing, around 1, way too late. He considered trying to leave, but when he saw people leave for 3 or 4 hours just to come back to the office, he realized he wasn’t going anywhere. He (along with my mom) was my coach and my angel during all of the craziness!

He ended up hanging out with the other stranded folks in his building, playing poker and such, then slept on the tile floor in his office, with nothing but the clothes on his back. Thankfully, he had a scarf and a coat to help cushion a little bit, but I could not imagine trying to sleep on a cold floor! Once he secured our hotel room, he was going to try and meet us there, but I didn’t even want him to try, there was no point, and I did not want to have to worry about him driving on the ice in the dark.

Okay, so we made it to the hotel. We walked in, and of course there were people (all adults) crashing all over the lobby space. It became clear quickly that food was sparse, but morale seemed a little better than at Z’s school. We went straight to our room and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now the goal was to get something good for Z to eat. On the way in we saw a couple of girls holding some pizzas, so I asked where they got them and you would have thought I was trying to rob them the way they acted. They couldn’t have run away from me and Z faster. Oh well! Then we went back down to the lobby and were told that all they had was Italian Wraps. A group of people was sitting at a table with a feast of chicken and all the fixin’s from Full Moon Barbecue, but they were less than generous also looking at us with contempt, even after Z exclaimed over and over again “Mama, I want chicken!”

We finally figured out that a grilled cheese was an option, and we sat at the bar and waited, surrounded by adults, most of whom were ordering adult beverages. Then, more employees from Full Moon arrived with bags of chicken, and I realized this was our opportunity. I asked who I think was the manager, if I could have some chicken for Z, and he was super sweet. He heated it up for him and even brought ketchup, which Z was insisting on having. He also gave us some Full Moon cookies! Things were starting to look up at this point.

To Z, this was like the best adventure already! After we ate, we went back to the room. We brought the ketchup with us, because Z had it in his mind that he was going to have some cheetos with ketchup. Who was I to argue?

After snacking, we got in bed to watch a little TV (and make funny faces).

Z pretty quickly decided he was “hot of this shirt” so I let him take it off, then he decided “these pants are too tight,” so before we knew it he was in his undies running around the hotel room like a wild man!

I happened to have Barbie toothbrushes in my purse that I was getting ready to give out to Z’s class for dental health week. That was a miracle, so we both were able to brush our teeth, and Z thought it was hilarious that we were brushing with Barbie toothbrushes. We each laid in our beds (we had a double), and tried to fall asleep, two hours and a million noises, requests for chapstick, water, air, no air later, Z finally fell asleep snoring like a freight train, but I wasn’t complaining!

We were up pretty bright and early, and Z decided to order some room service.

I’m kidding, of course, but we did manage to get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast buffet(ish).

The faces of a boy with not a worry in the world! Me on the other hand…

So, after talking to Nick, I decided to plan for the worst case scenario which was staying there another night (best case scenario in Z’s mind). I went ahead and booked the room, and decided we were going to go to Walgreen’s, get more supplies, pick up my twin nieces from Odyssey and hunker down again! Again, to have a plan, even though not the most favorable felt good.

We bundled up and headed to Walgreen’s on foot. Almost slipped a couple of times…

We’d almost made it, when Nick, who was when I left him at a standstill on I-20 called and said HE WAS AT THE HOTEL! You could have knocked me over! We still had a little ways to walk in the ice from Walgreen’s to where he was, but thankfully another very nice stranger drove us most of the way, and we were together again!

I could’ve cried, but ain’t nobody got time for that. He’d heard that 280 was clear, so our new plan was to check out of the hotel, pick up the girls, get my car, and GO HOME! Praise the Lord!

We got the girls, pulled into Inverness corners and Nick walked to my car, which was right where I’d left it and fine (another miracle). I let the kids out to play while we were waiting, then Nick called and gave me the go ahead to leave.

As I was approaching where he was, I saw him cross over the median, and I ended up right behind him.

All routes into the neighborhood were bleak, so we had to leave our cars (again) in the entrance and walk. I didn’t really care, because now we were in the homestretch, and I was about to be in my home with my ENTIRE family, that was what I wanted more than anything in the world.

My brother came to the front of the neighborhood and took us home. The road was super sketchy!

But then we finally saw this!

Home! The most beautiful place on earth!

I gave Lu the biggest hug, then the longest bath ever. We took showers and naps, and it was a beautiful thing. While I was content to stay home with my little family for a very long time, Z wanted to go back to the hotel, and now regularly asks if we can live there….

It was such an ordeal and certainly something I will never forget. I saw a lot of kindness and my share of rudeness, but I am going to choose to remember the kindness of the people who picked us up, all the people who were helping navigate traffic, people driving people in their four-wheel drives and ATV’s, sharing food, their homes, and showing love to their fellow man. Every once in a while we get the opportunity to show who we really are as people and this was one of those times.