Sleet, Snow, Rain, Hail, Fire, Blood

Ok, so we didn't have the hail, fire or blood - but it still wasn't pretty. We joined the 1 million people who lost power with this storm. Having lost it for several days last fall, we decided to go to a hotel till the power came on.

WHINE WARNING!!!!! If you don't like whining, just stop here and enjoy the photos. For the rest of you who find humor in other people's calamities, read on!

So this is what my life has been like since Tuesday morning.

Tuesday:6am- school is officially closed. We've already had snow and ice but the worst is yet to come.

8am-z-man wakes up, he doesn't feel well.

9 pm- Zane throws up, then he throws up again. Yippee! I'm going to be stuck at home with four kids and a big germ.

9:30 pm - school is cancelled for the morning too.

Wednesday - 9AM- Sounds like shots are being fired outside - it's the sound of branches and trees snapping.

9:30- lights flicker. this can't be good. Call every decent hotel to make a reservation just in case the electricity goes. Every place is already book. End up staying at the "Rest Inn". Never hear of it? Me neither

10:30 - it's starting to snow hard. The flakes are huge and gorgeous.
10:35- the lights flicker and then go off. Sighh

11:30 - The power company tells us we'll probably get the electric back on by Friday. Friday???????? But...it's only Wednesday.

12:00- Decide to go ahead and leave for hotel before we're snowed in. I can't help but think about the movie "The Shining". I love Jack Nicholson, but I never want to meet him in person.

12:15 -a white knuckle drive into Lancaster ( about 10 miles away). Visibility is bad, the roads are slick. We pray as a family that we'll make it to the hotel ok.

1:15 - we made it! The 60 minute drive should have only taken 30 minutes, but I'm just glad we're not off in a ditch somewhere.

1:20 -try to pay for room. I can't find my driver's license. They won't take my credit card without my license. I tell them I have four kids out in the car and one is sick. The lady won't budge. I thought people were supposed to be nice during storms, I was wrong.

1:45- hubby shows up to check us in. He's had to leave work just so we can check in.

1:55- finally have room keys. They don't work

2:00 try new keys. They work.

2:01 - We have two rooms because we are breeding overachievers and all of us can't fit in one room. Discover that our second room is being used for storage!

2:03- Inform lovely desk clerk that our second room is storage. Oh my! she says- someone must have forgotten to put this room on the unavailable list. Kinda like I forgot my driver's license, don't ya think. I'm still be very polite and extremely understanding. Maybe God will add on a sunroom to my mansion in heaven.

2:10 - finally have rooms. They were supposed to be connected, but instead are 11 rooms apart. They smell like smoke. The cable's out. The bed's are really uncomfortable. I now know the difference between a forty dollar room and a 90 dollar room. I prefer the latter. ( I know, I should be glad to be warm, right? - try to readjust attitude.)

5:00pm - school's cancelled for tomorrow too.

Thursday - we have electricity!!!!! It's a winter miracle. We decide to take advantage of the free continental breakfast before we leave.

Note- $40 dollar rooms don't have good continental breakfasts. We have our choice of stale powdered doughnuts or white toast.

7:00 pm- will there be school tomorrow? The kids don't have school on Monday or Tuesday due to a scheduled teacher inservice. I consider homeschooling, but I love my kids too much to subject them to my evil tyranny.


stay tuned