Ice Storm of 2011

Funny how sometimes you can totally feel on top of things and ready for whatever life brings, and within hours/minutes be completely overwhelmed! In the beginning of February Stephen was going off on a business trip for 3 days/nights while i stayed home with the kids. It was our longest time apart without me having help but i was ready. We had done all the grocery shopping beforehand, i had a few hours to exercise/get energized for the time he would be away. Then the ice storm hit when he was supposed to leave. And of course, only 5 flights made it out of Dayton that day and one of them happened to be Stephens. While he was in flight to Colorado the ice storm got really bad. The lights went out in the house and everything went pitch black. I scrambled to make sure i was holding Elsie (didn't want to loose her in the dark house) and the kids and i spent 30 minutes trying to find candles. Trees were snapping outside and the phone was out. Thankfully Stephen had bought me a track phone right before he left which was a lifeline for me and the outside world! Our furnace went out too - i decided we would spend an inpromtu night on the living room floor all together. By morning the house was 55 but the driveway was so thick with ice i didn't think i could make it down to go somewhere or endanger someone to come and get me. Trees were down everywhere in the neighborhood. The road was blocked in 3 out of the 4 places we could leave. I talked with Stephen on the phone and asked if there was any way he could come back and help me - with near 100k out of power and thick ice everywhere and a house getting colder by the minute i just wasn't sure what to do. He was so sweet and got on the next flight home and was with me by afternoon. We had some friends come over to salt the driveway and i was able to stay with some sweet families from church for the next 2 1/2 days. Good thing Stephen did come home - Jack came down with a high fever that evening and needed lots of extra holding and care. I think our house made it down to the low 40's before the power did return and we were able to move back in. Thankful for God's protection during that time - i hate the dark so it was a stretching experience for me to be brave for the kids. And we had a great time spending the night with families nearby we normally would not have!