Winter Storm Warning

Valentines Day, after our huge storm!

What a week we've had! It all got started with a winter storm waring for Utah. I had fixed us a lovely dinner for Valentines Day. One of Ryan's favorites- Swedish meatballs! Ryan was at work and was told to stay put and wait it out. We thought that was somewhat odd, since the warning was until the next morning so he decided he would brave the weather and come home. ( Work should have sent him home hours before. Everyone knew that the storm was coming!) He even left just a few minuets early to try and make it home.
Two hours later he did make it all the way to the gas station right off of our freeway exit but was not allowed to go up the little highway 92 less then a mile from our house because he didn't have a 4 wheel drive on his car. He gave me a call since I do have a 4 wheel drive car to just come to the gas station less then a mile away and pick him up. We would just leave his car parked there over night. No problem I said. With the table set and dinner ready I thought, I'll just go grab him and we'll eat as soon as we get back!
An hour later I made it to Ryan! Not because I got stuck in snow or was slipping on the road, no because I got trapped behind 20 cars who were stuck in the snow and slipping all over the road. I got so sick and tired of waiting for cars to move or get towed or even worse- run into me. I decided to jump the curb and just go around them. I know, that' doesn't seem like a big deal, but I'm not that daring, especially with two small children in the car. But we finally made it safely to Ryan and were so happy to turn around and go home!
But no.. now it had taken me so long to get to Ryan that by the time I turned around to go back up 92 they had closed it to everyone, including those with 4 wheels drive. The terribly sad thing is that Ryan's an amazing driver in the snow and I, who can be somewhat of a scaredy cat would have thought it not a big deal for Ryan to dive the mile to our home. However highway patrol thought otherwise.
So the clever people that we are though that we could find another way to make it home. We drove up and around to come back the other way down 92 to make it home. It took us 2 hours to make it there and then sat in a long line for 2 more hours. Ryan had to pee, Ella was thirsty! It was awful. Luckily we did have some fruit snacks and some candy. I'm just glad that Jack stayed asleep the entire time! What a blessing!
After deciding that we would have to sit there all night to make it home, again we would try and find another way. It actually didn't take too long to get back to American Fork where we now had to get gas since it had been hours! We didn't know what to do- go to a friends, rent a hotel room, sleep in the car!? After a prayer we decided to go back on the freeway and again try something else.
They weren't letting people off of the exit to our house for hours, but just as we were about to pass it to head north of our house, we saw some people in big trucks on the exit ramp. We were able to get down the ramp to a highway patrol car who was making people either get back on the freeway or turn to the gas station. Bummer!
Then as we were about to turn to again try something else, we saw a large truck with 4 wheel drive go up 92! So we asked the high way patrol officer if we could go too, that we lived less then a mile away! He said yes and we booked it so fast up that hill and of course with no trouble at all.
After 7 hours for Ryan and 5 hours for me and the kids, we made it home! Looking back Ryan could have walked home faster! Sad to say, but not surprising our food was so cold and yucky by the time we got home. Sitting on the table for all of those hours. We all just went to bed.
However, that's not the end of the story... The next morning we woke up to 3 feet of snow in our driveway! Ryan and I took turns for 4 hours until we finally had some of it cleared way. On the news they said that our area and especially our freeway exit was the worst most hard hit area of all of Utah!
We hop in the car, because of course Ryan's car is still parked at the gas station. But... the car wont start! We had left a light on! Luckily we have a battery charger that we were able to hook up and after an hour we were able to go get Ryan's car. It wasn't as stuck in the snow as we had thought it might be and Ryan was actually able to make it to work that afternoon. What an ordeal!
We are just feeling blessed to be safe! (We hope that you all were safe and made it home to your families too!) That we had a car that worked wonderfully in the snow and most of all that soon we wont have to deal with snow anymore after our move to Arizona! So if any of you want us to stay- you know who you are- I'm sorry, but after that night I doubt that Ryan will ever come back!