Finally Thawing Out

I think most of you have heard that Richmond (and Kentucky in general) got hit pretty hard by a nasty ice storm. Well, Tuesday we woke up to at least and inch of solid ice. It was so pretty at first and I was glad Aiden had a day off school so we could hang out. But then the lights went out. It wasn't a big deal to me since I didn't have anywhere to be and I was sure they would flick back on in a few minutes.

Well, about 6 hours later my sister called and said she found out she had two days off work from the snow they got in Morehead. I was teasing her that she needed to come down and visit. She said "You don't have power, why don't you come up and see me!?" I argued and tryed to say no but eventually she wore me down. It still was 65 degrees in our house so we werent' cold yet. But we had just run out of wood and Aiden had been so good entertaining herself for so long with no lights, cartoons, or music. She just kept saying it was too quiet.

So, at the time I would usually be putting Aiden to bed, we grabbed stuff we would need for a quick overnight stay, stuffed in in our pillows and headed off to Morehead. It was so dark since ALL of Richmond was out of power and the street lights were not only out but down! There were so many trees down, I almost didn't make it out of the subdivision. But it was pitch black and not being able to see the true extent of the damage I trudged on through. It took me 30 mins. to get out of Richmond (usually takes me about 2 mins) and another 1 1/2 hours to get to Morehead. I made very good time considering the weather. I just tucked in behind a semi (Megean says I do this alot) and went on my way.

Mom called on Wednesday and said we still didn't have any power so Megean and David were sweet enough to let us stay another night. Unfortunatly, I had to work Thursday night so we came home. I was suddenly very grateful that it was too dark to see the damage when I left. There was no way I would have driven through all that if I knew just how bad it was. When I got home Thursday evening it hadn't melted even a little bit. The trees all through my subdivision are down and it looks like an icy war zone. It made my heart ache for the beautiful landscape I am so proud of. It was now nothing more than and icy wasteland.

We still didn't have power but my mom had gone to my other Grandpa's house and he let us borrow his keroscene (sp?) heater and the house was up to a whopping 48 degrees! So Aiden got out her guitar and her harmonica and did a little concert for me. We also took some time to go over her dance routine for dance class. Soon it was time for bed and I put Aiden in winter gear in hopes that it would keep her warm. The heater only heated the front room really and her bedroom is in the back of the house so I didnt want to think about the actual temp back there. I put 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts and gloves on her. I then piled on 4 blankets in addition to the already one blanket and flannel sheets. I hoped she would be warm enough and I headed off to work.

I got a text from mom sometime last night that the power was on at our house and I was so happy!! My baby was warm and that is what mattered to me. When I work nights I leave Aiden here with Papa. He is 84 and isn't always the best at knowing how to handle little girls. I am always worried that something will go wrong and he won't know how to handle it. But I arrived home this morning to a toasty house and a sleeping baby. She is so precious and was such a trooper through the cold and the ice and, more importantly, the lack of cartoons.

I want to take a second to thank Megean and David for letting us invade their little love nest. They were fabulous hosts and kepts us fed, warm and entertained for the duration of our stay. We hope that our next visit is just for fun and not for neccesity. I am hoping to get a chance to post some pictures. But I am in need of sleep at the moment so I will have to get to that another time.