East Snow vs West Snow

 In the last 7.5 years we've experienced the differences between the East and the West.  One difference is the snow.  And Tuesday we experienced the craziness first hand!  The West laughs at us, I use to be one of them, but now I'm not.  As my aunt says, it is comparing apples to oranges.  Snow here is not the snow I grew up with when no one knows how to drive on it, the whole city leaves to go home at the same time, there are no snowplows/sand/salt, it ices more quickly, people park their cars in weird places when they give up (or run out of gas), and when there is a much larger population.

I spent 2 hours getting my girls from school (5 miles away).  We then remained on the road 7 more hours before a member John had sent found us and helped me walk the kids to her home for the night.

Along the way there was some crying, hungry kids, 3 of us who really needed to go the bathroom, one stop to feed Washington (which is funny because there were many times I was in the same spot for hours and couldn't have fed him) and to go hang out at the mall which was closed, a stop at a gas station to get more gas and snacks once I realized we were in for the long haul, a dead cell phone, me getting out a couple of times to help push spinning out cars, no dvds in the car (we only watch them on trips), all the kids sleeping once 9pm hit, a man who asked me how he could help, and mostly awesome/patient kids, and a very mad me that I didn't leave earlier or had the kids stay home.

John was at his office and should have stayed all night.  Once my phone died, he took off and made it home just before 4am.

My experience gives new meaning to: "it was a long day" or "traffic was bad" :).  However, there were many kids stuck at school and many people stuck in crazy places over night.  And one baby born on the road.  I wish I could just say we missed the whole thing.  And I might be buying an ATV soon (and putting dvds in my car, a potty, food, water and a PHONE CHARGER) . . . and the girls might be sick on any days there is the slightest chance of snow.