I was at work ready to tutor students at 6:15. I knew the weatherman had forecasted snow about 10:00, so as I waited on my students to arrive, I checked and double checked my students' inclement weather forms. Remembering when snow hit during the school day in years past, I was willing to bet (if I were a betting person) that school would be dismissing early. At about 10:00, I learned that I was right.
Lessons were cut short. Lunch was eaten early. Students were packed up and ready to go by noon. At 12:10, students started pouring out of the school onto buses or into cars where their anxious parents were waiting for them.
At 1:00, Keaton and I exited the school, climbed into the van, and I called my mom. As I pulled onto the road in front of my school, my van slipped and then slipped almost immediately again before I reached the stop sign a very few feet later. I looked to me left and already Clay Rd. was clogged and barely moving. I took a right and headed to Floyd Rd., informing my mom that I was too scared to try to make it all the way to her house. Snow was furiously falling; traffic was already bad; the roads were icy. She told me not to worry and that the kids were fine at her house.
I slowly drove down Floyd Rd. only to stop at an intersection that was blocked by someone standing in the middle of the five lane road. I quickly recognized this person as a coworker. She was stopping traffic to allow another teacher from our school to back onto the road after her car had been hit twice from behind by the same driver. This afternoon was quickly getting scarey.
After checking to make sure that the teacher who had stopped traffic did not need a ride herself, I continued my journey down Floyd Rd. without further incident. I carefully turned the van onto Hicks Rd. and crept along at 8 miles per hour. I had never considered that section of the road that I had traveled twice a day for almost nine years to be noticably hilly, but those small hills seemed like ice covered mountains at the time.
At about 1:20, I reached the intersection of Hicks Rd. and the East/West Connector. Knowing that a truly steep hill was just on the other side of the road, I made a decision to turn left and detour around it. This decision would result in an entire hour of sitting on the Connector. Thankfully, Keaton did not mind as I turned Swiss Family Robinson on the DVD player. As I sat still in traffic, I attempted to call Clay and my mom again, but cell phone usage was so heavy that the calls refused to go through. I started to grow concerned that the eighth of a tank of gas that normally would have been sufficient for my afternoon commute would result in my running out of gas long before I was near my house.
After creeping up the needed quarter of a mile to the next intersection, I was finally able to turn right onto Floyd Rd. by the Quik Trip. In hind sight, I should have stayed on this road and avoided an hour on the Connector. However, I would never have guessed that traffic would be at a stand still at 2:00 in the afternoon. I considered turning into Quik Trip to fill up the van, but getting out of that particular gas station on a normal day is difficult, so I decided to pass it with hopes of making the rest of my journey without another traffic jam. I slowly drove down Floyd Rd. and turned without incident at Hurt Rd. With windshield wipers going full speed to clear the snow, I drove the short distance to the intersection where I was met with the sight of five cars stuck and criss crossing the road I needed to descend in order to get to my subdivision.
Quickly, I made the descision to turn into the church parking lot to my right. From the back of the van, Keaton asked, "Mom! What are we doing here?" I told him to put his coat on and his hood up. We were going on a hike! I parked the car, put on my own coat, and grabbed my umbrella. Together, Keaton and I headed to the snow covered sidewalk to walk the last half mile to our house.
Keaton LOVED this walk. He ran, skipped, and twirled. I told him he had to hurry and focus, because Mama had to potty. His response was, "Mom! Just pee in the wild!" Pointing out the long line of cars to the left of us, I reminded him that we weren't exactly alone in the outdoors. To humor his mother, Keaton made a snowy bee line to our subdivision. At 2:26, almost an hour and a half after we left school, we walked into our house. I thought 90 minutes for three and a half miles was ridiculous. I would later learn that I was very fortunate to have such a short commute.
When I got home, I built a fire, heated up some pizza for Keaton, and got in touch with Clay who was still working. He informed me that despite the snow, he had to work until 5:30 as usual. I told him to make sure to take snacks with him and to use the bathroom before he left!
Scanning Facebook throughtout the afternoon, I read how many of my friends were stuck in traffic, ran out of gas, or were in fender benders. I became anxious at the thought of Clay getting in this mess with such a late start.
At 5:30, Clay called to tell me that he was beginning his 6.64 mile journey home. I told him that I would see him at 7:00! Little did we know, how wrong I would be. At 6:30, I called Clay, and he told me that he was still waiting to turn at the first intersection below his shop. He said trying to turn onto the East/West Connector from South Cobb Drive was absolutely ridiculous.
Per Clay's request, Keaton and I walked up to his Hicks Rd. to see if traffic was heavy. As far as we could see, there were no cars. Our street and the connecting one was peaceful as the snow continued to fall.
For several hours, when Clay called he had only traveled a few feet. People were leaving their cars, going into the Race Trac to use the bathroom, and then returning to their cars without incident. No traffic had budged. More hours passed. Clay said he was fine and wanted to give traffic a chance, despite offers to stay with close by friends.
I worried. I texted. I watched the news. I posted prayer requests on Facebook. I ate multiple pieces of cake while watching My 600 Pound Life. My anxiety level was reaching its maximum potential.
After six hours of mindlessly watching YouTube videos in the car, Clay finally made it to Fontaine Rd. Shortly afterwards, traffic completely stopped again, but this time his patience ran out. At midnight, he called me and said that he was going to park his car and walk down the Silver Comet Trail to Hicks Rd. and then continue walking all the way down this road until he finally got to our subdivision. I wanted to scream, "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? YOU'LL GET KILLED OR HURT!" Instead, in my most grown up wife voice, I said, "I really don't think that's a good idea." I questioned if he had a flashlight or a baseball bat to which he replied no. Then, I gently pointed out that walking alone in the dark without a light or a weapon on the trail was a Criminal Minds episode waiting to happen. Finally, he relinquished the bad idea and agreed to stay in the car.
The time it was taking Clay to drive home felt surreal. A trip that usually took him ten minutes was resulting in hours of sitting in his car and mind blowing frustration. I had no idea if I would see my husband before morning.
At 12:17, Clay called and said that the opposite, empty side of the East/West Connector had been salted and that the police were slowly allowing cars to cross the lanes and drive in the wrong direction. At 12:32, he informed that he had just past the long bridge that was suspended above the East/West Connector. I was hopeful but not confident that he would be home soon. I continued to text and to pray. At 12:45, just as a friend offered to go get Clay in his jeep, I heard Clay's key turn in the front door. He was HOME.
The day that had started so normally had ended under quite unusual circumstances. Through the snow and ice inducing anxiety, I was reminded that I am blessed with a faithful God, fabulous family, and outstanding friends. I am grateful for all of them.
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
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| Reunited with all my kiddos after 54 hours apart! |
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| Our snowy evening walk to check on traffic for Daddy. |
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| The end of our snowy/icy journey home! |
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