I Hate Snow. Chapter 3.

I have typed this entire story once, only to accidentally delete it. And the reason this is Chapter 3 is because my sister wrote Chapters 1 and 2.

On Tuesday, we knew snow was coming. I kept waiting on Fulton County to dismiss school early, but the snow started pouring in before noon, and we were still there. I had my biggest math class who was going crazy watching the snow, so after lunch, the fifth grade ventured out to see the snow. And it was sticking. To everything. Including the sidewalk. I decided to call my mom, who was on her way to stay with me since Brooks had flown out to San Francisco that morning. She was supposed to be at my house by noon, and I wanted to make sure she was safe and sound. Well, she was safe, but south of the city and having to drive in the snow. Cue tinge of panic.

(Trying to get Woody. Hour 1)

A little after 1:00pm, I made the call to leave school and get Woody, thanks to a kind paraprofessional who could watch my class. (Spoiler Alert: I wasn't one of those hero teachers who spent the night at school.) Normally, the drive to Miss B's takes 5, 10 minutes at the most. I didn't get to MissB's until after 2:30. (Now, I spent just over an hour trying to get to my child. It was a horrible feeling to think, "I can't get to him." I cannot imagine what some parents went through Tuesday/Wednesday.)

I woke Woody up, loaded the car with snacks and milk (thanks for the idea Miss B!) and hit the road. I knew traffic was bad, but I felt that I could handle the situation. It was my mom I was worried about. She hadn't made much progress when I called her at Beverly's (2 hours after my first call to her.) 

The first part of the drive back to my house wasn't terrible. I had my car in 4-wheel drive and most of the back-up was those poor people trying to get on the interstate. 

Then I turned on Hammond Drive. Not only is it heavily traveled, but hilly. Sure enough, I hit a patch of ice and skidded off the road. Woody, thank goodness, was oblivious to the situation. I was hysterical. Every time I tried to get unstuck, I somehow made it worse. I wanted Brooks, my dad, or my father-in-law to come save us. But they weren't even in Georgia, much less Hammond Drive. That is when my "snow angel" flew in. He blocked three lanes of traffic with his car, calmed me down, and got my car unstuck. Then he promised to drive behind me the rest of Hammond in case I had any more trouble. I cannot tell you how many times I have thanked God for the man in the gold Honda Accord from Gwinnett County. I wish I hadn't been crying so hard and had asked his name.

I had Brooks, my dad, and father-in-law praying for me on speaker phone. I truly believe that is the only way I got home. Traffic was beyond packed, cars were abandoned, and the roads were icy, but a little before 6:00 pm, we pulled into my driveway. I have never been so happy, but I still needed my mom to get to my house. I was so worried about her, but Brooks kept telling me that my mom was a smart lady who would be okay. When she pulled up we hugged and thanked God we were safe and warm.

My story does not begin to compare to others' nightmare of a Tuesday/Wednesday. Nonetheless, I hate snow.