Yes, an entire city shut down due to 2.5 inches of snow. Not shut down due to snow specifically, but due to what the fluffy little white flakes did to the minds and roads of our beloved city: flooded us with everyone leaving at the exact same time, put us in a literal stand still, and eventually caused many to abandon the plan (plan: Get the Hell Home!!!) and just ditch the car if it wasn't already in a ditch to skate home to loved ones.
Tuesday night will always be remembered as the night the majority of Hotlantans went old school. Over the river and through the woods on foot to our child's school or home or to Home Depot for a night of shelter everyone went, many after 5 - 12 hours in the car for what should have been a 30 minute drive.
For the other ex-wife this was a semi-realty. Her day kind of went like this: Minivan in ditch, trek home by foot, pick up bottle of wine at gas station, sent an S.O.S. to (our) ex to pick up their girls, hopefully before midnight. She states it was just a big fat sign and bigger fatter sign that her wedding that almost didn't happen 9 years ago to the day was slightly doomed. She celebrated with humor and photos up on Facebook, some in her wedding garb.
For this ex-wife, it is the biggest fattest reminder of what happened during Snowmageddon 1, just three years ago, and how very very (very) different my life is now. You see three years ago, we indeed had a similar snowfall (just not smack damn in the middle of the work day with kids in school). With everything iced over the city was also shut down for 3 days.
So what happened to me personally besides the usual contemplation of how did I grow up in the Midwest and survive the cold for so long? Well I was literally trapped in my old marital house with my soon to be ex-husband as we were just starting the business of divorce, as I had emphatically declared just a couple days previously after finding out what I did that is was over - take off your ring - adios and I plan on taking the piñata - I was Audi 5000. We had already separated into different bedrooms, but only by a couple days at that point. F-U-N with a capital "UN".
See our house (which we were newly contemplating over how we would proceed with selling that btw was worth less than we owed thanks to being in midst of both the economy and the housing market bottoming out) had a lower level double garage entry. As in we had a steep curvy driveway with a straight drop down and sharp curve to get into said garage. Further, as in, there was no way on God's frozen green earth we were getting out anytime soon.
There I was, trapped in a house with someone you not only wanted to throw darts every time you saw them, but had to pretend for the sake of our two year old son it was business as usual. I couldn't angrily flip the "open" sign to "closed" so I decided instead to flip out privately. So here was the frosty overview of the last time I was snowed / iced in:
Day 1 (The 3 of us being trapped in the "marital home"):
Morning:- Our son Liam exclaimed "Mommy - the clouds are falling!!!" We laughed at the innocence of a 2 yr old and I cried on the inside knowing his life was about to turn upside down.
Afternoon:
- We went sledding, made hot cocoa, and pretended we were still the fairy tale family. I "mistakingly" steered our sled into my soon to be ex's legs at one point which caused him pain and made me smile. But I swear it was a mistake, I swear on my love of the Green Bay Packers. (I'm originally from Chicago…)
Evening:
- Been inside toooo long - wishing I had bought a deluxe dart set for Christmas - damn 2 yr old and so-called "safety concerns".
Day 2 (Still trapped):
Morning:
- Our neighbor who normally watched our son during the work day said he was "open" since he ran his "school" out of his house - so I piled our son in the wagon and skidded on over to his house as fast as my boots would take me. My soon to be ex said he would have to work all day via his laptop and barricaded himself in the bedroom he was now sleeping in. This made me both angry and happy - kind of the theme for the following 6 months we would have to reside together.
Afternoon:
- I took on the project of organizing our entire house to get ready for the impending listing. And by took it on, I really mean slammed shit and was as dramatic as a 13yr old girl going through puberty.
Evening:
- Put son to bed early. Decided to go through wardrobe - bad idea - I was still fat. The divorce diet had not yet kicked in. Took out pen and paper and wrote out my new divorce diet. Cried myself to sleep.
Day 3 (Still trapped like a caged rabid animal without darts):
Morning:
- Skidding over to drop son off at neighbors again. On the way home tried to purchase a dart set on amazon but my stupid gloves wouldn't push the right things on my iPhone and lost internet connection. Threw phone in snow. It never quite recovered, nor did I.
Afternoon:
- Had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with my soon to be ex hiding, I mean working, in the guest bedroom. Told him he HAD to get outside with a shovel RIGHT NOW and pick / dig / scrape with his bare hands all of the ice off the driveway so we could get out. I just couldn't take being trapped in the house anymore. Plus I had run out of things to organize so I could have the illusion of control. He was quick to grab the shovel and took him 4+ hours but our drive was ice free by the time the sun was setting.
Evening:
- New plan, soon to be ex continue to hide, he can put our son to bed while I meet some neighborhood girlfriends to walk to a restaurant that was rumored to be open a couple blocks away (that served wine, did I mention that?). Stopped by next door neighbors house on way back from aforementioned restaurant (they served more wine, did I mention that?). Made scene, couldn't explain what was truly going on, went to bed sobbing so hard I had to throw my pillow out the next day.
Day 4 (Free but not "free")
Morning:
- Finally "free" - drove to Costco to get a new pillow. Cried in car on way home while son kept saying over and over "Costco Mommy, Costco Mommy, We go to Costco Mommy!" all the while wishing someone could "dig" me out of my impending divorce situation.
Afternoon:
- Can't remember - was still in a haze from the night before (wine….) and decided to try out my new pillow and nap with my son.
Evening:
- The three of us went to dinner and acted again like nothing had happened. Life was "back to usual" as it would be for the next 6 months while we pretended like life had not changed on the outside while simultaneously hemorrhaging on the inside with sadness.
Now this week - totally different experience for same situation of a city shut down - just three years later. Awoke that morning to my now 5 year old son coughing his head off. He had woken up about 4 times during the middle of the night and complained that morning of a tummy ache and was about as pleasant as Oscar the Grouch. Let me set the record straight - my son is a sound sleeper who has NEVER missed a day of kindergarden yet for being sick. He normally wakes up early every morning with rainbows shooting out of his ass. Which let's me know God does indeed have a sense of humor because I am soooo not a morning person.
For him to be so out of synch with himself, I knew I couldn't send him to school. Lucky for me my plan was to work for a client at home, so figured keeping him home, especially if he was asking to stay home for the first time ever was the logical thing to do. Plus there was that prediction of possible snow fall so why not. I swear - it was like my son was some animal that senses the tsunami or earthquake coming and runs for shelter…
Morning:
We were already at home when the snow started and it looked beautiful. I was reading and Liam was no longer feeling sick (I think Sesame Street helped with that). We simultaneously caught the shimmer only the first few snowflakes can magically produce. He jumped up at screamed "Can we go sledding?? It's BEAUTIFUL Mommy!!!" And I exclaimed "I want to get some things organized so maybe after?!? Yay!" But I didn't see yay in his eyes as I started to make out my list of everything and anything to organize. Then I realize NO. In fact a HELL NO. The next couple days will be spent playing and watching movies and creating memories. If I get a couple "To Do's" knocked off my list - great! If I don't oh well. I WILL NOT RE-LIVE the forced activities of Snowmageddon I - for Pete's sake this was Snowmageddon II, and even though the City of Atlanta learned nothing from the first shut down 3 years ago I sure as heck did.
Afternoon:
We go sledding down Mr. Steve's steep drive, hang out with neighbors swapping tales of the last time it snowed this much (see above - I won), talked to everyone walking up the street that had to ditch their cars, made snow angels (my son went face first - this is how I truly know he is a Southerner - didn't understand snow angels are best done on your back…), and only went inside when we all wanted hot chocolate. I just happened to have a full canister along with 2 cartons of Almond milk. Score Me - 1, Score Snowmageddon II - 0
Evening:
Made 2 batches of hot chocolate and went to sleep with perma-grin. Suffered from acid reflux all night from Hot Chocolate and would do it all over again. Best. Day. Ever.
Morning:
Wake up to Liam running into my room exclaiming "Happy Snow Day Mommy!"
Afternoon:
Sledding down Bunky Hill all afternoon in our neighborhood. About 15 adults and 40 kids from our neighborhood out there. F-U-N. We put the F' Yeah! in F-U-N.
Evening:
Got a phone call from my brother that his wife was feeling labor pains and that my niece would be here any day. Went to sleep with prema-grin again. Best. Day. Ever. Again.
Morning:
Wake up to Liam exclaiming "There's No School Again Mommy - Happy Snow Day!!!"
Afternoon:
See above… Repeat.
Evening:
See above only this time I got a text from my brother that his wife was in labor and that my niece would be here tonight. Went to sleep with prema-grin again. Best. Day. Ever. Again.
So I'm pretty sure day 4 (hopefully the last day!) will be just as good if not "gooder" - and yes I know that is not a word but neither is Snowmageddon and everyone keeps saying that - so just go with it.
I keep saying it throughout my blog posts… but time does heal. And it does help to be trapped in a house with someone you actually don't want to throw darts at, especially if there is no way you are getting out for a couple days.
Bring on the snow, bring on the ice, and bring on anything you got to keep me near or in my home Mother Nature. Because I am resilient and I have a shovel. Most importantly I am someone who doesn't need anyone else to dig me out of this situation, as I will cherish these new snowstorm sized memories for years to come.
- Valerie (of H and V)
Now this week - totally different experience for same situation of a city shut down - just three years later. Awoke that morning to my now 5 year old son coughing his head off. He had woken up about 4 times during the middle of the night and complained that morning of a tummy ache and was about as pleasant as Oscar the Grouch. Let me set the record straight - my son is a sound sleeper who has NEVER missed a day of kindergarden yet for being sick. He normally wakes up early every morning with rainbows shooting out of his ass. Which let's me know God does indeed have a sense of humor because I am soooo not a morning person.
For him to be so out of synch with himself, I knew I couldn't send him to school. Lucky for me my plan was to work for a client at home, so figured keeping him home, especially if he was asking to stay home for the first time ever was the logical thing to do. Plus there was that prediction of possible snow fall so why not. I swear - it was like my son was some animal that senses the tsunami or earthquake coming and runs for shelter…
Day 1 (Just the 2 of us in our "rental home"):
Morning:
We were already at home when the snow started and it looked beautiful. I was reading and Liam was no longer feeling sick (I think Sesame Street helped with that). We simultaneously caught the shimmer only the first few snowflakes can magically produce. He jumped up at screamed "Can we go sledding?? It's BEAUTIFUL Mommy!!!" And I exclaimed "I want to get some things organized so maybe after?!? Yay!" But I didn't see yay in his eyes as I started to make out my list of everything and anything to organize. Then I realize NO. In fact a HELL NO. The next couple days will be spent playing and watching movies and creating memories. If I get a couple "To Do's" knocked off my list - great! If I don't oh well. I WILL NOT RE-LIVE the forced activities of Snowmageddon I - for Pete's sake this was Snowmageddon II, and even though the City of Atlanta learned nothing from the first shut down 3 years ago I sure as heck did.
Afternoon:
We go sledding down Mr. Steve's steep drive, hang out with neighbors swapping tales of the last time it snowed this much (see above - I won), talked to everyone walking up the street that had to ditch their cars, made snow angels (my son went face first - this is how I truly know he is a Southerner - didn't understand snow angels are best done on your back…), and only went inside when we all wanted hot chocolate. I just happened to have a full canister along with 2 cartons of Almond milk. Score Me - 1, Score Snowmageddon II - 0
Evening:
Made 2 batches of hot chocolate and went to sleep with perma-grin. Suffered from acid reflux all night from Hot Chocolate and would do it all over again. Best. Day. Ever.
Day 2 (School cancelled, streets still sheets of ice):
Morning:
Wake up to Liam running into my room exclaiming "Happy Snow Day Mommy!"
Afternoon:
Sledding down Bunky Hill all afternoon in our neighborhood. About 15 adults and 40 kids from our neighborhood out there. F-U-N. We put the F' Yeah! in F-U-N.
Evening:
Got a phone call from my brother that his wife was feeling labor pains and that my niece would be here any day. Went to sleep with prema-grin again. Best. Day. Ever. Again.
Day 3 (School still cancelled, streets still sheets of ice):
Morning:
Wake up to Liam exclaiming "There's No School Again Mommy - Happy Snow Day!!!"
Afternoon:
See above… Repeat.
Evening:
See above only this time I got a text from my brother that his wife was in labor and that my niece would be here tonight. Went to sleep with prema-grin again. Best. Day. Ever. Again.
So I'm pretty sure day 4 (hopefully the last day!) will be just as good if not "gooder" - and yes I know that is not a word but neither is Snowmageddon and everyone keeps saying that - so just go with it.
I keep saying it throughout my blog posts… but time does heal. And it does help to be trapped in a house with someone you actually don't want to throw darts at, especially if there is no way you are getting out for a couple days.
Bring on the snow, bring on the ice, and bring on anything you got to keep me near or in my home Mother Nature. Because I am resilient and I have a shovel. Most importantly I am someone who doesn't need anyone else to dig me out of this situation, as I will cherish these new snowstorm sized memories for years to come.
- Valerie (of H and V)
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