GETTING STUCK and GETTING FREE from SNOW! Miracles still happen thanks to Snow Angels!

This has been one holiday of getting STUCK in the snow and living to tell about it several times with many snow angels and guardian angels along the way!

Even though my request song on the piano was WHITE CHRISTMAS when my son arrived home for the holidays and asked for my favorite song that he would play -- I might have to think twice next year! I am not sure how keen I will be to go to the late Christmas Eve service either!

The Beach Boys CD sure sounded good the other day when he played it! I am remembering the night of their concert here in Grand Island when rain downpoured on sandra and me too (crazy weather too come to think of it) and remembering my days growing up in lots of BIG and DEEP snow in ND and SD too lately!

The photo I have included is of my garden that is full of snow from now until Spring! The sun is shining on it today so we can hope for warmer days when we are not stuck in the snow!

Here is my story: Early Christmas morning we were stuck in the snow two times with my car for several hours and we were up most of the night after the late service on Christmas Eve at 11 PM trying to free it and get it home and ourselves too.

Thank goodness for cell phones to call in the night when they are charged up and those around us to comfort us and help us!~ I was just glad my son was with me to help figure this out as I have driven home alone a few other times in scarey snow and I did with work living out WEST ... and it can get SCAREY fast!

We spent most of the night trying to get out of being STUCK in SNOW on Seedling Mile Road about one mile from our house in Grand Island -- after dodging a large drift on the way home! We knew there were drifts as they were there at 10:30 PM and now they were even larger several hours later with blizzard conditions! Now I am voting for
3 PM Christmas Eve services!

We finally were able to locate my dear husband who was finishing up at the church and had just arrived home ready to head to bed after services -- but who instead changed clothes and tried to come to find us and free us from snow (after the last Christmas EVE service, the Barrington Bunny story being share, music and candles in the cold wintery night!)

We tried to get ourselves freed from the Snow at first with the two of us; but we had no SNOW SHOVEL and we tried pushing the car, calling AAA but it would take 15 minutes to get wait they said, calling my husband, flagging down help, to no avail and the farm house nearby looked very dark with only one light -- as the wind blew more snow and and made more drifts.

After my husband arrived, the three of us tried to get my car Free from the Snow with no luck, and we finally gave in and called AAA. With a wreckers help, we were freed from the side of the road in three foot or more of snow by now! We had thought of abandoning the car but alas we had some help beyond our own strength!

At first he said he had said he had too many calls to help us (he had appeared out of the blue after our call to AAA -- but he finally agreed to help us get on the road to get home in the night! YES!

Then on the way home to a dry house at last (at 3:30 am) we waited for car lights to appear as my dear husband agreed to drive my car now as he went "around the section" in my car where he had gotten through earlier on Gunbarrel Road. As we waited we were hopeful we were finally out of distress but suddenly his car lights coming down the road in the night went out!

After my son did checking him and my car down the road in the storm, he found out that my car was once again STUCK in the SNOW with larger drifts on the road by now.. so we were not home free! After surveying the new situation in the cold winds and blowing, we three all piled in the car that was FREE from snow and we headed home together at 4 AM. We were in hopes of getting dry and warm, calling AAA or for MORE help -- as we had left my car this time on the road in the storm and we were weary by now.

After calling the Sheriff to inform him of our car being stuck in the storm -- he said that we had to move it! We could not leave it! If we left it, then it could be impounded!

Just before this AAA said they had tried twice down this road and they could not get there in the storm -- so at 4 am back went the valiant snow angels to see if they could use our snow blower and get my car out rather than leaving it for a possible snow plow to encounter! The company the city hires to remove and impound cars also said they would not go out now in the storm anymore in the dark! They thought maybe the county would close this road?

At 5 am they came home and after trying to SNOW BLOW the crusty hard snow and get my car out to FREE IT! We decided there was nothing we could do at this point and we were all needing sleep badly by now -- so we went to bed from 5 am to 7 am realizing they should have left a large note in the car to tell the snow plow how to call us! Our bodies were crying out for SLEEP and we would do our best again at daylight! We could leave a sign when we go back at 7 am!

Oh yes I forgot to mention the drunk driver in a four wheel drive who came by twice the first time we were stuck -- to help us (with hardly a jacket on) .. first time without his date and second time with his date!

He blasted through the large drift in his four wheel drive vehicle twice (I was yearning for our old ISUZU about then) and we thought he would run into us both times sliding and giving it so much gas each time! He advised us to leave our car about 3 am but we had hung on. He even wanted to try driving our car out but we had politely refused thank goodness!

I also forgot to mention the driver of a four wheel drive vehicle who came by to help the angels with the snow blower about 4:30 am --- on the second run to free my car. This person was out getting persons who work at the hospital for their shifts with the storm conditions. I had no idea such a person and job existed. He tried to no avail to get my car UNSTUCK with them that morning. Thanks to him though for his effort of helping!

At 7 am the two weary car angels got up, had some food, dressed warmly again to head one more time to get the car out of the lane of traffic (no way for traffic) on Gunbarrel Road where it was STUCK before it was impounded (although we knew there was little chance anyone could get out and drive anywhere really -- after a night of blizzarding and huge drifts, wind and lots of white snow!)

They were successful this time with the help of neighbors who saw them working to set my car free from snow drifts -- more snow angels who helped tow my car to freedom a SECOND time! This was after talking to the snow plower who had tried to clear ONE lane from the wind and drifts on that road. Since one side was plowed now, it would be easier to get my car free from the snow!

Alas, by 9 am my poor shovelled out car was sitting in our garage after leaving at 10:30 pm the night before!

Thanks to my son and my husband for not giving up and diligently doing their best to get us home safely in the blizzard along with my trusty car a few hours later. It was in one piece and we were too! Miracles still do happen!

The snow continued and later this day (Christmas Day 2009) our daughter and her husband from CA had a cancelled flight from Denver to Grand Island which was a good thing! I doubt we could have even gotten to the airport to get them and were not too eager to try! Of course they did not cancel it until Denver so we were able to meet them yet for Christmas ---- but in Colorado~

We had to miss another family Christmas to meet them in CO -- so many plans were changed from weather this holiday around here .. but we also are valuing getting together more now! The presents don't seem very important compared to the getting together for warmth and food, conversations.

We got stuck one more time in CO on Eagle Cliff Road with our van (my son and I) for 45 minutes! Another Snow Angel came along to help us with a large farm scoop shovel and we found some shovels on a porch to use as the suggestion of folks on that road! Thanks for the snow shovels from a porch nearby that snow angels on this road suggested we use!

And we also slid sideways to a stop coming down Big Thompson Canyon going very slowly when we were coming home from Colorado! Thanks to the icey road maneuvering of my son! Luckily we slid in an area with a large turnout too! More angels were with us as a pickup was not as fortunate we saw after we crawled back on the road!

I have had enough snow and ice excitement for a long while now. Getting out in the snow and ice does not even sound good to me unless the day is sunny and the road are clear. I did venture to church today in my car that was stuck that morning and I am grateful all over again for SNOW ANGELS in my family, SNOW SHOVELS in the car, warm clothes, AAA wreckers and strangers who help in distress!

So now we all carry food, cell phones, snow shovels (one or more), we wear snow boots, warm gloves, warm hats, scarves and we might do the earlier Christmas Eve service next year or advocate for a 3 PM service with cocoa!

Thanks to all the snow angels that helped us from my dear husband and son, to all the strangers who helped set us get free from being stuck in the snow!

Many schools were closed this week in Nebraska for two more three days and in some places like Kansas City they were closed all week! This is after cancelling school other days before this from storms this winter already. We broke some low temp records this week and we have all learned a lot about survival, scooping out cars, pushing cars and backing cars in snow, patience and calling for help!

Remember to watch if snow drifts are building when you leave for Christmas Eve Services or any other day -- and always carry snow shovels with you! I gave one to my son today as he drives home to PA and i am off to get some new ones this week if i can get up my nerve to drive again on those same roads!