Ahhhhh! Seattle doesn't deal well with snow. Some things you just don't really believe until you see it. So, last time I blogged, I was smitten by the romance of being snowed in and ecstatic to have a white Christmas. Um, not so much anymore! Between last Thursday's storm, and another one on Saturday, we had accumulated at least a foot of snow, if not more. That was enough!
The weather caused us to cancel the kids' Christmas Program on Sunday, rescheduling for this Sunday. Jon and I made it to church along with the 10-20 people who were crazy enough to come to each of three services. We usually have hundreds of people at each service! They pulled two rows of chairs up into the alter area, and we just sang carols on request with the piano, and the pastor gave a sermon from his chair, wearing his jeans, holiday sweater, and wool socks. It was intimate and memorable, at least.
Although the snow stopped after Sunday, only the main highways and roads get plowed here. What does that mean? Well, we haven't gotten mail delivery, or UPS packages including gifts from our families and a honeybaked ham for Christmas dinner. The garbage guys just quit and didn't pick up. NO ONE has a plow or shovel, so driveways and sidewalks and parking lots are a nightmare. I got up the huge hill to work, only to get stuck in the driveway. Last night at the grocery store, some poor woman took pitty on me and helped me pull my huge, heavy cart through the snow and ice to my parking spot.
Here are the Stefanski twins Jenna and Kaitlyn. A high point of the week was that I was able to be at their house on Monday to give them their Christmas gifts. Check out their new outfits. Mom said they look like candy canes! They also each received a princess phone. See the Ariel one in Kaitlyn's hand? It was nap time for Andre, but before he went to sleep he opened his Candy Land game and Spiderman sweatshirt.
Ok, so none of this is really the end of the world, but it started snowing again today, on Christmas Eve! It's been coming down like crazy all morning. I tried to go down the hill to Target this morning. When I was driving down the Sunset Hill cars coming up were sliding back down, so I hurried through Target, and got on 405 North to get off at Exit 6 to try to get home, but the hill up Edmonds was complete ice and no one was making it. I turned around and tried to get back on the highway, in the meantime sliding off the road on the on ramp, but by miracle alone straightened it out and got back on the road. Everyone was INCHING up the Sunset Hill and it is by sheer luck that I actually was able to make it home. SCARY! Ok, this is enough for me. Apparently, it isn't snowing in Redmond, because I can't convince Jon it's bad and he needs to come home!
Christmas Eve Day: Our Street
The other bummer in all of this is that I plan and lead a Children's Christmas Eve Worship service. We're scheduled to present a program called, "The Very Opinionated Chrismas Tree" tonight. We made an awesome tree costume, and several teenagers have learned and rehearsed the show. I'm pretty sure barely anyone will make it to church tonight, and we are already discussing just canceling church; on Christmas Eve can you believe that?! So once again, all our work and preparation will go to waste. BOO!
Gretchen and the Very Opinionated Christmas Tree! Trevor is inside!
All will not be lost if Jon actually makes it home from work for Christmas Eve and if his family makes it into Seattle from Michigan safely tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I'll try to look on the bright side and find the romance of being snowed in with my wonderful husband on our first Christmas together as husband and wife.
Our House 10am Christmas Eve Day
Next time you see a snow plow or a shovel. Thank God! Merry, Merry Christmas to all near and far. Our love to you today, and always!
Here are the Stefanski twins Jenna and Kaitlyn. A high point of the week was that I was able to be at their house on Monday to give them their Christmas gifts. Check out their new outfits. Mom said they look like candy canes! They also each received a princess phone. See the Ariel one in Kaitlyn's hand? It was nap time for Andre, but before he went to sleep he opened his Candy Land game and Spiderman sweatshirt.
Christmas Eve Day: Our Street
Gretchen and the Very Opinionated Christmas Tree! Trevor is inside!
Our House 10am Christmas Eve Day
3 comments:
We need an update! Did Jon make it home on Christmas eve? Did the Opinionated Tree have an opinion on the cancelling of services? Does he get to make another appearance? Welcome to Seattle!
Did you put your snow chains on?
Do people there have sleds or toboggans? Your hills there would be super cool for some ultra sledding!
Christine...I finally blogged about the end of the story, but Jon made it home just fine after running all the errands I had given him and the Opinionated Tree suggested just doing the play on Christmas Eve 2009 and I thought that was a great idea. We still love Seattle...
Jason, We didn't put the chains on our car, but Jon did have to put them on someone else's mini van that we rescued from the church parking lot on Christmas Day. People do have sleds, or they just use trash bags, garbage can lids, ya know...whatever. Who needs hills when you have streets?
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