It's been awhile since I've posted anything...a long while. I haven't posted because I haven't felt the need to share anything since there hasn't been much to share. Work is the same for both of us but that's always a "typical" conversation people have so I think that is a "boring" topic to discuss. The house is the same because we have discussed a lot about upcoming projects but haven't even started any of them.
Our zoo:
Fluffy got a brand new filter yesterday which she LOVES when she gets a new one. She climbs to the top of her log and jumps(?)/falls(?) into the "deep end" of the tank. She does this about a dozen times before she finally settles and sunbathes. Somehow, we still haven't figured out the survival chances, there are now 10 fish in the turtle tank! These fishy were supposed to be snacks for Fluffy but with survival of the fittest the original 4 must be fit to live and have babies too!
The kitties are good. Cute and busy as ever. They are still enjoying every box or bag they can get. One of Lucy's favorite things to do is to find a box or a bag and just sit in it. No Show waits for me to sit down and he is immediately in my lap either on top or under the blanket. Bella also enjoys a good lap or one of the cat beds at the top of the stairs. They are very friendly cats and enjoy being petted, fed, or just watching TV with us. Last week Bella fell from the second floor into the foyer and noticed that I saw her fall. She did land on her feet but when she saw me she ran immediately to the cabinet where her treats are. The cats are smarter then we give them credit for.
Christmas:
Deb and David came into town from their respective cities. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at the Lowe house in Oakton. We spent Christmas afternoon and evening at my parents house and the LeGrows. It seems so long ago now but it was great to have family in town and we are lucky enough to celebrate Christmas with so many people!
Snow:
Ugh. At least we aren't having a repeat of last year! Almost every storm is going north of us, south of us, or literally completely around us! Except for last Wednesdays storm. The evening commute from hell...for everyone! I left work at 3:30 pm thinking it would take probably about 2 hours to get home, maybe 3 if it was really bad. When I left work the rain had just turned over to sleet. Within 10 minutes the sleet had turned to a white out! I was still 28 miles from home! It took me 6 hours to go 12 miles into Fairfax City! It normally should take about 30 minutes to get to that point. I had given up getting to my house (still 18 miles away) and had turned my car onto 123 to go to the Lowe's house in Oakton which was about 4 miles away. I sat on the same stretch of 123 North for 3 hours and needed to use the restroom and eat dinner! I was going to run out of gas eventually if I sat in that traffic for another 3 hours so I turned my car around and parked at Red, Hot, and Blue for dinner. They were closed due to weather. Umph.
At this point I realized we all looked like we were from a zombie movie. There were abandoned cars everywhere and people just wandering around aimlessly. Some guy had said he just came from Hard Times Cafe and they were open until 2am. I bundled myself up with the extra scarf, hat, and mittens I had and walked the block to the restaurant. My phone was dying so I made a few calls to Jason and the Lowes.
My phone is dead. Traffic is still at a standstill. I couldn't keep down my dinner because of the anxiety of not having a clue what I was going to do, where I was going to go, or how long it would take me to get there. It was 7 hours after I left work and I was still only in Fairfax City. I asked for the check with not really knowing what I was going to do. If traffic was moving and I got stuck in the snow I could run out of gas and freeze with no way to call anyone! As I asked for the check the manager said my husband was on the phone. Jason (who was stuck in SC because flights had been canceled that day) said that friends of ours (who have an SUV) were coming to get me since they were out and about anyway. At 1230 am (9 hours after I left work) they came to the rescue and took me to the Lowe's house! Ahhh....someone's house! A glass of wine! A warm bed!
The scary things were not knowing if I was going to run out of gas, I had no phone, and no company to talk to. After I got home at noon on Thursday and I was SO happy to see the kitties and our house and I realized that I had it pretty good throughout the entire ordeal. People on the news said that they spent 12 hours on the GW Parkway, people had children in their car with them for 8+ hours with no where to go, and people had to walk 5 miles to get home! I was lucky, and I'd like to consider myself smart, for parking (not having to abandon) my car in a safe place and get myself to a safe public place. If I had continued on Braddock Rd West and my car ran out of gas, I would have had to walk many many miles just to get to anything!
I did learn a valuable lesson though. Take the Tahoe. That Wednesday morning I got into the Tahoe and it only had 50 miles of gas left but my car had a half a tank. I decided I would make it home in time so I'll just take my car. I should have taken the Tahoe to the gas station and filled it up. The car charger works in the Tahoe. I would have been able to brave the storm and get home that night. Although sitting in traffic for 6 hours, I would have still had to go to the bathroom. THAT may have been a problem.
