Tuesdays Scares

You all know how much I adore snow. Everything about it. When it started snowing early Tuesday, I was ecstatic! Around sunrise I opened the sliding door and just breathed in the scent and the chill curled around me, giving me goosebumps. I tried to catch a snowflake or two by leaning out the door, but I only had socks on so I could only lean so far. I even took some pictures of it snowing...I have no laptop myself still (The HARD drive is NOT HERE YET!!) so I can't upload them. I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke, it was still snowing and hard, I was smiling as I headed to my room.

When I awoke later it was STILL snowing. This was a shocker. During our "huge" storm we only got 5 inches maybe. Out of the supposed 12 to 16!! This was to be 1 to 3 inches and it was at least 5 inches already. I have however found the one thing I can put on the negative side of snow. Driving in the snow. We were going as a family to see Percy Jackson at 7:10 and I was worried. I also had planned on going to Blockbuster before we left to rent movies. Boring TV and all. So I called my Dad and he said we would still go see the movie. He said if I went out, as he was on the highway for over an hour now due to traffic and did not know how the side roads were, he would rather I take one of the Corolla's as they were best in the snow. And that is my Mom got home with one first, ask her how the roads were. So she got home shortly after, and said they roads were 'not too bad". So I was stoked, my OCD liked that things could go according to plan.

It wasn't even that cold out even though it was snowing, a sweater and my Tink jacket with a hat and scarf were perfect. So I set out to Blockbuster, which is normally 5 minutes away. As soon as I backed out of the driveway I could tell our neighborhood's roads were bad. I was sliding a little everywhere, but I figured West Street and those roads would be well plowed and salted, etc. I even got don the hill to West Street fine. The street wasn't so good though so I began to feel nervous and slowed down even more. I made sure to give even more extra space between cars and stop WAY before red lights. It was nerve-racking but I was like, get the movies, go home and Dad drives us to see the movie.

As I turned onto West Main Street, that was when I knew I was in trouble. I took my normal way I go to Blovkbuster, not bothering to THINK that it is a hill. So as I try and go up the small incline I am weaving to make it up, and the incline is very small here. It is the going down part that is the real HILL. At the top I suddenly lost control, and the car slid sideways, I was braking and hit a snow bank and was praying the car would stop as I got closer to a big oak tree. I was terrified of another head on collision. The snow stopped me and I could tell I didn't do any damage so I was scared, a LOT, but I kept going. I slowed even more so, worried the cars behind me, a truck, were pissed. But I was scared. I was almost down the hill, going maybe 10 mph, when the car slid sideways again toward a curb and cement bridge. I slid into it. I didn't move. The truck behind me went around me, didn't even stop. I was so shook up, the fear from the accident was like BACK full force. I pulled away, and heard some crunching but I was so close to Blockbuster, I needed to get there and out of this car. So I finally made it, feeling like I was going to throw up. I was shaking as I checked the car out, which seemed fine, so the crunching must have been snow and ice. I went inside to get the videos I went out in the snow for, I was so regretting having gone out. I could have waited, the snow was so hard still, it was over 7 inches by this point.

I went in and knew what I was going to do. I was like, I am going to be as slow as possible because I am terrified to drive home. No, it felt like it would be unfair to ask someone, who was at home snowblowing or shoveling, to come and GET me. So I took about an hour in the store, but still felt terrified. And then it was like 20 minutes until the movie so I called home. I got my Mom and told her they should go without me because I would not make it even to meet them and then I told her why I was taking so long. She told me Dad had already vetoes trying to go across town to see the movie and that I should have called if I was scared. She said to get in the checkout line and she'd call me back when someone was ready to get me. Katie called 3 minutes later and asked where I was and said she'd see me soon. I went out to the car and sat. I knew, if they were being safe, it would take awhile, but I was getting more and more anxious as time went by. My heart was bothering me BIG time, I just felt ill. The snow kept falling heavy. The other corolla finally got there and it was Katie and Mom and Dad. My Dad got in with me and drove with me to Bertucci's, so we could all (Sam stayed home) have dinner. The 4 of us had all had bad days, my Dad said, so we needed some good food, and Bertucci's is on one of the way home. So we sat and ate. I cried a little on my Mom's shoulder. Dad reminded me of his snow rules and added the one I wish I had thought of, when it snows take the wussiest way to get where you are going.

So I am still shook up and determined NOT to drive in the snow again! It was really difficult to realize I had a Sear's Optical appt. the next day, I was going to cancel it if my Dad said the driving was iffy. Luckily the roads were beautiful today for the most part or I would have gone hermit and stayed in. I am still so afraid to drive and Tuesday just reinforced those scared feelings. Yuck.