The Second Honeymoon: Day 1; Braving the Winter Storms!

Greetings friends & fellow bloggers.  It’s been awhile since I’ve written – 18 months to be exact.  Life happens, it’s that simple. Schedules change, commitments multiply, and somehow time just passes.

Our kids are growing up fast.  Emily turned 16 this year, and Sid 15.  Both drive to school, play sports, and keep us running every which direction (it seems). Emily has a new job as a Barista, and let me tell you I am loving the delicious perks!  She also loves to bake, and spends countless hours in the kitchen making a mess mouth-watering desserts!  Sid is very much the outdoorsman.  If he gets the chance to fish, or shoot the bow, he’s one happy kid!  He’s also looking forward to a new (old) set of wheels.  A work in progress, Chris is fixing up his old high-school pickup for Sid to drive.  It may have a little more rust than it did back in the day, but Sid is excited to drive it, just the same.

The old Chevy.

We did manage to find a week to get away over the New Year, to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  My sister Lori and her husband graciously offered to keep our two teenagers for an entire week so that Chris and I could get away, just the two of us.

Chris sent these to me at work on our 20th anniversary!

Our plan was to leave on the morning of Monday, December 28th, after I made it home from my night shift at the hospital.  Although not ideal, in my opinion, to (attempt) sleep on the 8-hour drive to Oklahoma, I wanted every minute I could manage for us to get away.  Weather quickly became a factor, as a winter storm brought ice and snow, covering the roads between Nebraska and Oklahoma.  Furthermore, our destination of South Texas didn’t look any better. Snow covered the western area of the state, while vast amounts of rain, flooding, and tornadoes hampered the north and eastern parts of the state.

I came home from work that morning, feeling a bit glum; knowing that the weather was going to hinder our travel, at least for one day.  However, by 1:00 p.m., Chris woke me and said he felt we could take off by 3:00, if everyone could be packed and ready.  After checking the road conditions through Kansas and Oklahoma, I wasn’t too certain we should try, for they both showed ice and snow-packed roads.  But he dismissed my concerns with a convincing smile, saying he was sure it would be fine.

Photo courtesy of my sister, Lori (Day by Day the Farm Girl Way).

We quickly loaded the car, and our beloved Border Collie, Annie, and headed straight for my mother’s house. We gave her a 30-minute warning, if I recall; telling her we would be bringing Annie and traveling today after all.

When we arrived, I immediately realized I forgot to pack Annie’s canned food.  We only give her a spoonful of it to hide her medication in, but nonetheless, I forgot it.  Mom quickly came up with the yummy alternative of cheese to hide the pill in; no doubt Annie and Mom will get along just fine!  With that settled, we gave a round of “Goodbye” hugs and we were off.

The roads were completely clear through Nebraska.  We made one stop at Wichita, Kansas for a quick meal on the run, and then continued south. Roads were perfect for nearly the entire drive.  It wasn’t until we were just under an hour away from Lori and FD’s place that we found unfavorable, icy conditions.

At one point, our journey came to an abrupt halt due to “Road Closed” signs that barricaded across a rural highway.  No forewarning like a, “Road Closed Ahead” sign or anything. One could certainly see why they were closed, however, as heavily-iced power lines were laying across the road just beyond the barricade.

It was evident there were large areas without power, as miles of darkness blanketed the landscape. We ended up detouring a little farther west, driving through little towns, and following multiple power company trucks and state trucks, verrrrry slowly.

We arrived at our destination by 11:30 p.m.; tired and frazzled, yet thankful for a warm house and comfortable beds to sleep in for the night.  We wasted no time in getting some shut-eye, for the morning would bring a fresh day of travel and adventure!

~Check back for Day Two of “The Second Honeymoon.”