Snomageddon 2014

Yesterday may have been the craziest day I have ever seen in our time in Birmingham.  It ranks right up there from April 27, 2011 (day of the horrible tornadoes).  We were told Monday evening that we might get a light dusting of snow Tuesday morning, but that all of the bad weather was going to hit just south of us.  Boy, were they wrong.

I had to get out yesterday morning to take Avery to her follow up at the ENT.  When we arrived at 9:15 it was barely starting to flurry.  As we left it was starting to come down but wasn't really sticking on the roadways.  The drive from the doctor's office to our house is about 15 minutes, and by the time I had gotten to our street, it was impassable.  15 minutes!  I turned on our street (which is a steep decline) to see a bunch of cars slipping and sliding all over and not being able to get down the hill.  I attempted to start down our street but immediately started sliding and had to pull into the church parking lot up there.  I then tried to call almost every male in my family to give me instructions on how to drive in the snow, so I could attempt to safely get myself and Aves home (I'm a southern girl!).  Of course no one answered.  After a few minutes of sitting, M was able to call me back and we talked through me trying another street to get home.  After a car stopping in front of me at a stop sign (Why they did that when the roads are slick is beyond me?), I attempted to accelerate and just kept spinning and then started sliding backwards, the only way I could stop myself from hitting the car behind me was to put my emergency break on.  I slid into an embankment, but was able to get out after a few minutes.  Long story short, I finally got home a few minutes after that, and safely barricaded myself inside the house.

As the day wore on, it became clear that I had the easiest snow day experience from many of my friends/family, and other Alabamians. My street became a parking lot about an hour later from cars getting stuck trying to get up the hill.  My sweet sister-in-law after getting out of school herself could only get a mile away from the day school to pick the boys up and had to walk both ways in the snow to get them!  Jonathan spent 10 hours in a car trying to get home as well.  Our friend Mollie got stuck out 280 and had to get picked up from a coworker on a 4 wheeler and taken to his sister's house to spend the night.  Another friend got stuck at the gym where he was teaching a yoga class.  75 people from the day school and church got stuck, many parents unable to get there to pick up their children (so thankful for so many selfless people there to take care of all those precious kiddos).  Another friend got picked up by his wife walking down Lakeshore Pkwy to try and get to their kids there.  Another dad from the day school walked 13 miles from his job to get there just so he would be able to spend the night with his 2 kids.

Even crazier, I heard this morning on the news about a girl who went into labor last night and her boyfriend had to deliver the baby at home while they were on the phone with some doctors giving them step by step instructions!

It is clear that us southerners are not very well equipped for these emergency snow situations.  This is just a small sampling of crazy stories from yesterday.  Lots of stranded people on the roads who had to spend the night in the cars, or abandon their cars and walk to a warming shelter.  As of now, the roads are still dangerous, and we are all being encouraged to stay in today.  They are in the process of sanding the roads, but it is not supposed to get above freezing today.  Hoping it starts to melt soon, especially for all the kids stuck at schools in the area.  On top of that, I am that mom who is running low on Avery's milk.  Was not prepared.  We are in rationing mode!

Thankful that all my friends and family are safe and warm.  Continuing to pray for all of those who are still stranded and displaced from their homes and families! Hearing all the various stories this morning of all the good Samaritans out there helping others get unstuck, get gas, by giving rides to strangers or even opening their homes to people stranded, it makes me proud to be a part of the South!  Nothing quite like Southern Hospitality!

Post by MyFoxAL.com.

Meanwhile at home, tried to take my little snow angel outside.  She was happy until it got on her hands.... 

Caused a ton of mayhem, but was so beautiful!

2013

2013.  What a year you were.  Busy, hectic, and crazy, but oh so full of wonderful blessings.  Here is our 2013 year end review.

January:  We celebrated Alabama winning another National Championship!  And our newest nephew was born, sweet baby Will!

February: Our little Nug started pulling up, and getting into everything :)

March: Spring Break Houston with my best friends Heather and Aimee and of course Maddie!  We also celebrated Avery's first Easter in Birmingham while house hunting!

April: Mimi and Papa came to visit, and we sold/closed on our first home in Texas.

Bye House!

 May:  Our little Nugget turned 1! We also took Avery's 1 year old pictures. But the busiest few weeks was when we closed on our house in Vestavia, moved at the end of the month, and went to Orange Beach with Matthew's family!

June: Avery and I hung out in the Magic City while M finished up his fellowship in Houston.  We also spent a few days up in Nashville, which is when I think Ashley officially became Avery's favorite person.  We also hung out with our favorite cousins as J and K adopted Aves and me for a few weeks ;)

July: Heather, Russ and Maddie came down for the 4th of July party at Ed and Shawn's.  And we went to Florida for Smith family vacation.

August: We celebrated M's 30th birthday with friends here in the Magic City, I started back to graduate school, Avery started Mother's Day out 3 days a week, and Matthew passed his Molecular Genetics boards!  M and I took a two day trip to the beach to celebrate!  

September:  We spent Labor Day in Memphis with my grandparents; the weekend ended with a trip to the Children's ER at Lebonheur when Avery woke up with a 105.5 degree fever.  Football season started, and we taught Avery how to say, "Roll Tide!".  At the end of the month we went to Nashville to celebrate mine and Ashley's birthdays.

October: I went to Houston for a week to help my dear friend Kelly with their newest addition, sweet baby Jonas. M held down the fort here in Bham and did a marvelous job.  Sent her to school dressed to the nines everyday, and never forgot to put a bow in her hair :).  Nug was a strawberry for Halloween, and was the sweetest thing I have ever seen!

November:  We went to see Grandma and Granddaddy Wayne at the beginning of the month.  Then celebrated Thanksgiving with both sides of the family in Lexington (went to a UK game) and Cinci.  

December: Christmas festivities took up the majority of our month.  Always a good problem to have :)  We also got to see some of our best friends get hitched the weekend before Christmas.  

We rang in the new year with some of our Nashville friends (Allens, Joneses, Foxes, Hasselbrings) at Steve and Jill's house.  It has been our New Year's Eve tradition for 7 years! (Although we missed 1 year when we were living in Houston)  Fun night with good friends.  Happy New Year everyone!  May your 2014 be a year of wonderful change and abundant blessings!

We spent the night in an intense Wii couple's tournament.  Spoiler Alert: M and I did not win.

Christmas in Memphis

 We celebrated Christmas with my Mimi and Papaw (and aunt, cousins, on my dad's side of the family) the Saturday after Christmas.  Here are the pics from that.  I promise everyone this is my last and final Christmas post!  I know you don't care if I were to put it all into one post, but it bothers me and my Type A brain.  It's just not organized.  So, there you go.

Dinner at Abuelos on Friday night.

Grand kids and Great grand kids.  

Giving Mimi loves.

On to the New Year!  Fully expect posts to become more sporadic soon.  I am back in school :(

Hardison Family Christmas

We started off Hardison Christmas at the annual 26th Lunch at Grandma and Granddaddy Wayne's.  As usual the food was delicious, and all I'm going to say is that Avery and I ended up at the big table again.  Sorry everyone, I guess we know who the favorite is ;) 

Then after the New Year, M and I hosted the immediate family's Christmas.  We usually celebrate it the weekend before Christmas, but because of Geoff and Mollie's wedding it was moved to that weekend.  Unfortunately this was before we knew that Auburn was going to be in the National Championship game and that J would be going, so we missed him this year!  Hopefully next year all this craziness will not be going on... Except we are always hopeful here in AL that the Crimson Tide will be going to the National Championship ;)  It was a great weekend, and David and Sandra were a big help watching Avery for a few hours Thurs and Friday for me so I could go into work, while they were already watching Will and Sam!  

Aren't they the sweetest!

Avery got a big girl chair with her name on it from Papa and Mimi.  She loves it!

Completely forgot to post pictures from celebrating Christmas with my grandparents in Memphis.  Will get around to it hopefully sooner rather than later.