Tuesday morning, we were running late. The alarm didn't go off. We were both so tired after the busy past few days that we over slept. Robby & I hit the floor running, tripping over each other in our haste to get dressed and get out the door before we were both late for work. We didn't even have time to grab a quick cup of coffee. It was just get dressed and dash out to the car. We only work about 15-20 minutes from where we live and we were both cutting it too close for comfort when we pulled out the driveway.
I was almost to work when I realized I forgot my cell phone. I had left it on the desk charging. Oh well, there was just simply not enough time to go back to get it. I would just have to make do one day without it. So, I just kept going on in to work.
On the radio, the weather man was telling us that we might get a few afternoon snow flurries, but nothing to worry about. It would not be sticking and the roads were going to be safe for travel. If we got anything at all it would be late afternoon or early evening. The snow accumulations would be well south of my location by about 100 miles. Good, the last thing I wanted to worry about was icy roads when I knew I would be running errands that day at work.
I went on in to work and got ready to go back out into the cold to run my errands. When I left, I noticed the sky was dark and gray and it looked like snow, but I had faith in the weather man. He knows more than me about what it is going to do, right? Well, by the time I got to my first stop, it was starting to snow. It was just a few little flurries, nothing to get excited about. By the time I finished my third stop, it was snowing heavily and the bridges were icing over and the roads were slick in spots. I got back to work and told them the situation.
We started watching the weather even closer, the weather man was still saying nothing to worry about. The bad stuff was going to be south of Montgomery. A few schools were starting to close, but again we were told that it was not going to get bad. Within 30 minutes all of that changed.
Almost every school system in Alabama was closing, most of the roads in Birmingham were almost impassable. It was snowing harder and it was sticking to the roads, cars, the ground, and anything it touched was freezing to it as soon as it dropped. We closed up at work at 11:15 and headed home.
I tried to go my normal route home. The interstate was already barricaded off. I tried another more direct route. I couldn't make it that way either. Cars were sliding into ditches and sliding into one another. I turned around and tried another way home on the main road. It was already blocked off by police. I had one option home left and headed that way. I made it across a very scary, slippery bridge and thought the worst was behind me. I made it about another half mile at a snail's pace until I came to a small hill. Cars were not able to make it up it. They were slipping and sliding into each other on the icy road. It was like a bad nightmare. I knew at this point I had no choice. I had to park the car and start walking home.
I was about 7 miles from home. The temperature was dropping and the snow was coming down harder. Never in my life have I been stuck in weather that became so rough so quickly. I knew I had to try to make it home the best way I could. It was all up to me. Of all the days for me to forget my cell phone, I had no way of calling for help. I had to hurry to get out of the weather as quickly as possible, but had trouble seeing beneath the snow. I constantly tripped over tree roots, curbs, and other debris on the sidewalk. I was just about in tears. I knew it would not help to cry, it would only make things worse. So, I just kept walking.
After I made it about 3/4 miles, I saw a man pulling into his driveway and asked if I could use his phone. I tried calling my husband, but it went straight to his voicemail. I left him a message to let him know where I was and that I was on foot if I did not make it home, to come find me. The gentleman who loaned me his phone told me that the phone system was not working very well. I thanked him and kept walking. I was even closer to tears at this point. I just bit back the tears and kept going.
It reminded me of something from one of those end of the world movies. I was freezing and I couldn't get home, and the worst part was I was on my own. I had no way of knowing if my husband would even get my message. So I did not know if anyone knew where I was or if help was coming. I just had to keep trying. I was basically on the main street through our town. The roads were empty. All the businesses were closed. There was nowhere to even get in out of the weather for a moment. It was a little scary and a lot cold.
After I had walked about another 1/2 mile, I passed a gentleman closing up his business and asked him to borrow his phone. He told me that the phone system was down, but he would be glad to give me a ride. Thank goodness! He had a 4-wheel drive and was able to take me the last few miles to my house. Bless him for being a good person. I was so cold that my fingers had started burning and hurting. I bet I thanked him over a hundred times on the way home. We took a short cut home and avoided a traffic jam on the 4-lane. We saw school buses that had slid in the ditch with kids still on the buses. There were wrecked cars everywhere. It was terrible. I was just so thankful to get home. I don't think I have been happier in my life to see my house. It had been over 4 hours since I left work.
As soon as I hit the door, I took off all of my wet clothes and wrapped up in my big fluffy house coat, grabbed my phone and called my husband. It didn't go through, so I called Mom to check on her and see if she had any word about my girls. Thankfully, my youngest was at home with my granddaughter. The oldest one was stuck in the next town over, but she was staying in a motel. She was safe and warm. Phew! That was a load off of me. Mom said my Dad and uncle were stuck in the big traffic jam on the 4-lane, but they were on their way home. I got off the phone and tried to call Robby again. This time, thankfully he answered. He was stuck in the big traffic jam too. I think he almost cried when he heard from me and knew that I was home safe and sound. He had received my voice mail and had been worried to death about me, but he was not able to get to me because of the traffic.
While I was waiting on him to make it the last 3-4 miles home, I started a big pot of chili with left over red beans. I felt better knowing that if we lost power, at least we would have a good hot meal. If need be, we could always heat it up on the grill outside. We would be warm because we had the propane heater installed and our bed was in the same room as the heater. I made sure my water jugs were full in case the water pipes froze. It took Robby another 2 hours to make it home. He would have been home sooner, but he kept stopping to help people who were having car trouble. I was proud of him for helping. I wouldn't have made it home if someone had not helped me.
It was a day from Hell. I didn't relax until Robby and all of my other family members made it home. I was not the only one with a horror story. Almost everyone in several counties had some version of the same story. They were stuck on the road and it would take them hours to get home.
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