So my 25-minute, 15-mile commute took me 6 hours last night. I'm not exaggerating; I left work at 3:30 to BEAT the snowstorm traffic and arrived home at 9:30. After 4 hours, I finally was able to exit I-75 at Hopple Street and decided to pull into Wendy's to use the restroom and get some food. As I pulled into the lot, I hit a piece of median that was detached and buried under the snow, and ended up straddling it with a flat front tire. Luckily, I was in a high-traffic area and lots of good samaritans rushed to my aide, building a snow ramp and pushing my car up over the median. Two of the men who were helping me were on-duty at CSX and were warmly dressed, and they put my spare tire on while I used the bathroom and bought them some coffee. (Irony #1: Wendy's dining room was closed, so I had to go somewhere else to use the restroom anyway. Irony #2: The flat tire incident only made up about 30 to 45 minutes of my ridiculous commute.) After that, it took me about an hour and a half to get home via Queen City with a donut for a driver's side tire. It didn't matter, though: My spedometer didn't register out of the zero bar for 5.5 of the 6 hours I was on the road.
Kevin, on the other hand, went to BW3 after work rather than venturing onto the already gridlocked roads. He left there around 8:15 and luckily could take all back roads home because the highways were still jammed up. With the aid of 4-wheel drive, he made it home in 45 minutes. I was glad he made it home quickly, though, so he could let Gilmore out and we could unwind together before bedtime. He was sweet and made me some dinner since I was starving and exhausted.
Today, Kevin worked from home and cleared our drive while I took my car to the shop. I have a big hole in my tire, but they don't think I did any other damage. I left the car there to thaw out, and they hope to have a replacement tire this afternoon. So I'm working from home this afternoon, while Kevin is at a meeting downtown. I also decided that my mom's homemade potato soup was definitely in order, so I have a big pot simmering on the stove. Hopefully, you're all safe and sound at work or home too and we have a better second half of the week.
By the way, we got about 7 inches of snow, most of it between 1:00 and 7:00. And it's about 15 degrees. So much for a mild winter.
10 comments:
I played Onstar during this ordeal providing entertainment, counseling services and detailed driving directions. I think I was almost as stressed out as she was!
Yes, I forgot to add that Katie was smarter than me and left work earlier, making her commute a mere hour and a half. Seriously, though, she helped me navigate and kept me from losing my mind. And no worries: All my talking was hands-free.
I am glad both you gals arrived home, safely after that wild commute.
Hmmm, potato soup, sounds good to me!
I am sure glad you all got home OK. What an ordeal! We did not get that much snow, but we are sure cold up here too. It was 4 below yesterday when I got up. But it was 0 today. I had no idea you got that much snow until I talked to Kevin on the phone last night.
Sorry about that commute... I remember that potato soup, though. Can I have some?! Mmm...
Maybe I'll whip up a pot when you visit in April Susan.
Susan is coming in April?! Can Maddie & I finally meet Katie Fanlleli? :)
oops we spelled the last nme wrong...sorry!
Yeah, Susan is going to come up from Louisville for dinner one night while she's visiting her parents the week of April 8th. I'll keep you and Maddie posted! They might induce Katie that week, so we're playing the plans by ear.
We sat here in Arizona and tried to track your progress remotely. I hated to hear that you hit the median and blew your tire.
Wish Dad was a little closer to help in these type of situations.....
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