life - part 2

Once again I'm almost a week behind... have basically been working all week... dealing with all this damn snow we've been getting... preparing for Christmas... all that fun stuff we do every day.

Monday night Greg's photography club was having a cookie exchange/Christmas party/gift exchange. We planned to go but with the temp's being in the negatives I just didn't feel like packing Ellie up and hauling her into town when I got home from work. We decided that Greg would go alone. I had a nice quiet evening to myself. When Greg got home he informed me that there was a girl at the party (a guest of another photo club member) who wouldn't stop hitting on him! ALL night long! He said he kept mentioning his wife this, his daughter that and she didn't seem to get the hint (or just didn't care)... I hate girls like that. Next time I don't care if it is 40 below zero... I will be there! :)

Tuesday after work I was driving home (alone - Greg was home with Ellie for the day). It had been snowing for a few hours already and the roads were pretty slick and snow covered. We live in the middle on nowhere and I take quite a few country roads to get home... so I'm on my way... on a road where my cell phone doesn't work... and my back tires start sliding so I tried to correct it which only makes it worse and I do a couple 360's and all the sudden I'm sliding down the ditch sideways (drivers side first) and boom... I'm in the corn field. It happened so fast I can't even tell you how many times I spun around... I seriously have no idea. I was so scared and I remember thinking, as I was sliding into the ditch, that the trailblazer was going to tip over onto the drivers side... I was just waiting for my window to explode all over my face. Thank god it didn't happen.

An angel of a man pulled over, jumped out of his truck and came over to me to make sure I was ok... which I was... just a little shaken and my heart was racing... and he told me he could get me out... I was like, "um you can??!!" and he said, "yeah, ya got 4-wheel drive right?" I told him yes and he offered to try and drive it out of the ditch for me... I was like, BE MY GUEST! He got in and after a few seconds of turning the wheel back and forth and spinning tires he pulled up into and through the cornfield and out the driveway to me. I'm such a newbie to this 4-wheel drive thing that I had no idea I could just drive myself out! Not that I would have been able to do it myself anyway!

I feel terrible that I didn't even get the man's name! He asked where I lived and I told him, then he said he lived just up the road. I thanked him and gave him a little around the shoulder type hug (?! not sure what I was thinking there, I was just SO THANKFUL for him). He asked me if I'd ever had a 4-wheel drive vehicle before and I told him I hadn't... and just like my dad he says to me, "even with 4-wheel drive you have to slow down because once these vehicles start spinning they just keep going... " But seriously! I was going maybe 25 mph! Not 55!

I'm just so thankful Ellie wasn't with me and that the car wasn't damaged. Oh duh and that I wasn't hurt.

Do you know how happy I am that it's Friday night? You have NO IDEA. It has been a long week. This is usually what it takes to get me through my day...


We are due for more snow tomorrow... here's the forecast...
Minnesota, Goodhue County
Winter Storm Watch
Statement as of 10:09 AM CST on December 19, 2008
Expires 7:00 PM EST on December 21, 2008
... Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon... A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon. A strong low pressure system will enter western Minnesota on Saturday and reach central Wisconsin by Sunday. Accumulating snow will accompany the low pressure system with amounts possibly exceeding six inches by Sunday night for central and east central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin... including the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In addition to the snow... strong northwest winds will develop Saturday night and continue on Sunday causing considerable blowing and drifting snow. Another round of bitterly cold air and dangerous wind chills is expected to arrive later Sunday. A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations that may impact travel.Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

More below zero temps and more snow... love MN, just love it... why do I live here??

We were supposed to have Christmas with Greg's family tomorrow at his aunt's house but because of the incoming storm my MIL, SIL and GIL have decided it would be smartest to not make the drive down (from Hayward, WI)... and I don't blame them... after Tuesday night I never want to drive in the snow again... very unlikely. So I'm pretty thankful that we get to hunker down tomorrow and just stay home... no driving what so ever. Sunday afternoon we have tickets to go to the Vikings game with my parents and sister and BIL... I'm not so sure we're going to make that either... I'm hoping things clear up by then but I guess we'll have to wait and see. MN winter weather is pretty unpredictable.

My favorite picture of the week...