Why I should always carry a cell phone...

I don't have one of those fancy smart phones that many people have (and many waste their time using, no offense if you love yours to pieces).  I'll be honest, though, I've often thought one would come in handy (like looking up an establishment's phone number when I'm away from a computer or yellow pages, or seeing what I might need for a recipe while at the grocery store, or to get a nice picture of the kids doing something exciting when my camera is not with me, etc.).  I do know that I'd probably be sucked in like many are to checking it constantly, so I am grateful most days that it is not in our best financial interest to get one for me to use.  I DO have a nice flip phone that is perfect for texting (even though it doesn't always know what those smart phones are trying to tell it), making phone calls, and taking sub-sub-par pictures.

I don't always remember to grab my phone when taking a short trip (like to my in-laws, who live at the top of our lane).  I really need to start making more of an effort to do so.  On a morning like this one it would have definitely saved some distress (although I did get in a lot of good praying, which Katherine was able to witness, even though it was mostly just, "Please dear Lord, help us!").

It all started at around 8:30 this morning, when George got home from being out all night taking care of the roads after the snow/ice/rain storm (he left around 5:00 pm yesterday).  I decided to take the kids up to his parents so he could get some much needed sleep.  I asked if he thought the car would make it up the hill and he thought it would be fine.  So I got the kids in the car and right before I left decided to grab the umbrella so they wouldn't get soaked walking into Pop Pop and Nana's house (it is still raining hard and the wind is CRAZY!)  We started up the lane and on the incline the car started to slip a bit (it happens sometimes, but the best thing to do is to keep it in motion).  Towards the top it started slipping a lot!  And at the very top (within 20ish feet of the top that is) the wheels just spun.  I stepped on the brake, prayed, and tried again, turning the wheel slightly.  Nope.  I prayed out loud, let out the brake again, and felt the car go backwards a little crooked while I tried the gas.  There was just too much ice still on the driveway.

The last time I got stuck there, I don't think the kids were with me (and it was all snow that I was spinning in).  That time I just backed down the driveway and went out the other way.  I wasn't doing that with the kids in the car and the lane covered in ice.  Oh, and you probably are already aware that I didn't have my phone with me to call anyone for assistance.  Could I have honked the horn and been heard? Probably.  I was sitting parallel to our neighbor's house and possibly within earshot of my in-laws' house.  Instead, I just wanted to get the kids out of the car that I prayed would stay exactly where it was (even though I wasn't quite convinced).  I pushed in the emergency brake, got out (and almost fell), grabbed the umbrella (Thank you, God, for making me think to grab it!), and got Katherine out of the car and off to the side of the lane, then got Andrew out.  The rain was pouring down at a decent angle because of the wind, and the umbrella was wobbling all over the place.  We were only about 15 steps from the shed, so the plan was to go in there and stay dry.  But that still wouldn't have gotten the kids to the house, because I still had no way of alerting them that we were up there.

We decided to make an attempt for the house (it's probably another 300-500? ft...I might be a math teacher, but I'm really bad with distances).  The driveway was under about 3 inches of water, so I tried to have Katherine walk in the snow...bad idea.  The wind was really whipping around the umbrella now, so I knew the best thing to do was get back to the shed and get inside...and figure SOMETHING out from there.  On our way back, Katherine said, "Mommy!  My boot!"  Here, she had lost her boot in the mound of snow, so she had one foot completely soaked.  I lifted her up by the arm and carried her to the threshold of the shed and just told her to try not to step down on her right foot.  We got inside and I set Andrew's car seat on the mower, and set Katherine on the seat.  By now she is crying because she is cold and has a wet foot, poor girl.  I told her I'd be right back, and went back out for her boot (and to catch the umbrella that was making its way back down to the car).  She was happy to have her boot back, and promised me she and Andrew would be okay if I left them there, but I just couldn't do it (it was a long way to the house to get my in-laws' car and I just couldn't leave them in the shed by themselves that long).

We HAD to get to the house!  The four-wheeler!  I opened the door, turned it on (Thank you, God, that the key is in it and that it works!), then tried to figure out how to lift the plow.  It took a bit of trying, but I got it!  I loaded Andrew in his car seat on the back, put Katherine in front of me, and grabbed the umbrella.  I was nervous about Andrew, but I linked my arm through the car carrier, and held the umbrella with that hand while I maneuvered the four-wheeler with the other.  Even the four-wheeler was slipping and sliding heading to the house!  We made it, got off the four-wheeler, and made it into the house to dry off.  They were definitely a bit surprised to see us coming on their four-wheeler!

Mom G. made me some tea, got Katherine some dry clothes and sat down at the table with me to chat while Dad G. went out to try and get my car (which I had left running).  He was gone for a little while.  Apparently he had to back it all the way down the lane before he could get it to come back up.  He said there were some spots that it just slid.  Thankfully he made it back up, and later on (probably an hour and a half after I planned to go home) I made it back down safely as well (a few slips, but stayed on the road!).  

Oh what a morning!  Definitely would have been a little less of an adventure had I had my phone with me!