Little Blue Feathers: 2 years ago today

Sid's first mohawk.

The highway was cleared off and open late morning the next day.

This Christmas vacation was one of my most memorable trips with Mr. Sharkey. We were so excited to be taking a mini vacation together at this time of year, and never thought we would run into the situation that we did. Above is a memo we typed into his phone so we would always remember that night. When I look back, I feel so thankful. Because really, it could have been horrible...

Prior to the vacation, Justin's company switched over to BlackBerry phones, and he received his a few days before we left for our trip. We checked the weather in Ohio and in North Carolina, and saw clear skies. This taught me a very valuable lesson... Always check the weather for every state in between where you are and your destination.

We packed our bags in my little Scion XB {also known as Sid} and headed down to North Carolina. I remember getting half way through West Virginia and the weather drastically changing. By the time we got to Virginia, we were driving in over 8 inches of snow and it was still coming down really heavy. Justin was driving and I remember my heart racing in the front seat of my car as I just sat there terrified and praying that we would make it to an exit safely. All around us we saw wrecked cars and people stranded in a snow bank in their cars. We saw there was an exit coming up, so we stopped and got Justin's new smart phone out to check the weather, call home and find the number for the little motel on the top of the hill. -Thank. God. for the Smart Phone. - We called the motel and told them we were on our way, but with them being on the top of a hill, I was worried if we could make it or not. We shifted our luggage and Justin made me sit in the very back on the car for added weight and we floored it up the hill to the hotel!

When we walked into the lobby, my heart was saddened for all the people wanting a room. Right as I walked in, the woman said "I'm sorry we do not have any more rooms. Our last room is reserved for a woman and her husband that are on their way up right now" I said That's me!!! and my anxiety quickly melted away.

We were safe.

That night and next morning we kept checking the weather and found out shortly after we got off the highway there was a semi that lost control and was blocking the highway, and they actually wound up shutting down the highway in both directions until the next morning. I have never had to be stranded overnight in a blizzard, but I wonder how those people did it. How they were stuck in their cars with nowhere to go and not much to keep them warm.

People could say we were "Lucky" but I don't think it was luck that got us to North Carolina safely. It wasn't luck that Justin got his new phone right before his vacation time started, and that we reached that exit at that exact timing, and reserved the very last room in the only motel on that exit, right before they shut down the highway. We had someone watching over us...