round and round she goes...

by now, most of you have heard about, if not even actually experienced the "arctic blast" that was monday afternoon/night here in the seattle area. there was snow everywhere. ice covered the roads. freeways and roads were backed up beyond belief. everyone who experienced it has their own story to tell about where they were during the "arctic blast of 2010". here is mine...

4pm: it all started with gas. as in, i needed some. for my car.there is a gas station approx a quarter of a mile down the road from my work so as soon as i got off i jumped in my car and headed to the station. i knew i would probably experience some heavy traffic but i was mentally prepared for the wait. i just needed some gas.

430 pm: finally reach the gas station. i fill maggie the mazda up and start heading to the freeway which is approximately a mile away.

6 pm: holy crap. that took forever. finally hit the freeway. still feeling good,but not looking forward to what seems is going to be the 3+ hour drive home (normally it's about 40 min-1hr). at that moment i remember i have a friend that lives in renton approx 5 miles from where i am. that HAS to be a shorter commute than going home! i text my friend and ask if i can spend the night. i get approved, get off at the next exit and am ECSTATIC that i don't have to drive home tonight.

8 pm: i've gone two miles. i have about 3 to go and i have a feeling it's going to be another few hours before i get there. the roads are super icy, cars are getting stuck everywhere. temperature is dropping FAST and did i mention i don't have any heat in my car?? i was starting to get cold and after driving for 4 hours, i'm technically back where i started(to get to my friends house i had to drive past my work). i realize that there are hills that i would be required to go up in order to get to my friends house. not wanting to have spent all this time in traffic, only to get stuck on some stupid hill, i decide to pull over to the side and put chains on my car. being a girl and from washington where nights like these don't come around too often, i have NO idea how to put chains on. luckily, i was near an auto parts store-surely someone could help me put them on there!

805 pm: i pull into the auto parts store and ask for assistance to put chains on my car. i was told they weren't allowed to touch the chains, only instruct me on how to get them on. sure, fine, whatever. i'll take what i can get. auto dude comes outside and starts instructing me. i do what i can, but it's harder than it looks and after a few short minutes i literally cannot feel my fingers. do you know how hard it is to do anything when your fingers are numb, let alone try and connect to small pieces of metal together?? yeah, super hard.

815 pm: after watching me struggle, a LOT, auto dude finally feels pity on me and risks his job by putting my chains on for me. i'm so so so so thankful for this because there's absolutely no way they would have gotten on any other way. my fingers were icicles and the rest of my body was catching up to icicle status quickly.

830 pm: chains are on!!! auto dude offers me a fresh cup of coffee and i gladly accept. while getting my coffee i receive a text from a friend who was at the same spot of the freeway as i was when i got on it 2.5 hours ago-he was home in tacoma. my heart sank. i changed my route to what i thought would get me to a warm,cozy place quicker and instead i probably doubled my commute time. FML. disgruntled, but grateful for chains on my tires,the kindness of the auto dude, and free coffee, i start back on my journey.

845 pm:i'm about a block from the auto store. it's getting colder by the second. i can't feel my toes and i've been sitting at the same stoplight, staring at the same hill for 3 light changes now. i have no idea why we aren't moving. my mind keeps telling me to turn around and try the freeway route again, but i just can't bring myself to. i'm "sure" once i get past the hill in front of me traffic will lighten up and i'll be to my friends house in no time.

850 pm: i'm on the verge of tears. i'm pretty frustrated at this point. all i want is to not be in my car and warm. that's it. why does it seem like such a huge task?? i talk to my friend whose house i was headed to and we decide i should just go for the freeway route. i do a u-turn and head back towards the entrance.

9pm: i drive by my work(again) on the way to the freeway and end up stopped at a light right down the street from it. i sit and wait at the light with other cars. and sit. and wait. for two light changes. during these light changes i realize: i have been on the road for 5 hours and i am literally RIGHT BACK WHERE I STARTED. i'm freezing, i'm hungry, i'm frustrated and i'm really hating the other cars for being in my way and i canNOT just sit in this car for another 3 hours. i can't. this is driving me nuts. i call my dad, tears streaming down my face and pretty close to hysterical and start telling him about my night. we decide it would be a good idea to just get a hotel for the night and try to get home in the morning(WHY didn't i think of that BEFORE?????).

915pm: i arrive at a hotel about a half mile from my work(i literally drove around all the people at the stoplight. thank goodness for my chains that got me up the hill so i was able to do that). i check in, and breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. i wasn't in my car and i was going to be warm and i had a nice, cozy bed to sleep in. luckily my center wasn't opening until ten the next day so i even get some extra sleep!

930 pm:i jump in the shower. it takes about 45 minutes to get all of the coldness out of me. it was so great to feel my toes again! i crawl into bed, still thinking about how amazing everyone who helped me out today was (the auto dude, my friend who was gonna let me stay at her house, my friends who texted me with supporting words while i was in the midst of of a breakdown, and my dad for his support as well)and i fell asleep with a smile on my face.

the next morning i woke up bright and early in time for my free continental breakfast(another thing to be grateful for, i LOVE breakfast!) and the discovery that my center was actually CLOSED for the day! check out time wasn't until noon so i took full advantage and caught up on my tlc baby stories that i never get to watch because i'm always at work. i finally left at about 1130 and made it home safe and sound in under an hour.

so that's it, that's my "arctic blast of 2010" adventure. i realize that there are people who had it a LOT worse than me: people who had to abandon their cars completely and walk certain distances, people who didn't have the luxury of shacking up in a hotel and waiting it out,maybe even people who got in accidents and got hurt...but that's my personal story that i wanted to share. again, i want to thank everyone that was super amazing and kind to me the whole night. i really REALLY could not have gotten through it without you all. the next day at work me and my coworkers decided that instead of us all trying to brave the storm, we'd just chip in for a hotel in the very beginning. next time/if that ever happens, be prepared for another "artic blast" story for sure! ;) happy thanksgiving everyone!!!!