Hopeful Release End of 2015
Prelude
We knew it was coming. The weatherman had warned us for a week. We had done our shopping and prepped the shelter; but, when that siren went off at 4m on November 8, 2010, our lives were changed forever.
You see, we are a small town …. Actually, we live outside a small town. We are located in the middle of Kansas, about 60 miles south of Wichita. That is what I tell people because at least they know where that is. My four children are my pride and joy. I get the pleasure of working at home with my husband in the technology field. While it is not always easy, we home school and live off of the food grown in our garden. This was, at least, until the blizzard hit.
Chapter One: The Planning
"Mom, I cannot believe you are not letting me stay in my own room tonight. Dee is going to ruin my sleep!"
Rolling my eyes, I knew that Sara was going to have problems with the decision her father, and I made. In reality, I did not blame her. What 14 year old wants to hang out in the two year old's dream room?
"Sara," I sighed, "I know it sucks, but we cannot risk a cave in on the walkway."
You see, Sara lived over the garage of our two story home, and that was attached through a breezeway. She probably had the best room in the house. Completely private, large, and we added a small bathroom last year. It is not like we meant to spoil her, but with her constantly running off, we needed to listen to her complaints. We simply validated them.
"Well, if I have to stay in Dee's room, I am SO bringing my iPod."
As she stormed off, I knew bedtime was only going to get harder. With the storm threatening, and my husband glued to the television, I grabbed my boys and began the bedtime rituals. Jon, my ten year old loves to draw the stories I read to Tyler. Tyler's pick tonight was a chapter from The Hobbit.
Surprisingly, they went down without a fight, which was nice since routines were not normal the entire day. I grabbed their "fun" bags I had them finish packing a few hours ago, and head down the stairs. As I was going down, Dee was flying up them.
"Dee, sweetie," I tried to say, but she had already sped by, so I yelled after her, "SLOW DOWN!"
"Sara coming to MY room!"
Dee was such a spirit. At age two, she had more joy than any of my others did. Not too long after Dee raced past, Sara slumped by. Clearly she was still unamused. Hopefully the fact that I had made the rollaway be up with her favorite blankets would make it a little better. I doubted it though.
Walking down the rest of the stairs, I looked over to Brian, "Hey, honey, you going to get anything prepped?"
"Oh, I had done most of the setting up while you prepped the food. I have already moved it down and set up the back-up power. We are set for being snowed in. Should have enough food, water, and power for two, maybe three, weeks."
As Brian finished talking, he looked over at me. He got up and came over to give me a hug. Running his fingers through my long blonde hair, he caressed my cheeks and put a small kiss on my forehead. Then he placed a bigger kiss on my lips.
As he pulled away, he stated, "Laura, you have done everything possible. We will be fine. Get some rest. It is supposed to be here by sun up."
As if I was going to get any sleep. "Brian, you will find me in the shower. I am going to light some of our aromatherapy incense and attempt to relax."
This was the first big storm we had ever encountered. It was not abnormal for us to get up to six inches of snow, but over 12-inches, hitting at one time was not normal in Kansas. The weatherman predicted much more than 12. In fact, he said we could expect up to five times that! There was just no relaxing when you think about the implications that brought with it.
"I will finish taking everything downstairs and putting it near the shelter. We have all of the sleeping quarters set up. I also spent yesterday putting ramps over the breezeway to help prevent the snow from piling up on top. I don't know if it will prevent any destruction, but I sure am trying."
Brian squeezed my hand and gave me one more kiss. I was sure that we would survive and be okay, I just was not sure how our lives would be affected by this storm. Would we lose power? Would we be able to dig out? How long will we be stuck in our shelter? Can our shelter hold up to the demands since it has not been tested? Apparently, Brian could tell the thoughts were racing because he quickly grabbed me into a tight hug.
"We need to stay calm for the children. Let's not think about the ‘what if's.’ Let's just concentrate on the fact we have done everything they have advised and then some. Life will be interesting enough with the mixture of personalities if we get what is predicted. Go, shower, and then go and rest."
I quietly shuffled from the dining room area, where my husband was, to the master bedroom. After lighting my incense and letting the aroma fill the air, I stepped past the glass doors and onto the stone tiled floor of the shower. Turning up the hot water, I began to decompress as I let the water flow over my body. I am not sure how long I actually was in the shower, I just know it was long enough for the hot water to begin to turn cold. I stepped out, threw my robe on, and put my hair up in a towel. I looked at our king size bed that was covered in pillows and a beautifully warm goose down comforter. I have no idea how I am going to sleep, but I might as well try. I threw on my pajamas and finished towel drying my hair. Finally, I threw in some treatment and crawled under the covers.
As I was slipping into bed, I heard the front door open and Dee was thundering down the steps again.
"It's Jordan! Hey everyone, Jordan is here!"
"He, Dee." Jordan said as Dee leapt into his arms.
"Why you here? It night, night time."
"Yes, Dee, but I'm hoping to stay the night." He said, looking hopeful at Brian.
I had thrown on my robe and was headed out of the room when Brian answered.
"Alex, Jordan, you are more than welcome to stay. The shelter is almost set up. Going out one last time to get some more wood."
Shooting a smile my way, Alex responded, "Thank you. I will come with you so we have more hands. Jordan can help Laura with our food donation."
Sara, oblivious that Jordan was here due to the music blaring in her ears, was surprised when she saw him following mom down the stairs.
"Uh, hey, Jordan," she muttered, "why are you here?"
"Sara, Jordan and Alex will be with us until the storm passes."
"What about Maxwell?"
"Good question. Jordan, where is Max?"
"We were not sure he could come to the shelter, so he is running wild. He will be okay. He knows how to find food and the wolf in him will keep him safe."
Sara did not agree but she bit her tongue. Having one of her best friends here was more than enough for her.
"Going to bed, mom. Come get me whenever."
Jordan couldn't help but follow her up the stairs with his eyes. She may only be 14, but she had a runner's body. He hadn't cared about girls until recently, and Sara was a friend that he wished was more.
Smiling and chuckling under my breath, "Hey, Jordan, aren't you helping me with the food?"
"Right, sorry, Mrs. B."
I know that Jordan was crushing hard on Sara, but I was not about to step in. He will have to figure it out on his own.
"Where would you like me and dad to crash, Mrs. B?"
"When you are finished bringing the food into the shelter, you can make up the hide-a-bed in the living room. There are blankets in the hall. If you prefer, you could crash in the boys' room, I am sure Jon and Tyler would not mind."
"Cool. Oh, and thanks again." He put the last bag of groceries on the counter in the kitchen area of the shelter and then bounded up the stairs. I finished stacking the cans and putting the bottles of water in the fridge when my mind began to wander.
Alex and I have been friends for seven years, since we worked together at the dairy. They have been a huge help over the years as Jordan has been our full time babysitter with Jon, Tyler and now, Dee. When the schools started charging admission, Alex came to me to teach Jordan with the rest of my home schoolers. It has been a great set-up for everyone. Well, except for Sara, who apparently has her priorities askew.
"Laura! We are back!" The shouts from my husband snapped me back to reality.
"Awesome. We are set down here for the last load of wood to be staged."
"Oh, mom!" Yelled Sara from the top of the stairs, "Can I call Josie real quick since Dee is still awake?"
"Make it fast. You and Dee need to get some rest."
I do not know why I answered because she wasn't actually asking for permission. Shaking my head, I waited for the men to bring the wood down.
"Hey sweetie, we will put the wood away. Why don't you go back to bed for a bit. It is almost 10." Brian gave my arm a squeeze and gave me the look that told me it was not a suggestion.
I walked back up the stairs and into the main part of the house. Jordan was grabbing some pillows, and the hide-a-bed was already pepped.
"Hey, Mrs. B. I'm gonna sleep with Jon and Tyler. Kinda too old to be crashing with my dad."
I chuckled and nodded. I was too tired to care anyway. I was not sure when the worst of the storm was coming, or how long it was actually going to snow. I just knew that getting groceries and seeing bare shelves had my nerves shot. Now that the day was actually upon us, I knew we were completely prepared, but I had a strong vibe that something very bad was about to happen. I took off my robe that was covering my white cami and boxer shorts, and then crawled back under my favorite goose down comforter. The warmth enveloped my body and I could tell that I was asleep within minutes.
------
I woke with a start and looked at my clock. It was only 1am, Brian was out cold beside me, why was I awake? I grabbed my robe and slipped into the kitchen. I saw the lamp on in the living room and assumed that Alex was still awake. Probably surfing the Internet since that is what he loves to do when he comes over. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and got some ice from the freezer.
"Hey."
"I haven't even gotten a chance to say hi to you, have I?" I turned and looked at Alex. He was my one true friend outside of my husband whom I could tell my deep dark secrets to. I was secretly very happy that Alex was awake.
"Nope," he chuckled, "not really. Probably partially my fault since I stole your husband to get some firewood."
I filled my glass with water and walked out to the living room with Alex. "So, what are you doing up?"
"I haven't gone to bed. I have been catching up on news stories. Just reading."
I chuckled, "just surfing the Internet … nothing big."
"Pretty much. So, how bad do you think this storm is going to be?"
"Truthfully, Alex, I am scared out of my mind. I mean, I know we are prepared, but still." I set my water down on the end table and turned to Alex. "If we really get what they are calling for, how long will it be before we can leave our homes? What happens to those who do not have backup generators and other fuel sources? I'm just … I'm scared."
Alex put the laptop on the other end table and turned to me. "Laura, reality is we are going to get snow. People will lose power. I think we are fine. I think most of the town has already evacuated. You and Brian stay pretty holed up in the house since you both work from home. You do not realize that there are only few people left. I am not saying that it is wrong, but just remember, they will come back and you have someplace warm to stay."
I looked at the blanket and looked back at Alex, "thanks for coming over. I know that it will mean a lot for Sara to have Jordan here for her." I picked up my glass of water and got up from the bed. "I am going to go lie down, try to get some rest will ya?"
He nodded and grabbed the laptop again. I wasn't sure when he would actually go to bed, but at least I did my part in chiding. I set my water down by my alarm clock and cell phone, and then crawled under the blankets. Brian only stirred slightly, but it was enough for me to regain my rightful place in his strong, warm arms. Placing my arms around his chest, I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep.
We knew it was coming. The weatherman had warned us for a week. We had done our shopping and prepped the shelter; but, when that siren went off at 4m on November 8, 2010, our lives were changed forever.
You see, we are a small town …. Actually, we live outside a small town. We are located in the middle of Kansas, about 60 miles south of Wichita. That is what I tell people because at least they know where that is. My four children are my pride and joy. I get the pleasure of working at home with my husband in the technology field. While it is not always easy, we home school and live off of the food grown in our garden. This was, at least, until the blizzard hit.
Chapter One: The Planning
"Mom, I cannot believe you are not letting me stay in my own room tonight. Dee is going to ruin my sleep!"
Rolling my eyes, I knew that Sara was going to have problems with the decision her father, and I made. In reality, I did not blame her. What 14 year old wants to hang out in the two year old's dream room?
"Sara," I sighed, "I know it sucks, but we cannot risk a cave in on the walkway."
You see, Sara lived over the garage of our two story home, and that was attached through a breezeway. She probably had the best room in the house. Completely private, large, and we added a small bathroom last year. It is not like we meant to spoil her, but with her constantly running off, we needed to listen to her complaints. We simply validated them.
"Well, if I have to stay in Dee's room, I am SO bringing my iPod."
As she stormed off, I knew bedtime was only going to get harder. With the storm threatening, and my husband glued to the television, I grabbed my boys and began the bedtime rituals. Jon, my ten year old loves to draw the stories I read to Tyler. Tyler's pick tonight was a chapter from The Hobbit.
Surprisingly, they went down without a fight, which was nice since routines were not normal the entire day. I grabbed their "fun" bags I had them finish packing a few hours ago, and head down the stairs. As I was going down, Dee was flying up them.
"Dee, sweetie," I tried to say, but she had already sped by, so I yelled after her, "SLOW DOWN!"
"Sara coming to MY room!"
Dee was such a spirit. At age two, she had more joy than any of my others did. Not too long after Dee raced past, Sara slumped by. Clearly she was still unamused. Hopefully the fact that I had made the rollaway be up with her favorite blankets would make it a little better. I doubted it though.
Walking down the rest of the stairs, I looked over to Brian, "Hey, honey, you going to get anything prepped?"
"Oh, I had done most of the setting up while you prepped the food. I have already moved it down and set up the back-up power. We are set for being snowed in. Should have enough food, water, and power for two, maybe three, weeks."
As Brian finished talking, he looked over at me. He got up and came over to give me a hug. Running his fingers through my long blonde hair, he caressed my cheeks and put a small kiss on my forehead. Then he placed a bigger kiss on my lips.
As he pulled away, he stated, "Laura, you have done everything possible. We will be fine. Get some rest. It is supposed to be here by sun up."
As if I was going to get any sleep. "Brian, you will find me in the shower. I am going to light some of our aromatherapy incense and attempt to relax."
This was the first big storm we had ever encountered. It was not abnormal for us to get up to six inches of snow, but over 12-inches, hitting at one time was not normal in Kansas. The weatherman predicted much more than 12. In fact, he said we could expect up to five times that! There was just no relaxing when you think about the implications that brought with it.
"I will finish taking everything downstairs and putting it near the shelter. We have all of the sleeping quarters set up. I also spent yesterday putting ramps over the breezeway to help prevent the snow from piling up on top. I don't know if it will prevent any destruction, but I sure am trying."
Brian squeezed my hand and gave me one more kiss. I was sure that we would survive and be okay, I just was not sure how our lives would be affected by this storm. Would we lose power? Would we be able to dig out? How long will we be stuck in our shelter? Can our shelter hold up to the demands since it has not been tested? Apparently, Brian could tell the thoughts were racing because he quickly grabbed me into a tight hug.
"We need to stay calm for the children. Let's not think about the ‘what if's.’ Let's just concentrate on the fact we have done everything they have advised and then some. Life will be interesting enough with the mixture of personalities if we get what is predicted. Go, shower, and then go and rest."
I quietly shuffled from the dining room area, where my husband was, to the master bedroom. After lighting my incense and letting the aroma fill the air, I stepped past the glass doors and onto the stone tiled floor of the shower. Turning up the hot water, I began to decompress as I let the water flow over my body. I am not sure how long I actually was in the shower, I just know it was long enough for the hot water to begin to turn cold. I stepped out, threw my robe on, and put my hair up in a towel. I looked at our king size bed that was covered in pillows and a beautifully warm goose down comforter. I have no idea how I am going to sleep, but I might as well try. I threw on my pajamas and finished towel drying my hair. Finally, I threw in some treatment and crawled under the covers.
As I was slipping into bed, I heard the front door open and Dee was thundering down the steps again.
"It's Jordan! Hey everyone, Jordan is here!"
"He, Dee." Jordan said as Dee leapt into his arms.
"Why you here? It night, night time."
"Yes, Dee, but I'm hoping to stay the night." He said, looking hopeful at Brian.
I had thrown on my robe and was headed out of the room when Brian answered.
"Alex, Jordan, you are more than welcome to stay. The shelter is almost set up. Going out one last time to get some more wood."
Shooting a smile my way, Alex responded, "Thank you. I will come with you so we have more hands. Jordan can help Laura with our food donation."
Sara, oblivious that Jordan was here due to the music blaring in her ears, was surprised when she saw him following mom down the stairs.
"Uh, hey, Jordan," she muttered, "why are you here?"
"Sara, Jordan and Alex will be with us until the storm passes."
"What about Maxwell?"
"Good question. Jordan, where is Max?"
"We were not sure he could come to the shelter, so he is running wild. He will be okay. He knows how to find food and the wolf in him will keep him safe."
Sara did not agree but she bit her tongue. Having one of her best friends here was more than enough for her.
"Going to bed, mom. Come get me whenever."
Jordan couldn't help but follow her up the stairs with his eyes. She may only be 14, but she had a runner's body. He hadn't cared about girls until recently, and Sara was a friend that he wished was more.
Smiling and chuckling under my breath, "Hey, Jordan, aren't you helping me with the food?"
"Right, sorry, Mrs. B."
I know that Jordan was crushing hard on Sara, but I was not about to step in. He will have to figure it out on his own.
"Where would you like me and dad to crash, Mrs. B?"
"When you are finished bringing the food into the shelter, you can make up the hide-a-bed in the living room. There are blankets in the hall. If you prefer, you could crash in the boys' room, I am sure Jon and Tyler would not mind."
"Cool. Oh, and thanks again." He put the last bag of groceries on the counter in the kitchen area of the shelter and then bounded up the stairs. I finished stacking the cans and putting the bottles of water in the fridge when my mind began to wander.
Alex and I have been friends for seven years, since we worked together at the dairy. They have been a huge help over the years as Jordan has been our full time babysitter with Jon, Tyler and now, Dee. When the schools started charging admission, Alex came to me to teach Jordan with the rest of my home schoolers. It has been a great set-up for everyone. Well, except for Sara, who apparently has her priorities askew.
"Laura! We are back!" The shouts from my husband snapped me back to reality.
"Awesome. We are set down here for the last load of wood to be staged."
"Oh, mom!" Yelled Sara from the top of the stairs, "Can I call Josie real quick since Dee is still awake?"
"Make it fast. You and Dee need to get some rest."
I do not know why I answered because she wasn't actually asking for permission. Shaking my head, I waited for the men to bring the wood down.
"Hey sweetie, we will put the wood away. Why don't you go back to bed for a bit. It is almost 10." Brian gave my arm a squeeze and gave me the look that told me it was not a suggestion.
I walked back up the stairs and into the main part of the house. Jordan was grabbing some pillows, and the hide-a-bed was already pepped.
"Hey, Mrs. B. I'm gonna sleep with Jon and Tyler. Kinda too old to be crashing with my dad."
I chuckled and nodded. I was too tired to care anyway. I was not sure when the worst of the storm was coming, or how long it was actually going to snow. I just knew that getting groceries and seeing bare shelves had my nerves shot. Now that the day was actually upon us, I knew we were completely prepared, but I had a strong vibe that something very bad was about to happen. I took off my robe that was covering my white cami and boxer shorts, and then crawled back under my favorite goose down comforter. The warmth enveloped my body and I could tell that I was asleep within minutes.
------
I woke with a start and looked at my clock. It was only 1am, Brian was out cold beside me, why was I awake? I grabbed my robe and slipped into the kitchen. I saw the lamp on in the living room and assumed that Alex was still awake. Probably surfing the Internet since that is what he loves to do when he comes over. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and got some ice from the freezer.
"Hey."
"I haven't even gotten a chance to say hi to you, have I?" I turned and looked at Alex. He was my one true friend outside of my husband whom I could tell my deep dark secrets to. I was secretly very happy that Alex was awake.
"Nope," he chuckled, "not really. Probably partially my fault since I stole your husband to get some firewood."
I filled my glass with water and walked out to the living room with Alex. "So, what are you doing up?"
"I haven't gone to bed. I have been catching up on news stories. Just reading."
I chuckled, "just surfing the Internet … nothing big."
"Pretty much. So, how bad do you think this storm is going to be?"
"Truthfully, Alex, I am scared out of my mind. I mean, I know we are prepared, but still." I set my water down on the end table and turned to Alex. "If we really get what they are calling for, how long will it be before we can leave our homes? What happens to those who do not have backup generators and other fuel sources? I'm just … I'm scared."
Alex put the laptop on the other end table and turned to me. "Laura, reality is we are going to get snow. People will lose power. I think we are fine. I think most of the town has already evacuated. You and Brian stay pretty holed up in the house since you both work from home. You do not realize that there are only few people left. I am not saying that it is wrong, but just remember, they will come back and you have someplace warm to stay."
I looked at the blanket and looked back at Alex, "thanks for coming over. I know that it will mean a lot for Sara to have Jordan here for her." I picked up my glass of water and got up from the bed. "I am going to go lie down, try to get some rest will ya?"
He nodded and grabbed the laptop again. I wasn't sure when he would actually go to bed, but at least I did my part in chiding. I set my water down by my alarm clock and cell phone, and then crawled under the blankets. Brian only stirred slightly, but it was enough for me to regain my rightful place in his strong, warm arms. Placing my arms around his chest, I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep.