Epic Snowstorm of 2021

 Valenties day was over the weekend this year. We kicked off the weekend with some Valentines cookie decorating.

My mom always had a little something for us on Valentines day and I loved it so much that I now do it for the boys. They woke up Valentines morning and each had a little bag of goodies waiting for them. But first, I had to take my obligatory picture, which you know they all moaned and groaned about.

There was word that we might get some more snow...but I dont think any of us were expecting to wake up Monday morning to this! And to 9 degree weather!

Obviously we did a whole lot of playing in the snow, and we were more prepared this time with proper gloves and snow boots for all the boys. It was real snow! Super crazy for Austin!

On Tuesday, Blaine walked to HEB because my car was stuck in the garage and his truck was at the station. He waited in line for over an hour to get in, only to find shelves all picked over and people going nuts. He was able to snag a few items we needed.

Tuesday afternoon we packed up some make-shift sledding apparatus' and headed to the Escarpment hill for some sledding! It was so much fun! SO MUCH! Cash even taught himself how to snowboard:)

The snow was a lot of fun, until it wasn't anymore. Wednesday, we lost water, went under a boil notice (even though we had no water to boil). The snow started to melt, we filled the tub with snow so we could use the bathroom.

Thursday morning we had more snow, no water, completely bare shelves at HEB thankfully our neighbor gave us 5 gallons of water to use for drinking or the toilet. 

Friday, we finally felt like it was safe enough to drive so I headed to HEB and waited in a line that wrapped around the store so try and get some water and some staples. So many bare shelves and crazy people but we got what we needed. Monday was the last time I had taken a shower or eaten a good meal. The boys and I hopped in the car and slowly drove to my parents house. It was the first time we had all been together and not totally terrified of passing anything to my parents since they are now fully vaccinated. We were all so, so grateful to be together and healthy!

We were so grateful for what we had when so many were suffering FAR worse. Grateful my family and friends are okay. So sad and worried for the homeless and our wildlife. Extremely concerned for our hospitals that don’t have water and our grocery stores that are running out of supplies. But so inspired by the collaboration and support we neighbors and Texans always, always demonstrate in a catastrophe. We are trading food, exchanging creative ideas, leaning on one another. Our state is resilient even with our failed leaders and utilities, and homes not built for these temperatures. I never thought I’d be boiling snow to flush the toilets either so here’s to resilience and new experiences

6 days later and our water was back, and though we were still under a boil notice, I certainly was not complaining. So many feelings (and dishes and messes and laundry) to work through, but the overwhelming ones I'm feeling now are relief and gratitude.

I have never seen community come together in the way that I've experienced over the past week. While this experience has been traumatic for so many, the kindness and generosity I've witnessed, received, and done my best to pay forward, has been inspiring on so many levels.

People braved icy, unplowed roads to rescue strangers from their freezing homes. People dug strangers out of snowy ditches in the middle of a storm. People opened their warm homes to people they've never met. People ran over to neighbor's houses to locate and turn off water mains located under inches of snow. People banded together to secure hotel rooms, hot meals, tents, blankets, and coats for some of our city's most vulnerable residents. Businesses offered free meals, water, groceries, supplies with no expectation of payment. People filled their trucks with safe water from surrounding towns and delivered it to people's doorsteps. People freely shared professional knowledge on how to best protect homes. Neighbors left groceries, diapers, formula, and essentials on their lawns, free for folks to take what they needed. People and businesses with water offered showers to folks who hadn't bathed in a week. Neighbors stood out in the snow, in ridiculous lines, to grocery shop for one another. And so so SO much more.

Without a doubt, Texas government and infrastructure failed. But people came through.

SNOW!!! Like, Real Snow!

What, what!!!!

We got snow! Like real snow!

Snow had been in the forecast, but I am pretty sure all of us who have lived in Austin for forever were like "yeah, right."

So when it actually started to snow, well, I thought it was the most exciting thing ever and rushed all the boys outside as fast as I could. I thought it would stop just as fast as it started and a little teeny tiny dusting would be all we would get. 

We bundled up, made snow balls and the littlest, cutest snowman ever.

BUT!!!! The snow kept on coming and coming!!!! It came down all day long! Of course we don't have clothes and gloves for snow so we were in and out all day long so we could thaw out and dry out knit gloves in the dryer-ha! It was seriously the most fun day we had all year. We all needed a little magic in our lives! It was so much fun!!!