Oklahoma Blizzard 2011

Only in Oklahoma do you have 75 degree temperatures on a Saturday and then have a massive blizzard three days later. You think I would be used to this ever changing weather since I grew up in Oklahoma, but it really doesn't get easier.

Clinicals were cancelled yesterday and today. :( We will eventually have to make up the days sometime this semester. Pretty bummed about missing out on newborn week on the OB floor. But glad they called off school so everyone can stay safe and warm at home.

[Begin rant...]
So..5 AM yesterday morning..Wes is up and starts to put on his long johns and socks like he is actually going to work. Really?! Yeah, I was a very defiant wife and took his socks away, telling him he is not going to leave this house. I even threatened to throw the car keys in the 3 foot snow drifts so he couldn't find them. (Pretty intense huh? I'm really not always this way. Just when lives are at risk)

Then I hear the weather in the background say, "If you get out and get stuck this morning, be ready to wait until possibly tomorrow sometime before someone comes to help." Ummm... really? Is delivering mail THAT worth it. Not to me it's not.

I eventually was able to talk some sense into Wes and help him to realize the true danger of the weather outside and he called into work. Thank you God.

I just couldn't imagine him driving to work and then walking the streets in the condition it was outside. Not worth it.

However, Wes has heard from other carriers that they HAVE to make it to work, no matter what the weather, or they will get fired.

This is what we were going back and forth on at 5 AM. If he goes in, he might not even make it there and be stranded for who knows how long. But on the other hand, if he doesn't go in, he could lose his job. Now losing his job is definitely not a good option for us right now since we are living off of his income. Big decision to make.

But I didn't care. No job or money is worth the life of my husband. So I put my foot down and insisted he stay home. And as it turns out, many carriers were getting stuck right and left and were sent home early. Some were even sent home before getting once single piece of mail out.

Like I said...not worth it.

I was shocked listening to the news yesterday as they casually discussed the mail carriers that were having to endure the weather because they took a "creed"  when they took the job that the mail will be delivered, no matter what the circumstances. Creed? What creed?

Paraphrased quote from the news anchor: "And of course it's the first of the month, so it is a very important day for the post office. Those welfare and social security checks have to get out so people will have their money."

What?! No one can even make it TO the bank to get their money! Really?!

Great paying job....treated like dogs...How many more months of school? 179 days to be exact. And then maybe once I have a steady income, Wes can finally go back to music recording and doing what the loves to do.
[End rant...whew..glad I got that out]

Until then, we trust God to take care of us and provide for us in all we need.

Wes went into work this morning and made it safely with no problems. And he still has his job. God is good.

Here are a few pictures I have taken to document the Oklahoma Blizzard of 2011.

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The snow drift on our from porch. We were smart after learning from last years snow storm and bought a shovel back in December. So we decided to put the new shovel to use and make a pathway just in case our mailman made it to our house (yeah right!).

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Wes making some progress on the pathway and showing just how high the drift was.

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This is what we did last night. Watched the third series of Lord of the Rings. Once again, Wes got me to watch a series that I thought I would never enjoy. But turns out, he was right. I really did like it! Now we have to find another movie series to watch...any ideas? Already watched all the Star Wars too. :)

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Picture from the front door this morning. The sun is so deceiving..it was 8 degrees with a windchill of -10 when I took this. Brr!!

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Wes took the RAV4 this morning to work so here is the Honda. Yeah..I'm not going anywhere today.

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Our wonderful pathway Wes shoved. Good job honey!!

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View from our living room window. Winter wonderland!

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Okay, look at this picture really close..See something wrong? Yup! We have had NO hot water in the bathroom since 2 PM yesterday. Not even a single drop is coming out. We spent all day yesterday afternoon up in the attic trying to find where it is frozen but had no luck. We do have hot water in the kitchen sink though. Weird. So I most definately washed my hair in the kitchen sink this morning. Hey..gotta work with what you have! At least we didn't lose electricity. Guess we will just have to wait until the temperature comes up enough to unfreeze the pipe. May not be for a few days though but it could be worse.

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Back yard. Hard to tell but there are some pretty high drifts. Probably up to my waist.

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View of the front yard.

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For those of you in Oklahoma or in the line of this crazy blizzard..stay warm and stay safe.

Snow and Cars

This might be my first rambling post because I really don't have one specific thing to blog about. So try to stick with me... :)

Oklahoma's weather always amazes me. I've lived here all my life but still think our weather is most bizarre at times. Like yesterday...Just last week we had temperatures in the mid to high 50's and yesterday...it snowed! Now I realize an "arctic blast" came through many states but only in Oklahoma does it snow and then one hour later look like it never did.

It was pretty snow, unlike around this time last year when we had a blizzard! So I just stayed at home and watched the snow from the comfort of my office chair, watching the flakes fall from my window.

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Monday, January 10, 2011

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During the cold months, I LIVE with this space heater on ALL the time. I really don't think I could survive without it. Okay, a little extreme but it does a great job of keeping me warm!

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Here is my "haven" for school and blogging! I LOVE my spare bedroom/office.

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Tuesday, January 11, 2011- Where did all the snow go? BIG difference in weather from one day to the next. Welcome to Oklahoma! It is still really cold though, unfortunately.

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So here I am, nice and warm inside, as my husband was out working in the cold elements trying to stay warm... I called him several times to make sure he was okay and he assured me he was (except for the fact that he could no longer feel his toes...but..no big deal, right?).

It was days like this that I wish he had a different job so I wouldn't have to worry about him being okay. I know...he's a big boy and will be fine but that is what a wife is supposed to do, right? Be concerned about the well being of her husband at all times?

And now you can see why I am becoming a nurse... it's in my nature to want to care for people, that's for sure.

Since it was a cold night, we decided to have the Texas Chili again for dinner. This batch wasn't as good as the original, but it was still pretty tasty! I think it was the ground beef I used that made it taste differently.

Anyone else had this problem with ground beef? It just didn't even look the same really. I don't know, probably no difference but I will probably buy a different kind next time.

After we ate dinner, we headed to Norman to test drive a car.

Yes, Wes and I are in the market to buy a new-used vehicle.

It is a long story but basically his snazzy Subaru has to be parked in the street in front of our house because it is too low to get into the driveway without taking off the entire front bumper in the process.

And because we have such lovely neighbors across the street who don't seem to pay attention (we aren't bitter or anything), his car has gotten hit more than once due to someone backing into it.

Pretty much the Subaru does not need to ever come back to our street once it is fixed. Having to pay a $500 deductible every time it gets hit is just not an option for us right now. So we decided, once his Subaru is out of the shop, to sell it and buy a nice used car in its place.

Pretty good deal for Wes right? Well, here's where Wes would want me to mention that I will be the one getting to drive the new car and he will drive my '99 Honda Accord (which is in great condition). So really it isn't an even trade since I will get the new car instead of him.

And this is where I mention how wonderful, amazing and selfless my husband is. :) To give up his sports car so we can buy a new car for ME to drive.

I married a GOOD man!

So we go to check out this car. We have looked at a few other cars but either have been completely disappointed in the condition of the vehicle or it was a little more than we are willing to spend. But Wes continued to look online and found a 2006 Toyota RAV4 for sale through a private seller.

We had been looking at used cars coming from dealerships so this was the first private seller car we had looked at.

It was a GREAT car!! Really good condition and drove great. The owners have taken really good care of it, you could tell. The interior was pretty close to perfect, no exterior damage and the engine sounded and ran great.

We are waiting on a few things to go through before we will know for sure if we are going to buy it.

Fingers are crossed! We'll see what happens soon!