BREAK

Dec.16-18th we did not have any school because of snow. Sam couldn't make it to work on the 17th or the 18th because by then we had over a foot of snow. On Saturday we decided to make a break for it because we knew that more snow was predicted to come and we wanted to ensure that we would be with family for Christmas. On Saturday it took us about 2 hours to get ready to leave. We filled laundry baskets full of clothes and everything we would need for 10 days... not knowing when we would be might be able to make it back to our house. We loaded up the car and put on all of our snow clothes- in case we got stuck and had to dig ourselves out. It took us 20 minutes or more to get out of the driveway. By now it was about 2:30. Once we were out of the driveway we noticed that the Antilock break light was on and we soon realized (by sliding down a hill) that the antilock breaks were frozen. Sam pumped the breaks and we stopped just barely missing a car in an intersection. After pumping a little more the breaks became unfrozen and they started working properly. We drove about 10 miles an hour sliding all over the road for the first 5 or so miles. Then we got to a big hill - which luckily is a busier more used road and there were tracks to drive in. We then headed on our way to les shwaab so we could get some chains. We took one of the main highways thinking it wouldn't be too bad. It was one giant sheet of ice and there were cars sliding all around us and also lots of cars waited until the very last second to get over into the exit lane-- so we had a number of close call crashes because of that. Once we get on the road that Les Shwabb is on- our windshield wipers decide to stop working (there were moving but not getting the snow and ice off the windshield)-- finally we make it into the parking lot and look at our watch and it is 4:57 and they close at 5:00. We run into the store and luckily they are still willing to sell us our chains and some heavy duty windsheild wipers. (I had called 4 other stores and this was the only one that had chains to fit my car)-- mind you we should have been in Sam's car for all of this because he has all wheel drive-- but his car only has 2 seats and would not hold all of our stuff or his grandma who we were suppose to pick up in Portland on the 26th. (This trip to the store took a total of 2.5 hours and it usually takes 25 minutes) .... Now we head for my parents house... this part of the drive was mostly uneventful-- except right when we were getting off the freeway the car in front of us slid into the ditch. We got off the freeway and drove down the highway to my parents house and down there road-- this was very icey and we slid a lot but we survived. We parked in the roots of a tree on my parents property and couldn't move the car from there so we just called it good. My cousin, sister, and brother were also over (trapped actually) and we played a lot of rock band and ate a lot of good food that my mom cooked for us. They had about 24 inches and it just kept pouring down snow. On Sunday my cousin went home--well actually we dug him out and then the neighbors huge tree fell and they came out and cut it up into pieces with a chain saw-- and then he left. Then Sam and my brother and I built a ten foot snowman. After we built it we took turns climbing up it. Then we decided to knock the head off and stand on top of the 2nd ball (about 7 feet up) Then we jumped off the ball into the huge drifts of snow. Then the rest of the week up until christmas eve was pretty much a blur of the boys playing tons of video games, my mom and sister and I beading, eating a lot of delicious food, and phase 10 with my sister. Also on Tuesday we wrapped and delivered presents to families in need through my friends church . While delivering the last family I took a big tumble in a extreamly icy parking lot--Then Christmas eve came and the snow had given up a little and dad's side of the family came and we did a gift exchange. Then it was Christmas and we were all unsure if we would make it out of my parents driveway. My dad tried and got stuck. Then we put on chains and made a path that he followed and that worked out fine. Once on the highway we pulled over to take off the chains and noticed we only had one chain on.. we must have lost it somewhere in the 2 blocks we drove. We got to my grandparents safely-- it was very hard to park because her whole road was one sheet of ice so we just parked on the side of the road. Christmas went well and we made a break for it while the snow had stopped to go over to Sam's parents house nearby. We made it safely but it took forever! We spent the night there and then went to the mall with his parents the next day. By then the snow had turned to rain and the roads were not as bad. We decided to head hom because Sam'sgrandma's flight had been cancelled-- so we couldn't go get her.... to be continued