The Loooooong Road Home.

I realize it is 12:28am, Dec. 14, but I feel like writing this blog with the exhaustion and insanity I'm feeling might make it better than waiting until tomorrow.

I want to tell you about the longest car ride to go the shortest distance I've ever driven... in my life. (and hope to ever drive... oh never again.)

Today there was a HUGE winter snow storm headed toward Boston. Schools announced afternoon closings before the storm was even in the city. People were serious about it. I started to feel excited because the only real snow I've seen since moving here was about a week after I arrive in Beantown ... and I wasn't really out and about much at that point.

I had to work today and with two major meetings on the schedule I couldn't afford to skip out at the suggested 1pm. The news said people should get off the roads... it was going to be a crazy commute. Well, truth is I only live about 7 miles from my office and it is mostly highway, so I didn't really think I had anything to worry about... oh how wrong I would turn out to be.

We cancelled both of my meetings, but not until about 2:30p, so at this point I was already shoveling my car out of the parking lot. (well, when I say "I" what I mean is my awesome co-worker Sam who still believes in being a gentleman.) So, I get on the road, check in with my roomies and decide I'm doing pretty good getting on the road at 3:30pm. Monumental Mistake #1.

As I start toward the highway I think of all the things I'll do with my evening... Grey's Anatomy is on Thursday nights, I've got groceries, so I'll cook for the roommates... oh and I need to repaint my nails... perfect evening plans.

Time: 3:30pm Location: Morressey Blvd
There is a main road called Morressey Blvd near my office. It is a shortcut of sorts to the highway, but a decent stretch of road... maybe a mile or mile & half. As I turned onto Morressey I was talking to Meghann (roommate) and asking for her winter driving advice. She said, "if you slide don't hit the brakes!" Right then I slid and was so thankful for the advice... it worked. She, too, was on her way home, so I told her she should call me when she gets to the T near our house and if I'm close I'll just swing by and get her. haha, fool!

Time: 4:30pm Location: Morressey Blvd
I'm starting to feel like this might be a little longer of a ride than I had anticipated. I called Gretchen to let her know where I was and then turned on the radio to hear that there was major gridlock all over the city. Everyone left work early and then the plows couldn't get through. Big mess. The guy in the car behind me keeps wiping off my rear window when he jumps out to do his .... how nice! My boss, Rebecca, calls to check in- she's stuck in town too. We laugh. I call someone else and then just decide to wait. All my friends & family here and back home aren't even off work yet... I'll wait.

Time: 5:50pm Location: Morressey Blvd
I've made it a few more yards on this SAME street and notice a guy jump out of his car to pee on the side of the road. Come on! Do you have to rub it in that you can pee standing up?! Seriously. All the ladies in traffic, I'm sure, we're annoyed along with me. It has been nearly 2.5 hours on this same street and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get off it. I begin to call more people - I need a reality check. Elizabeth B gave me a moment to just cuss at the insanity of being stuck in the car. That was nice of her. :) A few ask where I'm at now as if there's something new to report... nope, still in front of BC High School... same as an hour ago. I'm flipping the radio on and off because the traffic report is vital, but the holiday music is killer.

Time: 6:30pm Location: Morressey Blvd
I am finally at the ramp to the rotary for this insane street I've been on for three hours. I'm so excited I'm yelling in the phone to Gretchen and cheering like I used to driving back from AR as I crossed the Texas border. Suddenly I realize I need to either get on the highway or go back to the office and jump on the T. In a flash I enter the highway. Monumental Mistake #2. Gretchen reports there's been a multi-car accident in the tunnel up ahead and they're reporting at least two hours to get to the other side- then more traffic after that. I make the decision to exit the highway and get on Mass Ave (this is a main road that runs through the city and into Cambridge - I live in the town next to Cambridge).
About this time Mary Margaret Sawyer calls me to tell me she loves the nail polish I got her for Christmas - she's so cute! I answer the phone thinking it will be Kelly (her Mom) and I hear, "I LIKE IT!"

Time: 7:45pm Location: Mass Ave
I've been on Mass Ave an hour, but only moved a few yards. I begin to get a little punchy & feel the urge to burst into tears, so I call for reinforcements. Kristen gave me a good dose when she and Matthew suggested I place an order somewhere for dinner since I'm not moving. I called my little sister, Becca, who laughed with me about all the places I could have been by driving for over four hours.
I saw a cab get stuck on this curb and a big group of teenagers help push it off. That was nice.
I started to get hungry... and while I have an ironclad bladder I hadn't gone before I left the office, so that was starting to nag me.
Jake told me about the game he's playing with a friend where they pick from 10 countries, 10 kinds of homes, 10 pets, and 10 jobs to create a grown-up life. His favorite was a belly dancer who lives in a cardboard box and has a spider for a pet. I don't know where the dancer lived, but he was laughing, so I laughed.

Time: 8:45pm Location: Mass Ave
Roommates call to check in - they tell me they're cooking me dinner, making homemade hot chocolate and wrapping presents for me. This does wonders for my morale. Gretchen asks if I want her to sing me a song, I say yes but no Christmas jingles of any kind. The three of us sing "I will survive." As I'm laughing hysterically at our rendition of the classic, Kristen beeps in to check on me. She's laughing because at this point I actually sound insane. I'm laughing, telling her I can't laugh too hard because I have to pee, but that I'm getting really hungry. She said, "Oh yeah! Just imagine how hungry you'll be by breakfast!" She's laughing at me because my back is hurting so bad from sitting like that I start to wonder if I'll be able to walk the next day. Then she notifies me I could have nearly been to London by then. Believe it or not her calls cheered me up substantially. :)
I finally pass Symphony Hall on Mass Ave and start to celebrate. Roommates on the phone again are now playing a singing game with me. I creep by Boylston St, Newbury St, Comm Ave...

Time: 9:30pm Location: Mass Ave (Central Sq)
I am rejoicing once more at being in the square where my church is located - a clear indication I'm close to home! I get off the phone with roommates and begin to pick up some speed as the traffic has cleared up. I head up Prospect St toward Somerville with happiness in my heart.
I did see an older woman trying to hail a cab and I felt so bad for her- I wanted to offer her a ride, but thought that would be crazy - what if she lived in like Belmont? It would be forever before I got home. I keep trucking to Atherton St. ALMOST HOME!!!

Time: 10:00pm Location: Atherton St
6.5 hours after my departure from work I am finally home. The neighbors are out with Gretchen shoveling the driveway so I can park. I race to the bathroom, grab a biscuit and run out to thank them profusely. My legs are shaking, my back is a huge knot and I am so exhausted I don't think I can stay awake another minute.
Meghann is in the kitchen making oatmeal choc. chip cookies (my fave!) and the house is warm and smelling sooooo good! Our upstairs neighbor, Kevin, came in for cookies and hot choc after he and Gretchen finished shoveling out his car for the morning. What nice neighbors! What incredible roommates!!! I am so blessed.

Here's what I'm glad about:
I had a full tank of gas.
I replaced my windshield wipers myself two weeks ago.
Yesterday I refilled my wiper fluid with the wintery kind.
Elizabeth B topped off my coolant last week.
I have amazing friends & family willing to talk to me until my voice is hoarse because it means I won't cry or go insane on the road.
My neighbors are so generous and now enjoying some of Meghann's cookies because of it.
I am not working tomorrow.
God is faithful... even in the insanity of my decision to jump in my VW Bug and drive in the pouring snow instead of taking the T. Thank you, Lord!

Lesson Learned: Southern girls, like myself, should not head out when the weatherman says there will be 6-10in of snow over the next five hours. I will not make these mistakes twice. :)

(Special Thank-Yous To: Gretchen, Meghann, Sister Sarah, Becca, Rebecca (the boss), Jake Thomas, Elizabeth B, Kristen & Matthew Polk, and Kevin & Michael (the neighbors) My sanity tonight was entirely linked to your phone calls & service to me! THANK YOU!)