OMG It Snowed In St. Louis - A LOT!!

It snowed in STL this weekend. In fact, they are calling it the largest snowfall in December EVER or something like that. Saturday was an exciting day though...

So Friday night it was cold and they were talking snow. Sure, it's been raining all week and it's the first day we've seen the sun in 10 days, but whatever. Overnight though, it snowed out my way about 2 inches - enough to cover the driveway and put a good amount on the deck. Since our Christmas party for work was that night, I went ahead and shoveled early, in case it kept snowing, so I could get out of the driveway. It snowed off and on for the rest of the day, but nothing really bad, that I could tell.

Saturday afternoon I found out that BW had a terrible head cold. He also was shocked that it had snowed so much overnight - he was so cute - this was his first snowstorm, since he's lived the last 30+ years in CA. He was freaked out about it and I was like - yeah, been driving in it for 20 years - no big deal! It ended up that he didn't feel up to going to the party with me, which I don't blame him for - I hate getting out my PJ's when I have that bad of a cold! Cocktail hour for the party was at 6:30, so I left the house at 5:05, in case there was some issue with the roads. I had been all over WashMO that afternoon and it was really wet, but didn't see much ice or slush, so I figured it was OK. (Sure, whatever...)

It took me about 20 minutes to get out to the interstate, when it usually takes me 10. It was snowing, but it wasn't really sticking. Traffic was going pretty slow and I knew I'd be Ok on time. By the time I made it to the interstate, the snow was coming down harder AND sticking to the road. Traffic of course slowed down and I have 4WD, so I took my time. About 10 miles into my 35 mile trek, there was an accident, on a hill, with lots of semis out there. And lots of non-4WD vehicles out there, on the hills and the road getting pretty covered up by now. At this point I called Mom to let her know that there was a good chance that I was going to be staying at their house that night, as I knew it was going to get worse as the evening went on. So after we got out of the stopped/slowed traffic for the accident, traffic moved pretty slow and there was only 2 lanes of traffic over the 4 lanes - you couldn't even see the lines on the highway! Oh, and I was going 40mph max and was being passed by little Taurus' and minivans as if I was standing still! (See you in the ditch!!) As I made it through the next major town, traffic slowed down for the snow plows going. It was OK to drive behind them, but they were pokey!! But of course there was the one guy in a Taurus that rode the shoulder all the way up to pass the snowplow - idiot!! After the snowplows pulled off and allowed traffic to pass, the pavement went back to just being wet with snow blowing. Which also meant all the semis blowing past me with crap blowing all over my windsheild - NICE!! It only took 50 minutes to go the same distance it usually takes 20 minutes....

I made it to the party in time and parked in the lot. I had cute shoes on and it was semi-formal, so it was fun to see everyone. Based on the number of empty spots, about 20 people had not made it in, which was less than I thought, honestly. Dinner and dancing was fun. Since I had come solo, I hung with some of the other "singles" and "not-married yets". It was fun and we had a great time. (Me with Z & Ray)

The DJ was TKO Dj's, which was started when I was in high school by people I used to know, but I didn't recognize him - that would have been really strange!

By the time we got out of there, it had been snowing all night and was still coming down. All of our cars were completely covered and there was about 5 inches of snow on the street. It was not fun trying to get back to the car, though I have to give Kudo's to Ray's man, as he made me get in the car and cleaned it off for me! (He's a keeper Ray!!) I called Mom and told her that I was on my way out there, as there was no way I was going to make it to my home in a decent amount of time.

It ended up taking me an hour to get out to my parents' house. It would take probably around 30 minutes on a normal night. Traffic was AWFUL and the roads were just as bad. There was no asphalt to be seen - all of it was slushy snow. I now get why MODOT wanted everyone to stay off the roads! A couple of observations while driving though:

* Semis get mad when you are going only 40 through this stuff and blow past you completely pissy. Then they start to lose traction and the backend starts slipping. Gee, cooincidence? That is why I stay as far away from you as possible! Not to mention all the crap you blow up on my car. I get that you are vital to the US economy, but just because you weigh a hell of a lot more than me does NOT make you immune to ice.

* People in Lincoln Continentals going 20 in the "middle" lane of the highway with their Hazard lights on should NOT be driving on the highway. I cannot tell you how many people almost hit that guy!

* Apparently having a big SUV with TX plates allows you to tailgate, weave traffic and speed through ice & snow. I did not know that preveiously....

I got to my parents OK and ended up watching part of a movie with my youngest brother Matty. I had to laugh though, as there were 3 kids with sleds walking through my parent's yard at about midnight last night. Apparently that's the best time to sled out that way. They ended up getting over 8" - I think we got 4-5" out here in WashMO.

I did make it home this morning, though the roads were not much better. I've been "holed" up in the house all day, but getting stuff done. Alas, no knitting as of yet, but I probably will pull something out this evening after dinner. Christmas shopping is still not finished, especially for BW, who is turning out to be tough to shop for, as he's incredibly picky!! I finally got an idea for Dad and I just need to get a book for Little A and something cute for Little E. Other than that, I'm actually good to go.

Our flight to Switzerland is the first week of Jan and I still have a ton of stuff to get before then. I have a list started, but decided to not stress about that until AFTER Christmas, as I will have time then. It's going to be fun and exciting, though still a little apprehensive about the flight. Luckily I'm flying with 3 or 5 of my co-workers, so that will help. I may be taking Nyquil to help me sleep...

Pix of the snow: