Hope (MN) Springs Eternal

Some of you know I was hoping to make it to Newton, IA by 10AM this morning for my friend Amy's baby shower. I was really looking forward to seeing her, as I rarely get the opportunity to see my friends when they are actually pregnant. Plus, as I mentioned in a previous post, I just wanted to get out of town and visit some of my favorite people after a long, stressful week.

So anyway, when I got up this morning I checked the road conditions (because I am my father's daughter...) and it looked like maybe I had a window of opportunity with the weather. The worst part would be in Iowa, between Mason City and Ames. But by the time I got there, maybe the roads would be well salted and in better condition. I know me, and I knew I'd feel bad if I didn't try. So I set off just before 6AM. When I left the weather here in Minneapolis was under control. About an hour south of the cities, however, things became a bit tenuous. The roads were getting slick, and the freezing rain/sleet was continual. I was starting to think that this may not be the best idea, but in my head I was chanting:

amy.baby.I can do this.amy.baby.amy.baby...

WHOA!!!okokokokokokokokok...

Ditch.

That pretty much made the decision for me.

I managed a soft, low-speed landing - I was ok and the car was ok, and after a few unsuccessful attempts at driving back up the ditch slope, I was able to turn the car around so I would at least be entering the highway going the right direction, and made it back onto the road. I remained weirdly calm through the whole thing...but then I called Husband and told him I was coming home, and the tears started. I pulled over at rest stop, which was luckily the next exit, and sat in the car and bawled. It was a combination of everything: being scared sh*tless about the ditch experience, realizing I was not going to be able to see everyone, missing the shower, my last day of work, being so very tired...so I let it all out for a good 5 minutes and then decided to go inside in search of a scratchy paper towel to blow my nose.

The sidewalks were so iced and slippery that I could barely walk to the door. There was an older gentleman salting the sidewalk, and we chatted a little bit. Said he couldn't keep enough salt down, it just kept icing back over. I told him I couldn't take anymore of the road, and I was turning around. He told me the next exit was less than 2 miles away, and it was the Hope, MN exit. "So you see, there's always hope," he said. That made me smile. I'm sure I was a real sight with my red eyes and penguin-waddle up the slippery walk.

I headed back down the road, and sure enough "Hope - 1 mile." What an understatement!

I made it back home around 9:45 and Husband and Brandon had cleaned the livingroom and kitchen, which were both a mess because I have not been home much this week. What a nice surprise! "Thank you, I needed that," I said. "I know," he said, and gave me a big hug. Just one of the MANY reasons I love this man.

I've taken a short cat nap already, and I'm looking forward to a nice long nap this afternoon. This weekend, travels will have to wait.