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A Snowy Day in Hell

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I had the best intentions of showing you this really cute and fun Valentines craft today but instead of spending the afternoon working and photographing it, I spent the afternoon crying and rocking in the corner, clutching my knees.  Okay, not really, but that’s what I felt like doing inside.  Let me share a story with you…

If you live in Utah, you know that we have been absolutely DUMPED on with snow this week.  Every day snow falls, feet upon feet of heavy white stuff, covering everything in sight.  The snow plows can’t keep up with all of it, at least in my town, because NONE of the streets are plowed–including major roads.  And before all this snow fell, we had weeks and weeks of zero temperatures and a thicky heavy haze due to the Inversion.  It’s been quite a treacherous winter.  Welcome back to Utah, Heidi.  Have some snow.

So today was a preschool day.  I got all three kids bundled up and loaded into the car and started to back out of the garage.  Woah!  I didn’t realize just HOW MUCH snow was still on the driveway even.  I thought I would be okay–residential streets are usually not plowed anyway.  But when I reached the highway, nope.  It was still covered in snow and dirty slush.  I had three traffic lights to get through that were uphill.  I can make it up hills in my van in the snow but if I have to stop in the middle of the hill–forget it.  I can’t just start up again.  And that’s what happened.  I knew we weren’t going to make it to Will’s preschool, so I turned around and headed back down the hill.

I took the back roads back towards the house and decided to go to the store to run my errands since we were out already.  Halfway there, my baby girl starts having a major coughing fit–uncontrollable coughing.  I felt bad for her but I didn’t get scared until she started to choke on her spit and couldn’t breathe.  I started to panic, not knowing whether I could even safely pull over in the crazy snow without getting into a car accident.  But I was scared to death that Ellie would choke and not be able to breathe and even worse.  I didn’t know what to do so I just prayed.  “Please, Father–let her be okay,”  I cried.  I kept glancing back at her every two seconds to make sure she was still conscious.  Finally she threw up all that yucky stuff that was choking her, and she seemed okay.  But it shook me to my core–knowing that life is so precious and can be taken from anyone in just a split second.

I changed my plan and headed to the Urgent Care nearby.  After waiting in there for what felt like an eternity, we finally saw the doctor.  They did the oh-so-fun Nostril Swab Test of Death on Ellie while she screamed bloody murder and the test results came back what I feared–RSV.  This is a very serious illness for babies since it clouds up the lungs with junk and they can choke on their phlegm just like Ellie had earlier.  It’s not quite as serious for babies over 6 months since they have a little more control, but still serious nonetheless.  And poor E was just miserable.  Her eyes looked red and swollen and she cried a sad and tortured cry.

After the doctor, we went to Walmart to get the perscription filled.  I saw my friend there who happened to have the right Essential Oils for breathing and lent it to me.  She helped me get my kids to checkout and out the door.  I was SO relieved to finally be heading home after this nightmarish outing in the snow.   The drive home was going okay until I got to the street very close to my home.  I rounded a corner, but instead of my wheels turning to follow the road, the skidded straight and I knew I was heading straight for a large snow bank and a tree.  Braking was pointless and I knew the impact wouldn’t hurt us since we had the snow to slow us down, but it was scary, watching yourself have a car accident and having absolutely no control over it.  My tire hit the tree but the car was spared.

The second the car stopped I uttered some choice words and just broke down crying.  This had been the scariest and most difficult morning I could remember.  And it all just kept coming, mostly because of the relentless snow.  I know that many people, probably some of you, have been through MUCH worse as far as natural disasters (or car accidents) are concerned, but this all scared me too much, especially since my kids were with me.  I hate feeling like I can’t protect them and driving in the snow really takes away that element of control that I have as a safe driver.  It makes me sick to think about.

As I sobbed, a man walked up to my car and told me my car was alright, I didn’t need to worry.  He didn’t know why I was crying so much, he must have thought I was a complete loony–second to what I really was, a hysterical woman.  He helped guide me most of the way back out, then pushed as I reversed and my tires spun.  Then some other men came out of the office building nearby and finished off the job.   I finally made it home, though not into the garage because I got stuck again in the uphill driveway.  But home enough.

Once we were inside, I took a moment to realize something incredible–God had been with us today.  Even despite the horrible things that had happened, there was Providence in the form of other people to help me.  God helped my baby throw up so she wouldn’t choke.  God had my friend help me at the store and give me the oils.  God helped steer my car away from the tree so we wouldn’t get hurt…God had those men help us get out of the snow bank.

And if you think it was just coincidence, I know better.  Because I feel very strongly that He was watching over us today and helping me through a very rough morning.  If there’s anything I can take away from this, it’s that my faith was strengthened and I know that God loves me and hears my prayers.

And that maybe living in Arizona wouldn’t be SO bad.

28 Comments

  1. Wow! You had quite the awful day! I hope Ellie improves quickly and that you can get things done. Call if you need help!

  2. Glad you guys made it home ok..finally, but yeah, what a crummy morning!! I hope she gets better soon, and that you can just stay home today 🙂

  3. Oh my goodness, so sorry you had to go through all that. This winter really has been a tough one. It’s caused a lot of problems at our house as well, and I’ve also had a few days where I just wanted to curl up in the corner and cry. Hang in there!

  4. Wow, what a scary and crazy day. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I wish you could have come to winter last year when we had the most pleasant, mild winter ever. 🙂 Thanks for sharing; I totally teared up at the end and 100% agree with you, and am so impressed that you were able to look through the scares and the craziness and realize you had help the whole time. xoxo

  5. So glad everyone is okay! I absolutely loved the end of this entry…I almost got a little choked up! God is good! 🙂

    1. Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says:

      Thanks Becky–God really was with us!

  6. Yikes! I’ve heard of lots of trouble lately, with snow and RSV and all that jazz. I am so sorry you had to have a stint with it too.

    #1 reason I fled from Utah back to my beloved Arizona: snow. 🙂

  7. Kristin PG says:

    ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

  8. Maddie Davis says:

    You poor dear, sounds about right. Hug your kids and be thankful, I know you are, that God was indeed there. I’ll be praying for your little one RSV is horrible. I have a 2 week old grandaughter and praying she stays healthy. May God continue to bless you.

    1. Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says:

      Thank you. Her RSV really is no fun but she’s doing okay…it’s much scarier in babies under 6 months. Just sad to watch her struggle with the cough.

  9. Barbara MacAskill says:

    I hope Ellie recovers quickly! I am also VERY glad that things turned out as well as they did, considering the day you had! My wish for you is that you have a better day tomorrow, the next day, the day after that and so on and so on! Hug the little ones, grab a few children’s books and some snacks and curl up on the couch with a blanket and enjoy being together!!!!!

  10. O man im so sorry you had to go through all that. God WAS with you today as he is always with us. Thank you lord for helping heidi.

  11. What a rough day. Hope “Everyone” feels better soon. This is my first comment, I love your blog. Bye from ND -15 and very little snow, here anyway.

    1. Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says:

      Thank you Deb!! We are all okay now.

  12. Oh dear. I’m so glad you guys are okay Heidi. We just moved away from Utah and I can’t believe how much I am hearing about your poor weather! Is the air any better now?

  13. Heidi, when we moved to Utah several years ago, it had just snowed before we got there. Being a girl from SoCal I had no idea what to expect. I found out from all the neighbors that it was the wort it had been in 15 years! Lucky for me, I had awesome neighbors who would either shovel (after just giving birth to baby #12!!) my sidewalks and walkways, or use their snowplow to help me out!! It was a great 4 years in Utah. Blessings sometimes come so quietly that we almost don’t even notice. 😉

  14. Lucie Hale says:

    Heidi, your story moved me to tears! I remember well the days when I toted my young kids all round snowy hills in New Hampshire. Then we moved to Delaware and the winters here are so mild. I am so blessed by that because I absolutely HATE winter snows because of dealing with it so much in NH! Now, my kids are both old enough to drive and I still get petrified of even 1 inch of snow on the ground, especially here, where the drivers are not used to driving in it!
    I am so praying that the Lord continues to bring full healing to your baby and that the rest of you stay healthy and that spring arrives early!!!!
    Big hugs to you! You are an amazing woman of faith!

  15. Ooh sorry your day was so bad, that sucks! I bet it was scary not being able to help your daughter. I’m glad you are home and everyone is safe.

    Tania

  16. ok, sweet one…..do you remember my story of the husband turning sideways in the driveway???? ok, from now on, your life is worth ore than~~~~anything~~~~~ if it is that bad, please promise you will stay home..ok ??? my words are
    ~~~Let go and Let God~~~~ yes he was with you every step of the way……just stop and think next time……and remember when you get the kids all bundlied up and ready to play in the snow>>>>>they have to go potty<<<<<
    big hugs Linda

  17. Sending lots of hugs and healing prayers your way. You are 100% right, God is always there, especially during the really rough times, we need only to trust. I hope things start to improve, with the baby girl’s health, the weather, everything.

    Maureen

  18. God Bless You Darling Heidi!! God IS Good, especially when we SEE Him in action! I am glad you did see that he was with you all morning. We will be praying for the little one & for the Family as a whole as you all are getting most of the snow we wish we had. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to think the grass IS greener, does it!! Have a Blessed rest of your week!! Keep the Faith.

  19. I’m happy to hear everyone finally got home safe. Sometimes I think things happen so that we will appreciate how God made the wrongs, right. Smile! Like a reminder that we aren’t in control even though we try to be. Be Blessed!

  20. I’m so sorry you had such a trying day. I’m glad that you all made it home safe. What a relief it had to be to finally put that van in park!! God is so good!! 🙂

  21. Bless your heart! Isn’t it wonderful to know that God is taking care of us. I just don’t know how non-believers can make it through the bad times in life. Hope your baby girl will be well soon and will keep her in my prayers.

  22. Leslie Wallace says:

    Hugs, Heidi, just hugs. God was wrapping his arms around your family. Your kids are blessed to have you as their mom and all the angels that helped you all get through the day. <3

  23. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that! I would have been so scared too! And I definitely would have cried! A lot. It’s scary enough re. your little girl and then to have the bad driving on top of it. My nerves would have been shot. I live in southern PA and if we even get a little snow, I refuse to drive in it if I can possibly help it…I hate that feeling of no control on the road too. I 100% agree with you–it was no coincidence. God was definitely with you and helping you along the way. It’s a testament to someone’s faith when they can recognize when that’s happening in life. I’ve felt that myself before and it makes you realize how much God loves you.

  24. Glad to hear you and Ellie and co. are doing OK. I hadn’t heard a thing about it. We didn’t get quite as much snow in Ephraim. Plus I walk to work. I love Utah; we grew up here, and the only thing that keeps me from vowing to live here the rest of my life is every dagnabbed year I have to worry about the miserable winters. And they’re not even that bad, compared to other places.

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