Saturday, December 26, 2009

Stranded

When we arrived in South Dakota for Christmas on Sunday, they were predicting the "storm of the century!" Mom regaled us with stories from 1968 when they got 90 INCHES of snow! And Roy and I cautiously looked at our plane tickets and the weather reports with increasing skepticism.

According to our original plan, we should be back in (40 degree) Kentucky by now, unloading the car and relaxing before heading out for the annual Cornett Christmas Dinner. But no, the blizzard hit Thursday, canceling the Christmas Eve programs at church. The interstates across the entire state were shut down. By Christmas morning, my brother and his family had to walk the block and a half to our house after their SUV got stuck horizontal to College Street. And we called Delta and Hertz respectively to change our reservations.

The snow and wind continue and people are starting to dig out, unsure if it's worth it before the next wave of snow comes. We're scheduled to fly out of Omaha tomorrow at 4pm, and I feel pretty sure we'll make it, but not before enjoying the beauty of a South Dakota blizzard, the warm comfort of my parent's house, and the joy of watching the granddaughter who loves her grandparents get in an extra day and a half.

Here are just a few pictures of our time here, including a trip to my brother's studio with Sophie and Ella on Christmas Eve.