This will likely be one of our most memorable dates of the year, for all the wrong reasons, but one well look back on and laugh about! I hope! (And Wendy likes to point out, learn a lesson from)
It just so happened that we had one of our few heavy snows that morning. The kids and I had fun playing in the snow and building not one but two snow forts in our front yard.
All week we had talked about going to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and figured after a snow storm would be a good time to head out. (I'm sure you know already where this is headed.) Wendy had suggested just staying in and just asking the kids to leave us
alone and maybe we'd sneak downstairs and watch a movie, but I'd seen cars going up and down our street so I figured our mini van would be able to make it!
So we head out...down the street...I'm behind the wheel. We get to Bradfield and face a choice....left, right or straight. Left heads south toward Sheridan (a couple blocks away) but is slightly up hill. Right heads north a couple blocks to South street and is fairly level. Straight is a couple of blocks to 27th street also fairly level, but where we got stuck after a similar storm.
So I don't really remember why I made the decision I did but it sure made for a memorable night. The van made it about a block and a half before it started to lose traction...and before I knew it we had lost all forward movement. Before we has left I had put the snow shovel in the van...just in case. Well, we were a NO GO for the movie.
I hop out, grab the shovel and start shoveling. Wendy moved over into the driver seat. I clear out some of the snow and then we try rocking it out. I'm an optimistic person and I know that I've been working out so I truly thought we get out and be on our way to the movie in just a few minutes. My optimism, and Wendy's patience, were tested that evening. Long story shorter...we spent the next 45-60 minutes, shoveling, pushing, shoveling, rocking, getting frustrated, shoveling, more pushing, more shoveling and more rocking and finally we get enough momentum to back out the way we came. (We did have a couple that stopped to help push, but ended up leaving after spending about 10 minutes pushing. We were also offered the use of a shovel by a homeowner.)
We finally get home, share what happened to the girls and decide to get caught up on some of the shows on the DVR. Which was Wendy's suggestion for our date in the first place. Lesson's I learned this experience:
- Listen to Wendy.
- Listen to Wendy.
- In snow, get to the most traveled street as quickly as possible.
- Having all-weather tires, doesn't necessarily mean you will have traction in 6" of snow.
- Listen to Wendy. (Wendy will be quick to say that even though I may have learned this lesson doesn't mean I always apply this lesson.)
