Blizzard 2016

It has been a crazy two weeks. Because of the blizzard, Jeff had half a day on Friday and had Monday and Tuesday off. He then had a 2 hour delay on Wednesday and Thursday and is now back to a regular schedule. I have now had 7 snow days in a row and have not been to school since last Wednesday. It has been nice to have a break but we are ready to get back into a routine.

Before the blizzard, everyone told us to stock up on water and food so I decided to go to the store. Boy it was a crazy experience. There were weather warnings blaring on the speakers, and almost all of the milk, bread and water were out. Shelves were being cleared. I was also going to get a shovel but everyone was sold out. I knew I would have to figure something else out once the snow hit. 

This is what the Trader Joes by our house looked like. 

The blizzard started on Friday afternoon and Virginia was in a state of emergency. I knew there would be snow but I was not expecting it to be this bad. We ended up with 29 inches of snow. I heard that people can't handle snow here and they overreact. I agree that they struggle with snow, but even as a Utahn I was surprised by how much snow there was. They don't have the resources to clear the snow fast and most of the plows by us are just small trucks with a plow in front. Because of this, they encouraged everyone to stay inside and the state was pretty much shut down. 

The beginning of Snowmageddon on Friday evening.

This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning.

You would never know that this was my car. 

We knew we wouldn't be going anywhere for days so enjoyed spending time at home and watched updates of the storm on the news. We saw some great videos.  

Milkshake Man- click to see a great video. We watched it live and could not stop laughing!

The plows came through on Sunday morning and made a small pathway down our hill. However, it was still too difficult for cars to go up and down it. Plus most cars were still buried. 

                                             

After the storm, we knew that we needed to start digging our cars

out. It took us 4 1/2 hours! 3 hours in, we got a call that some people in our ward were coming over to help us. This was such a blessing and we are very grateful! 

                                 

I know all of the pictures are of Jeff but I promise that I did help. ;) 

Even though the snow is melting, I am guessing that we will continue to see large piles of snow for weeks. 

Blizzard 2016 was definitely an experience that we will never forget. We are so appreciative of everyone that helped us or checked on us. Now I can't decide if it is better to have one storm like this or to have it snow for months like in Utah. ;) 

Harper's Ferry

We are stuck inside becuase of the 2016 blizzard so I thought that it would be a perfect time to catch up on the blog. :) 

On Monday it was Martin Luther King Day so we Jeff and I had work off. We read that all of the parks were free so we decided to head to Harpers Ferry for the day. It is a historic town in West Virginia It is at the confluence the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers and is where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet. Lucky for us, it is less than an hour away. It was a perfect day trip! However, it was colder then we had expected and walked around in 18 degree weather. It was definitely worth the trip though. 

The best view was from Jefferson Rock. On October 25, 1783 Thomas Jefferson stood here and said that, "this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."


We visited St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church and learned that it was the only church in Harpers Ferry that escaped destruction after the Civil War. 

We didn't realize how much there would be to do. Almost every building was a museum that you could walk in and learn about the history of the town and the Civil War. 

                        

I did not realize that this is where John Brown's raid took place. He led an armed band of abolitionists to the arsenal to fight for freedom of the slaves. However, he was captured and charged with treason and murder. However, he captured the attention of many and this continued through the Civil War.

Information on John Brown's Raid

 

 We had a wonderful time and Harper's Ferry! It was a perfect way to spend Martin Luther King Day as we learned more about the Civil War and reflected on the freedom that we have.