Lots and lots of ICE

This has been such a CRAZY week! As many of you have heard, we had 2 major ice/snow storms this week that resulted in schools being closed all week and power loss for over a million people in Kentucky. For those of you that don't know what an ice storm is, here is a picture to give you an idea:

Picture every tree limb, power line, and even every blade of grass coated in ice. In the sun it looks like the trees have been dipped in crystals. It is beautiful at first, but add more ice and six inches of snow on top and we had (have) a disaster on our hands. The problem is that the ice and snow on the trees became too heavy for the trees to bear and the trees started to break. Tree limbs have fallen on power lines, houses, and roads creating a real mess for the power companies. We were without power on Tuesday, so we decided to go to Nathan's parents house in Owensboro because they still had power. That night I woke up and felt the chill in the air--I knew that their power was out too. Luckily, we had a small propane heater, propane stove, and even a small generator. We stayed for two days and two nights and then got word that power was back in Hopkinsville, so we made our way home (dodging fallen trees on the freeway). Our power has flickered off and on a lot (giving me anxiety attacks--seriously!), but it seems like our power is now stable. The same can't be said for Nathan's parents and many others in W. Kentucky. We have been told that it will be a couple of weeks for some. People in Princeton and Paducah don't even have water, so we are considering ourselves very blessed right now. I have learned from the past 4 days that we were not nearly as prepared as we should have been. At the request of a couple of friends, I will compile a list of things that everyone reading this needs to have on hand.

1. Several Flashlights with extra batteries. Sound obvious? They are sold out EVERYWHERE here. You need to have them on hand.

2. Small propane cooking stove (with extra propane): If it is 50 degrees in your house the last thing you want is cold food. We had lots of hot chocolate--life saver!

3.Cash. We found a few grocery stores and gas stations open, but they were only taking cash. You should have at least $100 in small bills.

4. Propane heater: This was a huge help during the day. At my house we have a gas log fireplace that works when the power is out. We love it!!

5. Candles. We left a couple of large candles burning all of the time in the bathroom. It is surprisingly dark in there during the day.

6. Manual can opener. All I have is an electric can opener, so all my canned food is no help without a way to open it!

I would say that these are the essentials. If you don't have these things let my experience be a wake up call to each of you. There is nothing more terrifying than wondering if your children are hungry or freezing. We have made it through and I am so thankful to be sleeping in a warm bed tonight!!!

A WICKED day followed by a new calling

I have several pictures of us before and after the musical Wicked in Louisville, but I can't find my camera cord to post them on the computer! I'm sure it will turn up, but for now, no great pictures. Anyway, if you haven't heard of Wicked I don't know what planet you have been living on for the past several years!!! This is the first national tour of the musical and we have had tickets since last summer (thanks again Rosie!!). We went to Nathan's brother's house in Elizabethtown and left our kids with his two kids and two sitters. Once in Louisville we met up with Nathan's parents and our friends Debbie and Amanda. We saw the matinee and I must say that I am still totally freaking out! I knew it would be good, but I had no idea that it would be extraordinary. If you are familiar with it, my favorite song was definitely "Defying Gravity" AHHHHH it was AMAZING!! After the show we went around the corner and ate the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a wonderful, unforgettable day!!
Today, I got released from Relief Socitey because I was called to be the first counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. I will miss my friends in Relief Society, but I am thrilled to be with the girls. They are small in numbers, but strong in spirit. I am sure it will be a great experience. Today I couldn't help but reflect on the great experience I had in Springville when I was part of the Young Women's presidency there. I think you learn and grow from not only each calling, but the wonderful people that you get to meet as a result of the calling. I feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people over the years.

Christmas memories

The last few weeks have been such a whirlwind and I haven't had much time to post on my blog. Instead of attempting to do a play by play of the last few weeks I wanted to post a bunch of pictures to summarize our first Christmas in Kentucky. It was wonderful, but, phew--it sure felt great to take down the tree!

The girls all dressed up for church the Sunday before Christmas. That's our new artificial tree in the background. I had no idea it would be quite this big (it's nearly 10 feet!). I guess it is a good thing we have high ceilings!

The Craig Christmas party on the 23rd. Here's some of the cousins. Fun times!! That's Nathan's brother Mark and Mamaw Craig in the background.

Christmas Eve on our way out to a party with some friends. It was a beautiful sunset, so we decided to take a picture.

Christmas morning! I love how Alison is eating a chocolate Santa from her stocking at 6:00 am. Who needs breakfast! Notice the cute new jammies from Debbie and Amanda. Thanks guys!

Hailey with her Shrek baby

Is all of this for me??

Alison and Rachel with their new American Girl dolls. We let them open this gift last and they squealed with delight. It was the only thing they asked for this Christmas.

Hailey with her new kitchen set "I cook", she says.

Nathan with some Polo Blue cologne.

This was taken later on Christmas when Nathan's parents came over. This is Hailey's new shopping cart and food to accompany her kitchen set.

Grandma and Grandad also gave the girls clothes for the new dolls

Grandpa sent three boxes from Utah. Thanks Dad! These are pillow pets he sent for each of the girls. They LOVE them!

Anyway, I have more pictures of various parties, etc, but I think this is enough to sum it up. It was a lot of fun. My mom flew here the day after Christmas and will be flying home tomorrow. It has been great to have her here too.