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!!!