Surprise Snow Storm

Once again, Metro Atlanta was hit by a surprise snow storm. Meteorologists for days said that it was going to snow but there was little to no chance of it sticking. They were wrong. Very wrong.

If you all remember, I believed what the weather people said back in 2014 and totally got stuck in Atlanta snowmageddon.

The snow was expected to start early on a Friday morning (we were leaving Friday to head to Chattanooga for a weekend with friends - the second weekend in December) and it did...

When I looked outside, I could already see the snow was starting to stick. And not just stick to the grassy areas, but the street too. School for some reason was not being canceled.

I turned on the weather and listened the weatherman. He said something interesting. He said that there "could possibly" be "bursts" of snow in "certain areas" that "might" not be able to melt as fast as the snow is falling. The minute he said, I told Bri no school. It was bad enough that I got stuck 3 years before trying to get B from school - taking 7 hours to get back home. Now, Bri is going to a school that is located down a road even worse than her elementary school. 

I couldn't believe it was snowing like this in Georgia in December...

Instead of going to school, we watched Ed Sheeran perform "Perfect" on The Today Show...

Our original plans were to leave for Chattanooga in the afternoon. Seeing the snow falling the way it was, we decided we needed to leave in the morning. Doug had a conference call he needed to take first, but we were going to head out after that.

While Doug was on the phone, Bri and I headed outside...

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Everything was getting so pretty...

Making a snowball...

Bri's snow puppy Alfred...

Snow angel...

As Bri and I played in the snow, the school district started making robocall after robocall saying schools were closing early. I'm so glad I made the decision I did.

Doug, Bri and I kissed Mei Mei and headed out. I was really nervous leaving her alone with a storm coming, but she had everything she needed.

The conditions were becoming white out as we drove along...

The roads were super scary the first 45 minutes of our drive. They were slick and snow was starting to stick. I just kept praying that no one had an accident because the temps were so cold and I didn't want to get stuck on the highway. I just kept saying a prayer as we drove. I was starting to kick myself for allowing us to attempt this...

As we headed north, the snow started letting up and the roads started to clear. It was so weird that it was snowing south but not north of us.

When we arrived in Chattanooga, it was just flurrying. But it was really cold...

You can see the snow behind Bri. We were so happy to have gotten there safely...

From what I have been told, it snowed for hours and hours - Friday into Friday night. Kids had to be picked up from school and buses couldn't get to certain places again. I couldn't believe it happened again. It wasn't to the degree it was in 2014, but I honestly couldn't believe all the mess ups again.

We were not at home on Saturday, but my mom sent me this picture of what her house looked like on Saturday...

It was beautiful, but my poor parents lost power for two days and nights because of it (and it was mega cold)...

Our original plan was to come home Sunday afternoon, and luckily, that is what we were able to do. In my neck of the woods, we got about a foot of snow. I was worried with all the melting (luckily the melting roads allowed us to get home), I wouldn't get to see all that unusual snow.

But when we got home, it still looked like this...

We hadn't missed it! Look at all that snow!

Doug and Bri immediately started throwing snowballs (you can see the fallen pine tree branches in my backyard)...

Mei Mei didn't know what was going on...

Bri just had to roll around in it for a while...

I went outside Sunday evening and looked at the Christmas lights in the snow...

This snowman doesn't even have white on his hat...

It was so beautiful. You just don't see snow in Georgia at Christmastime.

Of course, schools were closed on Monday. Too many icy side roads and lots of people still without power (not us luckily). Some people (and schools) didn't have water either. Bri invited her friend Caitlin to come over and play...

They played in it for about 20 minutes and then decided to play inside. It was pretty chilly that day!

Doug, Bri and I went out to dinner Monday night, and this is the face Bri made when I got the message that school was also going to be closed on Tuesday...

I will never second guess my gut instinct when it comes to snow and school. Not after what happened in 2014. Even if Bri has an important test, she will miss it and stay home safe. Even if it is a false alarm. It's not worth taking the chance. I can't even imagine the nervous parents who had high schoolers on the road that were forced to drive in it. We are just not equipped in Georgia to handle that kind of snow.

I'm so grateful we were able to get out and enjoy our weekend in Chattanooga. That will be my next few posts!