2021 JUST SAID... "HOLD MY BEER" ... TO 2020

 Oh if we only knew what was coming.  Sunday was such a nice afternoon and Monday - 2am all hell broke loose.

We lost power at 2am so when I woke up at 6am, I knew something was "off" - my nose was cold and my high vaulted ceilings were freezing.

It snowed and while playing in the snow seemed fun, we had no way to warm up. We couldn't open the garage and my car was locked inside.  Holt had a decent amount of gas but we needed that to get warm if the power wasn't back on that night.  Little did we know... it would be FOUR DAYS in -2 degrees.

Played a little and then jumped in the car to warm up!

Finally Holt got my car free from the garage!  TWO tanks of gas available!! 

PRAISE GOD WE HAD SOME FORM OF HEAT!!!

On Monday afternoon the May's called and basically chewed me out and told me to pack T up and come stay with them.  I cannot express the guilt, I planned to drop T and whether the storm with Holt.  Ice started coming and the roads were getting bad. Holt had enough firewood so he said he and the dogs (and his mom were fine). I cried myself to sleep that night.  Warm bed, electricity, heat... I just felt HORRIBLE for not freezing.  The city was shut down, we maxed out the grid system and little did we know, we were moments away from total electricity failure.

Terrifying. And SO COLD.  Then, we ran out of firewood.  Thankfully Debby had some and Holt had enough heat for he and the dogs. The roads were bad and Holt told me to stay. I worked as much as I could and tried to watch a little news here and there but it was SO upsetting family after family burning toys for heat.  Knocking down back fences to burn the wood. Unreal.

Then, the water went out. We dripped faucets but some seemed to be frozen.  We tried to make the most of it for the kids... I felt guilty smiling and laughing... but I tried to just let Tristan feel the joy of snow.

It's only 5 - 6 inches and it SHUT DALLAS DOWN FOR DAYS!!

T burying Cullen in the snow

T and G getting pulled on body boards behind Steve's car

Tracy and Tay

Frozen.. but fun!

Lily-Kate

Then I got the call that pipes were bursting at our house.  I grabbed the towels from the Mays and headed home... they were smart and stayed and did this!!

Terry and Holt sucked up water with Shop-Vac and I was on my  hands and knees wiping up the water from the floor.  Thank you GOD that our power had been restored a few hours before so we could plug something in. Holt walked in right as our house was flooding.

Apparently they insulated our pipes on the inside wall not the outside.  NINE BUSTED PIPES.  NINE!!!

But Keith McCoy to the rescue!  He called our subs and was able to get Deadra and I on the list.  They were at my house Friday morning and has us completely fixed by 2pm! I think I told Jack (S & K Plumbing) that I loved him 100 times!  He said "you saw what I did to your wall, right!?!?!?"  Yes, yes I did but I have heat, water and electricity!  I'm golden!!

I'm so thankful that we were taken in. SO thankful that we had food and shelter and water. So thankful that a week later we were fully functioning... even if we have a lot of renovating to do... we are fine! Many did not fare as well.  Count your blessings... count them twice!  Holt took great care of the dogs, of our house, of Ruth Ann's, people's pools... all of it.  He's always been the 11th hour guy but I think that may be the coldest he has ever been!  

Thank you Lord for sparing us.  Thank you for 60 degree weather today.  Mother Nature feels a tad bipolar.  

The great hangover of 2020.  Texas is hurting. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/us/texas-storm-recovery-monday/index.html

Pray for us.