The February Freeze

February brought an unexpected surprise to Texas.  In southeast Texas where snow falls once in a decade and temperatures rarely fall below freezing, Winter Storm Uri had plans to shock and awe.  The entire state of Texas was engulfed in a winter storm warning that lasted 9 consecutive days with below freezing temperatures.  It was like nothing this generation of Texans had ever seen before. 

Due to the tremendous pull, the power grid failed leaving 10 million people without power for a stretch of 7+ days in below-freezing conditions.  We were still in our tiny corporate apartment as the storm set in.  We lost power, as I expected we would, but I did not expect the duration to be as extreme as it was.  We had collectively 10 hours of power through the first 72 hours, with the longest initial outage lasting 35 hours during the worst of the storm. It got chilly y’all! Our longest stretch with power was 6 hours one afternoon, as the power would continue to go on and off intermittently and unexpectedly over the next week, but we were thankful for the heat when it was there!  Due to poorly insulted windows and doors, we couldn't keep the entire apartment warm.  Everything in the apartment was electric including the stove.  After the first day, we moved everything into one bedroom and Brenna and I huddled under every sheet, blanket, and towel we had, which wasn't much keeping in mind we're still only operating with what few things came back with us in our suitcases from the UK and the bare minimum furnishings of a corporate apartment.  We sat in that room for days passing the time as best we could while Jacob was at work.  When our phones and iPads were low, we'd go down to the car and drive around the snow covered parking lot to feel the only heat available to us from the car heater and charge our devices.  The last time we moved back to Texas we got here just in time for Harvey. Looks like we hit it lucky this time too! 

Cellular service was spotty and with no WiFi it was a struggle to stay in contact with others to know the status of things.  Roads were impassable due to the snow and ice, creating supply chain issues.  Grocery stores with no power and no replenishment went empty.  Pipes burst not just in homes, but in main lines as well, creating water supply issues and boil water notices that were ineffective for people like us with only electric heat and no power.  Water service was disrupted to more than 12 million people.  Temperatures in Houston, Texas were actually below temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska.

When it was all over, 246 people were killed as a result of the storm and its conditions, linked to carbon monoxide poisoning, car crashes, drownings, house fires and hypothermia, and there would be $26.5 billion worth of damage to homes and infrastructure.

Christmas 2020

For Christmas this year, things were still a little unsettled.  While we had originally hoped to be in a new home by now, we were starting to realize we may be spending an extended time in the corporate apartment.  It also threw a wrench in school planning.  I had full intentions of Brenna attending either Atascocita or Kingwood High School.  Her 8th grade year was quickly coming to a close and if we were in the apartment when that happened, she was getting districted to Summer Creek.  This added even more concern to finding a home quickly because I really didn't want to switch high schools.  The whole point has always been that we would relocate with company as needed until she started high school and then we wanted to stay stationary for those 4 years.  It would be ridiculous that after all these moves she would have to change high schools simply because we couldn't find a house in the place we were already located!  But again, Covid's impact on the housing market was not making this an easy task.

We decided that spending Christmas in the apartment wasn't really what we wanted so we went home to Mississippi for Christmas for the first time since Brenna started Kindergarten.  It was a nice visit after being away for so long in Scotland.  We enjoyed the time with family, visited Christmas in Columbia for some ice skating on Main Street, and caught up with all the cousins. 

Coming to America - Back from Scotland

We've moved lots of times, but this particular move proved to be the most complicated of them all thanks to COVID.  All the things we thought we knew went out the window in these strange times and what we thought would be the usual 30 day turnaround on a relocation turned into nearly half a year before we finally found a place to call home.  

The first issue concerned packing.  Normally we would have a definitive time line on when our belongings would reach us on the other end.  Due to slowed ocean freight movements and rigorous inspection and sanitation processes, they were not able to give us an estimation on when we might have possession of our things back in the US.  So, we packed our suitcases as best we could.  What we didn't know at time is that the contents of these suitcases would be all we would have for nearly 5 months.  That information would have most definitely caused adjustments to my selection process, but hindsight is 20/20. 

Next, the normal journey home would have looked similar to our arrival, with a non-stop international flight directly from Edinburgh to New York.  Due to COVID, nearly all commercial travel across the Atlantic was suspended and flights were very limited and constantly getting canceled!  Since it does take some time to coordinator moving companies and freight carriers, we had two planned flight itineraries canceled prior to our actual departure.  Within the final week we were able to coordinate a plan that resulted in an extra-long return journey where we flew from Edinburgh to London, with an overnight stay at the hotel inside Hearthrow for an early morning departure.  

Scottish Highland Adventure

Just a short two weeks after our England getaway, we were off again.  During lockdown, as we were patiently waiting for restrictions to lift, a friend and I planned a joint Highland adventure for our families not knowing whether we'd be able to actually take it or not.  As it turns out, it ended up being a celebratory trip!  We celebrated both Brenna and Michelle's birthdays.  We were trying to make the most of our very short, socially distanced, don’t leave the UK summer.  

  

The trip started with a curvy drive through Glencoe.  The highlands are incredibly beautiful!  Brenna snapped pictures along the drive of all the mountains and valleys.

Coronavirus, Covid, or Kung Flu! Oh My!

These three memes most accurately capture my sentiments on the current world pandemic.  

Pawpaw's New Boat

After Pawpaw retired, he invested in a bass boat and Brenna was very excited to break it in!

Family Portraits 2016

As much as I love pictures, I've done a terrible job of regularly scheduling family portraits.  I originally intended to do family portraits every two years.  I managed this for 2007, 2009, and 2011.  It was a good run while it lasted.  Since I've now skipped 5 years, I was determined to have family portraits taken this year.  My original thought was to have pictures taken in the snow to remember our time here in Sarnia, but truth be told I'm not exactly fond of winter.  Instead, I decided that something to mark the beautiful falls we've spent here would definitely spark fond memories later in life.  So, one afternoon in October we met up with a photographer at Wawanosh Wetlands Conservation Park and had family portraits taken.

Family Day Sledding

It's been a tough couple of weeks.  Thanks to all that have prayed, called, and messaged.  It is greatly appreciated.  I haven't felt much like blogging lately, but one of the many things that come out of tragic events is just how precious memories are.  So, with that in mind, I didn't want February to slip by without posting something.

Earlier in the month, we celebrated Family Day, which is a national holiday in Canada.  I guess we're officially making it a tradition to spend it sledding as a family, since that's what we've chosen to do the last two years.  Brenna was especially excited to hit the snow hill so she could try out her new snowboard.  She started strong and caught on quick.  She quickly learned to manage her balance and was flying down the hill after only a few tries.  We only had one major wipe out and she didn't let it scare her.  She bounced back from it and kept trying.

Jacob helping to get her strapped in and ready to go.

Puerto Rico Family Vacation

Earlier this month, we met up with Jacob's family in Puerto Rico for a special family get together.  We spent the majority of our time at a beautiful hacienda that's nestled into the foot hills of the El Yunque Rainforest.  The hacienda is actually a part of a working horse farm and had some amazing views and cozy outdoors area.  Here's a few pictures from around the property and our family get together.

The End of Winter

This post marks the end of winter!  The snow tires are off, the snow boots are stored away, and I've replaced parkas with regular jackets.  Surviving our first Canadian winter should come with an award.  This February was officially the coldest on record for Sarnia, with our lowest temperature reaching -29F.  It was brutal at times and seemed to go on forever, with our last snowfall on Easter morning.

Some things I learned this winter:

1. Once you hit sub-zero temperatures, the air stings your face and your fingers will go numb in a matter of seconds.
2. Frost bite happens fast, just ask Brenna.
3. My iPhone battery can not tolerate temperatures below 15F.
4. Snow salt is gross, road snow is grosser, and my car has been a disaster inside and out.
5. I fished-tailed through my neighborhood all winter; eventually it just becomes part of driving.
6. Snow squalls are bad!  Avoid them at all cost!
7. There are many different kinds of snow; glittery snow, fat-flake snow, wet snow, snow/ice mix, snow/rain mix, really I could go on and on.
8. Sometimes even when its not snowing, it still is because of blowing snow.
9. Lake Huron in winter might as well be Antartica as far as I'm concerned. 
10. Snow shoveling is not fun.
11. Half-way through winter I abandoned all efforts of snow shoveling the back porch.  Why do it?  Nobodies going out there!
12. I wore the same pair of shoes for three months straight.  Snow boots are the only form of footwear in winter.
13. What I would call a toboggan (winter hat), they call a toque (french term).  Here a toboggan is a sled.
14. Don't stand under the eave of the building when someone else shuts the door.
15. Our favorite winter game while driving in the car is to find the house with the longest icicles.  They actually touched the ground at one house.
16. Ice skating is not like roller skating!
17. And most all, I had to adjustment my previously conceived ideas of dealing with snow, because life goes on no matter how cold it gets!

Snowy Easter

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to me!  Snow with no wind, so it settles softly on everything!

Family Day

Canada has an official holiday for Family Day.  Most businesses close for the holiday to allow the employees time with their family.  Imperial, of course, was not one of those companies.  We did have a great day though.  The local mall held a Family Day event that kicked off with a My Little Pony Equestria Girls Live show.  Brenna was so excited and loved dancing and singing with the show.  It was a perfect fun event for her.  Next we wandered through the mall taking part in the many YMCA events; super slides, an indoor swim meet on rolling body boards, face painting, life sized jenga, and balance beams.  I've been very pleased with our mall.  Since Sarnia is such a small community, the Lambton Mall seems to be hub of happenings for the area.  So far, we celebrated Halloween, Family Day, and some of Spring Break there.

Sunset in the Backyard

It's amazing how it can be a clear bright sunny day with no clouds in the sky and still be below zero.

Winter Storm Linus

We got our first snow of the season on November 1st.  From then, it would snow on and off, stick around for a few days, and then eventually melt, since we still maintained a temperature just at freezing.  After a snowless Christmas, it started to snow at the very end of our winter break on January 4th and I haven't seen my back yard since!  Through January we continued to get colder.  We would have snow showers of an inch or two every other day or so that slowly accumulated.  It was just enough snow to enjoy all the winter activities, but not so much that it would be a problem.  Jacob would plow the driveway in the morning and it would be good for a few days.

Then on February 1st Winter Storm Linus came.  Over the day the storm dumped snow across Sarnia.  We had areas of snow drift that were as deep as 4 feet.  That's when we learned how hard it really is to deal with winter.  Jacob couldn't even get the snow plow out of the garage because of the mountain of snow that had drifted between our front door and driveway.  He spent the pre-dawn hours trying to dig our way out of the house.

Our back patio is built about 1.5 feet off the ground due to the basement.  Because of the way the snow drifted there was about 3 feet of snow on the back deck and you couldn't tell where the patio ended.

Brenna's First Sled Adventure

In early January once the snow had accumulated, Brenna insisted that we try out the new sled that Santa brought her.  Despite the fact that it was 5 F with a wind chill of -13F, we visited the sledding hill located in a park not far from our house.  When we arrived there were two boys with sleds and snow boards enjoying the runs.  After Brenna watched them go a few times, she was ready to give it a try.  It was fun, but very cold that particular day and we only lasted about 20 minutes.  We left with the satisfaction that she had tried it and the promise that we would do it again on a better day.

The Seasons of Ontario

I'm very behind on blogging and hope to have some winter pictures up soon.  Until then, I thought I would share our first real experience with the seasons since our move to Canada.

SPRING - April 15th, 2014
Within two weeks of moving we experienced our first snow the week of Easter!  What a way to welcome us to Canada!

I Love Snow!

We got our first real snow the week of Thanksgiving and Brenna LOVED it!  There were snowmen, snow angles, and snowball fights.  It made for some pretty awesome school recesses.  Even I enjoyed opening all the blinds and just watching the snow fall.  Before now, it was something that I'd only ever seen in movies, and as strangely new as it all is to me, I thankful for our opportunity to get to experience this.

It snowed steadily for about three days and the accumulation stayed with us for more than a week.  I had to shovel my driveway and use my ninja tool ice scrapper for my car's windshield.   Since that time we've gotten snow flurries on and off through the weeks with some accumulation, but it was usually followed by rain that would wash everything away.  I'm not complaining, because in general its been a mild winter for this area.  We usually drop into the 20s at night and stay just above freezing during the days.  There were a few days we even broke into the low 40s.  That's considered a warm winter for here!

As we approach Christmas, my dream for our first white Christmas is dwindling.  The snow that was forecasted earlier in the week has changed to rain.  Brenna asked Santa for a sled, and unfortunately she may have to wait a while before we can try it out.  While I'm a bit disappointed that we won't be able to run out the back door on Christmas morning and start building a snow fort with her new snow brick maker, I'm not too worried.  There will be snow, we'll just have to wait a little while for it.  January is forecasted to have much colder temperatures.  So for now, I'm satisfied with slowly growing accustomed to our new winter wonderland, since it was already a very steep learning curve!

First Snow of the Season!

The temperature is dropping at a slow steady pace.  What was once beautiful mild Fall weather that made you want to get out and enjoy the day has now been replaced with cold 30ish days with a wind chill in the teens.  Brenna looks like an eskimo each morning headed to school.  We've bought snow tires for both cars, a snow blower, and an ice chipper that looks like some kind of ninja weapon.  Ready or not, winter is here.

First snow of the season!

Fall Fun!

Fall here has been amazing!  The colors are so beautiful and the weather has been great.  Brenna was especially excited about raking leaves!  It's something we never had to do down south.  I didn't even have a leaf rake, I had to go buy one.  Our backyard was completely carpeted in brown, orange, yellow, and red leaves.  So, one afternoon me and Brenna got to work and raked up our small backyard into a very large pile!  I was surprised by how much there was!  A friend shared with me that he has no less than 100 bags of leaves each Fall from his yard!!!

After the last leaf was raked onto the pile, the leaf jumping commenced!  Oh, the fun she had!  Happy Fall from Canada!