Winter Weather

It is seriously COLD today!  Even two hours after the sun has come up, it's still only in the 20s out there.  I have to get dressed and leave the house today, but I REALLY don't want to.  

Here's where Craig is this week…

Winter Storm Leon came in yesterday about 11am and continued to dump snow on Birmingham throughout the day.  When did we start naming winter storms??  Schools closed, businesses closed, traffic sat.  Craig sent me this picture yesterday afternoon after a long day of meetings...  

His office stayed open for any employees who were stranded because of the weather.  And amazingly there were a LOT of them who stayed.  Craig's hotel happened to be just across the parking lot so he and his other traveling companions were able to walk.  

This is Craig's business associate, Joe, who flew in from the McAllen office and that's a car on fire in the background that they saw as they walked across the parking lot to their hotel.  Crazy…

Since all their late afternoon meetings fell apart early because of the weather, Craig and Joe decided to grab some dinner.  Thank goodness for lots of restaurants within walking distance.  Their group of two quickly turned into a group of four and then 16, and they found a sushi place with a limited menu that was still open and serving dinner.  It took them over four hours to eat and get back out to their hotel.  What a crazy trip!  

People slept in their cars last night on the freeway because they could not get home.  Traffic all over Birmingham was just stopped for hours and hours.  I cannot imagine spending a night in my car in freezing temperatures.  Sometimes I don't even wear a coat (ok, I never wear a coat.)  I would be toast in that situation, for sure…a small, brown, frozen piece of toast.   

It's 12 degrees in Birmingham right now and people have been advised to stay inside for one more day.  Craig is supposed to fly home tonight at 6:00, but all flights into and out of Birmingham have been cancelled.  No one is thrilled about that.

I hate that he's stuck in a place that's not with us, but I'm grateful he's not sleeping in his car.  I'm grateful that he has food, a toothbrush and a hotel room, and companions who are in the same boat.  And I'm especially grateful today for heated homes and electric blankets and fuzzy slippers in weather like this.  

...maybe if I wait a little longer to leave, it'll get up to 45.