I LOVE ELECTRICITY!!!

The view from our deck.

After 28 hours without power, we're back in action here at my house, and I am so giddy to be back at my laptop that I am as happy as a tornado in a trailer park.
So let me tell you my story...
Yesterday started out full of excitement - it was Chris' birthday and we were surrounded by a winter wonderland. So many options awaited us: sledding, hot tubbing...you know, general frolicking. But then it all started to go bad. Emma hadn't been feeling well the day before, and whatever was bugging her was getting worse, so she wasn't in the mood for any snow fun, even though we bundled her up and took her outside. We finally relented to her rule, and Mommy brought her in the house to give her a nice warm bath....Daddy and Uncle Dan decided to relax and regroup in the hot tub...then power went out before noon, and Emma's fever began to climb. Chris and Dan decided it was time to dig out and see what was happening in the world, and I cuddled up with Emma on the couch, feeding her tylenol for her fever, and trying to keep warm. Soon Chris and Dan returned with Nathan and reported that there was life out in the world, but there was no way I could go and enjoy it since I had a very sick little girl attached to me. Eventually Dan and Nathan left us to go to their warm homes that still had power, but Chris decided to stay behind and help nurse his baby girl...which was great. I really needed his help, and he gave up being warm and having fun on his birthday. He is a stellar Daddy.

So we hunkered down for the night on a mattress we dragged out to the livingroom, sleeping when we could and feeding Emma sips of ginger ale to soothe a throat raw from coughing, not to mention cleaning up puke...yeah, I had puke on me more than once yesterday.

Today dawned a new day: bright, beautiful, and freezing cold. Emma was sicker than ever, so we bundled her up and headed to the clinic. Turns out she has some extreme bronchitis that has become a nasty infection. Great. More medicine to force down her gullet (and it has to be taken with food, yet she has been refusing to eat for 2 days - lovely). Well, as long as it makes her better. So home we come and snuggle on our mattress to keep warm and get her to nap...and about 2pm, just as she is drifting into slumberland, everything comes to life. We have power!!! Now the house is warm, I have had a hot shower (to wash off the puke), and Emma is happily watching The Lion King...life is good again. We owe Chris a good birthday, and I need a good sleep, but I don't think I will be taking my electricity for granted any time soon.

So that's my story. I hope everyone else faired well in the weather - I know some must have been worse off than we were, and I am sure some must have had some good fun. Keep warm out there folks - though the snow has stopped we are expecting a real cold snap over the next few day. Be safe and have fun, I myself still hope to do some sledding ;)

Emma, unimpressed with being outside.

The Birthday Boy and Dan in the hot tub.

Don't let this pic fool you - there is only light because of the camera flash...and due to being snowed in the only candle I had for the cake was one left over from Emma's birthday. Poor Chris!

Here is the family huddled in my parents' livingroom, where there was a propane lantern producing both light and some meager heat.