Winter Wallop

Well, we started the week out in another airport as we flew from Atlanta to Richmond, Virginia where we attended the Member Care meeting for lead consultants with our organization. I really ought to keep a count of the number of airports I'll be in over the course of the next year, just out of curiosity.




Airports are getting expensive, especially if I'm bored and I've already had my daily dose of Coke Zero. Very, very occasionally I will order a White Chocolate Mocha just for something to do (drink), and I have to admit, it is growing on me. It would be better though if they would put in more white chocolate and less coffee.




Our meetings went well and were very informative. It was good to be able to talk with the 3 other couples who are the lead consultants for their parts of the world and hear how they handle things. We also swapped web sites and shared other helpful resources. More than anything, it was good to be able to feel like someone else understood what we were trying to do and the challenges we face.

The conference ended at noon on Friday and we were supposed to stay overnight there at ILC until our flight out on Saturday, but Friday morning at 9 am we were told that a winter snow storm was coming to that area and that ILC was closing down for the weekend...and to find a hotel in town right away. I admit that the last 3 hours of discussion among our group was not very productive as comments were intermingled with searching for a hotel and rearranging our plans for the day!

We packed our bags, said our good-byes and hurried into town to do all the things we had planned to do on our last evening in America before the blizzard arrived.

Oh, before leaving ILC for town, we got word that our flight out the next afternoon was CANCELLED, and the snow had not even arrived yet! So, Glenn got busy and got us another reservation for leaving on Sunday (instead of Saturday).



I didn't remember it being this PINK!

Glenn's favorite eatery in Richmond is Cheeburger Cheeburger, home of delicious deep-fat fried onion rings and real hamburgers! You know, 100% Angus patties, hand shaped and carefully grilled to perfection with tons of carmelized onions, jalepenos peppers, and A1 Steak Sauce. Mmmm.




From the previous picture you can tell that the place was empty of customers except for us. Talk about great service!! Evidently everyone else in town was out stocking up on groceries before they were held captive in their own homes by the snow that was coming.

From this picture you can tell that the snow had not yet started falling. While we were there, at 4:30 pm (I checked my watch), the snow started falling, slowly at first but gaining in density as the minutes ticked by.

Since the snow was not yet causing any problems, we ran by one or two more stores to pick up last minute items and to refill our rental car before heading to our hotel out by the airport.




After settling into our hotel room we decided to go ahead and turn in our rental car a day early since we didn't know how much snow there would be on the ground by the next day, nor if there would be anyone from the rental agency to accept our car keys if the snow truly handicapped everyone. You can see the snow that had accumulated in just a matter of 3 hours.

Okay, so now we are going to have TWO nights in a hotel while we watch the snow fall. We got a great price ($67) for a king size suite, complete with a refrigerator, coffee pot, microwave, and a huge TV in the living area and another one in the bedroom. The bedroom had a large window that overlooked the parking lot; not a great view, but we slept with the curtains open and watched the dime and quarter-size snowflakes plummet to the ground all night.

We spent most of Saturday working on emails, watching the snow get deeper and deeper, and enjoying one Hallmark Christmas movie after another! It was quite relaxing...until we got word that our Sunday reservation was also CANCELLED! So, Glenn spent the better part of the day trying to get us on another flight, which he finally was able to do.

On a side note, while I was in the lobby I met a woman from NY who is down here for the birth of her first grandchild. Due to flu season, she is not allowed at the hospital so she was knitting to keep herself busy until the baby is born. God gave me the privilege of praying with her for the safety of mom and baby. It was a divine appointment!

All this time, we're in communication with Chris and Kate and Kari and Jonathan, keeping them informed of our cancellations and new arrangements, and making sure they are still on schedule for their flights to Budapest!

This is one of our friends who does Member Care in one of the other regions, clearing the snow off their rental car on Saturday afternoon. They stayed at the Hilton also. Mid-afternoon they asked if we wanted to take our chances and ride with them the mile to the shopping district so that we could get some lunch (rather than eat in the hotel at their expensive restaurant). Of course, we said yes! We made sure to be back before it got dark and the road slush refroze! They were also affected by all the snow and cancellations but are now headed to the airport to catch their plane to South America.

It is almost noon on Sunday as I am writing this blog update. Glenn is packing our bags for us to head to the airport soon and both of us are praying that everything goes smoothly from here on out.

THIS JUST IN! We heard from Kari and Jonathan via Skype that they made it to Budapest without any problems, and they are closing up their computers, grabbing their bags and heading over to the other terminal because Chris and Kate are due in any minute now!!!! Our co-workers Brian and Michelle have fixed spaghetti for our kids and will get them settled into our house. Hopefully, the kids will go ahead and set up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. We'll be there as soon as we can make it! Pray for no more snow for atleast 24 hours!!!

Glenn and I wish our family and friends a wonderful Spirit-filled Christmas! We pray that during the holidays, in spite of the financial woes and wintery weather, that your family remembers the reason we celebrate this season. We celebrate the greatest gift of God, given to all people, the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.