Ice Storm Memories

Remember the ice storm of 2007? Although that was a tragedy and difficult time for many, we actually have really fond memories of the ice storm. Of course we never lost power, which makes for fond memories! I don't know why we have such fond memories. My dad nearly froze to death because he wouldn't leave his house. My mom lived with us for like 10 days. Jordan and I volunteered at a shelter for a nursing home whose residents had been relocated. The trees were down everywhere. We could hear tree limbs falling on our house. Entire parts of the city were cloaked in darkness. It looked like a war zone. But the community came together. There was a sense of fellowship and kindness that this city had not seen before.

What about 2008? This is my favorite picture from 2008. It was taken a few days after we got back from Ethiopia in February. We came home to an ice storm and lost power for one night. This is Jordan and her friends, along with all the other kids taking funny face pictures on her laptop. This was a magical photo to me. This was truly a magical night. This photo says it all - the joining together of different cultures, languages, genders, and age groups.

This is what it looked like with a flash.

This ice storm is nothing compared to 2007. Are we even calling it an ice storm? Well, it's been 2 days of freezing rain, sleet and snow. No school today or tomorrow.
In memory of that ice storm, we had an all you can eat pancake brunch today by candlelight with a memory of turning tragedy into bonding. We did it in 2007 and again in 2008. Here's our moment of bonding for 2009's ice storm.