I'm dreaming of white Christmas, part 2

Christmas Day 11 am - 5:30 pm

We headed for Kansas City about 11 am. At Matfield Green, a sign informed us McDonald's was "closed due to inclement weather." The convenience store was open, and I've never seen so many people in line with hot dogs, sandwiches, chips and other gas station food. We almost got stuck in the parking lot, but Scott's expert driving got us out.

The roads became worse as we traveled closer to Kansas City, but nothing to be concerned about. We were still able to make good time. We stopped once in Olathe for a gas/bathroom/battery emergency break. Sherry texted me asking if we could stop for AA batteries for the Air Hogs radio controlled helicopter, a favorite Christmas gift. An emergency indeed.

Once we got close to Sherry's house, the roads were considerable worse. Scott joined a group of six others who were helping a 4x4 truck out of a snow drift. The boys and I stayed in the car and laughed as the snow flew up from the spinning tires. In Sherry's neighborhood, we could not get into her driveway, so we went around the block and gunned it through the snow and parked on the street. The boys played with the aforementioned helicopter and the Wii. We ate chocolate and cinnamon rolls, a healthy snack to tide us over until Christmas dinner at the Dyers.

We did get stuck trying to leave. Scott shoveled us out, while I saw a photo op. However, once we started the van going, we didn't want to stop and risk getting stuck again, so I had to run in the snow, with my expensive camera and no coat and jump in while the van moved slowly. Katie and Jake provided the laugh track.

Sherry took this picture from inside.

On a fashion note: I did find out that the boots I bought at Target were not a sensible choice... despite the very definition of boot (an overshoe made of waterproof material). Next time I will wear this pair of boots in cold, DRY weather.

We helped one more person before heading out of the neighborhood. We saw two more people stuck on the roads, and even saw a snowplow in the ditch on 50 Highway.

We ate Christmas dinner with Grammy and Grandpa and opened presents. The boys played with Grandpa's remote controlled helicopter and tied ropes to the upstairs bannister rods.