My Favorite Holiday
Memory
Three days into the new semester, Georgia experienced a rare
snow storm that shut everything down. If you’ve ever been to Georgia, you know
the winters here are crazy. It can be 30 degrees at night and 65 degrees during
the day. Snow can come as flurries that
disappear the moment they touch ground, or as severe as an ice storm, coating
trees with ice so heavy power lines fall and streets are covered with ‘black’
ice and make driving impossible.
Sometimes we get actual snow that covers several inches of the ground,
is nice and fluffy on day one, but as soon as it starts to melt and the
temperatures drop, ice covers it. Because Georgia isn’t set up to handle major
snow fall, everyone gets an unexpected vacation.
For three days, we were snowed in together, all seven of us
and our dog. We had enough food to last a few days and the lights stayed
on. The first two days were spent
listening to music, playing Spades, Monopoly, and dancing. Out of sugary
sweets, my cousin made sugar cookies from scratch (even though it was missing
an ingredient) and they were the best!
By day three, we needed more food. The grocery store was
less than a mile away, but the drive was impossible. First of all, our house
sat on a hill and the driveway was covered with a sheet of ice at least two
inches thick. Backing our Expedition down the hill to a cul-de-sac that covered
in ice (if we had ice skates it would have been the perfect ice rink!), was
impossible. My son’s braved the cold,
grabbed shovels and chipped away at the ice for a few hours. When we felt we
would have enough traction, we piled in the car and slid down the hill. Talk
about an adventure! The subdivision had several hills; each one had us holding
our breath, praying we’d make it to our destination without sliding into
someone else. We not only made it
there, we shopped, and got home, just not up the driveway!
Since then, my kids have gotten older; one nearly has his
foot out the door and headed to collage. Even the youngest have matured. I am
now an author with deadlines, and my hubby, the music producer, stays busy.
Finding time for all of us to step away from work, writing, recording, and all
forms of electronic devices and get back to the simple things that make you appreciate your family are hard
to do. But this year, I am going to make myself take time for family.
Music, a deck of cards, and sugar cookies. The little things
that made the best holiday for me.
M.J. Kane stumbled into writing. An avid
reader, this stay at home mom never lost the overactive imagination of an only
child. As an adult she made up stories, though never shared them, to keep
herself entertained. It wasn’t until surviving a traumatic medical incident in
2006 that she found a reason to let the characters inhabiting her imagination
free. Upon the suggestion of her
husband, she commandeered his laptop and allowed the characters to take life.
It was that, or look over her shoulder for men caring a purple strait jacket.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
No longer a television addict, if M.J. isn’t
reading a book by one of her favorite authors, she’s battling with her creative
muse to balance writing and being a wife and mother. She resides in the suburbs
of Atlanta, Georgia with her high school sweetheart, four wonderful children,
and two pit bulls. MJ can often be found hanging out at the local library where
she is director of a local writer’s group, or online connecting with readers and
other authors. Other activities she enjoys include: creating custom floral
arrangements, assisting her children in their creative pursuits of music and
art, and supporting her husband’s music production business, 3D Sounds.
You can find MJ on social networking sites,
sharing writing tips, talking about music, life, and family. She’s always
excited to meet new people. Connect with her via the websites below.
Author Contact Info:
MJ Kane:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MJKaneBooks
The Butterfly Memoirs Series:
Blog: Blog: http://thebutterflymemoirs.blogspot.com/
Thanks for letting me stop by and share!
ReplyDelete2011? Goes to show that favorite memories could be made today. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCherese,
DeleteYou've won a free copy of MJ Kane's book! Please email me with your contact info (email) and I will send you a code to redeem your prize.
info(at)bernadettemarie(dot)com
I said I was going to put up the electronics at least for one day this season :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story, great memories, M.J.!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family.
Doug