“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
― Coco Chanel

The day started off pretty simple. I had signed up for a cupcake class from my friend Brandi. She’s a Wilton instructor and the owner of her own cake business, Event Cakes PGH. During the winter, it pays to look for something creative to do and one of Brandi’s classes was just the ticket.

My daughter Michelene was due to meet me right after class. We were headed to our cousin Nick and (his wife) Kristen’s house. Kristen had offered Michelene some professional clothes, as Michelene has a special work conference coming up in April.

I had checked the weather that morning. I knew there was some snow predicted but ultimately, I left it up to Michelene to decide. She said let’s go.

The ride to Nick and Kristen’s was smooth. No problems. A snowflake here or there but overall a pleasant drive. We arrived and Olivia Marie (their three year old daughter) was there to greet us in her Valentine’s Day red dress and silver tights.

I hung out with Olivia while Michelene and Kristen looked over the clothes. Kristen’s house was warm and pretty, with fresh tulips and roses on the counter. Nick arrived soon after, with more flowers, and we settled in for a nice catch up conversation.

Around 1pm I looked at Michelene and said we should go. She agreed, so we said our good byes and headed out. All was fine until we went off of 70 West, onto 79 North. It was like suddenly crossing an imaginary line. The weather went from nothing to a big something. Snow came down so hard I could barely see to drive.

So I did something I don’t believe I’ve ever done before. I pulled over. I said to Michelene, we’re going to wait this out just a bit. I went onto the berm of the road and put my flashers on. Soon, a few others did the same and we were like a mini line of flashing red cars.

Michelene checked the weather map on her phone and then apologized for getting us in the middle of the storm. I wasn’t worried. I knew the original forecast was for one to three and already one inch had fallen before we even left that morning. I told her not to worry.

And sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, the visibility improved. The scraping road truck went by and we pulled out shortly afterwards. We took our time and probably didn’t go above thirty miles an hour (like every one else) until we got off the interstate. The roads were better then and the snow had stopped.

When I told my mom this story, she asked me if I was scared. I said No. I knew what the forecast was and that the snow was predicted to be intermittent. I felt confident that we were not in danger. It was not so much a blizzard as a bit of a blizzard.

And I’ll tell you, it was worth it all to spend some quality time with Olivia Marie. She is the sweetest little girl and we had a good time together drawing on the artist board she got for Christmas. And I am thankful for Kristen, who was so giving of herself to share her beautiful clothes with Michelene.