I sit here this morning, gazing out of our picture window in the family room. The world is white and calm. It reminds me of many childhood memories, playing in the snow. Who am I kidding; I slept until almost 9:00, and stayed in bed for 2 ½ hours reading a great book my boss loaned me. I only finally set it aside as guilt began to overcome me – I knew I had laundry that could be done, and should really take care of feeding my children.
I waited impatiently last night for the call to come. Gone are the days of anxiously waiting for our schools name to come across the bottom of the screen, or listening for the name to be read on the radio. We are in a new age of technology. Today, someone at the school sets up an auto dialer to contact all of the staff and families from our district. As the T.V. has continuous coverage of the “storm of the decade”, I wait anxiously for the telephone to ring. Early in the day, a local university has already called classes for the day. McConnell Air Force Base has already called for a 2 hour delay the next day. Ten O’clock approaches, schools are falling left and right. Mulvane, Goddard, Derby…and then the papa of all schools. The school that sets the bar for school closings. It could be argued successfully in a debate that they never call of school. And there it is; Wichita schools closed, February 1. Nothing from our beloved Maize. Uggghhh.
I find myself consoling my kid’s friends on Facebook. “They’re just making sure this storm really comes in.” Am I convincing them, or myself? One of Cameron’s friends implores me to use my influence to get school cancelled. Of course it was followed by a ha ha, knowing people in the office have no pull. I went to bed convincing myself that they wouldn’t make us go to school the next day. But just enough doubt was there, poisoning my thoughts about an otherwise competent administration. Would they really make us go to school? Were they concerned because we have parent teacher conferences later this week and the kids are already scheduled to be out of school Thursday and Friday?
A few short hours later I found myself wide awake, listening to the howling wind. I began to speculate just where the wind chill must be at by now. I kept glancing at the clock, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30 – no call. (Now you know why I was impatiently waiting for the call to come the night before. Who wants to be awake at 5 in the morning waiting for the no school call to come!? It is much handier when it comes the night before and all of the alarm clocks can be turned off!) I find myself drifting off. 5:53 – and I am jolted awake by Dancing Queen blaring in my ear. There it is - the coveted call – SNOW DAY!!! The district has come through. As sweet thoughts of gratefulness fill my head, my husband simply says, “you suck”. A few minutes later, he crawls out of bed to start his day. I roll over, pull the dog close to snuggle, and pull the warm blankets up to my chin.
SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!
