A New Start, A Long Drive

If a power outage affecting about 60,000 people, of which I was one, was a sign of what was to come...then I was in trouble.

I don't know what happened last night around 10:30pm to cause the lights to all of a sudden go out. They say it was the wind that caused high voltage lines to come down on another. Luckily, Furman had my cellphone charging in a spot that was easy to get to in the dark. And let me tell you, it was pitch dark!! I couldn't see my hands in front of me. Lol But, that didn't stop me from finding my phone and utilizing the handy flashlight feature. That allowed me to find a lighter that I use to light candles. (I don't smoke)

After about an hour we figured the power wasn't coming back anytime soon, so we turned in for the night. After all, I had a big day ahead of me. A new start, a long drive.

The power didn't come back on till about 5:30am. It wasn't long after that that I decided to crawl out of bed because I really didn't want to. But, I got up and got myself together. I wasn't leaving  a minute earlier than I usually do. Hell no! So, on my usual time....I set out on my travels. A new route to a new office. Sigh! 

The drive of shame:  It was an interesting commute. I passed through towns I've heard of before but never really knew where they were. Ie. Nobleton, Kleinburg. I kept Furman updated on where I was but in all honesty, he really had no clue because he hasn't learned that end of the city yet. lol Traffic wasn't too too bad. It was one lane for a large part of my commute. But hey....it was moving. The speed limit was decent except for small residential sections of the towns where it dropped significantly. Funny thing was, that when I reached into the city I decided I would veer off of my route and hop on nearby Hwy 427 for the rest of the way. Well, when I got to the ramp and saw the traffic crawling...literally, I took a big ass U-Turn right back to where I veered off. lol Nope...I couldn't do it. I was taking the roads to avoid the stress from the highways. So far was so good, so I couldn't mess that up now. lol

All in all, my morning travel was as expected (because i've done it before) - relatively decent. It was the ride home that I was more worried about. But....I got to work on time and was grouchy anyways. Just for having to be there!! Not because it took me about 5-10 minutes trying to figure out how to get into the building from where I parked. lol However, I got in and got myself together to get eventually unpacked.

My new workspot.
Notice the window view that I would normally have to work like 25 yrs to get. lmao

The day in general was ok. Like I said, I was unpacking and spent most of my day doing so. I warned my manager when I got in that I was grouchy so that she would know to stay away. lol Besides, I think she was previously given the advice to give us some space. Advice that she actually kinda took. In the afternoon, I started to get caught up on a bit of work.

The dreaded drive home:  Yuck!! Just as expected. I tried to find my way back home using the same route I took to get to work. A route a fellow blogger CountryChicRenovator recommended I try in the first place. I was anxiously hoping the traffic would move as well as it did in the morning. It didn't move as well, but it moved much faster than I expect the highway did. lol There were sections that got slow but overall it wasn't migraine traffic. Think I might try the same route tomorrow with the exception of the shortcut I tried when I got close to home. Dark streets that took me in strange neighborhoods. Certainly not routes I would think to be safe when the snow hits. Oh no...I can't imagine that they'd be plowed enough for decent travel. With  my luck, i'd take a  route and get stuck on a road that isn't traveled much. lmfao Let's not think about that shall we? I'll stay away from these country roads and stick to the main roads. 

Total travel time was about 3hrs. Hour and a half each way.

Total kms traveled was 120kms. I reset the trip meter as I pulled out of my street.

Oh, and take notice that it cost me a 1/4 tank of gas. Yup...my tank was full when I started. lol This is gonna be 'spensive! lol

Thank God I do not drive an SUV anymore. Mind you, it is surely missed in the winter months. But..not the damage to my wallet. The vehicle I drive now isn't the absolute greatest on gas but it's been the most reliable car that I've ever had. Yes...I recommend a Lexus to everyone. Thanks to my friend Bryan for recommending I splurge on myself during that time of need. haha 

So....now I get ready for bed for another very long day tomorrow. Besides, my tv service is on the fritz possibly from last nights power outage. Joy oh joy!       

Continue to pray for me and my girls!

One day of crazy travel is nothing till reality sinks in and we realize that we will have to keep doing this day in and day out. Yup....keep praying!