Lessons Learned from #icestorm2018

If nothing else, #icestorm2018 has taught us that you don’t always have control over what is happening around you no matter how much you plan.

My daughter and I had planned a road trip to Montreal, to shop for her prom dress for months.  As the weekend drew closer, it was evident that Mother Nature wasn’t going to be as cooperative as we had originally hoped.

Rescheduling the trip really wasn’t an option (anyone with an 18 year old daughter can attest to that) so we decided to leave a bit earlier Friday morning and keep a positive outlook that it wasn’t going to be as bad as predicted.

During our pre-shop breakfast, we realized that yes indeed, it was going to be like they predicted!  So we decided that just to be safe, we would start heading west towards home once we found the perfect dress, and grab a hotel along the way should the need arise.  The storm was expected to start Saturday afternoon in Montreal, and continue through Monday, which could possibly leave us stuck there until Tuesday or longer, so leaving as soon as possible seemed the best plan of action.  By noon, the weather was still cooperating with us, cloudy and overcast, but nothing else, so we began our journey.  All seemed to be going great,  that is,  until we passed through Cornwall, and there it was, a winter blizzard on April 14th

We quickly made the decision to get off the highway and get a room for the night, and try again in the morning.  Once again, things don’t always go as you plan and we ended staying in Brockville for another night, playing an ironic version of how many hotels can you stay in during a 3 day period (we weren’t able to stay the 2nd night at the original hotel as it was completely booked due to the weather)

After a couple days of binge watching Netflix, we were finally able to make it home, a bit tired, but safe and sound.  For all the unexpected changes, it was a great mother daughter road trip! We had a great time, we laughed until we cried, we shopped, and most importantly, we got the dress and didn’t let change of plans stress us out!