The Most AMAZING Experience!!!!!
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mrsmaup · 01-03-2004, 09:50 AM

Last night, we had a blizzard. A family from Toronto was travelling from Minot(abotu 2 1/2 hours west of us) and they made it past Devils Lake and instead of stopping there, they tried to make it to Minnesota(visiting family there). They ended up in the ditch right behind our back field. My dh was out snowblowing and saw the accident, so he took the snowmobile out there to try and help. THere ended up being 3 cars that went into that same ditch while he was out there. A big rig driver managed to pull them all out of the ditch and 2 cars went on their way, but the family from Toronto was too shaken up. They asked about a hotel or resturaunt to go to until they settled their nerves, but we live in the land of NOTHING and there was no place for them to go for at least 20 miles, so my dh told them to come on over.

Okay, so I have drop in company who I dont know are coming until they are here. Mom, dad and 3 munchkins(from 2-9), so you can imagine im running around like a chicken w/my head cut off trying to dust, vaccum, etc before they get the family and their dog out of the van!LOL!!

The roads never did improve, so dh invited them to stay the night. We had a BLAST!! The kids just got along great, loved the mom and dad and talked until 12:30.

Put mom and dad in Brooke's room(queen size bed) w/the 2 boys, who wanted to sleep in the same room as their parents. Cody stayed in his room and Brooke and their daughter slept up in the living room.

They just left and it feels like we have known them forever. In Sept, when we go to MI, we are going to go up to Toronto and stay w/them for a few days.

I feel so blessed and it was just such an amazing experience to not only be able to help a family in need out, but to make new lifelong friends! Its situations like this that bond you together, plus the dad is a Rocket scientest(HOW FUNNY IS THAT???) and teaches at universities all over North America. They lived at the base we were stationed at in New Mexico for 3 months, so we were able to talk about all the places we had both been, PLUS we showed them all our WDW pictures and now they are going to go for a week!LOL!!

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LisaJ · 01-03-2004, 09:58 AM

That is just the nicest story I've heard! And a rocket scientist to boot! How cool is that?!

Elliot'sDragon · 01-03-2004, 10:16 AM

Thanks for sharing. That is a great story to start the New Year.

poohsgirl · 01-03-2004, 10:21 AM

That was truly an amazing gesture Kristie! And then for you all to get along so well, was another blessing! God works in mysterious ways! Thank goodness there are still good people in the world like you & your DH! Thanks for that great story!

mrsmaup · 01-03-2004, 10:29 AM

You know I could not resist! When I was making coffee, dad said "thank you so much for this" and I could not resist. I said "well, its not rocket science"BAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!LOL!!

I always wanted to say that to a REAL rocket scientest and I finally got my wish!LOL!!

mrsmaup · 01-03-2004, 10:36 AM

I guess our thinking is that you just CANNOT leave people alone when they need help. If we had done nothing, what would they have done? The roads were TERRIBLE and they could see NOTHING(why they went into the ditch in the first place), so they would have been in another ditch before long.

You just have to be willing to help people, trust God that they are not axe murderers(I would not have offered if I was alone and it was men w/o a family, because I have children to think about) and open up your home. I told them that my only request, was that they do something for someone in need; to pass the kindness on.

That was just the way my dh and I were raised.

LuvMK · 01-03-2004, 11:07 AM

Kristie, I think you and your DH are AMAZING people for opening your home to these strangers at their time of need. It sounds like you have been repaid for your kindness with great new friends for life!

loobyoxlip · 01-03-2004, 11:30 AM

This is why I love small towns. This sounds like a story from the '50s, not 2004! It sounds like for some reason this was meant to happen. Very nice.

Irene · 01-03-2004, 10:59 AM

What a nice story!

**chezp** · 01-03-2004, 11:29 AM

Kristie, that is an amazing story and the best bit was when I read you're going to go up to stay with them for a few days. It's amazing how sometimes you can feel like that about people - what a great feeling and just think it would never have happened, had it not been for that blizzard.

GoofyMom · 01-03-2004, 11:45 AM

Kristie, that was a great story to share. That's the way I remember life being like when I was growing up. People used to keep the doors unlocked and food in the cupboard of their farmhouses when they moved into town for the winter just in case there was a blizzard and some stranded traveller needed food and shelter for a couple days. It's great that you're going to go visit your new Toronto friends next year.

P.S. That was some blizzard yesterday, eh? We were driving home from Saskatchewan in that and there were quite a few times I thought we should be pulling in and looking for a hotel before the police closed the highway and then you're stranded without a room. We only got 8" of snow but the way the wind was whipping it around, it was crazy!!!!

mrsmaup · 01-03-2004, 06:11 PM

Thanks guys. Today I am still feeling all warm and squishy(which is a feat considering it is 8 below zero right now and due to get in the 20's below zero tonight). There really is no better reward than to give something of yourself w/o any expectation of a return, ya know?

Donna; That blizzard was a blizzard from H*ll was it not?!!! Not only did it come up super quick, but our area was not prepared, because it was due to stay much farther north.

Today when we went into Grand Forks, it was crystal blue skies(cold as a deep freeze though) and just looked gorgeous w/all the snow on the trees, etc. The only way you ever knew there had been a blizzard the night before was because there were abotu 10 cars still in ditches and tracks of many many more who had been in ditches.

Did you know it is forcasted to get to FIFTY BELOW with windchill tomorrow or Monday night? ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine the INgalls family in their little tar paper shack in South Dakota w/1 cook stove to keep all of them warm; no insulated columbia jackets and columbia snow boots, not central heat, no electric blankets. Thank the good Lord for Electricity!!!!!!!!!

So, if any of you ever get in an accident in the northern plains in the winter, fear not, you WILL get more help than you know what to do with!LOL!! Folks are bred well up here and im proud to be around them!

FanOfMickey · 01-03-2004, 06:22 PM

What a nice story, glad to see you all made friends too. I only wish that all of life was like this.

Joanne929 · 01-03-2004, 11:07 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys. Today I am still feeling all warm and squishy(which is a feat considering it is 8 below zero right now and due to get in the 20's below zero tonight). Thank the good Lord for Electricity!!!!!!!!!

So, if any of you ever get in an accident in the northern plains in the winter, fear not, you WILL get more help than you know what to do with!LOL!! Folks are bred well up here and im proud to be around them!

[/ QUOTE ]

This is truly an awesome story! And it made me feel all "warm and squishy" too! Hopefully, it never happens to us, but if it does, I want to be close to a family like yours! Bless you and your family for your kindness!