Okay, Okay, We get it.

(this is boring. Just making sure I get the logistics down for the record.)

We have had a severe snow storm turned ice storm. It caused a state-wide power outage that was anticipated to last 7-10 days long. With no electricity and freezing temperatures and a house without a fireplace for warmth, we were reminded of a few things.

First: We need to prepare better.

Recently, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
"Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. . . . As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness."

I am ashamed to admit, we don't have enough of food or water. Heat was most critical though, and we did get a generator. I'll share more later on that.

Second: We love our friends.

Ryan had to work and then was put on pager contact for emergencies the hospital was expecting. By the time I realized our house might be too cold to last the night through (and Grandma Stephens helped me think clearly. Like "camping" indoors in a tent without any heat source with little babies in freezing weather, is well, stupid.) I could not find a hotel room at a decent price. Most all were sold out. (The city buys them for emergency crews coming in.) But, the Gold family said, "There is room!" for you and another family. Just stay. And we felt so grateful. We took there heat. We ate there food. And they were so generous without any preparation or hesitation. They were Christlike. And we will always love them.

And then we have other friends that held a baby or watched my kids and called to check on us.

Third: We love our neighbors.

Some are LDS. Some aren't. My LDS neighbors called frequently to see what we needed. To tell us where the generators were arriving at. To offer to come help. To stand in line at stores for me. To pick up groceries for me. They helped set up our generator to power our central heat which was priceless. I love them too.

Fourth:We love the church.

It works. It gathers. It gives. As I was standing in raffle ticket line at Home Depot for 3 plus hours for the generators that were supposed to come in, I got calls on my cell phone. A brother in the ward wanted to see if I could use his two heaters. His family was secure, and he wanted to secure mine. And, "how can I help you Lacey?" was said more than once. So, there I stood. In Home Depot with my two baby boys, a crowd of 150 plus people waiting tensely for most likely not enough generators and my heart was full. I cried and thanked him.

The home teaching phone tree was under way. I know assessments were made for the widow and elderly members. I know service was given. All through the organization of the church.

I came back to my house to find these guys clearing my driveway from my ward. I know they make their mama's proud.

Ryan drove up into Indiana to buy a generator he found, but I can easily see how people in stress for survival necessities can turn angry. And pushy. And maybe cause a riot. I never want to be stuck in this situation again. Not for batteries. Or a power cord. Or gas. Not for water, or milk or food. We will be better prepared from now on.

Things to remember:

• Without power, and in stress, comfort foods sound the best. Like hot chocolate and Mac N Cheese. (And McDonald's Hot Chocolate is good)
• 4 wheel drive was more than useful.
• That we paid for a generator over a flat screen TV. (Even though the furniture for the TV just arrived- bummer.)
• We must have a house with a fireplace next.
• That we were blessed. We only were without true electricity for less than 3 days. Tanner missed a full week of school in the name of the storm. There are still outages and school closings.