Snow Turtles and Birthday Weekends...

"LOOK Trish, fresh SNOW" are probably my best "famous last words". Words I don't think my friend Trish will ever get out of her head. I can see her laughing every time she thinks about "Snow Turtles". What is a snow turtle, you ask? Read on and you will get a better understanding.

On March 12, 1993, the entire east coast was hit with a blizzard. The Chattanooga area got a good dumping. Two feet of snow to be exact. It was a Friday and Trish and I were working in a new establishment in Chattanooga, where we worked together for a VERY long time.

Of course, no one was out because in Chattanooga if you just SAY snow they call off schools, the milk and bread is sold out and people settle in for a long winters night. That didn't stop the owner of said establishment. We will call him Cigar. 

Cigar was on his way back from Nashville with some friends and told us not to close. Trish and I were the only servers on duty and I do not remember who was in the kitchen or behind the bar. Mr. Big Pants was the manager on duty. The snow started about 11:30 or 12:00 pm and about 1am the electricity went out. Cigar showed up shortly after (we were still open) with his friends who insisted on coffee and proceded to play pool via emergency lighting and headlights shining in the windows. I kid you not.

Cigar did offer to put us in a hotel but my boyfriends appartment was less than a mile away with fully stocked fridge. I wasnt going to a hotel. Trish and Mr. Big Pants decided to go with me to the appartment where we stayed warm, fed, watched movies and just hung out until Sunday....when the business had to be checked on. THAT is when chaos insued.

There are two streets leading into the establishment, one running before and one running behind. We could not access either street so Mr. Big Pants jumped out of the car and ran on up to work while Trish and I parked the car and walked on over...the back way...where there was an empty lot directly behind the building where we worked. So I yelled "LOOK TRISH, FRESH SNOW"!!!!! Not thinking that the empty lot was a good 12 inches lower than where we were actually walking. Nor was I thinking about the guys on the roof of our building shoveling the snow off. And I took off running............

About three steps in, I sunk to my knees and fell forward. I couldn't get any traction to get up and the only thing Trish could see was my behind and my head. The ONLY thing she could DO was laugh hysterically. The ONLY thing the guys on the roof could do was laugh hysterically. I had become a snow turtle.

I do not own this image but Trish posted on my facebook page with the caption "snow turtle in disguise"

I recovered, we went on to make sure things were clean, tidy and shoveled at work and Cigar took us all out for bar food and drinks. Where we learned that it was, in fact, my dear friends birthday. I was happy to give her the biggest laugh on her big day.

I love ya Frisha....Happy Birthday......

Till next time,

Take care of each other and hug and kiss the ones you love.

Snow Turtle.