Fact: I left Friday morning for a much needed girl's weekend in Miami with my long-time BFF, The Literary Agent.

Fact: While I was away, North Carolina got slammed with a winter storm of epic proportions - or at least epic by our standards. I knew it was coming and so before I left on Friday morning, I sprinkled a 40-lb. bag of de-icer on my driveway and my walkway. I had a second bag in the shed "just in case."

Fact: I enjoyed the Hell out of my weekend but by breakfast this morning I was a neurotic ball of nerves worrying about icy roads when I got home and the potential for a flooded basement. So much for relaxing - although stress doesn't destory a sun-tan.

Fact: I have amazing friends. Several people stopped by in my absence and shoveled my driveway/walk/stairs AND sprinkled that other bag of de-icer.

Fact: My flight was 30 minutes delayed. Since I landed in the evening that was 30 minutes less of sunlight to drive home in. That was 30 more minutes when the roads could have potentially frozen over and I could have skidded on black ice.

Fact: I nearly threw up 37 times while driving home due to sheer and utter anxiety.

Fact: Pulling into my shoveled and de-iced driveway tonight was still super-duper scary on account of the fact that it's on a hill.

Fact: Ballet flats are not proper footwear for snow and ice.

Fact: When I made it home safely AND realized that my sump pump had actually pumped sump while I was away and my basement was dry, I burst into tears. Giant happy tears of relief. 

Fact: Superbad on TV makes it all better.

Fact: I came home to an empty fridge. If I hadn't stopped for gas I wouldn't have even had beer to drink.

Fact: I was resigned to a dinner of microwave popcorn.

Fact: Twitter is life-changing. My buddy Ben bragged about making risotto for dinner tonight. I replied that if he didn't live in another country I'd be there in a heartbeat. Then I re-evaluated my pantry/freezer situation and discovered some frozen homemade chicken-veggie soup and cous-cous in my cupboard.

Fact: Cous-cous takes about 2 seconds to cook, thereby making it the most efficient grain ever.

Fact: I wound up having a delicious dinner after all.

Fact: Cous-cous saved my life tonight. And beer. And McLovin. And the real life guardian angels who did for me what I could not do for myself.

Fact: I am a lucky, lucky girl.