Like so many people this weekend, we went to bed Saturday night and woke up Sunday cold, without power and mustaches painted on our faces with permanent marker.

I actually woke up Saturday night when I heard a simultaneous beeping noise from everything in the house that felt like beeping. It was as though all the gadgets had been saving up for that moment and then “Wake Up! We’re Here! Nice Mustaches!”
We were cold, we had no water which meant no hand washing, no bathing, no flushing toilets, just a family in the dark with things that go beep in the night.

We dragged our outdoor lounge cushions into the family room to sleep on (like royalty) because those blow-up mattresses and the fancy air compressor they come with require electricity of all things in order to work.

I had the fortunate pleasure of sleeping next to Chloe, our four year old and thankfully, her love of learning letters wasn’t squashed by some insignificant power outage. She used her time next to me to form letters with our bodies, slamming her head into my hip “T!” and kicking my ribs until they bled, “V!” Now that I think about it, she might have been screaming for the “TV.”

We played games like, “I Spy….something that does not work.”

And like our ancestors, the Pioneers, the kids wandered around the property, assessing the damage with ‘Pa’ while shouting things like, “Dibs on the charger when the power comes back!”

I would be embarrassed to tell you how many times I flipped the light switch when I walked into a room, turned on the sink or opted for toilet paper instead of dehydrated leaves to wipe myself but that’s what roughing it is all about. The mind is the first to go.

The best moment for our family was when we drove past the one house on the block where the lights were on, the heat appeared to be working, they were hosting a Christmas dinner with family and friends. We watched through the windows as they clinked glasses, showed off adorable, cheeky Christmas sweaters and celebrated this holiday under a blanket of warmth and love.

Next year, we too will get a generator. Until then, we will continue to hate them.