I want a new car!

Well, it doesn't have to be NEW, but I want a DIFFERENT car. I hate my van. I didn't hate it until the start of the winter season. I think I can still count on one hand (just barely) the number of times I have been stuck this year, which has never happened to me before. What a helpless feeling! It's an even more helpless feeling when you are in a different country, your husband is traveling out of town and you practically know no one. (Okay, so I do have a set of wonderful neighbors who are totally awesome and would come to my rescue if I were to call them, but that would make the story less powerful!)
So today we wake up to more snow! SURPRISE! NOT! It was such a pretty snow too, until later in the afternoon, when it was time to go pick up the kids.
Scott came home for lunch because he was getting ready to leave town for the weekend. Thankfully he was kind enough to break out the snowblower before he left. I don't know how to run the stupid thing, and if I did end up getting it started, I'm sure I'd have the snow blowing right in my face. He also cleared out Brie's dog run of snow. Hey, that snow blower doubles as a shit blower! Who knew!?!
When he came back inside, he tells me that I should probably walk to school to get the kids. WHAT?!?! Are you SERIOUS?!?!? The snow is knee-deep and it's a little over a mile (I know because I clocked it). I'm not stupid. I know that if I walk a mile there, I will also have to walk a mile back IN KNEE DEEP SNOW! NO THANK YOU! Plus, I'm sure I would end up carrying the kids' backpacks and whatever else crap they hauled to school today for beach day. Great day for beach day, by the way!
Just before 3p, I decided I best get the car backed out of the garage and warmed up a bit. Oh, guess what!??! SURPRISE! The snow plow had been up our street. Guess what that means? It means there is a 3 ft (I don't know how many stupid centimeters that is, but I do know it's ALOT!) tall drift that is about 3 feet wide! WTH!?!? I got the snow shovel out and started to whittle away at the snow in a desperate panic, thinking "I am never going to make it to school on time to get the kids." Thankfully, the "clean up crew" wasn't too far behind and must have saw the pitiful, panic-stricken look on my face as he came into the drive to clear it out for me. I mouthed him a big, heart-felt "THANK YOU!" So, at least I was able to make it out of the driveway!
Because I am new here, I don't really know which streets are the arterial streets, so I am a little nervous on my drive to school, because I don't know which roads are clear and which aren't. I got lucky and took the correct route. I did run into one unplowed street, headed towards Main Street, but thankfully I was able to make it through without much trouble.
As I am driving down Main Street, which hasn't been plowed..........go figure.............and looking for a parking space, I was lucky and found a spot I could drive right in to. Hmmm.......I drove right into it and SUNK! UGH! I knew at that point, I was in trouble. As I sit in the car and wait, I watch the heavy traffic plowing through the snow. Across the street, I see a nearly 100-year-old (okay, so she wasn't that old, but it makes the story much more interesting!) lady get into her small, compact car that was parked along the curb and start driving. Well, then she stopped driving. And she started driving again. I could tell she was getting stuck. I wasn't sure yet if I should get out and help, but I unbuckled my seat belt in preparation. I'm thinking, "There's no way she's going to get out of that." I was also thinking, "Maybe I won't make such a scene when I get stuck too!?" After just a little bit of backing up, then going forward again, she started plowing right through the snow! She made it out! NO WAY! You've got to be kidding me?! I see this happen to several more cars. Then I start to think, "Well, maybe I will be okay?" Finally, the kids get let out of school and trudge their way to the car. As they get in, I tell them not to get too comfortable, because I figured we would be walking. Guess what? I was stuck! I tried and tried, and couldn't get out. The kids know not to say anything to me, because this has happened 3 other times this winter season. Gage offered to get out and push (I think he really wants to do it, because he thinks it will be fun!) and after I snapped at him that he isn't big enough to do that, he sat quietly and listened as I repeat how much "I HATE THIS CAR! I HATE THIS CAR! AAARGH! I HATE THIS CAR!" I have finally inched my way towards the driving lane and have to stop for traffic backed up behind me. One man, in his big 4x4 truck, drives by. At this point I'm about to cry. I did have the smarts to write down all of my neighbors' phone numbers, but what good is that when I don't have a phone to call them!? Finally, a lady is stopped behind me as I spin and spin, burning the rubber off my tires. She was kind enough to get out of her car and walk up to my window. I roll it down and she reaches in, grabs my steering wheel and tells me, very kindly I might add, that I need to straighten out the wheel while she pushes. She and her teenage son get behind me and push as I step on the gas. They then proceed to the front of the car as I put it in reverse. They start walking to the back as I put it in drive and was finally on my way. As I drive by, giving her my most heart-felt "THANKS", she tells me just to drive straight and I will be fine. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I'm sure all of the other people that drove by me were thinking, "Dumb American.....can't even drive in the snow!" I can't wait to get my Manitoba plates. At least no one will know that I'm a dumb American by looking at my car!
We were able to make it the rest of the way home without incident. Whew!
I firmly believe, despite what Scott says, that I need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get around in this part of the world. I will have a 4-wheel drive vehicle before the next winter season..........even if that means I am driving Scott's truck, and he is driving the van!