Our Weekend

A New Van
After over a week of searching and test driving we found our "new" Dodge Caravan 2007 and brought it home on Saturday. Our old green one had 145,000 miles on it and so we decided we better upgrade before our upcoming summer vacations. It sure is nice to have automatic windows and locks. I know it sounds funny to be excited about that but I am lol. Sure I would have loved to have lost the stigma of driving a mini van but being the thrifty gal I am I realized it was the best choice for our budget.

GO JAZZ

That same day Clayne and Morgan traveled to Salt Lake to watch the Jazz game. Clayne had received awesome VIP tickets from his boss and knew that Morgan would appreciate the game more than I would so off they went. Clayne asked if he should take the new van for the trip but then decided to just take his Jeep. He told me to expect him home about 10 am on Sunday morning. They were staying over with his sister Glenna after the game.

On Sunday morning at about 9:30 Clayne called. I could hear the sirens in the background and suddenly my heart was in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. They had hit a patch of ice on the interstate near McCammon and had spun around several times (Clayne can't remember how many) before the jeep went off the road and landed on the driver's side. Morgan has not one bump or bruise to show for it. Clayne is a bit stiff and sore on his left hip and shoulder when he landed on the door and arm rest. We feel so blessed and fortunate that they were both safe from harm and injury. I realized how very quickly my entire life could have changed with the possibility of one of them being injured or even dead. I was sure glad to see them when they arrived home.

There was a really nice couple that were headed to Montana and they waited with Clayne and Morgan for the tow truck and then took them to Inkom where the Jeep was towed so that they could get their things out of the jeep. They then drove them home to our house. That couple have my eternal gratitude and I am sure will receive blessings for their kindness. We are now waiting for the insurance to determine the outcome on the Jeep. Since it was 12 years old we are expecting that it will be totaled. This just after spending $700 a few weeks ago on repairs on it. Murphy's law huh? I told Clayne that if he was that jealous that I had new wheels, all he had to do was ask for some new ones too. He said that he certainly wouldn't have thought to almost kill himself and his son to do so either. Thankfully, we are all healthy and well and so grateful for our lives we are able to share together. Stop for a moment today and give your husband and children an extra hug and kiss and then be sure to thank your Heavenly Father for the blessing of having them in your life.

Oh and one more thing I almost forgot to share... The first thing Morgan said when he came through the door was, "The game was awesome!" I found this to be so endearing after what he had just been through. I loved it that the memory he will have of the trip will not be the accident but the fun time he shared with is dad at the game.

Double Whammy

As you read, Tuesday was a rough day for me. I couldn't believe it when a second whammy hit me that day. I didn't want to overwhelm any blog readers by putting it all out there in one day and so I saved this one to share today.

I posted that I couldn't even be home when Clayne came home to get Sophie to take her to the vet on Tuesday and so I decided to go and visit a friend who happens to live up in Quail Ridge. (which is up on a hill) When it was time to go home so I could get Savannah fed and on the bus for school, I thought my steering felt tight but figured that I would just get home and then be sure to have Clayne look at it later. I got down 21st street about half way and there were some Qwest trucks doing some work on the side of the road. They were a bit in my lane and so I needed to go over a bit into the oncoming lane. As you know the roads are not well maintained on the outskirts of town (heck even sometimes in town.) The roads had deep ruts of ice and packed snow which when I tried to move over made it impossible for me to control my van. I slid and couldn't correct it with my steering problem. I did a 180 degree turn and found myself lodged into the snowbank on the other side of the road. I was only a few feet from a telephone pole and was so glad that I didn't hit it, a fence, or any other vehicles. If anyone had been coming in my path just then, I would have certainly hit them. It was very scary.

I got out on my shaking knees and was looking quite forlorn I'm sure. A nice man stopped and helped me. He was so prepared. He had a shovel which he used to dig some of the snow away and then he hitched a chain that he had with him to my van and pulled me back up onto the road. I then drove the van to the shoulder of the road. It was soooo hard to turn the wheel. I could hardly even steer it. He took a look under the van and said that a belt was dragging and said that he'd be happy to give me and Savannah a ride home. When we got into his truck, I found that he had his little 1 year old baby with him this whole time he was helping me. Heavenly Father certainly was looking out for me to send this super nice guy along to help me. I feel bad that in my state of mind I did not get his name so that I could take him a loaf of bread or something. I did thank him, but somehow that doesn't seem like enough.

I was able to hold it together until I got Savannah on the bus and then I just sat down and had a good cry for about an hour. I am not the kind of person who cried easily or often so this was a major break down for me. I just was so overwhelmed with the grief of loosing our dog and then the trauma of the accident.

Later Clayne towed me in the van to the shop. As I said, there was not any body damage to the van for which I am so grateful. Now I do not think or speak like a mechanic but it was something like a tension pulley that held the steering belt on that had given way and then the belt fell off. This could have been so much worse if it had happened somewhere else. I am counting this as one of Heavenly Father's tender mercies in my life. The repair was only $140 and we already have the van back.

Later when Savannah overheard me say what a hard day I had just had she simply said, "A perfect day depends on you." That is word for word what she said. There is such wisdom in that and it astounds me that a 5 year old would say that. Out of the mouths of babes. She certainly is wise and very old for her age. I will carry that quote in my heart for always because it is true. Even when life is hard, it is what you do with it that counts. It is up to you to make a day be a good one. So here's to perfect days. Thanks for a listening ear... again.