Another Challenge - Another Blessing!

Yesterday had a great start. I was planning on Visiting Teaching from 9:30 - noon and hoping for a trip to the Rexburg Temple with Claigh for the afternoon followed by a ward party in the early evening. With such a full schedule I needed to get up early to make it to the gym and have my hair washed and styled in time to get Alyssa to work and make our first appointment at 9:30.

Those who know me best know that I do not believe in alarm clocks. I woke on my own feeling very rested at 4:30 a.m. I got ready for my trip to the gym and noticed that we had a fresh six inches of snow. Not wanting to press snow tracks onto the drive, and grateful I was up even earlier than necessary, I shoveled the driveway directly behind the car before I left for my date with Elliptical. After enjoying a good workout and an extended time in my stretching routine (to relax the good ol' shoveling muscles) I headed back out to the parking lot to note another two inches had fallen during my time inside. I brushed off the car and carefully made my way home calling Alyssa on her cell phone to wake her early as it was clear we would have to head for her work with extra time for slow and careful travel.

So far so very good! I made buckwheat pancakes and eggs for breakfast, prepared my lesson for Visiting Teaching and was ready to head out the door by 7:30 to get Alyssa to work. We encountered our share of crazy drivers who are sure they have the best vehicles for inclement weather. - You know, the ones who drive confidently as though there is nothing special about a lot of new snow and ice. However we made our way and she was at work on time. I headed back home to shower and do my hair. I called my companion to let her know that I was already dug out and would be glad to drive. I picked Deanne up at 9:30 and we were on our way to our dear friend who lives just five minutes away on a good travel day.

The 2nd main road that we had to take to get to Beverly had been plowed and was covered in packed hard icy snow. No problem - just take it slow and easy. You will get there. However as we were traveling south, we saw another vehicle approaching traveling north at what to us was far fast for such conditions. The next thing we knew, we saw the Nissan Murano begin to fishtail wildly. I told Deanne "I don't know if we can avoid this but I am going to try." I pulled gently to the right into the ditch, leaned forward and looked towards Deanne to be sure she was Okay.

The young mom was now in a complete spin around and I was there to bring her to a stop and prevent her from rolling. Not fun but I am grateful that she did not roll. She had done a complete U-turn on the road slamming hard into my door with her back end. Not good and yet she and her little girl as well as Deanne and I came away unhurt for the most part. When quiet and calm returned immediately following the "slam", the first thing I heard was the little girl crying. That was honestly the most upsetting part of the whole ordeal. I so wanted her to be Okay. How grateful I am that she was.

I had taken the brunt of the blow. How I remained limp and loose I will never know and how the V of the broken door pressed in and did not hit me I cannot imagine. For some reason my side airbag did not deploy and I have a feeling that is a blessing as well. The shattered glass spread throughout the car but I blocked most of it. As a result My hair was full of glass and glass went down my back. However, because I had turned away from the impending impact, my eyes were completely protected. Other than quite an assortment of pin-prick type cuts on my hands and back and some difficulty getting across the passenger seat to get out of the car, I came away whole.

As for our wonderful Camry, both doors are badly damaged as well as the center bar. There is also minor damage to the front side panel just to the front of the door with damage underneath to the skid plate and wheel well. Also things inside the car came loose or popped out of place because of the power of the impact. The key could not be removed from the ignition and needless to say my door was completely inoperable. It took me a bit to get out because of all of the glass I had inside pricking me in my back and on my hands. Every move seemed to draw a speck of blood from another spot. The tiny shards felt like it feels when you have been working with insulation. How blessed I am that this was the extent of my injuries. (It is even hard to call this injury because it was so very minor.) AND no muscle or body soreness today! Hooray!! Once again I am very grateful.

The police officer, the sweet young mom and her husband and family that arrived soon to help out, my tow-truck operator, Deanne's husband who came to rescue us and get us home - all were true to the wonderful spirit that we find here in Idaho Falls. How incredible it is to be where people are so good, caring, kind and generous. Each who came to the accident site marveled that I was not seriously hurt.

As for Claigh, he was cleaning out the whole neighborhood with his trusty snow-blower, oblivious to my repeated attempts to reach him. He was just finishing up - cleaning the blower and putting it away when Del drove into our drive to drop me off. I told him "I am fine but our car is not." The reports to the police and the our insurance company had already been made, Liberty Mutual had ordered our rental car, the car had been towed to the body shop ready for the assessor, and I was home and ready to get the last of the glass out of my hair and clothing all before he even knew there had been a problem. BUT a lot of snow had been cleared off of our driveway, our neighbor's driveway and an extensive section of sidewalk.

Our visiting teaching is not yet done, Claigh and I didn't make it to the temple, I watched an old movie and went to bed instead of the party and yet - All is well! Perhaps even swell!!

Thirty Eight Years and counting . . .

Our anniversary this year took an interesting twist. Carey was seriously injured in a bicycle accident on the 14th putting us into an emotional roller-coaster for 24 hours. It is hard to describe the depth of concern you experience when one you love so much is very hurt. Our appeals to friends and family for prayers were sent out in a hurry. How marvelous it is that we have the ability to communicate with so many so quickly.

Initially, reports from Arizona seemed to get worse with each contact. It was a shock for me to hear Carey's voice. My strong daughter was in the midst of a real crisis and it was evident in the strain and anxiety of her voice as she tried to communicate with us. I hung up the phone and disintegrated into tears and prayer.

We made arrangements for me to fly out from Salt Lake first thing the next morning. They were preparing Carey for surgery and so I was to be there with her 24/7 in the hospital. After three hours of sleep, Claigh and I set off on the three and a half hour drive to the Salt Lake Airport. We were both pretty exhausted but felt very grateful to be able to arrange for me to head south on such short notice.

The fog that morning was dense but thankfully the roads were in excellent condition. As we approached the Malad Pass, the fog burned off, another of many blessings of that day. We were approaching the airport with just an hour until the flight was to take off when we got a call from Carey. Her voice actually had some strength in it although it was still reflective of the great ordeal she had been through. The neurosurgeon had determined that they would not have to operate after all. He felt the bone chip that had raised some concern would dissolve on its own and was not in a position to cause damage to the spinal cord. Carey would be fitted with a brace and sent home to recover. The many prayers in her behalf had been answered in a manner far exceeding our hopes.

Claigh and I turned the car around and headed north again. Since we had not yet had a chance to eat, we stopped at a Red Lobster and enjoyed some fish before we made our way to Idaho. I took a turn at the wheel while Claigh got a bit of a nap. We made it back to Idaho Falls in time to pick up Alyssa from work (five minutes late was all.) We were too tired to revive our anniversary plans for the evening and yet we were so deeply and profoundly grateful for the blessings bestowed upon Carey. I will head to Arizona mid February to help out when Ellen leaves for her trip to Seattle.

Once again I find myself in awe of the goodness of Heavenly Father and his response to the pleadings of his children. Not always are our prayers answered in the way we may hope and yet I find that through every trial I am sustained and can see the merciful hand of God. How grateful I am for the prayers of our family and many friends throughout the world. We our our Father's children and we are loved with a love far beyond our comprehension. This I know and trust.

As for 38 years - five beautiful daughters, four fantastic son-in-laws, nineteen delightful grandchildren - We are blessed!