Still A Little Shaky After Today's Events

Well, as you know, I was in Coeur d'Alene today for the State Drama competition. The kids didn't make it into semifinals, but wanted to stay and watch the final competition, so I wasn't needed anymore, so I decided to go do a little bit more shopping, go have a sandwich at Schlotsky's and read some more of my book, and head home.

The snow had started coming down, and going up the hill toward Exit 17 going eastbound on Interstate 90, they didn't seem too bad. But as I started going down the hill, I started hitting icy patches, and as I hit one, my Dodge Grand Caravan started slipping and sliding and the next thing I knew, I was sliding into a turnout just past Exit 17, I closed my eyes, my van hit the barrier about three or four times, and I stopped with the van's rear door up against the last barrier.

So I'm sitting there, not quite sure what to do. I feel very fortunate to have lived in Idaho and Montana during my 44 years of life, and this is the first time I was driving that I have been involved in a car wreck.

I tried to call The Princess' cell phone, but it just went to voice mail. I tried to call my mom's house, and it was just busy.

Then the tears came, and I started crying. What do I do?

So I started looking through my contact list on my phone, and I called my friend Stephanie, who always has her cell phone with her. Fortunately, she was at Costco in Coeur d'Alene, and just getting ready to leave, and was on her way.

While I was talking to her, a man started walking toward me. I rolled down the window, and he checked to make sure I was alright. I wasn't sure at this point what the van looked like, but I was surprised it took that long for someone to stop. This gentleman, fortunately, was a police officer from Priest River, and had seen the wreck happen as he was traveling in the westbound lane, and had gone up and and turned around and came to check on me. He called the Idaho State Police for me, and described a bit what the front of the car looked like.

From what I can tell, my driver's side door must have hit the barriers, the front of the van hit the barriers, and then somehow I stopped in the pile of snow at the end of the barriers. The front grill was smashed in, and you could see things hanging down below the car. Fluid was pouring out from under the car. The driver's side door was smashed.

I am very fortunate it all happened the way it did. A little ways further, I probably would have slid into some traffic. I was still in a place where I had cell service. My friend was able to come and help me. As soon as she arrived, she started hauling all of "Santa's goodies" out of the back of the van and put them in her car. Fortunately she had plenty of room. She told me to take Ibuprofen, because it would help with some of the stiffness I might experience. Her and her girls were my angels tonight, as we waited for the tow truck.

And it was a rather long wait. The accident happend around 3:30 pm, and the two truck didn't arrive until almost 6 p.m. Why, you ask. Because of some miscommunication between ISP and the tow company. Finally, at one point, Stephanie got the bright idea to call the towing company and get an estimate on how long it would take. That is when we found out they hadn't been contacted. But, I was just thankful they finally showed up. And it gave Stephanie and I a chance to visit and get caught up.

So now our van sits in Coeur d'Alene at an autobody shop, ready to be estimated.

I am thankful in all things....even when it is hard sometimes.

It is good to be home.