I learned 3 things today

1. Car wrecks are not fun.

That's right, today, for the first time ever. . . I got in a car wreck. What happened you wonder? Well I'll tell you.

I dropped Racer off at joy school this morning and decided to run to the store while I was minus one. (details details) When I went into the store the weather was fine and the roads were dry. When I came out (not too much later) all I could see was snow. The girls and I ran to our car, strapped in, and headed homeward. I told Ariel we could get some hot chocolate as soon as we got home.

It was soon apparent that the roads were slick. Very slick. I proceeded cautiously. I was STILL driving cautiously (mind you) when we got to that dreaded overpass. As soon as we were headed downhill it was clear to me that my brakes were completely ineffective. To complicate matters, there was an intersection at the bottom of the overpass, AND our light was red, AND there were two cars stopped at that light, AND there was no room for me to go to the right. I slid about 100 yards knowing that I was about to. . .you betcha. . .CRASH!

2. I am an emotional wreck in all situations, especially car wrecks.

Okay, I was already quite aware of my emotionality. . . . so it really came as no surprise to me when I was completely unable to keep from crying whenever I confronted or talked to anyone about the accident. It may, however, have surprised some of the people involved. Like my two friends who I had to call just minutes after the crash. (One to pick up Racer from school, the other to let her know I wouldn't be able to watch her kids in a half hour like I was supposed to) Yep, pretty sure they must have thought someone had died. Don't worry, no one died. No one even got hurt.

3. There are some very nice people in this world.

That's right. I was amazed by the understanding, care, and comfort I received today. First, it came from the man who followed me to the shell station that I pulled into after the accident just to make sure I was okay. He offered these comforting statements: "There was nothing you could have done", and "I would have done the same thing." And then he left.

The second person was my husband whom I called immediately. He left work and stood by my side for the next 2 hours while we waited to get everything sorted out.

The third would be my husband's coworker. You see, my husband drives a scooter and there was no way I was letting him take that thing out in that mess. (There were, as I heard, 4 accidents in that same spot within a half hour of mine. Bad? Yeseree!) This coworker not only gave my husband a ride but also stayed at the Shell station for 2 hours until he knew we could drive our car away.

The fourth kind person I met today was the Shell station worker. He was a very nice old man that kind of looked like Santa Claus and had the same name as my husband. He was extremely hospitable and he gave my daughters free suckers.

Five and six are the two gentlemen whose cars I hit. Actually I just hit the first guy's car and then he hit the next car, but there are those details again. And honestly, the first guy was a little upset when he first approached me but he apologized later and I feel that we left on good terms. The second guy had an amazing prospective on life. It seemed that he couldn't have cared less. He was very concerned about all the people, but as for the cars. . ."scrap metal" I believe were his exact words.

Number seven, eight, and nine: the people I had to talk to on the phone/work with afterwards to get the whole car repair, insurance yada yada stuff worked out. I usually have a low opinion of anything having to do with insurance but the lady I talked to on the phone today was so kind and so helpful that my opinion has changed slightly. I was also appreciative of the car repair receptionist, and the rental car guy who were both so sympathetic and sweet. I feel like we're really being taken care of.

Number ten could actually be number 1.5, 5.5, and several other numbers as well. My friend, Cristi, picked up Racer, watched him for 2 1/2 hours, recommended a good place to have my car fixed, and brought me dinner. Good friends like that make bad days not too bad.

So there you have it. I've vented, let it all out, and surely bored you all. But. . .what else are blogs really for anyway? I hope your day was much better than mine!