An accident

I am going to attempt to describe my Tuesday afternoon drama as best I can. As you may know, I talk with my hands and tend to be dramatic and descriptive, especially with a story like this one. This may be quite a challenge to my creative writing ability.

I was sitting at a stoplight right outside the church office at 2:29pm. I know the exact time because my kids get out at 2:25 and I was late. No surprise there. And, Noah likes me to be on time. If you happen to know the actual distance between my house, the kids' school and the church, you may be thinking: "why don't those lazy kids walk?" Those are my thoughts pretty much every day. But, being the accomodationg mother I am, I like to spare them the 150 yards to the church or, the 1/2 mile (at most) trek home.

I was facing south crossing over San Marcos Boulevard with theMovement behind me. I remember glancing at the guy in the little Toyota pick-up to my left. I always look at who is next to me while I wait at that light because 90% of the time, I know them. And, this truck is also significant because it plays a huge part in sparing my life or serious injury at best. As he and I both enter the intersection when the light turns green, he immediately slams on his brakes.

As a total reaction to the squeal of his tires, I follow suit and in the same moment realize why I am slamming on my brakes. Approaching from my left, heading westbound, is a Ford F-150 clearly ignoring the red light. IMPACT.

There is that moment when something happens in a flash and it almost seems slow motion. I can remember the sound and see the tearing of metal. What I cannot FORGET is the sight of the Ford going airborne. As I watch, the truck hits a Lincoln Aviator that is in the left hand turn lane, facing east, coming into the church parking. That second impact flips the truck and it lands squarely upside down on the median. The truck literally T-bones the median and the cab is completely flattened. The windows shatter and then everything stops.

Stops in time. I am not hurt in the least bit. Not then, not the next day, not ever.

In the next moment, I think: "Oh my God, he's dead."

Instinctively, I get out of my car and look around dumbfounded. This is one of those total out of body moments where you know you look really confused and ridiculous. I start turning in circles, in the middle of an extremely busy intersection and yelling for someone to call 911. (Always so bossy)

I get my phone out of my car thinking: "Oh, I can call 911". But then, the adrenaline kicks in and my hands begin to shake so terribly simply pushing a button is out of the question. (I have actually had this dream before) Somehow, I call the church office, which is a mere 100 yards away and yell hysterically at my friend Christine. The only words she deciphers are "husband" and "crash".

As I am on the phone, a young man comes running up to me. "Mam, are you okay?" He is barefoot and wearing boardshorts and a t-shirt. I assure him that I am okay and ask him who is in the truck?

"I was driving the truck." says the barefoot boy in the boardshorts standing clearly before me.

At this point, I am totally shocked. Which is probably an understatement. As he points to two small scratches on his arm and the faint hint of a little blood, the reality of the situation hits and I start yelling at him. "You did this. You ran the red light." Of course this is obvious to him and he has no idea that my accusation and urgency is because I rear-ended someone 2 years ago and am making certain that this was in no way MY fault.

"My bad ma'm, my bad."

Hmmm...bad is certainly an understatement. Right here is when Jeremy arrives on the scene and his initial reaction was not so bueno. Needless to say, upon seeing my car and me standing in the middle of the street, it was a struggle for him to keep his hands at his side. (This is something we both come to regret by the end of the day. We really wish we could have talked to him and his parents when the dust settled and conveyed our thankfulness for the miracle of no injuries. But, that is probably a whole other post.)

So, the police came, the firetruck came and an ambulance. And finally, a tow truck. My van ended up being a total loss. Other than obvious collateral damage, no one was injured and cars can be replaced.

The answers to all the questions are: Yes, I am okay. Yes, my angel was on high alert. Yes, it could have been much worse. Yes, I was lucky (some say blessed). And, thanks for all your care and support.

My car:

His truck being flipped right side:
Good-bye:

A lag

There has been a complete lag in my blog posting. Whoops!

I have a draft of the car accident in the works and I promise to finish it soon. But, most of my spare time is spent....

Surfing the net, looking for cars.

And, it is a bit challenging to blog an event that was rather dramatic without the use of voice intonation and hand motions. ;) This may be a real challenge to my creative writing ability.

But, a HUGE thanks to you who are visiting and making my blog counter count. It truly does encourage me. Feel free to leave a comment.

Or, I am fielding input on this car shopping thing....such pressure!

An epidemic?

I went to lunch at Souplantation today. Since I was by myself I think I noticed everyone around me much more than usual. (Yes, I ate alone. Quite enjoyable really. I took a book.) Normally, I would be happily chatting with a friend in the line explaining my LOVE of beets. I honestly go to Souplantation for the beets and the ice cream.


Anyway, it was the height of the lunch hour and both lines were filled to the end. As I was grabbing my tray, a family of three ducked under my arm and hopped in line. Seriously, they ducked under me. I thought they were kidding but, they weren't.


Then, as I was filling my tray, I could not help watching this guy on the other side of the line who was apparently on the brink of starvation. He ate off his plate the entire time he was in line. Frankly, I was a bit disgusted.

Here is when I blow it as a Christian; as a person. I will say right up front that I am pretty sure this is wrong but, it is something I wrestle with. I am appalled at the gluttony of people. Yes, it is a buffet but, come on! And, I am not sure if the whole 'I am eating salad so, I can eat alot and it is okay' mentality is at work. But, I was tempted to tap a few people on the shoulder and give them a quick calorie count. They might be shocked. I KNOW I am not supposed to judge. Like I said, this is something I wrestle with.

So, my lunch turned out to be less than enjoyable. I feel somewhat guilty that I am a part of such an over-consuming culture. And, I know I am an equal opportunity consumer. I definitely make my footprint on the earth in some areas and am honestly not trying to be high and mighty.

I just think I need to go get my beets and ice cream elsewhere.

A poem

The following poem was written by my 13 year old son, Noah:

(the original is written in the shape of a lightning bolt. Unfortunately, I cannot figure out how to maintain that on Blogger.)


Lightning may be frightening,
A mass of clouds bundle together. The frigid weather
has never been better. For the time has come. The
fun is about to begin. Here it sound.
The sound of thunder fills the sky. Shaking the earth
below. It is the beginning of the end. It warns
the city underneath. Scaring a little fellow. It's
the crier for the mayor, the trumpeteer of a king.
The main event is coming. The clouds are
preparing. The ears of the humans are
ringing. Finally, the yellow light cuts
through the atmosphere. The spectacle is enormous.
The crowd is the witness. Eyes are gleaming.
Minds are processing. The fantastic
view above. The animals are
watching. The yellow beam strikes
a tree. Clash! The sound is alive.
People are shivering. Grass is quivering.
Some people may be sleeping. Others
weeping. The lightning strikes emotion.
Mixing horror with excitement.
Scientist say it can't strike
twice in the same spot. But,
the earth begs to differ.
It's finished. The sky is the limit. The
fraction of a second has passed.
The mind-blowing event has vanished
leaving only small cuts on the
earth's crust. The clouds will
form again showing off the
talent once more. The rumbling
has subsided. The light has
left. The clouds moved away.
But, the gleam of light
strike once more.
In the future
nevermore.
Lightning
is
frightening.

A bird dog

Friday morning I was doing my regular kitchen duty after the kids went to school. At some point, during the dishes, wiping down the counter-tops and swiffering the floor I glance at my little sidekick, Chewie, and see feathers in her mouth. Feathers? In the mouth of a cute little toy poodle?

"Chewie!" I chastized. "No, no. What did you do?" While holding the feathers in my hand, I scoured the backyard. All the while, I am constantly scolding this little dog. "We don't eat birds. No, no." (ironically, I am just realizing that I DO eat birds but, am pretty confident they are no good for cute puppies)

Upon finding a plume of feathers on the basketball court outside, I am convinced my dog will be ill. After a few more no-no's and many stern looks, I return to the kitchen sink while Chewie sulks on a lounge chair nearby.

Right when I turn my attention back to the tasks at hand, out of the corner of my eye, I see Chewie FLY off the chair and under the table. Then a sickening thump, thump.

"Timeout! Timeout! The bird is in the house." I squeal.

As I am jumping up and down and trying to cordone off the table Jeremy just laughs incredulously and says, "Stupid dog."

So, we cleaned up the bird. Jeremy threw in a dramatic flick of the wrist with the dustpan to freak me out. Classic and I still fell for it. More squealing.

Now the question is: Did Chewie really kill the bird? Or, did the bird die and she drug it in?

Here is the dead bird:

Here is the poodle:

You be the judge.

A timeout

I really need a timeout. You know the kind of day that leaves you a bit out of breath and a little confused as to who the heck thought it was a good idea to pack the schedule so tightly. Is there a coach I can blame?

So, before I take the timeout I would like to chronicle the play by play of the day:

6:00am This was actually a late start for me. But, I justified it since I worked WAY too long yesterday. I "forgooed" (Apprentice joke) my morning run so I could help my son with homework and postpone the shower.

6:00am-7:40am Breakfast, lunches, homework etc.

7:40am-7:50am I have a literal 5 minute commute to and from the kids' school. TOTAL. I really do consider it a blessing. The other 5 minutes account for the craziness of taking 2 dogs with me. I never learn.

7:50am-8:20am I freshen up and pack my bags for the day.

8:30am-9:20am A long overdue appointment at Jiffy Lube. And, since I have this free time and I am wireless, I work. E-mails, follow-up and process queues. At this point, I feel like I am off to a good start. Accomplished and eager.

9:30am-11:30am Bible study. This is actually a high point of the day because I am doing a really great study on the book of Daniel. The side note to this however is that I have to really force myself into a social mood today. Not only do I need a "physical" timeout, I need an "emotional" one too. It is just that sort of day when I do not feel like myself and shockingly I don't feel like talking.

11:30am-12:00pm A quick trip home to change the laundry, change for the gym and let the dogs out.

12:00pm-1:00pm Gym workout. Not the best idea when you are all-around tired but, at least it gets done.

1:00pm-1:40pm Lunch in front of my computer. Finishing work. A little annoyance is creeping in because I find myself watching the clock and calculating. I despise that feeling.

1:40pm-2:10pm A quick shower. I am a slow-poke when it comes to getting ready so, this is always a challenge for me. But, I am out the door in time for my next appointment.

2:10pm-3:00pm Down to Carlsbad and back for a quick appointment. Thankfully, I am still running on schedule.

3:00pm-3:35pm Feed the kids after school snacks and squeeze in a little cleaning for the bible study I host at my house tonight.

3:35pm-4:00pm Back down to Carlsbad to drop Noah off at a gym. This is where the poor planning on my part really starts to irk me.

4:00pm-4:20pm Grocery store. Although I went to Costco yesterday, my husbands abandoned cereal bowl thie morning reminded me that I need milk. Duh. Hate that. And, coffee creamer for bible study tonight AND ice. Broken ice machine. Silly inconvenience.

4:20pm-4:40pm Clean the bathroom, swiffer the floor, vacuum and flat iron my hair. All in 20 minutes! That must be a record somewhere.

4:40pm-5:00pm Commute across town, thankfully opposite Carlsbad or I would really look stupid to take Grace to tumbling. And, we managed a quick stop at Blockbuster. I have been a victim of the abandonment of the "no fees ever" policy. Needless to say, I am gonna win this time.

5:00pm-current Blogging in my car when I should be sleeping in my car. So, I think I might do just that. 25 minutes until tumbling is over. Then, it is the mad dash to get the kids to Jr. High group and back to my house to entertain guests. Maybe after this nap I won't have to force the smile.

Timeout.

A thought

Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."

Swine flu.

I am actually not afraid of H1N1 (the medical address given to an ugly sounding illness). I really am not afraid...most of the time.

When the outbreak of swine flu hit, I will admit, I followed the news very closely. I would test the waters of "alertness" with my husband who would give a 'tsk tsk' and remind me of the facts. And, the biggest fact is: about 40,000 people die of complications from the flu each year.

So, when I was in doubt or feeling a little overwhelmed I would rely on logic. But, sometimes logic doesn't work. And, I am firmly convinced that logic and reason are the most clouded when it is dark. Yes, dark, like at nighttime. The same time of day when you were a kid that all your fears of the boogie man and Freddie Krueger seemed actually logical and reasonable.

Friday was a pretty busy day both schedule-wise and mind share-wise. Jeremy and I had a pretty major meeting in Temecula at 4pm and Noah had a 9pm basketball game. In between the two appointments, Noah and I needed to find an outfit for a wedding that we were leaving for at 9am Saturday morning. Technically, poor planning on my part made for a pretty crammed Friday night.

As Jeremy and I raced down the 15 freeway after our Temecula meeting at 6pm Friday night, a smidge of anxiety set in. Initally, it was easy to brush off. Since a.) I was hungry and b.)Noah was also hungry and equally anxious to shop and get to the gym to warm up. So, as my phone lit up with texts and calls from Noah approximating my arrival, I had to conciously remind myself to chill.

Abating the hunger was the first task at hand for Noah and I. He is very serious about eating light before a game so, Chik-Fil-A was a good option. Chicken tenders and a lemonade was a safe option 2 hours before a game.

Then, off to Nordstrom Rack to tackle the "outfit" portion of the night. 20 minutes later, by the grace of God, we walked out with a complete ensemble of shirt, pants, belt and shoes. Mission accomplished.

At this point, I was feeling good. Meeting: check. Healthy dinner: check. Wedding outfit: check Off to the basketball gym:check....Wait, not the regular gym, a school 10 minutes away. It sounds close but, normally we head to a gym 4 minutes away. So, 20 minutes vs. 8 minutes round trip suddenly sounds HUGE when I mentally run down the list of everything I have to do before an early departure for a big wedding weekend. My anxiety returns and heightens.

I seriously sped to the gym. As I am recalling it now, I was really an idiot. I did not get there any faster, I just wore out my brakes a little more effeciently. It makes me so crazy when I do that. I gun it to each stoplight and slam to an abrupt stop.

But, here is when the rubber REALLY meets the road. As Noah was getting out of the car, he looked at me and said, 'my stomach kinda hurts'. As I looked at him shadowed in the yellow of the overhead streetlight, my stomach did a flip-flop. This is somewhat of a "learned" behavior since he is my firstborn and when he was sick as a baby and toddler, I was somewhat of a nutcase. But, at this moment, in the dark, my fear and anxiety reach a new level. "You'll be okay," I squeak out. "Play hard, I will be right back."

As I sped back to my home to pick up Jeremy (yes, I still raced to each stoplight) I texted and called Noah.

He finally returned my call and promptly informed that a local highschool was closing due to the H1N1, aka 'oink oink' flu. At this point, I cannot win.

"How is your stomach?"

"Fine mom."

"Don't touch your mouth or your eyes. Wash your hands after the game. I will be there in a few minutes. Watch your Gatorade."

"Gotta go." and he hangs up.

He played great. 18 points out of the 26 the team scored. We made it home and to our beds at a decent time.

The sun came up the next day. No swine flu. I suddenly feel more logical and reasonable.