Spring Break
The first part of Spring Break was wonderful. Jeffrey and I spent five days at his house, spending time with his family and enjoying the beautiful weather. It was so peaceful and fun. Wednesday morning, he got a new muffler put in his car. When we drove away, we couldn't believe how quiet it sounded. :) It was marvelous! Later on Wednesday, we drove to Chicago to pick up Jennifer. Several tolls and a long story later, we picked her up and headed to Michigan. There, we were met with snow and slippery roads... and a semi jack-knifed in our lane. Jeffrey tried to stop, but we ended up sliding off of the highway-- breaking a mile marker in two as we slid down the embankment. When the car stopped sliding, we were facing the road. Jennifer woke up swearing, my legs were soaked with the water from my frog's tank, and the music on Jeff's Ipod was still playing. The semi driver was able to straighten out, and without even stopping to see if we were okay, he drove away. Shaken up, but thinking the car was still driveable, I steered as Jeffrey and Jennifer pushed it up the hill. We were glad to be out of the ditch, but with the roads as icy as they were and the snow making white-outs at times, we needed to get moving. But that's when Jeffrey realized the front left tire was crooked. We couldn't drive it. We sat in the back of a police car as we waited for the tow truck. I was shaking from the cold and from fear. The cars were going way too fast in the left lane. We were in the right lane, so all it would have taken was one idiot going too fast to put on his brakes and slide into us. I was so scared. It seemed like an eternity before we secured a hotel room for that night, the tow truck came to take Jeffrey's car, and we were on our way off the highway. The lady at the hotel gave us a Red Cross accident victims discount, as well as a room with a Jacuzzi at no extra charge. After thanking her and giving her a hug, I was able to soak my feet in the Jacuzzi and (though not soundly) we got a little sleep that night. Mom picked us up in the morning and took us to the impound. Jeffrey's car was totalled. :( We cleared it out, and we said goodbye to that special little car. It had been so trusty, so near and dear to my h(H)eart. But we were forced to say goodbye. And now, we are in Michigan with the snow and the cold. No coat, no car, feeling uncertain about how things are going to work out. This was my third accident, the third of which we were unable to stop. First-- I couldn't stop because of squishy brakes. Second-- Amelia couldn't stop because of rain. Third-- Jeffrey couldn't stop because of snow and ice. I hate driving. I hate cars. And I miss Jeffrey's car. :( Sigh. But thank Jesus that we're alive. It could have been so worse. I'm constantly replaying it in my mind and thinking about how it could have been so much worse...