Hurley was very upset and just wanted to stay home. He thought we were being terrible parents for making him go with us when he didn't want to. After a few minutes in the car and on his tablet he seemed just fine. The roads were wet and snow packed in a few spots. The freeway speed was 55 MPH. Both very typical for Wyoming roads in the winter.
We made it to Wal-Mart. Some of the kids wanted new boots so we got those. We bought everything on our list and went to check out. We spent $330, and we had oodles of groceries. We stopped at Mickey D's for dinner. Darwin and I both wanted to be home before it was dark. The kids were playing so well with each other. They act like best friends and I love that. I could watch my kids play for hours when they're happy and considerate of one another. We sat longer than planned but enjoyed the sweetness of the moment. Really, the entire day had been one that made me happy and so grateful for my life. We got in the truck to head home. The kids were content on their tablets and Darwin and I were able to have a very meaningful conversation. And then....
We hit black ice. I remember grabbing Jensyn's hand and tensing up. I also remember the truck being filled with light and seeing all of my kids' faces. We hit the guardrail head on going 40 MPH. We immediately bounced back and spun around. We pulled to the side of the road and said a prayer. We called 911 and they said help was on the way. We talked to the kids about why we wear our seatbelts and why we have car insurance. Violet asked who crashed. I laughed and told her that we were. I asked his she remembered hitting something and bouncing back. We all thought it was cute that she didn't realize that we had just crashed. After 25 minutes our bishop came to rescue us. The kids got in his car and he and Darwin loaded the groceries into the back of his car. We waited for highway patrol and a tow truck. Destry drove me and the kids home. I called our friends to see if they could help me with the groceries and get kids ready for bed. Darwin stayed with highway patrol and went with his baby, oh, I mean his truck to the shop.
(The guardrail. This picture was taken the next day.)
Darwin and I have talked and talked about how things would have been different if we had gone off the road 10 feet before or if we had gone right instead of left when we hit the ice. Little did we realize at the time that we were on a bridge and when we pulled off to the shoulder we actually were sitting in the right lane of the highway on the bridge (shows we were not thinking clearly at all).
We were feeling incredibly blessed that we all were able to walk away without any injuries. However, during the night Violet started throwing up. By Sunday morning she had thrown up a handful of times but didn't have anything else going on (no fever, body aches, etc.). We decided that she needed to be seen by a doctor to make sure nothing was going on internally. She had a mild concussion. That explained asking if we had been in a crash. She just asked me today if we had been hit by another car. She doesn't remember the accident at all. The doctor told us to keep her calm and that she couldn't have screen time. All day Sunday she kept asking the kids, "Are you guys being calm?" It made me smile each time she said it.
After the kids had gone to bed last night, Darwin and I once again were talking about how fortunate we are. We talked about things we remembered right before we hit the guardrail and things that happened right after. I told him that I thought I saw all of the kids' faces and that the truck was lit up like it was the middle of the afternoon. I told him that was impossible though because it was dark with no street lights or head lights from other cars. He told me that he also remembers the truck being filled with light right before we crashed. I asked him how that was possible. He said it must have been angels protecting us. I truly believe that is exactly what happened. We hit a stationary object going 40 MPH and our airbags didn't deploy, yet there were no bumps or bruises. We thought about the fact that we sat in the truck for almost half of an hour without heat and no one was cold. We stayed warm. We were blessed that when we crossed lanes there wasn't a vehicle right behind us or coming the other direction. We were definitely watched over and protected. I know that we can never count all of the blessings from that night but we are sure going to try.
I am grateful for my Heavenly Father that protected me and my family. I am grateful for our dear friends and family members that have prayed for us and checked on us. We are blessed family.
