This last weekend, we ventured out for Bella's first trip to Iowa. We went to see her gramma and grampa (my parents), uncle, aunt, cousins, and her great grampa, who celebrated his 86th birthday on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA! We had a very nice time visiting with friends and family. We are very blessed indeed.
I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't see where the actual pavement to the exit ramp was. I kept hitting the edge and it was starting to pull. Then we fishtailed. There was ice hiding underneath that new snow. My lifetime of parental intructions and driving school training immediately had me turning into it, but then we just kept fishtailing in the different directions. We ended up on the right side of the exit ramp, looking back up the way we came, off in the ditch at about a 45 degree angle. It was probably a good 100-130 feet to the bottom of the ditch that ended in a little ravine. I am SO thankful and blessed that God was watching out for us. We could have very easily rolled, and I don't think it would have been pretty.
As it was, all of us are fine. My soda didn't even spill. We were very shaken though. I called 911 and they dispatched a police car to help us out. I really wasn't even sure that I should let my foot off of the brake at first, but ended up turning off the van, setting the parking brake, grabbing my coat and venturing around to get out a very shaken 14 year old (his first auto mishap) and a 3 month old who had decided she could wait on food. :P A very nice couple stopped to ask us if we needed help, and we were given a ride to the Casey's where I had been heading anyway. The police car came there for information and let me know that we were in line for a pull out. There were dozens of vehicles we had passed that were in the ditch and several that HAD rolled, so I knew this may take a while.
Praise God, a tow truck happened to pull into Casey's to get gas. The police officer was still there, and asked if he could go pull me out right then. He did. The police car came back, and while my very brave son stood guardian over his baby sister inside Casey's, the officer took me up to drive the van back down to the station.The officer had assured me as I promised Josh I'd be right back, that this was a very safe town. First time in a squad car, that's for sure. I do have to say that the helpful couple, the officer and tow truck driver, as well as the Casey's attendant who discretely kept an eye on my kiddos, were all very very nice. We were back on the road within about an hour.
Thankfully there was little damage to the van. They looked it over for me, and assured me and the officer it was ok to drive. There is a nice crease where, as we were spinning, I took out a t-post with the back end on the driver's side. But to be honest, thinking what could have happened and sitting in the van with my hand on my son's shoulder and my 3 month old baby girl smiling at me in my lap, I really, really didn't care about the cosmetics of the vehicle. The contents were safe. Thank you so much, Lord!
