A Strange Anniversary

7 years ago today...

I hopped into my small red truck and started to head home after a late night Activities Committee meeting at church, not knowing that a life-changing event was about to take place. It was dark and cold, and the roads were wet. It must have rained while I was in my meeting. I took the Leavesly Road entrance onto 101, and as I was curving around the bend up to the highway, I felt a strange stab of fear and an undeniable urge to pray. The words of my friend Graham’s closing prayer came to my mind and I immediately prayed that Heavenly Father would see me safely home. Ten seconds later, I lost control of my truck. To this day, I don’t know exactly what happened but I assume that as I was accelerating onto the highway, the truck hit a patch of oily water and the back wheels started moving around. I didn't know what to do, I started to panic, it was happening so incredibly fast. I tried to correct myself but didn't remember the slightest thing from driver’s training and all of a sudden there I was, facing the opposite direction on a cold, black, empty highway, my truck and I plunging over the side of the highway, most certainly to my death. I had the strangest feelings during those few seconds. My heart prayed to Heavenly Father, pleading with him that I wasn't ready to go yet, but at the same time almost accepting that it was the end. A feeling of peace came over me during those few seconds as I was tumbling, rolling, to the ground below, a feeling that I cannot fully comprehend or explain. I felt that there was someone else in the car with me and I let go of the wheel, letting the other person – the angel, the Spirit, my imagination, whatever – take control. And when those few excruciatingly long seconds were over, my truck had landed right side up on a small grassy area next to another entrance to the highway.

The rest of the story is very long, but suffice it to say that I'm not exaggerating when I say this was a life-changing experience for me. I was extremely blessed to have no major injuries from the accident and to have wonderful CHP officers, firemen, paramedics, and even one stranger to take care of me. Besides being a huge wake-up call, the accident also strengthened my faith and helped me to realize that there were things I was still supposed to do with my life. Now I'm not a brain surgeon or a teacher or a Nobel Prize winner, but I am a wife and a mother. That is why I am here. In these times it might not be popular to be proud of being "just" a wife and a mom, but I am. And every time I reflect on my accident, I am so thankful that I was given another day, another chance to do better and to become the wife and mom that I've become. And even when I'm changing diapers or settling emotional disputes over Polly Pockets, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Sunbeam, A Sunbeam!

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, to shine for him each day!

Sunday was Beatrice's first day as a Sunbeam!

For those of you who are not LDS, Sunbeam is the name of the youngest class in Primary, our church's organization for kids ages 3-12.

Because I teach the 11/12 year olds in Primary, I was able to watch Bea during opening exercises and singing time. It was so cute to see her sitting in her little chair, singing along to the songs as best as she could. She is in a small class - 3 little blond girls and one cute little boy. I think she's going to have a great time.

Sunday afternoon I asked Bea if she had fun (she did) and what her lesson was on. She turned to me with a big cheesy grin and answered, "I am a child of God!" I thought it was so great that she actually remembered! When she was in the nursery the only thing she remembered was what they had for snack.

Natalie also started her new Primary class. She is now a CTR 6 (meaning she's in a class with other kids that will turn 6 years old this year). She seemed to really like her new teacher, and she already knows all the kids in her class so that wasn't anything to worry about. I noticed, though, that she has a bit of a problem paying attention when seated next to a certain friend. I'm hoping it was just due to the excitement of changing classes, but we'll see. This was also the first Sunday that she brought her own scriptures to church... she looked very cute and proud with her little improvised scripture bag. (It's really a carrier for one of her stuffed animals.) :)

Week 12 is done!

Jay was very busy during Week 12. The cadets had their written PMA test as well as a test on Laws of Arrest. They continued working hard in their Accident Investigation, DUI, and Use of Force classes, and they are also deep into their Spanish instruction. Luckily for Jay he served a Spanish-speaking mission so that is one less thing he has to stress about. The workload is increasing and the pressure is on to get everything done and done right. Time management is becoming even more crucial than it was before.

In addition to their academic classes, Jay and his fellow cadets also started range (firearms training). That means they were issued their belt, vest, and gun. Yikes! Jay is feeling the heavy responsibility of it all now, but at the same time he's also gained a new kind of confidence. Something about the bullet-proof vest, I think. Not that it makes him invincible, but it does make him feel more official. Goodbye, mall cop!

And now today, Jan 7th, marks the beginning of Week 13 and the first day for the junior class. It's hard to believe that 12 weeks have already gone by since Jay's first nerve-wracking day. In some ways it seems like it was yesterday, and in some ways it feels like he's been at the Academy FOR-EV-ER. It's amazing how much you can adjust and change in such a short amount of time. We are all getting stronger because of this Academy experience, emotionally and physically. (Hey, I have to hold Dex without any relief! That would build anyone's muscles!)

Dex chewing on something

Natalie helping out, Bea being Bea

Don't puke, Dexter!

When it rains...

A run down of my Friday:

7 am - Woke up to gusts of wind and some light rain

10 am - Natalie goes to a friend's house to play

10:15 am - light rain turns into torrential downpour, gusts turn to mini-tornado's

11 am - lights go out, Bea's movie is interrupted.

11:01 am - lights come back on. Unfortunately, the computer, TV, microwave, fridge, and washer & dryer do not come back on.

11:07 am - finally locate the circuit breakers, which of course are located OUTSIDE. (Really? Who designed that?)

11:10 am - Pretend like I know what I'm doing with the circuit breakers. Nothing happens.

11:11 am to 2 pm - Entertain kids. Experience severe computer withdrawals.

2 pm - Neighbor report: they only have 1/2 power as well. Phew! We're normal!

2:05 pm - All the remaining power goes out.

2:06 pm to 4 pm - Get out candles, lanterns and flashlights in preparation. Realize I will have to use them sooner than later because the storm is making the house darker than usual. Try to keep kids happy.

4 pm - Natalie comes home. Deal with whining... "But Summer's house had lights!!!!!!!!"

4:30 pm - light approximately 45 candles in the kitchen in order to get the same amount of light I usually get from one electric bulb

4:45 pm - What can I make for dinner with no stove, oven, or microwave?

5 pm - Make tuna sandwiches by candlelight

5:15 pm - We read Laura Ingalls for inspiration. The girls are tired of the candles. (They would never make it as pioneers.) Natalie writes a passionate plea to PG&E and tapes it to the fireplace.

5:30 pm - Jay calls! He's on his way home!

6 pm - Jay calls again ... the Corolla is acting up. The headlights are dimming. For some reason Jay thinks that could be dangerous.

6:30 pm - Put Dex down to bed for the night.

6:45 pm - Jay calls from Sears in Fairfield. The Corolla is getting a new alternator for Christmas, and he needs a ride home.

7 pm - Kids are loaded in the van.... now how to get out of the garage?

7:01 pm - Manually lift the garage door. It comes back down. I lift up. It comes down. I lift up. It comes down. I use all my might to SHOVE it back up... it comes down faster, nearly taking off my head.

7:05 pm - I squeeze under the half open garage door and run to neighbor's. Neighbor takes pity on me and holds garage door open.

7:07 pm - We're finally on the road!

7:10 pm - I remember the gaslight has been on for a day or two...

7:15 pm - Pull into gas station, rummage in diaper bag.... keep rummaging... and ... no wallet.

7:16 pm - Pray for patience.

7:17 pm - Call Jay and try not to cry. New plan: Our good friend Craig hops in his gas-filled, kid-free van and picks up Jay.

THANK YOU HARTLEY'S! Where would we be without you?
Oh, that's right, I'd be stuck at Rotten Robbie and Jay would freezing in Fairfield!


Thank goodness the weekend got much better after that!

My favorite New York moment

"I always like to come to New York a little bit early and hit some of my favorite haunts, like right here, is my favorite New York pizza joint. And I'm gonna go get me a New York slice!"

Man, I miss The Office.

Changed my mind...

Ok, so, the yellow didn't stick.

I decided I'm not quite ready to give up green, so I chose this background instead. Plus, it has crowns on it. And, well, the princesses don't fall too far from the tree, you know.

I just realized...

...I never wished you all a Happy New Year! So...

Happy New Year

to all of you out in blogland!

For the new year I decided to trade in my lime green blog layout for a sunny yellow one, courtesy of Cutest Blog on the Block. We'll see if it sticks. I think I like it but then again it's midnight and I'm not entirely lucid. The kids and I got back from visiting Jay in Sacramento about an hour ago and I made the mistake of checking my email before going to bed. I'm going to regret it in the morning, I just know it.

The Woes of Week 11

Week 11 was a short Academy week, thanks to Christmas. It was also the first week they had alone with the staff now that the seniors have graduated. Luckily most of the staff was on vacation so there wasn't really too much negative attention. There was one little thing, though...

Jay noticed that his name was on the board indicating he was supposed to report to the staff office, so of course he reported as soon as possible all the while wondering what he was in trouble for. There were several other people reporting ahead of him and he overheard one of them getting yelled at for failing a test, so Jay was worried that he had failed the test, too. Failing a test means a weekend restriction, and more importantly, it means a very unhappy wife. Luckily for both of us Jay did not fail the test. In fact, he wasn't in trouble at all. The staff had decided that anyone who had yet to receive a gig* was going to get one, come heck or high water. Lucky Jay! So basically they grilled him on various subjects until he answered one wrong, and then they gave him a gig for "lack of knowledge." Oh, and he also had a speck of lint on his uniform, so the gig indicated he also had a messy uniform. It's a good thing Jay is the one going through this and not me, because that would frustrate me beyond belief! I would never make it past the first week.

Week 11 also brought Jay's first attempt at the Skid Pan. He spent several hours learning how to negotiate the ultra-slick course and he did well and had fun. He did not pass, however. He has 3 more attempts, and we're confident he'll pass on one of them. The instructor said he was getting it but that he just needed to "smooth it out" and be more consistent. We don't know when his next attempt will be, but it should be soon.

You would think it was a bad week because of the gig and the Skid Pan ... and PT three times a week... and our Corolla deciding not to work... but surprisingly, it was okay. Because our Corolla was acting up (it's okay now), the kids and I picked Jay up on Friday. When I pulled up to the Academy gate I spoke with the officer on duty for a few minutes. He was very friendly and gave me some words of encouragment, which was very kind. When he lifted the gate to let me in I said "Thanks, Officer," then pulled forward. There was a gasp from the back of the van and Natalie exclaimed, "Was that a REAL police officer?!" She was a little awestruck. I said "Yep. He's a Highway Patrolman like Daddy is going to be." Bea yelled, "WHAT?!" Like it was news to her that Jay's going to be an officer! My kids... they're just like their dad... a little nutty, but very sweet.