Among the people in my Nano group, there were several of us who had plans for this weekend. Some went to OWFI and came back with accolades worthy of a party. Others had things to do; such as writing or doing things around the house. Then, there are those like me who were going to take a little trip out of state for reasons in the realm of visiting with friends, family, and/or relaxation.
Most, I am sure, enjoyed their weekend no matter what they did or what happened. I know mine was great and I have the pictures posted on Facebook as proof. Both of my boys together, meeting for the first time, and getting along as well as a teenager and little kid can. Amazingly, no grudges or shouting matches were heard. But, then again, we were there only for the weekend.
But, that great weekend came with a price. Before the worry warts jump up and go crazy or the sadists start to smile, let me say this: No one was hurt and my mom and I are glad that God gave us mud.
Don't laugh! If it weren't for mud, this blog would either be done from a hospital or a Memorium post written by my boyfriend before passing it all into the archives. Honestly, I should have written this Friday night after we arrived at the hotel and unpacked. I should have, but I somehow forgot to bring the power supply for my laptop and the battery just doesn't hold a charge for very long.
To start things off, neither mom or I had a lot of sleep. She only had two hours after getting all her stuff washed and together. Me? I had only four hours or so thanks to Caffeine, my neutered tom cat, wanting to get frisky with Hylie while I was sleeping. His meowing woke me up and he, naturally, got punted onto the floor with a sleep aimed kick in the tail and a few swipes from Hylie. Not a good start to any long drive.
The first hour or so of the trip was fine, but, when we were coming up on Fort Smith near Van Buren, things went scary. I was dozing since I didn't need to count the change for the toll booths again until our return trip. Mom, bless her soul, was driving and didn't want to wake me up because I was snoring. Colin was secure in the back seat playing his Nabi (kid's tablet). She fell asleep as we were coming to a curve in the interstate.
We safely crossed over then went into the median. The rumble strips woke the both of us up very quickly. While she fought to control the car, I was clamping down tightly and envisioning the car (a HHR for the curious) rolling over as we went down the steeper part of the ground through mud. The mud slowed us down safely and brought us to a complete stop some six to eight feet before the ground level took a serious dip into a stand of trees that could have done serious harm to us and the car.
Pardon the language, but it scared the crap back into me. I could not go until we were in the hotel later that night. Both mom and I were about to have a coronary. Because she was in shock, I took control and assessed the situation by making sure she was okay then checking on Colin. The poor little guy literally had the pee scared out of him and he was upset we were going to be mad at him for it.
While I was trying to calm him down, a car that was behind us stopped to make sure we were okay. The woman even stayed until we knew, for sure, there was help on the way and that none of us were seriously hurt. She did give us her cell number and the number to the Highway Patrol station she worked at for in case we needed her for insurance purposes. As of this post, I have no idea where that piece of paper went. *flails*
Thank all that is holy that mom has AAA. We had to wait about 30 to 45 minutes for the tow truck to get to us. We really didn't need it according to the driver, but we did need his help getting the car out of the mud. The only real damage the car got was a chunk of sidewall taken out of the front driver's tire, and the (already) worn shocks and struts leaking to go along with a couple of scratches in the paint.
We got off lucky. God was definitely watching over us that day.
After getting those few things taken care of (a two and a half hour wait mind you) we took off for Searcy, AR. After another hour, mom passed the keys to me and I took us in to see my eldest son before we settled in for the night at the hotel. He got big over the years and quite handsome.
The rest of the weekend went by nice and slow with me finding a lot of familiar faces at the first Wal-Mart I worked in, and got the low down on what all had changed since I moved six years ago. Other than my son, the one person I wanted to connect with the most had to work so we couldn't get together for a few laughs. Still, it was fun.
- Adam W. Cooper Class of 2013
The big event, Adam's Graduation, was the highlight, of course. He studied his tail off so he wouldn't have to take the final exams. Considering he took college preparatory classes, he did very well, carrying an A average. He may not have made top honors, but he did very well in my book. But, then again, he did inherit my intelligence and artistic ability.
I'm happy that I was able to be there. That's one son graduated and one more to go. Colin might make it if he settles down and controls his impulsiveness.
Right now, I'm happy to be home and back in my own bed. While I didn't have a serious injury from the accident, I know I hurt a muscle or two in my back. Dr. Cole will be able to take care of that when I go in to see him. I'll also be taking Colin along, too. Best to be sure nothing was damaged than to have something crop up later from it.
Now, for those wondering about my #writemotivation...
- Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/
1) Get a job or at the very least attend five interviews for a job.
I had an assessment today with AT&T. I should know more very soon
2) Edit/revise five chapters of Society of Night and Lies.
I got started, but lack of power cord prevented much from being done.
3) Write two chapters of Black Friday 2.
Need to get started on this one.
4) Exercise twice a week.
Working on this one. Grocery shopping doesn't count, but I did do a lot of walking Thursday to start this one.
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