The accident

Until yesterday, Tim, Sydney and I could each say that we had never been in an automobile accident. Not so anymore.

We had just been grocery shopping at Albertsons, filled up the van with gas, and stopped by DQ for ice cream cones per Sydney's request. :) We got back on the road to head home, and within a few seconds, a lady in another car tried to cross the street in front of us and smashed into my door. She said we must have been in our blind spot because she just didn't see us. Tim tried hard to swerve and brake when he realized she wasn't going to move, but there was no way he could avoid her. It was so sudden. BOOM! So fast...

Once we came to a stop, I tried to open my door and get out, and it was hard to pry it open. It was not going to shut again after that. Tim also said that the wheels wouldn't turn right, like he couldn't steer. They had to tow it away.

So many thoughts went through my head as we were filling out the police report and waiting for the tow truck. What if we hadn't stopped for ice cream? What if we had gone to another grocery store? What if we had been going faster? What if I were taken away in an ambulance? What if I had to witness the death of my husband or daughter? That may sound extreme, but I think it was just the Lord's way of reminding me that it could have been SO MUCH WORSE. We all got out and walked away. I will be forever grateful for that.

It was definitely an experience that I don't hope to repeat any time soon. We were definitely on edge for the rest of the evening. It definitely affected my daughter.

I don't know what will happen to the van yet or if it is fixable or how long it will take to get it back. It only had about 3,000 miles on it so far and I just wasted money on a full tank of gas! It really is sad, but I take comfort and rejoice in the safety and protection of my family. They are irreplaceable.

Here are some pics of the damage from Tim's phone. It looks a lot worse in person.

Our new addition

So I am on a major roll. Already 3 blog posts in one week. I really have missed doing it. It's good to be back!

This little beauty is the newest member of our family. Our lease on the Pilot was coming to an end in February, and we needed to decide if we were going to keep her, turn her in, or trade for something else. I told Tim when we first started talking about it in October or so that I would really love to have a minivan since our kids are larger than they were 3 years ago and the Pilot was getting tight. But I didn't think he would really entertain the idea. When will I ever learn? That boy basically gives me whatever I want. For reals. So we test-drove several minivans and went back and forth on what we really needed and what is just extra crap that we didn't really want to pay for. In the end (about a month ago), we got a BRAND NEW 2011 black Honda Odyssey and I love it! It is so much roomier than the Pilot was! We took out the middle -middle seat completely so that no one is sitting directly next to anyone else--hallelujah! We went with a pretty basic model--no leather, sunroof or DVD system--and I'm so glad we did. I would have had serious buyer's remorse.

I think she will be around for many years to come...hopefully til we have the 2 oldest boys out of the house! (Not that I'm trying to get rid of them--I just want to have this car for like 10 years, at least!) I love it and love that even Tim is coming around and said, "It's not that bad," which is a big turnaround for him!