I was headed down on Thursday to go skiing with Jason on Friday and then Saturday was Avry's birthday and Tiffany's birthday is on the 6th of February. I was taking the girls shopping and lunch. I was then going to stay with Tiffany and go to church and watch her boys for an hour on Monday while she went for a job interview. Then head back to Idaho so I could get back to have a FHE group come to our home from the college
Thursday morning I bowled. Jenny Huskinson who was on our team a year and half ago got back from her mission from Uganda. It was so nice to see her and hear of some of her experiences. We are glad she could be back on our team, even tho we will miss Bonnie Peterson I had to do payroll at the office so hurried down to IF right after bowling as I wanted to leave at 3 so I wasn't driving very much in the dark. I started on my SUDA report and it ended up taking me longer to do it and didn't get away till 4:30. I was going to try and get to Ogden and stop at Joann’s before they closed and find some floss for a friend.
I had my Yukon loaded with the rest of Tiffany and Marshall's stuff that was stored at our house. It was mostly, things from their childhood, school, college, and mission. Six 18 gallon plastic totes, a couple of boxes, misc things. The roads were clear and I was making pretty good time. The forecast had said 30% rain and 50% in the evening. It started raining around Marsh Valley and the temperature was about 35. It was raining on the Malad pass but I slowed down some. I stopped in Malad and filled my car with gas, the ground was wet but not icy. I was hungry so I went in to get a hamburger. There was one girl that they were filling her order and 3 other people doing I don't know what. After waiting for 5 minutes I decided I couldn't wait any longer and needed to get going to make Joann's Fabric before they close.
As I entered the freeway I checked the time 6:33 and temperature 34. I called Scott and was talking on my bluetooth to see how he golfed as he was in LV. It was really raining and I was watching the temperature and thought if it drops to freezing the roads could be bad. I had passed the exit to Plymouth and had slowed down to 65 and noticed the temperature at 32. I had just passed the Plymouth exit and made note that there were a few cars way a head of me and I could see cars a ways behind. It was about then that I told Scott I am slipping I don’t know what exactly happened next if I tried to turn the wheel or touched the brake or what but I started spinning. I thought just let it go and it will stop and what ever direction I am going I will get it turned around. The next thing I knew my headlights shined on the snow on the side of the road which was about a foot deep. My car started up the side of the snow and started rolling. I know I rolled at least twice. When I stopped I was upright and facing east aways from the road. I didn't know it was east at the time. I was disorientated and thought I had rolled across the middle and the north bound lane. The policeman had to keep telling me I was on the south bound side. My car still running the wipers still going, light on. I sat there for a few minutes looking straight ahead and thinking I am OK. I know my head hit the roof. I turned the overhead lights on and tried to find my phone. I found my phone and called 411 and thought what am I doing that's not the right number. I then tried 911 but kept hitting a letter. I finally got it right and told them what had happened and where I was. She said they had been notified and help was on the way. I called Scott to let him know I was OK. He had called the Box Elder police and they said their had been multiple accidents. He then said he called the hospital and they said they were told their were multiple accidents and they were getting ready for it. I then called Jason.
You can't tell that the roof was caved in
A guy and his boy stopped and he said he was a retired firefighter and I couldn't’t get out of my car I rolled the window down and he asked if I was OK. Just a little in shock but I seemed to be OK. I crawled over to see if I could get out the passenger side. The snow was very icy and it was still raining. They asked if I had warm clothing. I found my ski coat but could only find one of my snow boots. It was then I notice the windows on both back side and the window in the back was out. The guys son started picking up things and handing them to me and I was putting them in some bag. When the police came he told them to go ahead. He asked if I was OK and said their were 5 accidents in the last few minutes between the two exits and that it had frozen suddenly. He asked for my insurance and registration. As I handed him my registration. An ambulance came. They made me come and sit in the ambulance and check me out. I was OK, they said they had 5 calls and got a 6Th while I was there. Another ambulance came by while I was inside. They gave me a bandage for a tiny glass cut on my finger and said since I was OK they were going on to check on another one. They walked me back to my car as the policeman was getting out of his car to hand me the paperwork. A truck went by and he said theirs the salt truck finally. He told me the wrecker had been called and what the guys name was and apologized that he couldn't stay with me as he had to go check on another accident. He told me to sit in my car. As I sat waiting for the wrecker I looked to the south and could see cars stopped and a police car and then farther down another police car. I looked to the north and I could see two police cars quite a distance apart.
Another car stopped to see if I was OK, I told him the police and ambulance had already been here and I was just waiting for the wrecker. I noticed a wrecker go by and thought maybe he didn't see me. So I waited who knows how long. The wrecker finally got there and he said he didn't see me and headed to the other one and it was a white SUV also, but they had not called it in. He had to go to the next exit and turn around and find me. He pulled my car on to the flat bed and picked up what stuff we could see. There had been a small box with Marshall's missionary letters and it was all over the side of the road and wet. I was so cold by now and my hair was drenched I took my scarf off around my neck and put it on my head. My ski coat was completely soaked through along with my pants. I sat in his truck while he finished picking up things. Jason and Avry had decided she was closer and since she had a Tahoe would come and get me and clean out my car. The policeman told me to tell her to come to the Riverside Exit but since she was aways a way the wrecker guy told me to have her come to Tremonton and meet at Denny's. Tremonton he said was only 5 miles away we had to wait for Avry for a few minutes and then she followed us over to their storage area. He got the car off the bed and Avry, Kaden and I started cleaning out my car. It was still raining but only 34 degrees at Tremonton and not icy. Things were a mess and lots of tiny glass in everything. Two of the tubs were completely broken. Avry was being funny as usual.
We got to her house and Justin and Kaden started hauling things in. We spread all the letters all over the floor to dry. I couldn't sleep so I spent most of the night drying the letters and rotating them.
Avry's family Room
Avry's living Room
Friday I went and got 4 new tubs for Tiffany and started the process of sorting and repacking and calling her and telling her what I had to throw out. Scott flew in at 1 and we decided to take the girls for birthday dinner at Red Lobster and head for home in the morning.
Sorting stuff from broken tubs in Avry's family room
I have thought and analyzed this episode in my life the last several days. There was no promptings like I have had in past experiences. I know my Heavenly Father could of prevented this from happening, but I also know that things happen for a reason. We may not know or understand for sometime. I know that I was protected. I had my seat belt on, I was alone, I was in the Yukon and not my smaller car and there were no other cars involved. What is more amazing is that I have no bruises, cuts and its been 3 days and I haven't developed any internal symptoms. It is interesting that I was never scared. It seemed more like a ride at an amusement park.
It has affected each of my children. From a call from Clint in Germany after reading about me on Geoff's facebook. He said he had a sense he had to talk to someone that day. To Tiffany sobbing on the phone apologizing for every mean thing she has said or did to me. To Geoff knowing he had told me he loved me just half an hour before to Avry being ok till she saw my car and me. From Jason's sincere love of checking up on me that night and the next day and would drive all the way to just give me a hug to Jeralee's wonderful humor of looking for a stunt driver for the next James Bond movie. She had me laughing so hard. And of course Scott for trying hard to find out how bad it was. I am so ever blessed for the family I have.
