As if I didn't have enough to be thankful for...

Autumn and I braved the rain and the snow to check out the Thanksgiving Day sales in Show Low yesterday. We got what we went looking for and headed for home. About 15 miles outside of Show Low, it started to hail, sleet, rain and snow all at the same time. I told Autumn to put her seatbelt on and not 2 seconds later, we were sliding off the road. It was like slow motion - I knew we were sliding and I saw the road posts coming up quickly. I focused on steering into the slide just enough to make it around the posts and stay out of the drainage ditch. We did end up in the barrow pit, but we didn't hit anything, we didn't spin or flip. The car was still running and there was no real damage. I was really shaken up from the adrenaline rush so we just sat there for about 10 minutes. I had no cell coverage - I was hoping the almost non-existent state police would show up, but no such luck. A nice couple in a sedan stopped to see if we were hurt, left us their business card and went on their way.

I crawled out into the wind and snow to hike up a hill and call Parry, who had stayed home with the boys. I was able to get ahold of him and dispatched him out with a tow strap - a 30 minute drive away. While we were waiting for Parry to show up, a wonderfully nice 18 year old boy and his mother stopped to help with their truck - then a man in a minivan stopped and another 4 wheel drive truck. Between the many good Samaritans, we were able to pull my car out just as Parry pulled up. I did learn that Honda's don't have much metal in the front of the car - just lots of plastic and fiberglass - not what you need when trying to get pulled out of the mud!! I also learned that no matter how high you turn the heat on in the car, when you are soaked from head to toe from the ice and snow, you don't warm up!!

So, this Thanksgiving, we have much more to be thankful for - Autumn's and my safe return home, the several people who did stop to help instead of just looking and driving on as so many others did, the lack of damage to the car and our persons, the place that we slid off - if we had been just a little further, we would have gone into the dry river bed and would probably have rolled all the way down. If it had been a bit sooner, we would have hit many, many trees. We didn't hit the pole, we weren't hurt (although I am a bit sore today), the air bags didn't deploy!!

I truly believe that we were being watched over yesterday - I am not done here on this earth and my children need their mommy. I am so grateful to be alive and to have such a wonderful family!!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!!