.The Crash.

I was living in beautiful, sunny St. George Utah when I finally reached the milestone year of 16... Beautiful, sunny St. George is where I learned to drive. Beautiful, sunny St. George and its clear, dry roads. Never any ice! Only problem.... I moved to cold, windy, Cheyenne Wyoming. Cold, windy, Cheyenne, Wyoming with horribly Icy, slick, nasty roads. After living in beautiful, sunny St. George the entirety of my driving career has caused a horrible dilemma. I am 20 years old and I have no idea how to drive on snowy, winter roads.

All winter Danny has pounded into my head what to do should I happen upon any slick roads whilst driving.

"Take your foot off the gas. Keep your wheel straight. And whatever you do DONT touch your brake."

He's taken every opportunity to give me all sorts of pointers.

I've still had a hard time working up the courage to drive after one of Wyoming's famous storms. I usually just wait until Danny needs to go into town for something and ride along with him.

Until last Friday.

I had agreed to help my niece, Charlie with her testing for hair school. She needed a model for her "facial" test. She really had to talk me into it.

I had to be there at 9:30am. So... at 9:00 I stepped out the door to head out to the hair college. one problem... A storm had moved in overnight. The roads were covered with about an inch of snow. The plows had not yet made it out to the "boonies" where we live. Danny was still sitting in the house in his gundies, having agreed to watching Campbell while I went to pamper myself. I didn't have time for him to get ready, load up CJ and have him drive me into town.

And to be honest with you, I didn't want him to know what a pansy I really am about these roads.

So I put on my big girl pants and got into my trustee Isuzu Trooper. I made it down our country road without too much of an incident. It was a little slick and I was sliding around on the road a little bit. But I was handling it like a champ! I was actually pretty excited to get home and brag to Danny about how well I handled myself.

And then I got on the interstate.

I hadn't made it 1/2 mile down the highway when I hit a particularly slick spot. I was going about 50mph when I had my first experience of all four tires loosing their grip to the road. Danny's voice boomed in my head.

"Take your foot of the gas. Keep your wheels straight. Don't touch the brake. Ride it out."

I began to drift off of the highway to the side of road, taking out about 3 reflector posts. BAM BAM BAM. Great, there goes my bumper. So much for bragging about how well I handled the roads.

Now, this next part.... I don't even know how to explain what happened. I was watching the reflector posts disappear beneath my car when I felt my front tires catch on a patch of dirt. I began my wrestle with the wheel to keep it straight as my rear tires continued to slide all over the place.

And then I was suddenly facing the interstate.

It all happened in slow motion. I had so much time to think so many different things. This isn't happening. Holy $h!% I'm gonna roll! I can't recall every thought, but I do remember my last panic stricken one as I looked to my right, hugged my stomach, and watched the snow covered ground rapidly approach my passenger window.

My baby.

I blinked. That's all it felt like, a nano second. When I opened my eyes a little Mexican man was kicking in my windshield and screaming in his heavy accent

"Miss, Miss? You hear me!?" My car was on its side, the drivers side window gone and I was laying in the snow.

"My baby" I groaned

"baby?" the mans voice took on another level of panic.

"oh, my baby" was all I could say. The little man disappeared. It's so cold. I remember thinking.

More voices.

"There's a baby?" A slow Wyoming drawl, questioned. I'm so cold "Ma'am is there a baby in the car?" the same drawl repeated.

Nothing made sense. My voice wouldn't work. And I was so cold.

"He's kicking in the back window... the car seat IS back there but I don't see a baby" Wyoming man called out to someone. I suddenly understood the Mexican's risen state of panic.

"No, no. Baby's in my stomach. There's no one else in the car" I managed to get out. my baby. please move. move baby. kick me, please.

"They want to talk to you, ma'am" The Wyoming man handed a phone through the windshield. damn, its cold. I've got to get out of this car.

"Who?" I asked

"The paramedics. Ambulance is on its way."

I took the phone with one hand and unbuckled my seat belt with the other. Ive got to get out of this car. get warm. The woman on the phone tells me to stay in the car. I'm not staying in this car. I need to get warm.

"Ma'am I need you to stay where you are. paramedics are on their way."

"I'm not staying in this car, I'm cold. " I practically screamed at the woman and hung up the phone. I crawled through the broken windshield, not even aware of the glass shards being pushed into my palms. A little Mexican woman helped me to my feet. I looked at her, she looked absolutly terrified.

"I'm freezing" I told her. I couldn't stop shaking. shock does crazy things to ya.

"My car" she offered. She led me to a large white truck and helped me inside. "okay? you, okay?" she asked in her heavy accent.

"I'm fine. It's my baby. I'm pregnant. My baby" please baby, kick me. She's was still looking at me in horror. I didn't know how much she understood

"You bleeding" she said pointing to the side of my head.

"What?" I raised my own glass covered hand to the left side of my head where she motioned. It was warm, wet. I brought my hand back in front of my face, drenched in blood.

Everything went black.

"Marcie, Marcie I need you to wake up for me, okay?"

I open my eyes. I'm in a small, dark room. Everything's bouncing. Sirens. I'm in the ambulance.

"Marcie, you were in a car accident"

"I know, my baby"

"I know your pregnant Marcie, we're getting you to the hospital so they can check on that baby. but I need you to answer a few questions for me, Marcie"

"Okay"

"I'm George with American Medical Response" AMR, thats where danny's been training to get his EMT. Danny. I want Danny. I need Danny. George is asking me questions about allergies to medications and pains in my stomach. I can't think of anything but Danny.

"Do you know my husband?" I ask

"Marcie I need you to answer these questions for me"

"He's training with AMR for his EMT. His name is Dan."

"Dan? Your Dan's wife?"

"Yes... can you call him." I choke back a sob. "Please"



So Danny gets the dreaded phone call saying "your wife's been in an accident" not from the hospital, but from his buddy George. Which, I guess is better than the hospital. He gave him the lowdown and told him to get his butt to the hospital.

At the hospital there are a ton of nurses and doctors poking and prodding me me a million questions. I do my best at answering them... all the while repeating:

"My baby, check the baby"

And everyone is ignoring me. I'm getting angry. please baby move, kick baby, kick.

"Marcie when was your last tetanus shot?"

"I DONT KNOW! I DONT FREAKIN CARE! SOMEONE CHECK ON MY BABY DAMNIT!"


A few minutes later a tiny nurse with a kind voice bends to my ear level and says.
"Hi, Marcie. I'm the OB nurse. Lets get a monitor on that tummy of yours"

I takes a few minutes to get the monitor turned on and the goop on my belly. I can't breathe. But the moment she puts the monitor on my stomach that familiar weoweoweoweow of babies heart beat sounds from the speaker. I don't even notice the tetanus shot being pushed into my arm, the I.V. being shoved into my vein. Tears of relief burned at my eyes.

Danny is suddenly at my side. "oh, baby" he whispers. (I'm sure I looked a fright) "Oh baby, I'm so sorry" He keeps repeating, gripping my hand.

And then baby kicked.

The tears came.
and wouldn't stop.

This is what your car looks like after rolling two and a half times.

The part that's bashed in? Yeah, that's where I was sitting.

How was I not crushed?

My escape route, the shattered windshield.

Wrecks that leave less damage kill people.

I walked away with a concussion and a sliced ear.

It went all the way through, (hence all the blood) not quite sure what did it. But the doc did such a nice job stitching it up, I don't think there will even be much of a scar

Sorry for such a long post. It's not very well written, I know. Please excuse all the grammatical errors.

I just wanted to tell my story.

I feel lucky to be alive.
I feel blessed.

Every day is a blessing.
a gift.


Since the accident I've been a little emotional, yes. But I've been incredibly happy. When my son wakes up at 7:30 in the morning I don't wish for another few minutes of sleep . I jump out of bed, excited for those morning snuggles and giggles. I treasure every second of every day. Every kiss from my son, every "I love you" from my husband, every kick from my baby.
speaking of baby....

during ultrasounds to check on the little one after all the commotion we found a little something.

a little something that baby girls don't have.

BABY IS A BOY! haha. funny eh?

BIG Thank you's to:
the nurses.
the doctors.
the Mexican family.
the Wyoming man.
George, the paramedic.

I wish I knew all of their names

Everyone's prayers. phone calls. meals from the relief society.

And to my heavenly father, for giving me a a while longer before calling me back home.

There's still much I need to do down here.