spring break

It's the kidlets spring break this week. It started last Friday so we headed to Arkansas to see my parents and the oldest kidlet who drove in from Kansas. Yesterday everyone headed home because of work or work and school. We drove through snow, rain, sleet, hail and some high winds during the course of the day. Just a typical springtime drive!

We stopped at a McDonald's in IL for lunch. I ordered a Big and Tasty with cheese. I got a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. I went back up to the counter and asked for my lettuce and tomato. The crew chief asked if there was mayo on it so we looked and nope, there wasn't so the counter person yelled back for some mayo but the crew chief said "No, make her another sandwich!" I said I was fine with slapping it on there myself but she insisted. So I get a new sandwich and go sit down and check. Tomato? Yes, we have tomato. Lettuce? We have lettuce. Mayo? We have mayo? Cheese? ............................ At that point I said "This is how this all started so forget it!" Then I dropped a ketchup laden french fry on my shirt. Luckily I was wearing a red shirt but Katie said "Mom, this just isn't your day!"

We get back into the car and head up I-57 until Effingham where we grab I-70. There is a giant cross on the side of the road and I opened the window to try to get a picture without having a bug splattered windshield in the way. Apparently there's a good seal on that window because when I opened it everyone's ears popped and there were several "OW!"'s heard! And I didn't get a good picture either because I got part of the window frame in it. So we sacrificed for my art unsuccessfully! lol

We're about 15 miles outside of Indy when suddenly traffic is screeching to a halt and then we see a pile of cars and a small trailer sitting in the left lane of eastbound I-70. Mark pulls off the road and runs over to see if he can help while I call 911 and try to distract the kids (unsuccessfully I might add! Katie kept staring and watching it all!) 911 said they had to connect with me the state highway patrol and the phone rings FOREVER! I finally get someone and I'm telling him what I see and trying to guess at where we were. I had been reading so wasn't paying attention to mile markers but I was able to narrow it down and then describe a sign I could see and apparently that let him know where we were. From what Mark was told the accident had happened just a few minutes before we stopped. There was a small trailer sitting in the front of the mess and the SUV pulling it was in the median. There were three other cars involved and the one in the rear was totaled. She didn't really have a front end of her car anymore it was all shoved up into the dashboard. Mark said there were only a few inches from the steering wheel and the back of the front seat. Fortunately a doctor heading westbouhd had stopped and a RN pulled in in front of us and ran over too. There was a kid, late teen/early 20s I'd guess, that was stuck in the back seat of the middle car. Mark and another guy helped get him out after the nurse said it was ok to do so. Mark said 23 years of all that first aid and safety training in the military kept going through his head. I'm very proud of him! It looked like everyone was moving ok, a lot of chest pain from airbags and hitting steering wheels and head lacerations. That kid from the back seat had a blood stained t-shirt against the side of his face. Once the state patrol got there and asked Mark and the nurse if they had seen the wreck (nope) he stopped traffic so they could both get back to their cars and clear the area. That's about the time I got the shakes. I'm fine when I have a task to do in an emergency but once that's over then forget it apparently!

Then we're stuck in traffic. We are literally sitting in Park on the interstate. From what we could hear on the AM radio traffic update (very hard to understand electronic voice!) they were doing clean up from another accident four miles up the highway. All the vehicles were gone once we got to that spot but from the looks of the tire tracks on the road and in the grass I'm guessing two semis hit. That and the fact there were oranges in the grass all along the side of the road! Must have been a produce truck!

We finally get home, much later than anticipated, and started to unload the van. I went out for my second load and was commenting on how spongy and wet the ground was. I don't know what happened but Mark said he thought I caught the edge of the driveway but the next thing I know I'm trying to keep myself from doing a face plant in the driveway. I managed to just bang the heck out of my palms and knees instead. I laugh/cried to Katie "It really ISN'T my day!" My knees and back are hurting this morning. Nothing major but enough that I don't forget it happened!

Today I think we'll just stay home where hopefully it's safe! lol The kennel was full so the neighbors came over and dog sat for us and apparently Daisy and her exciteable bladder christened almost every room so I'll be cleaning that today. Then again declaring it Reading Day sounds good too!