I couldn't make this up...

For those of you West of the Eastern Seaboard, we have a serious snow situation. And when I say serious, I mean 10-15 inches of snow depending on location. Yesterday in South Carolina, I had no idea what was taking place north of me. Prior to leaving I checked the web and it looked like VAB would get about 6 inches of snow and I-95 was clear. Thinking that I needed to get back so I could get to work on Monday, I left SC and headed to Hampton Roads. This is the first decision in my life that I am deeply disappointed in myself for making.

The web had been truthful and I-95 was pretty clear. There was snow falling but the roads had no accumulation or other drivers for much of it. I figured I could roll into VAB around 3 and beat sundown. About 50 miles from my destination, I was stuck on Hwy 58 not moving with well over 7 hours in the car. I was 7 miles from interstate and certain once I was there it would be smooth sailing. Sitting still I heard a pop and smoke began to exit from the hood. I had no idea what to do so I just turned my car off in the middle of the road. We weren't moving, so I wasn't going to try to get out of the way. I completely lost it, certain I would be stranded in the cold and already feeling somewhat claustrophobic from the bumper to bumper traffic. What happened next reminded me of my favorite movie as a kid, Adventures in Babysitting.

Before I could really get a bearing on what had happened, a wrecker pulled up in front of me and the guy got out. He wasted no time and told me to call my insurance and he would start hooking me up. I was so confused and uncertain of what would happen that I could not stop crying. The wrecker driver, Adam, got in and then started to try to figure out what to do with me. At first he was angry that I got stuck and yelled at me for crying. And he sweared A LOT. None of that helped the situation and only increased the tears. He informed me that he couldn't take me home because the bridges were closing and many of the exits were doing the same. I had to find a place to go that side of the High Rise Bridge and I could not think of anywhere. I just started calling people that I thought were in the area. In the process, he assured me he wouldn't leave me in the cold and told me I would just ride around with him until I could figure out where to go.

Sitting shotgun in a 30,000 pound wrecker, my mind started to wander. My first thought was Adventures in Babysitting and I knew if I opened his glove box, there would be a gun. And if he wanted to go check on someone's house I was toast! Then I began to think of all the Criminal Minds episodes I watch every night. That did not help my sanity. Sure he was in a legit truck, but how did I know he hadn't hijacked the real driver and he was picking up innocent victims to drive away and kill? I just began to pray that everything would work out and that I would be safe and warm somewhere that night. I managed to warm Adam up to the idea of me hanging out with him for a bit and after he yelled at me and made me cry more, he got soft. By the end of the trip, he was trying to joke around with me and I think he enjoyed the company. After numerous phone calls, I managed to track down a friend from high school that lived 1 exit away from the wrecker service. We arranged a meeting spot and he dropped me off with Haley's husband. When I exited the wrecker, I hugged him. I'm not sure he knew what to do with that since he just stood there, but I was so grateful for him.

I spent last night with the McPhail's and their hospitality is extremely appreciated. This morning Haley's husband drove me to my car to retrieve the contents and then drove me to my house. I'm home now, but sans car. Right now, I'm just praying for an inexpensive fix and life to return to normalcy soon. I've had a number of inconveniences in the last 2 months, so I'm a bit exhausted.

The whole situation has really done a number on me emotionally. First of all, I wish with every fiber of my being I had stayed in SC. I could have spent a few more days with my family and enjoyed it post Christmas stresses. I always get emotional leaving their home and wish I had more time with them. Second, I'm in awe of how awesome God is. Adam insisted that if I hadn't been in the middle of the road, he wouldn't have stopped. And we all know on a normal travel day it takes a while to get a wrecker. Even if my car hadn't broke down, I wouldn't have made it home if everything truly did shut down. And just before the pop, I told my dad I was done. I wanted to just pull over and quit. I drove for 7 hours white knuckled and teary eyed most of the way, and I was exhausted.

I learned 2 things out of this:
1) You are never too cautious. Safety is more important than anything else. And if people want to call you a pansy, just remember the time I got picked up by a wrecker in a snow storm. I'm never driving in snow again.
2) Even when you make poor decisions, the Lord doesn't leave you stranded. He always provides, even if it is a grumpy old man that gets mad at you for breaking down. In the end, that mean old man turns out to be an angel.