Yellowstone: A Vacation Without Accidents

In the beginning of July we went to Yellowstone with our neighbors, The Riddles.  We actually camped inside the park this year and had a great time doing it!  Thankfully, our trip was before the bear attack, so I didn't spend the time paranoid.  I really liked going straight from our campsite to the awesome, beautiful viewing areas,without having to travel and hour in and out of the park.  We went to many of the attractions that we've seen before, but either saw new things about them or different perspectives.  I love being in nature and especially being in nature without cell phone coverage or wi-fi, so that our options were enjoying each other and this amazing world!

The first night we actually stayed in a hotel in Idaho Falls, which turned out to be a great way to decompress from a busy week.  One more night with showers and pools.

There was a nice walk around the falls with all sorts of statues and artwork.

On to Yellowstone! One of the first waterfalls we saw as we entered the park.  One of our neighbors had not visited Yellowstone before and the other visited 15 years ago, so we stopped at almost everything we could.

The first animal we saw was a bear!!  We were so excited.  We were far enough away we felt safe.  Thank goodness for zoom lenses!

We didn't need a zoom lens for this one! This guy was so close to our van it gave me nervous chills!

This gave me chills of a different kind!  We are at the top of the waterfall in Yellowstone canyon.  What a humbling feeling to watch this water move sooo fast and realize that you are a tiny, puny, powerless, little spec of dust compared to this.

Have you seen the Petroglyphs in Yellowstone? Very life like.

This white spot int he picture is a wolf!  A wolf and bear in one trip - oh my!

Ice cream at Mammoth Hot Springs because it was HOT there!

Could this be a product of sulfur?

Oh, yes, it's sulfur.  The bison doesn't seem to mind though.

Old Faithful, the big attraction at Yellowstone is best viewed through star shaped glasses, on Mom's shoulders and thankfully in the shade.

Another cool picture from my talented husband.

 We had this cool log teeter totter at our second campsite.  Thankfully no fingers were smashed. Our buddy Damon loved it too!

One of the reasons this camping trip was so great was Mark being able to orchestrate the boys helping with tent building and breaking.  They are old enough and big enough to help with nearly everything! Yee-haw! Mark looks like an official camping conductor with the great hat his Mom gave him. How did she know it would match nearly every shirt he has?

 If you are a camping sort of person - Yellowstone is a great place to do it! They've got great facilities and you can't beat the surroundings! Just take bear repellant now.

Mark's Still Trying to Get Me to Drive a Jazzy; Thoughts About Work.

Still not going for the jazzy.

Other updates:
I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm still taking it easy because I don't want to risk further back injury, because back injuries stink.  I feel like I'm getting back to normal.  My injury feels like a big sore muscle that doesn't go away in a few days, but I'm confident it will go away in weeks, which is just fine with me, I'm not in a hurry, which is amazing, but you'll see why.

I've gone to a physical therapist three times now and will only need to go one more day before I'm discharged.  I mostly do exercises while laying on my back to build my core.  It feels good to do some exercise though.  I really do miss being able to have a good aerobic workout for at least 30 minutes most days.  The hardest part about taking it easy is that my blood sugar levels have increased because I'm not active.  I've had to make adjustments to my insulin a number of times and still struggle with it a bit.  It's been very helpful to have my CGM to detect trends and have alerts for highs (haven't had many lows) so that I can prevent greater highs. Again thanks to the scientists, doctors, nurses, computer people, grant givers and others who make my diabetes a little easier to control.

My head is still a little tender and bumpy, but what else is new?

I have had much time to ponder how I run my life, while I try to direct others to run a bit of it for me.  My boys have been so helpful to fetch things I need and complete little jobs.  I would not be able to take it easy if I didn't have my wonderful Mark to push me away from the dishwasher and laundry when I attempt to do them. Because of his example, Spencer now does the same thing.

I realize how I run a fast paced life, thinking certain things absolutely need to be done, whether they are really necessary or not, and that I can do many things at the same time if I just plan efficiently.  As I shuffle around the house I think to myself how quickly I used to be able to do things.  Mark has always told me to slow down and take some time for myself.  While I think I have been better at doing that in the last few years, in my judgement, it's also a huge part of my nature to work hard, and I derive a great deal of satisfaction from that.  I suspect I will be able to take a little more time for myself when James goes to first grade but I'm also afraid that I'll fill up the time will needless things.  I struggle with the balance of work and care for myself.  Here's what I think about the whole issue (reminder that this is what I think now, which could evolve into something else as I learn more):

• Hard work provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that helps me to discover my abilities and also my limitations, which helps define who I am. 
• I can choose what work I perform.  This doesn't mean that I will only choose jobs that I like because there are plenty of things that just need to be done whether I like them or not, and if I CHOOSE, I can still feel satisfied and fulfilled by doing those.  I've found that not complaining about these sorts of jobs helps my attitude toward them. Just "git r dun" and move on.
• In my estimation, choosing jobs that I like is the same thing as having "me time".  Choosing jobs that help others is "me time" augmented.  I love helping other people and having fun while doing it.  This is why I volunteer for story time at the library and volunteer at the school promoting literacy.  There are times when these jobs become busy and rushed.  This does not mean that I do not enjoy the experience.  I am just busy and rushed for the moment, but the satisfaction usually always comes with my interaction with others and with a good job finished.
• Having a "poor me" attitude about having to work, whether it's something I've been asked to do or something I've chosen that didn't turn out the way I thought it would, sours my life.  When I make a commitment to do something, even if it's not enjoyable, finishing the task brings satisfaction as well.  Also, those jobs turn out to be the best war stories to tell.  On the flip side, having a "poor me" attitude about resting is just as sour. Come to think of it a "poor me" attitude about anything at any time is souring.
• There is a time for rest and a time for work.  Too much work may make one resentful of the work itself. Too much rest breeds a lack a progress and a lack of self-esteem.  And living in a grass-is-greener world is constant unsatisfaction with life in general. Sometimes I think society defines rest only as a lounge on a beach by clear blue waters or doing anything restful to your heart's content.  I think you find rest by training yourself to rest, even amidst chaos.  Which, ironically, takes a lot of practice and work.  This is what I think I've been better at doing in the last few years.  People may see me out and about, running around doing many jobs, but if I train myself to rest my mind or to enjoy myself doing those jobs, I achieve a great balance.  So, like Tom Brokaw or some other famous newscaster used to say, "where ever you are, be there." When you work, really work.  When you play, really play.  If you figure our how to make work play, you're blessed, or you've blessed yourself.
• I find the best way to rest your mind while working is to focus on the positive points or results of a job. Be positive.  Find the silver lining. How will this benefit me?  How will this benefit others?  There are always good things find. 

So, as you see, I've had a lot of time to think about this.  It's good to write it down.  It's probably more than you want to read though. So, I'm not in a hurry to get back to a rushed life.  Now is a time to rest and I'm able to do so thanks to so many good people who have helped in all sorts of ways.  The new school year is around the corner and I'm starting to think about all that comes with that.  But, I'll have you know that I've already said 'no' to one volunteer job because after working and resting I'm becoming more familiar with a good balance.  I hope that lasts! I suspect I'll have times in the future when I over schedule myself, but I'm glad I've had this epiphany and have written it down so I can come back to it and get perspective again.

Hallelujah Chorus from Spencer

I no longer have staples holding me together!!  This morning a kind nurse removed the five staples from the back of my head and said it looks alright.  After the staple removal, we picked up the boys from their soccer and basketball class, and Spencer started singing the Hallelujah chorus. He never was a fan of the thought of staples in my head and never did look at them, so what a relief for him to not have to imagine that anymore!  I did enjoy the serenade though because I am quite happy that I will be able to lay my head flat on the pillow and wash my hair normally.  Those two things seem silly, but they fall under the category of 'not appreciating things until you lose them'.

On that subject, here are some other things that I generally don't appreciate, but do now:
sweeping and mopping the floor
vacuuming
making dinner (though I generally like this)
sitting up for longer than 20 minutes
weeding the garden (thankfully I did this the day before the vacation)
rising up out of a chair without grunting
picking things up off the floor
lifting the garbage into the garbage can
all sorts of other basic tasks that I do every day without thinking about having the ability to do them

The other good thing about not being able to do them myself, beside appreciating that I can usually do them, is that my boys have stepped up and helped out with these things.  Spencer learned to make Top Ramen, I've taught Spencer and D.J. to mow the lawn, so we're good in that area, they take the garbage out and also put them out on the curb, help me get out of chairs and let me lean on them when I need to.  They've been able to do all the little jobs for a while, but seeing that I can't do much, they help out a little more readily.

Also, Mark's multi-tasking skills are being put to the test while having to complete multiple projects from work and also multiple jobs at home just to keep everything clean and usable. He is victorious. What a guy!

By the way, he has received a few packages of Double Stuff Oreos from very kind people.

Thank you again to all who helped helped ease my healing process and maintain my household by cleaning, baking, making, suggesting, referring, folding laundry, watching my kids, keeping me company, checking in on me and administering electro therapy.

Post Accident Endorphin Boosts

As I noted in my last super long post, there are very many good things that happened during and because of the ATV accident.  Here are some more things that are on the lighter side of things and as such, make me laugh a lot, which is so great!

We have had many people bring all sorts of food for meals and snacks.  Mark commented at one point, "All this food is great! You should get injured more often!"  Spencer said, "Dad, I don't think it's worth it."

Mark is a continual barrel of laughs, which I greatly appreciate.  This is on top of his new workload at his job and work at home.  There have been so many people who call and ask what they can do, to which his first response (every time) is: "I think Lisa really needs to watch me eat some double stuff Oreos and drink Cherry Coke Zero."  I laugh every time. . . and roll my eyes just a little.

Mark is also excited for me to use a "jazzy." I was not aware that was the name for the electronic shopping go-carts you see in the grocery store.  After he took me to the Dr. we went to Hobby Lobby to get some projects to work on while I'm sitting, sitting, sitting. He directed me toward the huge wheelchair with the huge basket. I said I could shuffle. But half way through the store, I realized I needed the wheelchair. He was all too happy to roll me around the store and would ask: "Can I make beeping sounds like this: BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" or other vehicular sounds, making the sounds as an example of course, not just asking the questions. That was of course a manual wheel chair. He will likely not give up pushing the "jazzy" on me.

The boys wondered which of the three of them have stepped on cracks recently.

My raspberries are starting to ripen and all is good with the world when that happens. DJ brought three raspberries in for me the other day and I nearly cried as I ate them! I even shuffled into the backyard myself this morning and picked a few choice berries.  Our raspberry patch was the predominant reason for buying our house, by the way.

I have not given into daytime television. Daytime television, by definition, is an endorphin downer, according to me.

My chief endorphins upper is Mark. He makes me laugh all the time and I love him dearly for that and making me sit down and getting everything I could possilby need to fit onto the tables and arms of chairs that I spend so much time on.  He is so good to me as he tries to pull double duty by completing responsibilities at work and even more at home now.

But we both couldn't do it without all the wonderful friends and family who give and give and give and give and give.  We love you all and marvel at your selflessness.  You raise our endorphins by making us laugh and bring us peace, which is a great combination!

Another Astling Accident; Marysvale

July 13, 2011

This is very, very long. So either pull up a comfortable chair, get some popcorn and a drink, or come back to it when you can do those things.

I’m thinking of two ways to start this blog post: 1) the ordinary way: I was in an ATV accident and here’s what happened, or 2) the dramatic way: You will not believe the events of this horrendous, yet miraculous event in the life of a fairly conservative woman on Saturday, July 9. If you have not believed in miracles up to this point in your life, prepare to change your beliefs!

I’ve had too much drama though, so you just get the plain version, which is dramatic enough.

My family had a reunion in Marysvale, Utah this last weekend. Marysvale has made their name as an ATV trail king, so that’s what we did! We spent most of the day Saturday on beautiful trails, going to beautiful lakes and reservoirs. There were four-wheelers, trucks and a six-man (pumped up golf cart). We had such a great time that day complete with snow ball fights and snacks. When we decided to head back to our cabins, we began to backtrack the way we came and then some of us decided to take a different trail back and meet up with the others where we parked the trailers. So with our map, five four-wheelers, the six-man and the truck, we started down a new and beautiful trail, with a little bit of rain to keep us cool.

We reached a point where a gate with a sign indicated that only vehicles that were 50 inches wide could fit on the trail ahead, so Mark turned back with my Dad and four cousins. The truck had turned back a while before that. The five four-wheelers came through, each with kids, except for one. I had my two nieces with me, Jara and Tessa, both four years old, one in front of me and one in back. We went down a steep and rocky hill just fine and then enjoyed trails through, trees and brush and cows. At forks in the road we would consult the map and make sure we were going the right direction. After stopping at one fork in the road, we were unsure which way was right, so my brother Ryan rode ahead and my brother Jed rode back to the last marker. Ryan came back first and told us to go the way he went, so three of us did that while he went to get Jed and tell him. Wouldn’t you know it, but we came to another fork in the road and by this time we were so tired of forks that my brother-in-law Matt just decided to keep going. After discussing a bit with my sister, she decided to follow her husband and I would wait for my two brothers to let them know. While we were waiting, I talked with my nieces about butterflies, flowers and the mud on my face that would certainly need a washing when we returned. When my brothers caught up, Ryan went ahead, then I was next and Jed brought up the rear. The trail was beautiful and a little damp in places because there had been rain, and in some place we had to ride through pools of water. We went down the trail for a while with lots of turns.

Now, I don’t remember much of this, so I’m going to tell you what other people have told me. Nobody actually saw it happen, except me, but I can’t remember it, so the whole thing is a mystery.

At one turn I went off of the trail and into a ravine. I do not remember feeling fear or panic or thinking that I would be hurt or that the girls would be hurt or anything. I don’t remember if there was something in the road, or if there was something in the trees that distracted me or if the turn was too sharp. I have no idea why this happened, which is frustrating, but probably a blessing too.

Jed said he noticed the branches in the trees moving and that I was no longer in front of him, so he stopped and looked down the side. He saw the four-wheeler, with me sitting by it and the two girls  standing on or by the four-wheeler. The four-wheeler landed in a river that I’m told was 2-3 feet deep. The bottom of the ravine was 12-15 feet down from the edge of the trail. Jed (my hero) climbed down into the ravine and first grabbed his daughter, Jara, and carried her to the top of the ravine to sit her on the trail. This is where I started to realize something had happened and felt dizzy, my vision coming back into focus as Jed came back down the ravine to get Tessa.  I remember looking up to see Jara up on the top and Jed coming back down. When he went to carry Tessa up, he looked at me and noticed blood coming from my head, at which point I noticed blood on the tread of the tire mixed with water. He took of his shirt (“Protect you nuts” shirt) and wrapped it around my head and asked if I could climb up. My left side was hurting so badly and I was still so dizzy that I could not make the effort, so I sat in the water putting pressure on the back of my head. He carried Tessa to the top of the ravine to sit with Jara and then came back down for me. He came back down and I think he tried to move me, but realized he could not either pick me up or carry me up a 45 degree incline. So using my right side and my left side the best I could, with a lot of grunting and whimpering, I climbed and he pushed me up until we reached the top of the ravine. I remember seeing the girls by his four-wheeler, but don’t remember anything for a while after that. Jed said I was awake for everything, but I just don’t remember.

Jed told me afterward that he said a prayer and then he helped me get on to his small four wheeler, as well as the girls, all the while wondering how he was going to ride two more miles with four people on his small racing four wheeler. At around that time, two four wheelers came up the trail, a man and a woman, who offered help (two more heroes).  The lady that was on the scene happened to be a nurse and when she learned that I was diabetic, made me eat a granola bar in case my blood sugar was low. I don’t remember doing that.  Soon after that a Forerunner (?) came down the trail with three men in it (three more heroes!), who also offered assistance. The helpers gave the little girls dry clothes and put them in the back seat of the Forerunner. They helped me get into the Forerunner and put pressure on my head wound and made me sit up and start counting. They took off for town, with Jed following behind in the four-wheeler. I remember Jed pulling them over to tell them to go a little slower because there may be family members on four wheelers coming up the trail and we don’t want any more accidents. I remember seeing Jesse (my youngest brother) come up the trail on a four-wheeler. The men were very kind and asked me all sorts of questions to keep me awake. I told them that Mark was driving a six-man and was ahead of us, told them about my family and asked them questions about their life.  We came to the point of the road where the trucks were waiting for us and I remember seeing my Dad’s shocked face as he looked at me. We let the girls out to be with their families and to explain, but didn’t stop long. Mark had decided to head back to the cabins because it started raining so he had gone ahead, but the Forerunner came upon him and the men yelled out, “We’re looking for Mark, are you Mark?” Mark saw me in the front seat with no glasses and a bandage around my head and got into the back seat of the Forerunner and reached up and held my hand. I focused as hard as I could on counting to 100 over and over again, because I knew if I thought about those little girls or their parents I would have anxiety and do my hyperventilating cry, which would not help at all. I had to trust whoever was taking care of us. I still don’t know what those five people look like, I just remember their voices.

Along the road, as soon as the men received cell reception, they called 911 for an ambulance to meet us in Marysvale. When we reached the gas station where the ambulance was waiting, they put bandages or something on the back of my head, put a neck brace and I think a torso brace on and figured out how to get me from a sitting position in the front seat of the Forerunner to that board to ride on in the ambulance. The EMTs were so kind and good and reassuring. Mark got in to the front seat with the driver and we were off to the closest hospital, which was in Richfield, UT. I spouted off all sorts of information that they probably rolled their eyes at, but information is usually good, so they became aware of what my last A1C was, when my period was, what insurance plan I have, how many children I have, while I became acquainted with the bolts in the ceiling of the ambulance. They cut off all my clothes (sorry for the visual), took off my shoes (I still don’t know where they are come to think of it).

At the hospital they started the whole evaluation where the EMTs left off. After the Dr. berated me (as he should) for not wearing a helmet (not required for over age 18 on the trails– the girls were wearing helmets), he looked me over and ordered a CAT scan. After removing the metal containing braces, I was wheeled in for the scan. I was really ready to get off of that straight board because I was trying to hold up my left side, which was in much pain, and I could not relax because of that. Mark gave me a priesthood blessing while no one was in my curtained room and shortly after, one of the EMT’s came in and offered consecrated oil for a blessing of healing and he assisted.

My niece Tessa was not injured at all. My other niece Jara had a scratch under her eye. Jed and Joshlyn brought her in to the ER to make sure she didn’t need stitches. She was in the next curtained room over. I could hear the whole conversation and did my best to hold it together. But I didn’t. Joshlyn (Jara’s Mom) was so sweet to me, to reassure me that she loved me and that Jara was OK. But I felt, and feel, so incredibly horrible for putting those sweet girls in danger. That’s going to take a while to deal with. The Doctor told her that he could put the stitches in, but that it wouldn’t really result in less of a scar and might add more trauma. It was hard enough to listen to them put steri strips on her. She seemed to calm down a bit with a Barbie band-aid and a toy cell phone and springy bracelet.

The results of the CAT scan indicated that there was no damage to my brain (debatable, but that’s what the doc said), and that I broke off four transverse processes on four vertebrae (L2-L5), which are close to the pelvis. The Doctor explained to us that those bones are unnecessary, so I should be fine. Whew! These are bones that protrude out both sides of the vertebrae and are apparently hard to break (leave it to me). He didn’t go into much more detail than that, which was a little frustrating for us, but at least we knew everything was relatively OK. He put five staples in the back, left side of my head, straight back from my ear. Thankfully he numbed it up first and took out my ponytail holder, which was causing much pain (Mark and the doc both grumbled about how girls can put these things in their hair).

The Doctor told me to go take a shower because I was still covered in blood and the bottom of a river, so the nurses gave me some muscle relaxer followed by morphine so I could get through the shower experience. Thanks goes to Mark and the nurse who had to look at my beat up body as they helped to clean me, while I dialed down my modesty issues and shame meters. Thankfully I could use my right side well and balanced enough to get clean. So, after a three hour stay in the ER, and one more berating from the Doctor for not wearing helmets (as he should) and a few other horror stories about other ATV accidents (apparently in the ER there is no time for bedside manner, except for those sweet nurses – nurses rule!), I was released to go back to Marysvale to spend the last night of our family reunion. For the record, on exiting the hospital, the Doctor said he never rides ATVs, but he does ride horses (and I bet he does it without helmets!).

Other facts and occurences I learned after the ATV accident:

My Mom and Dad took Mark and I back to Marysvale after a quick stop to get clear liquids for me to dine on. Yay, chicken stock. On the way they told us all sorts of interesting things regarding the accident:

My brothers went back to the sight of the accident to figure out what happened. From what they could tell, the four-wheeler went straight down the ravine. There didn’t seem to be any skid marks indicating braking or sliding. The marks on trees indicated the same forward motion and either slowed us down or changed our course or both. The four-wheeler somehow turned upstream, or maybe it was downstream, but somehow it turned. The girls and I were not far from the four-wheeler, we were close by when Jed found us. I was sitting on a tree or something in a pooling area, like a little whirlpool, and there was a big rock there, which we think is what I crashed into causing the broken bones and head injury. There was also a big drain pipe that we must have driven over.

The couple that drove up the trail on four wheelers had a winch on their machines, so they stayed behind to pull my Dad’s four-wheeler out of the river. It took them around an hour to pull it out. During that time there were no other vehicles that passed on the trail.

Further down the trail, there were huge drop offs, much greater than 15 feet.

My Dad’s four-wheeler started right up after they got it out of the water. Apparently, no mechanical problems just a little piece of bumper broken off.

When all the cousins not involved in the accident were at the cabins, Spencer, my oldest son, gathered them all up into our cabin and they all knelt in a circle and each took a turn saying a prayer. What sweet boys!

What I have learned and what I have not learned:

This seems to be the quintessential question: Why do bad things happen to good people? (if I may say so myself). I honestly do not know why. Like I said before, it is totally frustrating not knowing the cause of my descent down a ravine at however many miles per hour, but I recognize it is also a tender mercy from God, for me not to know. I am a person that tends to be hard on myself and if I knew why I put the girls under such danger, I don’t know how I would cope with myself (except that I would do it with the Savior and figure it out somehow, but it would be difficult).

Nothing, absolutely nothing about this situation makes any sense to me. But it happened and I know that if I dwell on the what if’s and why’s and if only’s I will enter a despairing and unhappy life. While in the eyes of some, that may seem what I need to do in order to fulfill justice for putting the girls in danger, or not wearing a helmet or not paying attention to the road or whatever it was, I know, with all that I am, that we do not have hard experiences so that we may despair and try to give payback on our own merits, nor should we expect that from others. This, I believe, is why God lets bad things happen to good people: so that we might exercise extreme self-control in maintaining that we are of value, that we might hope for and look for the good in terrible situations and that ultimately we would credit God for our growth. Because so far, and with this experience, I’ve learned this: God is in control. This is only one of the many times in my short life that he has preserved it a little longer. There are times that I can say with certainty that He has saved my life and I’m sure there are many other tines that I’m unaware of. Why is it that I can say this about my life when there are others who die? I don’t know and I do not maintain that I am more or less deserving than others, but I rely on my belief that God is in control and His purposes make more sense than mine.

So, here are the good things in this crazy situation that indicate what I believe are tender mercies from God for whatever reason:

We did not pass any vehicles on the trail, coming up or down. But right after Jed said a prayer, two four wheelers approached coming up the trail, and one Forerunner was driving down the trail. How the events of those two parties occurred in order to be at our scene right at the time that we asked for them is unexplainable but credited to God.  Their events would have been put into place hours before my accident, so that they were there soon after the accident.

One of the members of our trail rescuers was a registered nurse and others had had medical training.

My brother Jed is my hero. He acted quickly and decisively and spiritually, and I don’t care that he was wearing a shirt picturing a squirrel with a stick and a pile of nuts that said “Protect your nuts.” I have no doubt that any other members of our party would have acted in the same way, but for some reason he was the one. Again, I’m sorry for putting your daughter in danger, but believe she was preserved by Heavenly help as well.  One of the greatest mysteries and miracles to me is how I was thrown off the four-wheeler hard enough to cause a head injury and break four hard-to-break bones, while it seemed that the girls just slid off the four-wheeler into the water feet first and came away with one scratch.  I believe kids are made of rubber (evidence being my boys who bounce off the walls), but this is just amazing.

My sister Loni, brother-in-law Matt and sister-in-law Joshlyn are merciful, kind and forgiving people. See the beatitudes for your reward. I have confidence in that. Thank you for your love and confidence and support.

We looked at a printout of my blood sugar records of that day – thanks to my new Continuous Glucose Monitor that checks my blood sugar every five minutes. I did not drop below 140 that whole day, which means I was far away from any chance of blackout, even give the 20 percent standard deviation of the device. So apparently it had nothing to do with diabetes.

Whatever it was that happened to make me go off the trail, I apparently didn’t over correct or skid causing a rollowver that would have resulted in more serious injury.

Whatever it was that slowed us down before entering the river, wind or trees or Heavenly power, slowed us down enough that we did not flip over the machine, or the machine flipping over on us. I can only imagine that the girls sort of slid off into the water and had the wherewithal or influence to stand up, preventing water into the body.

Of all the bones to break in my body, I break four unnecessary ones. Still painful, but I should heal within a month or so and experience no other problems.

Even though I was not wearing a helmet (you can all berate me, as you should), my brain is preserved (but we’ll see how that turns out).

There is a new Wheeler family rule: EVERYONE WEARS HELMETS!!

In addition to an awesome, supportive and loving family, I have incredible neighbors and friends who have brought meals, watched my children, cleaned my house and given words of wisdom.

A neighbor visited yesterday and she summed it up well: This experience is an indication that God knows who you are and what you need. Did it come with pain and sorrow? Yes. But somehow it fulfills a purpose, some of which I think I know now and I pray that I will remain open to further enlightenment and not close Him off just because I’ve experienced pain and sorrow.  The accident was not prevented, but soooo much help was given, which in some ways, is more merciful than prevention.

Stay tuned for updates. . .

August 1, 2011

I just talked to one of the men, Herb, who “came upon” my accident.  As I remember him telling me, he said they were fishing that day and were on their way to a different reservoir.  One of them asked if there was a different way to the reservoir and another replied that there was but it would add about 25 miles to their trip.  Herb suggested that they take that road since they didn’t really have anything pressing and they should just see some new country.  The others seemed to want to continue on the route they were taking so they would get there sooner, but Herb persisted with his suggestions that they should take this other trail.  So, they did and not long after their turn off they came upon our accident scene.  How grateful I am that he followed his feelings.  Who knows how long it would have taken to get all three of us down the trail to help or at least within cell phone reception range. 

Also, my Mom and Dad talked with the man who drove up on the four-wheelers.  He said that he has driven these trails many times before, but never the one we were on.  He didn’t really know what made him decide to go on that particular trail, that day.