Of Birthdays, Travels, and Miracles

We had a great weekend! January 16th was my 21st birthday, and my dear husband made it very special! (We also took no pictures...bummer.)

Celebrating together began January 15th, as we were traveling out of town on the 16th. Of course, shopping was high on my list of birthday priorities. :) Purchases included supplies for making a white jacket, an outfit for Ava from Younkers, and then thrift store purchases of 2 new summer skirts. I love everything I found! We found some great babysitters close by (my parents), who were thrilled to have their granddaughter for the evening. Scott and I ate at Aunt Maude's, a New Orleans feel restaurant, with Cajun type food on the menu. I had Smoked Duck Breast and it was delicious!!! We spent the night with my family, and Saturday morning went for an oil change in the car.

After the oil change we had several hours before we needed to be to our next destination. So, naturally, we killed time at Walmart! :) Ava discovered that carts make great playpens, and I found hot rollers. It turns out that Scott thinks my hair looks fantastic when I use hot rollers, and I will quote him..."I should have gotten these for you months ago!" I love him.

Time moved along, and we realized that it was time to make it to our next destination: Charter Oak. A cute little town with a cute little gym that was the perfect place to surprise a dear girl on her birthday! Bekah's family had figured out how to get her "favorite people" at this gym following a basketball game, and it was so amazing and fun to surprise her! The drive over was amazing as well, with everything coated in Rhyme Frost, glittering as shafts of sunlight pierced the fog and eventually drove it away to reveal a winter iceland in all its harsh, stark beauty.

Again time went quickly, and we prepared to journey to our final destination, Scott's hometown. I love Lincoln, and I love extended family. Seeing all of my family, birth and in-laws, was another incredibly wonderful birthday treat! They took me out to dinner at one of my all time favorite Italian buffets, and I even braved up to let the restaurant folks sing me "Happy Birthday". We spent the night in Lincoln, and enjoyed seeing some of our extended Kratzer family on Sunday afternoon.

Time marched on...and it was soon time to come home. Night had fallen, Ava was tired after not having had a proper nap all day, and we were enjoying traveling back to Iowa with Stephanie following. However, we hadn't gotten too far down the road when we saw a State Trooper pulled over behind a Jeep. Being good drivers, everyone got in the left lane to pass and then resumed normal travel. Suddenly that same State Trooper appeared on our left flank, and put on the lights. Scott pulled off, and we had no idea why we were pulled over. The Trooper came over and very politely pointed out that our headlight was out, and after a brief delay we were back on the road with a fix it ticket.

Well, we traveled on through the foggy atmosphere, and enjoyed quiet conversation. I cannot praise Ava enough...she slept through everything and was so angelic!

Suddenly Scott stiffened...a small SUV pulling a Chevy Suburban on a dolly had come up on our left and wasn't really accelerating or decelerating, just hanging out in their lane. Suddenly they sped up and pulled away, crossing a bridge in front of us. Scott commented on how he wanted to just drive behind them. (I discovered later that his reasoning was because the pulling vehicle was lighter than the one being towed, and he, as all safe drivers should be, was uncomfortable with that.) Sure enough, as the road curved left after the bridge, we could see the trailer starting to sway and weave. The driver was going much too fast, and completely lost control. The driver whipped all over the lanes of traffic before completely skidding into the right shoulder. The Suburban was flung off the dolly and into the left median. Meanwhile, Scott was doing a fantastic job of watching for debris, ascertaining where other drivers were all around him, and avoiding the mess altogether. Drivers around us also did a great job of avoiding the accident, so no one was hurt.

Many thanks...God's divine hand upon us kept everyone safe. The vehicle did not flip, and the Surburban was stopped from crossing into the oncoming traffic by the huge banks of snow. No other cars were involved, and that Officer that pulled us over? Back in traffic, ready to help. Scott called 911 and reported the accident, and we praised God for His protection. Thankfully, the rest of the trip home was uneventful and we had an excellent night's sleep.

Thanks for visiting, for reading, and for being you. Remember...you are God's handiwork, and you have a wonderful purpose on this earth! Praise the Lord for 10 different things today...and then keep praising Him!