"Are you in need of an adventure?"

Here I am, surrounded by a room full of my stuff. I'm home for the Holidays, freshly showered and smelling wonderful in my robe. My bed is one of the most uncomfortable beds I've ever sat on, but it has pink sheets and a quilt made out of my great-grandmother's old clothes and fabrics so I'm all right. I just need to share an adventure with you. It is quite the adventure you may not get as much  of a kick out of it that I will in about a year, but it is a story that needs to be told. Sorry if it's long...

The story begins last week in Rock Springs. I was with my good friend, Sleeping Beauty. (I'm giving everyone code names) I was dying to go home for the weekend from Rock Springs because one of my dearest friends, we'll call him Hercules, was leaving on his mission for two years. And, of course, I absolutely HAD to go to his farewell. Now, I had to be back in Rock Springs by Tuesday for my Acting final at 8 a.m. So... I had to plan this out carefully. I had my car,  my PARENT's car, the Jimmy.  Not the best tires or windshield wipers. The weather didn't look great for the next few days. I figured I would be fine. My mother told me, several times, that I should just stay in Rock Springs over the weekend and come home when we knew the weather was better. I didn't want to do that! I had to go to my friend's farewell! I HAD to see him before he left! (Also, my mother told me to talk to Sleeping Beauty's mom, we're going to call her Flora, because she felt good about driving that road and had offered to drive if the weather was bad. I was to ask Flora if she would drive back to Rock Springs with me on Monday so that I could take my final and then she could bring Sleeping Beauty and I home.) SO... at first, I felt like I shouldn't go and I should just stay, but I DIDN'T WANT TO! I even prayed about it, and I felt like I should stay, but I DIDN'T WANT TO! SO I looked up the weather and I felt good about it so I left. I followed my dear friend Cinderella on the long I-80 stretch. I listened to the Opera Aida fade in and out on Classical Wyoming Radio as I closely followed Cinderella's carriage which she calls Fran. We didn't have any weather problems. The big trucks got my windshield a little dirty and I was, unfortunately, out of windshield wiper fluid, so I was making some interesting choices in how I was going to see out my front window for the next 2 hours. I was grateful for the light precipitation that we got after we crossed the state line. I could see again! I didn't drive in any falling snow until I got into the Salt Lake Valley. So about the last 20 minutes of my drive, I was using my windshield wipers and just trying to get home. I got home about 2:00 Saturday afternoon and missed the baby shower that I was supposed to go to in Herriman. Well, I had a fabulous weekend, if you were wondering. I spent time with my family and friends and I was able to say goodbye to Hercules. Now we come into Monday. Monday, the 17th of December in the year 2012. This was the day that Sleeping Beauty's mom, Flora, and I were to drive to Rock Springs. Now, she's finishing up school and about to start student teaching, so she had some assignments she needed to get done. So I met her at her house and we headed on the road about 4:00 that afternoon. She drove the Jimmy and we were off! We chatted and got to know each other a little bit more. It was a good time. It wasn't awkward. We were both very comfortable and talkative. (I know, right? Me talkative? crazy.) Anywho... about 50 minutes into our drive, we hit snow and darkness. Dusk was upon us and the roads were getting icy. We fishtailed once, but Flora corrected and we were fine. We fishtailed again, but this time, the back end of the car swerved to the right. We were still moving but forward, but we slid closer and closer to the edge of the road. We barely missed a speed limit sign. We had made a 90 degree turn and were off the road. We slid down the small hill that was to our right and were now facing the road, tilted, and stuck in a ditch. Here is a diagram.

 

Right after this happened, We had the  car behind us stop and a nice man came to see if we were okay. Luckily, we were fine. No damage to us or the car. Also, there was a highway patrol man just behind us and he stopped as well. Officer GoodLookin' made sure we were okay, called a tow-truck, and put out some flares on the side of the road. He had to leave, because there was a roll over up the road that he needed to take care of. So.. Flora and I sat there for a long time. We decided not to tell anyone just yet. I didn't call my parents, she didn't call her husband, and we were not going to tell Sleeping Beauty until we were safely home in Salt Lake. We had a few men stop to ask if we were okay. All good Samaritans, but the greatest of all was this Hispanic man named Luis. He spoke in broken English and with his wife, insisted that he stay with us until the tow-truck arrived. The flares had gone out by now, so Luis put his car where they were. And guess what? He got stuck. in the slush. lovely. So now we were both stuck waiting for a tow truck to come in from Wanship. I don't even know where that is! We were informed that we were about 8 miles away from the border, 10 miles from Evanston. An hour and a half after Officer GoodLookin' left, the tow truck finally showed. He first got Luis unstuck, he was in a suburban, and then Luis helped the driver to un-stuck us. Luis got into the jimmy and guided it up the hill as the truck did its towing. The jimmy is supposed to have 4-wheel drive...it doesn't. We were finally able to get back in the car. Flora, bless her heart and soul, went to pay the driver and fill out all the nasty paperwork. Officer GoodLookin' showed up again and informed us that the road from Evanston to Lyman was closed. You have got to be kidding me. So... we drove very slowly with our hazards flashing all the way and made it into Evanston. When we got to the hotel, I called my folks, Sleeping Beauty (We thought it would be better if I told her so that she wouldn't cry.), and my teacher that was giving his final the next morning. We stayed at Best Western Inn and get this... the rooms are not all in one building. It's one of those things where they all have front doors that lead outside. Our room was up two hills and it was icy. My poor little Jimmer, the Jimmy, couldn't even get up the icy hills. We tried and tried again until we finally made it up. Bless Flora for not yelling and cursing at me and my dang car! Of course by this point I felt awful. This was all my fault. If I would have stayed in Rock Springs this wouldn't have happened. If I wouldn't have suggested that we take the Jimmy because it has more room for all of our stuff, this wouldn't have happened. I was selfish and I disobeyed my parents. On top of all of this I am a procrastinator. So guess who had homework? And guess whose computer froze on them three times in a ten minute period? (When this computer freezes, the only way to fix it is to turn it off and back on. lovely.) So... Guess who did their homework in the hotel lobby until 12:30 a.m.? You guessed it. Me. cool. Poor Flora just wanted to go to sleep and probably never see me or that car again. Anyway, I finished most of my homework, and then I went to bed. We woke up at about seven, I called the front desk and we discovered that the roads were open! I still was not going to make my final that was an hour and a half away in good weather conditions, but I survived. Flora got ready, I had hardly anything because I wasn't expecting to stay overnight NOT in my dorm room. We went to eat breakfast and they took FOREVER bringing us our food. Or at least I thought so. Now, nothing against Flora, she is a dear soul, but I was ready to get back on the road and she was not. I had a thousand things I still needed to do. So. many. things. I still needed to pack all my stuff up in my room so I can move into an apartment next semester. I still had homework that needed to be printed off. I had so many things. We finally got back on the road after getting gas and checking the weather. The roads were bad all the way through Lyman, but after that they were pretty good. 

As soon as we pulled up to the school at 11 a.m., I ran up the four flights of stairs to my room, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, deodorized myself, put my hair up, grabbed what I needed and ran back down the four flights, into the school, and down to the basement where I spend my theatre life. I ran into the computer lab that is down there, finished my homework, got my Englsih homework in right at noon, when it was due, and finished everything else. Sleeping Beauty and Flora came in to find me because they were all done packing SB's things in the car. I still needed to take my final. While I coordinated all of these things SB and Flora went up to my room and started packing all of my things that I was bringing home. Flora packed all my clothes and bathroom things. I can not say thank you enough to these wonderful Daughters of God. SOOOO.. I called my scene partner and he came down to the basement and we waited around for our Professor. He finally showed up at about 12:30, we performed, I did my monologue and the final was over. Holy Hannah! What a day.... not over. SB brought my backpack to me from my room because I left it there all weekend on accident. She also wrapped a present that I brought back for Cinderella because I could only find it in Salt Lake. Since Cinderella was already home, we gave it to her Prince Charming. I turned in my assignments to one of my other teachers, gave my assignments that I did in the hotel to my professor and felt better. I also had to go talk to my English teacher because I was going to borrow the first season of a popular T.V. show from her. She wasn't there, but while we were on that side of the school SB remembered that we needed to take down our tree that we put up for our knitting club. (Yes, I started a knitting club and I am the President) We would have been in trouble if we had not taken it down. shoot. that took even longer, also good thing we were on that side of the school because I needed to get some paperwork for the Honors Program. Goodness. (I'm getting tense just typing all of this.) My brain was trying to focus on 20 things at once. I ran back up to my room, grabbed a present for my friend Tinkerbell and ran that down to her before she left for Colorado. While I did that, SB and Flora were packing my things into the Jimmy and we all went back and forth from my room to the car carrying things and making sure I had everything I needed. Remember... I live on the fourth floor and there was not an R.A. in sight to give me elevator access. I talked to housing and they said that I should be okay leaving my stuff in my room over the holidays because no one is moving into that room. I hope not anyway. 

So.. We finally had everything. WE needed to stop in Green River. SB's sister lives there and she has the cutest little baby boy so Flora, of course, had to see her little Grandson. :) I was fine at this point. My stress and anxiety were gone. I still felt awful. These ladies probably think I'm crazy and the most disobedient child. Anyway, we visited with SB's sis, ...Ariel,  for a little while. Then we headed back off. We stopped at Subway before we left town, filled up on gas, and cleaned the windshield. I got out of the car to clean the windshield so that Flora could eat. The lady on the Maverick loudspeaker enthusiastically asked me, "Are you in need of an adventure!?" Heavens no. please no. I am so good. I am in need of my bed. I am in need of no school, I am in need of NO snow. NO ADVENTURES! I'm done! 

We left Green River at 3:30 p.m. and we arrived in Evanston just before 6 p.m. That is a one hour drive in good weather. We needed to clean off the windshield again, but the squidgees and buckets were kept inside so that they wouldn't freeze. When we put the water on the window, we scraped off ice. Welcome to Wyoming. Luckily, the roads after Evanston were pretty clear. No ice, we only got a little snow on our way down the canyon, but we finally made it to SB and Flora's house just after 8:00. I drove myself home, hugged my mother, apologized to her, and cried a little. She helped me unpack my things and here I sit the next morning in a room full of my stuff. 

p.s. Did I mention that I started my period on Monday morning? Best 30 hours of my life......