'911...What's Your Emergency?'

"Yeah, hi, ummm we have a 3 car pile up west bound, oh no, no, no, no, I mean east bound on Rt3 about 40 yards west of the intersection with Lafayette Blvd...can you please send an officer?"

This was the beginning of my very first phone conversation this morning...seriously!

Ok, so here is how it all began....I was driving out of the 'Big City' towards my route home. I turned a corner where the speed limit increased from 35 to 45mph. On the other side of the turn there was a black, squeaky clean Chevy Impala...going about 30mph. The car was moving side to side, almost in a jerking movement...but, never once ever touching either line. So, I brushed it off and decided to go into the left lane and go past them (I really thought it was an older lady and I didn't really think anything of it and being that the kids were with me, I didn't really want to stick around in case she did come into our lane)...

So, here I go, into the glaring, morning sun...speeding up to 45mph or so before I notice there is standing traffic at the light about 400 yards in front of me. So, I slow down...slower...slower.....slower and now, I am going about 15mph and about 100 yards from the stopped traffic at the light. Then, I look in my side mirror and notice the Impala, barreling up from behind me at about 35 mph...right towards the stopped traffic in her lane...

I immediately start honking...Beep, Beep, Beep! Beep, Beep!...then, as I see her look up and notice where she was heading, I see her start to swerve into our lane, so I in turn, I swerve away from her into the empty turn lane!

Then, all I heard was....CRUNCH!...and all I saw was her car, right next to me, crashing into the back of a small sedan, and then the sedan crunching up into the back on an SUV...fortunately, it was not her car slamming into the side of my minivan where two of my children were sitting.

So, I made my way onto the shoulder...I made sure the kids were ok...of course, they were surprised, but perfectly fine. I took off my seat belt, put on my hazards, and went over to check out the drivers involved...

ALL of them were on the phone, and NONE of them called 911. So, I called 911 and according to the dispatcher, I was 'a very good 911 caller.' Haha! And, would you believe I was so tickled when she said that? Well, I was! I don't know why, but I was! Maybe because she said I was so calm and collected given the situation...I know, I know, I already know that I work well under pressure.

Fortunately, all of the drivers were ok although all a little shaken up...However, after I was done talking to the officer on the scene, I started walking back to my van...I had a really good view of the accident scene from behind...My heart dropped when I saw that her car was only a foot away from clearing the car she hit...only a foot more and it could have been us she hit instead. Phew! Thank you God!

...and with that, on a more sarcastic note...I am really sitting here and seriously thinking about getting my cooler, going outside, filling the cooler with snow, mailing it to the Nobel Prize Committee and demanding a Nobel Prize for proving Global Cooling...I mean, we have already had 30 inches of snow so far this winter, and we may double that over the weekend...there is no way Central VA could possibly see THIS MUCH snow unless Global Cooling is in full force! Right? I better start working on my acceptance speech! ;) Anyone want to help me?