Getting "Over It" aka "Thankful"

Tuesday night was a night like most other nights on our homestead.
I was cooking dinner.
The Man-of-My-Dreams was at Baseball practice w/ the Little-Foreman-in-Pink (7yrs old) and worker #4 (11yrs old).
I told him to call me when they were on their way home from the ballpark, it is just 3 miles from our home.

The phone rang at 7:22pm...
Him- "Come get us, we are upside down in the ditch"
Me- "Oh, ok...  well when you are done playing, dinner is ready, Love you."
Him= "Come Get us" (muffled screams talking in the background) "C'mon baby...  crawl out this window"...
Me- "You ARE kidding right??"
Him- "No, come get us"
then the line went dead...

My heart stopped.
I screamed for worker #1 to grab his keys and we raced to the accident scene.
This is what I saw as we pulled up...

At 35mph the truck hit a puddle and lost all control.
It spun.
Then slid into the deep ditch, it hit "just so" and started to flip end-over-end before coming to a rest on it's roof.

I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
I couldn't talk.
All I could do was run.
I ran until I saw my husband standing on the side of the road.
I scooped up my sobbing 11yr old son and squeezed the poor guy so hard he couldn't breathe.
I frantically looked for my daughter...
Hubby had put her into another truck to keep her dry (it was raining) and safe from passing cars.
Once I had both of my babies in my arms and did a thorough inspection of hubby to make sure everyone was really ok, it began to sink in...

I just almost lost half of my family...

There is no reason that we should all be standing here virtually un-harmed...

All the windows on the passenger side of the truck are gone...

everything on that side of the truck is gone or crushed...

The drink that was sitting in the cup holder between my husband and son was embedded 6 inches into the dirt UNDER the cab of our now over-turned truck...

And yet, my family walked away...

There are no words to describe how thankful I am of that.

But, I have been shaken to my core.
I feel myself getting depressed.
The thoughts of what "Could have happened" are consuming too much of my time,
too much of my heart,
too much of my mind.

I feel so silly, I mean, I should be doing cartwheels and laughing uncontrollably with joy.
and yet...  I almost feel like I am mourning.

My mom said it's because I know that dark place that could have happened Tuesday night all too well.
I have I have seen it...  Lived it... with the death of my brothers.
I know that it "does happen".
This was just too close.

I have always had almost a "Waiting for the shoe to drop" feeling about my children.
I am one of 4 kids.
Only 2 of us made it to adulthood.
It was just my reality, kids die, it happens.
And if something happened to the Man-of-My-Dreams? ((shudder))

I have 5 beautiful, healthy children...
Based on my reality, the odds are against me... er them.

I know it sounds stupid.
I know I am blessed.
I know I am lucky.

But...  It's always there.
It is a fear that will never go away.
And Tuesday night was TOO CLOSE!

Now...
How do I "Get Over It"?
How you you move past something that didn't even happen?!

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The Great Shamrock Shake Search Continues... (Recipe too!)

When I was a child we waited all year for the month of March.
Not because we wanted to get busy in the garden.
Not because it was time for Spring Break.
We longed for March because March is the month of the Shamrock Shake!
All McDonalds restaurants served Shamrock Shakes during the month of March.
It was green.
It was minty.
It was refreshing.
Its kinda like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. except, its cold, green and you can suck it through a straw!!
Whats NOT to love???

I'm not usually a fan of mint drinks.
But I just have to have a Shamrock Shake every March!
Did you know that I have not had a Shamrock Shake in almost 12 years????
I know!! It's almost unbelievable!!
Well, it turns out that very few McDonalds in Texas carry it!
CRAZY!
This year, I was bound and determined to find one.
I called more than 45 Houston area McDonalds to no avail.
Most of the employees who answered my phone call didn't even know what a Shamrock Shake was!!

I even called the McDonalds cooperate headquarters!
I mean.. they have to know who they shipped the Shamrock Shake stuff to right?
WRONG!
They couldn't tell me!

Whats a girl to do?
Make her own Shamrock Shake thats what!!

Behold....

Dana's Shamrock Shake copy-cat!

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

Yum, slurp, groan!
By George!! I think I got it!!


Dana's "I don't need no stinkin McDonalds!"
Shamrock Shake
Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 - 1/2 Teaspoon Mint extract
• 9 drops green food coloring

Optional pretty stuff

• chocolate syrup (optional glass decoration)
• whipped cream (optional topping)
• green sugar (optional decoration)

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth and yummy.
2. drizzle some chocolate syrup around your glass.
3. Pour Shamrock Shake into the glass.
4. top with whipped cream and green sugar.
5. ENJOY!!

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

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