Winter Adventure!

So I posted a week or so ago that we finally found a family doctor.  On Monday I had an appointment to go and see her. My SIL kept Maitland and off I went to Vermilion.  The weather wasn't great but passable so I didn't think too much about it and continued on my way.  By the time I got to Vermilion I was second guessing myself and wondering if I should just turn around and go home.  But I didn't.  I'm stubborn like that.  I made and appointment and I was going to keep it.  So I went to the Dr.  It was a quick and easy appointment with no earth shattering health news! I was in and out in about 20 minutes.  By the time I got back to my car though it was so nasty outside that it took me 10 minutes to clean off my car and get the windows defrosted enough to drive.  I was thinking I better get a move on because it was coming on 4pm and would be getting dark and hard to see in the very near future.  I was just at the last stop light heading south on my way out of town when I was rear-ended by a minivan.  I wasn't surprised when it happened because there was so much snow and the roads were very slippery!  I got out of my car to see if there was any damage and to check on the other driver t find that the minivan was not at fault but had been rear-ended as well and pushed into my car by another vehicle.  It was a big mess.  The poor van had a smashed in tailgate and the back window had exploded and the drivers door is what hit my car and was all dented up too.  The other vehicle had all sorts of dings from teh exploding glass and the front bumper was all smashed up.  My car...2 scratches and a small spot where you could tell the other car had brushed up against mine.  I felt so blessed and lucky to not have been hurt or sustained much damage to my car.  The three of us decided we better move out of the intersection because it was a very busy road and conditions were only getting worse.  We moved into a parking lot right next to the accident site and waited for the police.  I was getting more and more anxious as the minutes crept by.  The weather was nasty and I just wanted to get home to my little boy.  It was 20 minutes or so before the cops showed up and then he had us all drive over to the police station to file an accident report.  When we got there he let us into the front entry area and told us that we would all (3 drivers and 7 kids) have to stay locked in this area with only 3 chairs.  Super fun let me tell ya!  Anyways, so each driver got a clipboard with forms on it and we had to fill out a million and one things and draw a lovely little picture of the accident.  It took all of 10 minutes maybe.  Once we were done that we then sat and waited and waited and waited.  Finally some of the kids were getting really upset because they had to go to the bathroom (it had been over an hour since we had been "locked up") so they started banging on the windows and yelling for someone to come and let us out.  We found out that our policeman had been called to another accident and wasn't even there to finish whatever we needed.  Grrrrrrr.  So we sat some more.  Finally after more than an hour of being confined the officer came and told us he didn't have time today to interview us and would be contacting us to ask any questions and send out the accident report for insurance purposes.  I was not happy because now I had missed my window to drive home in daylight and the officer had advised me to stay the night in Vermilion for my own safety.  I did have enough of an idea that the police were going to take awhile so I had called ahead to the Super 8 and booked myself a room.  Seemed so dumb to have to stay at a hotel when I live less that a half hour away!  Better safe than sorry though right?  Anyways, the biggest blessing of the day was when we went the hotel the lady that had caused the accident paid for myself and the minivan ladies hotel rooms!!!  She so did not have to do that.  My vehicle was by far capable of being driven home and it was not her fault at all that the weather was so nasty but she wouldn't let us pay for anything.  She even tried to give me money for the vending machines and dinner!  Seriously nice lady.  I decided that if I lived in Vermilion we would be friends.  :)  So I got a night alone in a hotel...kind of creepy actually.  I had to dry my socks and shoes out with the blow dryer from the room and I ate dinner from the crappy restaurant at the hotel.  But I did survive.  I drove home the next morning at about 8:30 and it took me an hour.  I saw 8 cars and 1 semi in the ditch and I imagine there were many many more than that but the tow trucks had been out and working overtime since the snow stopped.  I was so glad to get home and to finally get to see Maitland.  Matt was able to get home and he had to walk to his sisters house because there was so much snow in town that the roads were one big drift.  By the time we were able to get back to our own house the roads had been plowed a bit and I was able to dig a path from the car to the house to get Maitland inside.  It was quite the adventure but I was sure glad to get home and see my little family and be in my own bed.