It finally happened.

Well...living in the clouds came with a risk. I took it and fell. Welp, now it just means I've learned my lesson and can move on. It's going to be great now, I know it. Although, I find myself suddenly loving songs about revenge...

Car Crash (Moment of Our Lives #1)

Once upon a time, Liz Warnick, Claire Warnick, and Noelle Reid decided to go to Casey's farewell. It had snowed that morning, and there hadn't been any sand/ice trucks out yet that day.

So there we were, driving to Casey's farewell. We were a bit late, but we were trying to play it safe anyway, not go too fast. We were on the freeway, nearing our exit. All of the sudden, we see the exit we are supposed to take. I turned a bit too quickly, but under any other circumstances, it would have been plenty of time. With all the new fallen snow and ice, my worn tires couldn't keep a grip. We started spinning at 60 miles an hour. Adrenaline took over, and we didn't even think to scream. We were spinning off the freeway, and there was nothing we could do.

On one side, the long way down into a ditch. Going down that way would likely throw the car into an all-out roll, which would put us in further danger. On the other side, the gore area and the freeway. If anyone was to come behind us, they would not have time to stop before they hit us from behind. And if they did stop, or swerve, they would likely spin out of control just as we were now doing. Not very many good options. The only safe way was to stay on the exit ramp and pray no one was trying to exit right behind us. Still, how do you stay within 20 ft. when you're spinning out of control?

I knew the best thing I could do would be to slow us down as fast as I could. The best way to do that was to pull us into an even tighter spin. We would spin faster, but our horizontal motion would take a severe drop. However, taking this tactic also meant I couldn't control where we would land.

I pulled the wheel as tight as I could, and we started spinning faster. A billion thoughts went through my mind, thinking through every contingency. Here are some things I was thinking:

• When we crash, I wonder how hurt I'll be.
• Finally! I get to see who would visit me in the hospital!
• I hope Liz and Claire don't get hurt. Not only would it be sad, but I'd be so embarrassed!
• AHHH!!
• Wow! I've never spun this much before!
• How am I not dead yet?
• This is a long spin.
• Our faces probably look so funny right now. (No, actually, I didn't think that. But they really did look funny)

Miraculously, there was no one behind us to send us rolling and depending upon our seatbelts to keep us alive. Miraculously, we didn't fly into the middle of the freeway, at the disposal of the wheels and metal around us. Miraculously, we didn't go careening over the side, into the ditch. We came to a stop in the middle of the exit ramp. And we had time to turn around and continue our journey before anyone was near us.

Why it was a miracle:
1. The exit ramp was curved. How could we have done a 540 degree turn at 60 miles an hour, and not have gone flying off?
2. Our momentum was headed straight (or almost straight) off the freeway, into the ditch. We should have slid right off.
3. I'm not that lucky.

So, how did we feel, having escaped death so nearly? How did we react to this crazy experience?

We spent the next 20 minutes laughing hysterically.

Out of Cold

Crushing snow beneath my feet.
My brow furrowed in the dark.

My head hurts.
I'm tired.
I feel empty.

A sound and a move catch my eye.
The last of a long line of deer is heading back
up the mountain.
The clack of their dainty feet
on the hard, man made black of the streets
bring me back to where I want to be.

The snow crackles like fire.
The stars smolder in the velvet.
For another moment, the world is full of magic.

- Eliza Woodhouse

An artist's interpretation of a moment at 9:54pm on January 10th, 2008.