Let's get down to the Nitty Gritty (said with my best Nacho Libre accent)

Our adoption information is out there now thanks to helpful friends and family. Actually, the other day I was shopping and an acquaintance/friend of mine stopped me to say "hi" and that she got our adoption information through an e-mail. It is funny how she found out in a round about way. I thought that since potential birth families will be reading my blog that it might be interesting/helpful to write about why we are adopting. I might need to do this in parts because it is a long story, so please bare with me.


Car Accident


I had just finished my first year of college in Provo, Utah and was at home in Oregon for the summer working. A few friends decided to go to a Mariners baseball game in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, August 27. I wanted to go with them since this was my last weekend before returning to college. I mentioned it to my Mom who was very against me going. She normally would let me do what I wanted, but was very adament about me not going to this game. I, being a selfish teenager, reminded her that I was 19 and could make decisions myself. I went to the game instead of listening to my mom, something that I still regret to this day :(


Since I don't remember the baseball game, we're just going to fast forward a bit for the sake of time. (London's naps are becoming shorter as she gets older.)


About half way home, we stopped and ate dinner at Taco Bell and to this day I have a hard time eating there (you'll see why in a minute). I remember feeling like I really needed to call my mom. My parents had an #800 number, so it would be pretty easy to find a pay phone and call her up. I really felt like I needed to tell her sorry. But, I never did (so sad, i know). Instead, we started towards home again. I kept thinking I'd see her in an hour and a half and I will apologize then. It was around 10 p.m. at this time and I was getting sleepy. I laid down in the back seat and tried to sleep (no seat belt on...shame on me). Please understand, I wasn't this rebellious kid, seriously their was no seat belt law back then (1995) and if their was it wasn't as strict as it is today. Chris was driving with no seat belt and Matt was in the passenger seat with a seat belt on. We had two more friends following behind us in a different car. As I was trying to sleep, I would hear the radio get louder and louder and I'd feel cold air from Chris rolling down the window. These are all signs that he was getting tired, yet I said nothing to him. Though, to be fair to me, I wasn't thinking "hey, he's getting tired" I just remember these things happening after the fact.


I am not sure exactly what happened next. This part of the story has been re-told. Chris fell asleep at the wheel going about 85 mph and drove off the top of an overpass. We flew through the air and slammed into a dirt embankment on the other side. Our car then flipped over three times before landing on the road below. Our friends in the car behind us, immediately ran to get help. Then they went to help us. They saw Chris at the top of the dirt embankment and didn't even go check him because "you could tell he had no life left in him." He had been ejected on impact and died immediately.


Pause...


This is hard for me to write. It brings back so many sad memories. Chris was a great kid and I miss him terribly.


Matt walked away from this crash with some bruises. Let this be a testimony of seat belts!!! I was in the back seat "thrashing around and screaming in pain" according to our friends. They said that I wouldn't hold still and that I was trying to get out of the car, so they were helping me get out so that I wouldn't hurt my self anymore. And, just to give your spine some tingles, it wasn't my friends that I remember as the ones who pulled me from the car (if you know what I mean). My face had been ripped up from the corner of my right eye to my nose. A huge chunk of skin was hanging and blood was everywhere. The ambulance came a short time later and the EMT's proceeded to cut off all of my clothes before putting me in the ambulance. Slightly embarrassing since my friends were there, but I am sure they did it somewhat modestly (at least I hope they did).


So, this is a long enough post for today, besides London woke up and wants to play. Stay tuned for part 2... It gets a lot worse before it gets better.