Listen to your daddy!

When I was sixteen, my dad let me drive my sister Kelly and her friend Kara (the across the street neighbor) to Lake Tahoe. The three of us were going to stay a week with my Aunt Irene.
I thought that this was of course a fabulous idea, after all I was old enough and COMPLETELY capable to drive 4 hours to Tahoe.

Looking back on it now, I don't know if I could have or would have been as gracious as my parents were to let me take that trip. I didn't really realize how tense my dad was about it until he started asking me all these car questions. They were great questions for a dad with 3 daughters that he raised with the ability to mow lawns, and start barbeque's with charcoal from just wadded up paper..... he was making sure I knew where the oil dipstick was, and how to fill the tires with air, where the window cleaner was... those types of things. He made me take $200 cash to hide in my wallet, for just "in case".
Frankly, I was sure that everything was going to be just fine and I thought that he was really over reacting. They he asked me a question that I never forgot.... "What will you do if you have a tire blow out on the freeway?" I was thinking ..... umm dad, that ain't gonna happen.... So I answered " I guess I would step on the brakes and slow down and get off the road." To which I received a very INTENSE response. " NO!! Never ever EVER step on the brakes!!! You just let the car slow down, and ease over to the side of the road!" Seeing that he was very serious, I told him ok.... that is what I would do.
The three of us got into the car, and took off to Tahoe and had a great time..... and everything was fine.

Now it is time to fast forward to a day not long ago, on Hwy 82 in Washington, with a Suburban full of kids, and that same 16 year old girl all grown up.

We were rumbling down the Highway at 70 mph and we had all the windows open, because it is the only "air conditioning" that the beast has. We are on our way home from Selah/Yakima where Tayler had been playing in the State Championships for 14U competitive softball.

When all of the sudden.......... POW!

As soon as I heard the POW!.... and felt the back end of the truck fall, and felt the front end of the truck begin to sway............

The first and only thing that went through my mind was........... " NEVER EVER step on the BRAKE!!!!!!!!!! let the car slow itself down on it's own and ease over to the side!"

Never in my life had I been more grateful for that grilling I got before we left for Tahoe. It all came flooding back.....

So that is what I did.... I just held on and tried to keep the wheel straight and not over correct... and eased the beast over to the side of the road. Then I breathed...



I mean seriously..... tires are not supposed to look like this!!!!


We ended up calling Les Schwab Tires to come out, they have a road repair service, and fix the tire. I called them 10 min before the shop closed, and they still came! It was a blessing, because Jody was drilling in Spokane, and the next nearest relative that could help was well over an hour away. I had NO spare.... and waiting for someone to come could have been quite the road side adventure with 5 kids in the car.

This poor guy was so sweet and full of smiles to calm a frazzled mom that was stranded in 100 degree heat. He had to bang all the tread off the tire by hand... I made sure he got two ice cold waters from the cooler when he was done.

So... the moral to my story is............. LISTEN TO YOUR DADDY! you never know when the things they tell you will save your life............. whether you are 16 or 38.... it pays to pay attention!