Despite teenagers trying to kill me...life is good

No, this is not the road in question.

My daughter should ride the bus.  I figured one of the great things about being a stay at home mom would be to drive my daughter to and from school. It is not all its cracked up to be.  I fear for my life every day...mainly in the mornings.  With the high school next to my daughter's elementary school, I pass a lot of teenagers on the back roads. There have been numerous close calls and days when I have gone off in the grass slightly.  This morning was a year and half in the making. 

This particular back road (which leads into the back of our subdivision) is narrow in parts.  I saw the big pick up truck coming toward me. "He will get over on his side before he passes me"...this is what I told myself. I slowed down a lot and got over as far as I could. He got closer and I could tell it was a teenager. And.....nope! He didn't get over. To avoid hitting him head on I veered off the road, missed hitting a tree by a foot or less, dodged a mailbox and garbage cans, went down in a ditch and back up, over a driveway and finally (after finding my footing and putting on the brakes) I stopped in someone's front yard. A lady behind me stopped to be sure I was ok. Physically? Yes.  My Jeep? It is fine.  The homeowner's mailbox and garbage cans? Intact.  Whew! My first instinct was to head back to the high school and search the parking lot for the punk.  Instead, I came home and spent the morning in a daze.  Not really for what had just happened, but rather for the fact that this just about happens to me every morning.  My anger for teenage drivers grows on a daily basis. 

After being thankful for missing the tree and being alive, I got on with my day. I started thinking about all the things I am thankful for (other than missing that monster tree).
- I am thankful for my family- especially for my wonderful husband who works hard and is also a great dad and wonderful engineer and for my beautiful daughter that we didn't think was possible.
- I am thankful for Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer for my coffee which makes these cold mornings bearable.
- I am thankful to be able to watch deer wonder around in our backyard (even though we live in a subdivision which is why I love this house and will be a little sad when we move).
- I am thankful for weekday lunches with friends.
- I am thankful for my favorite authors who give me reasons to curl up on the couch with my favorite blanket.
 
 I could go on and on.  What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Yes, it is Thanksgiving season...not Christmas.