Look, Ma! No Brakes!

Wanna know how up your stress level? Drive a big ol' van with 9 kiddos having a grand time. Not enough stress for you? Drive that big ol' van filled with 9 hyper kids down a big hill. More you ask? Drive that big ol' van with 9 hyper kids down a big hill and have your brakes fail. Oh yeah, that is not for the faint of heart. Heck, it isn't for me, and I have a healthy heart.

I will try to positive and look beyond the bad things. I will look beyond the cost of towing and repairs. I will look beyond being cooped up in the van with the 9 hyper kiddos as I wait for my hubby to come get us (he was 40 minutes away). I will look beyond that the brakes went out on a steep hill with no warning.

What I will see is that hubby was not travelling so at least he could come get us. Rather it was me because I couldn't see cramming 11 people in a 5-person Prius (one being an infant in a carseat). We went and got our other car so we could divvy up the kids and continue on to church. I guess it is a blessing we have three cars having bought the hybrid Prius when gas prices started sky-rocketing.

Another blessing is that the van brakes failed when they did. If they failed the day before, I would have lost our new piano hubby was hauling. If they failed any sooner, I would have hit a house or seriously re-landscaped a neighbor's yard. If they failed any later, I would have gone on to a highway unable to stop or in town with more people, cars and buildings. Neither of those scenarios appeal to me. There could have been some serious injury and damage. Although the "Hulk" (aka my van) seems to be indestrucible from the couple of other things that have hit it like a mailbox and the car that rear-ended us. They didn't look too pretty afterwards.

It is hard to not say what if. I am just glad I didn't have to worry about the what ifs. When I realized I wasn't stopping although my foot was about to go through the floorboard, I let the van coast while still trying to get it to stop. I didn't make my turn. I don't think I would have anyway having either rolled or driven the van into the deep culvert. I am glad we are safe. I am glad my heart rate returned to normal (and that it was strong enough to withstand the fright).