Thankful Thursday

Today...

1. I'm thankful that my mom will be here in 4 days!
2. I'm thankful that we got some pumpkins from our garden before it froze.
3. I'm thankful for country music television.
4. I'm thankful that I have almost made it to my 21st birthday.
5. I'm thankful for auto insurance.
6. I'm thankful that I am getting an education, even though sometimes I don't want to go to school, it really is a blessing.
7. I'm thankful that Jake did the dishes yesterday so I didn't have to (however, I'm not thankful that it's my turn). :)
8. I'm thankful for my eye drops, they are a life saver, my eyes are itchy.
9. I'm thankful for my job, I really like it!
10. I'm thankful that it's fall break today and tomorrow, so I don't need to go to school! *(even though school is still a blessing!)

Love, Kelci

Very Thankful Thursday, to say the least!

I don't even know where to start. I have had quite the emotional past 30 hours, I have so much to be grateful for today! For starters, that I am here to write this blog! This is my story, hopefully I can get through it.

Yesterday morning I was driving home from school, looking down laughing at funny Kortney's texts. I was in the left hand lane on I-15 almost to the Payson exit, when I looked up and saw that I was drifting over to the left. Panicked, I tried to get back on course, and overcorrected. The next few seconds are a complete blur to me, it still feels like a dream. I could hear my tires squeel and just knew I could not get control as my car was swerving on the freeway. I could feel my tires coming off the asphalt in my efforts. The next thing I know my car was rolling, but off to the right. All I could think was that I was going to die, I thought to myself that I knew my head was going to be crushed any second, and I was really just hoping it wouldn't hurt. This is the scariest thing I have ever experienced, I have never felt so close to death, and to my surprise, I didn't even have time to be scared. I now know it was because I was being comforted. My car finally stopped rolling, and landed upside down. Glass was everywhere around me along with crushed car, I started bawling when reality hit me that I was totally unharmed, but hanging upside down by my seatbelt, with my head inches away from the roof/ground. I don't know how it ended up there, but my cell phone was in my hand dialing Jake (I know I had let go of it to try to gain control), but he didn't answer. I heard somebody asking if I was okay, and behind me was a man in a white shirt and tie looking through the shattered back upside-down windshield, the only place I could get out. I unbuckled my seatbelt and tried not to land on my un-touched head, and tried crawling to the back, but this man ended up pulling me out. (I later found out this man was behind me the whole time and saw it happen, his name is David Timmons, an earthly angel for me that day). The cops came, the paramedics came, and the firefighters came. One of the firefighters was a man that I work with, so he called my work right away to let them know, and to let Mandie (my sister in law) know that I could not get a hold of my husband. I called my mom, which I know it would only make her worried when she is so far away and couldn't do anything, but who doesn't need their mom at a time like this? I felt completely fine, no scratches or bruises, except for my thumb sort of hurt and I got a scratch from the glass while getting out, but it is less serious than a paper cut. I was shocked that I wasn't feeling any pain anywhere in my body. I knew I needed to say a prayer to my Heavenly Father for helping me walk away from this, but all I could say through my sobs was, "thank you, thank you," as I stared at my completely crushed car except for the part where I had my bubble of protection. They told me I could take an ambulance to the hospital, but I assured them over and over that I was completely fine. Jake, (who was having as hard of a time emotionally as I was) asked, "are you sure?" and I whispered, "Jake I could do a cartwheel!" (Even though I was sure not in the mood to try it!) Jake's family insisted that I at least get checked out at the hospital, so he took me there where his mom, sister, aunts, and grandma were already there waiting for us, in tears. Since the only pain I felt was in my thumb, they took an X-ray just to find out it wasn't broken (which I was sure I already knew), but they wanted to put a splint on it (which I was sure was completely unnecessary). Needless to say, it came off right away.

This is when we went to go look at it at the impound lot, it was right-side-up again. :)

Hmmm so why on earth would I be thankful today? Maybe because I had angels watching over me. My grandma was always a very protective worry-wart, and there is no doubt in my mind that even though she is now on the other side of the veil, she is still protecting me, along with my other family members (some that I haven't met). Oh how I can't wait to thank them someday!

I know the holy ghost was there to comfort me in those seconds when I was rolling down the hill to let me know it was going to be okay. I am grateful that nobody was hurt, there was nobody even close to me when I was swerving through the freeway, and going back this morning, I saw where I went off the road, right in the middle of those metal poles they have every so often. Some witnesses at the seem kept saying, "You are so lucky!"
Lucky? I don't think so, just very very blessed. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me.

I am so grateful that I have so many people that love me. I wanted so badly to curl up in my mommy's lap like I was five again. But it still felt like that when I showed up to the hospital in arms and arms of hugs.

I am very grateful for my friends, family members, releif society, bishopric, my visiting teachers, work, who have come over to check on me/made dinner/called/ brought us treats.



I am still in a little bit of a shock. Mainly, I am shocked that my biggest pain was none at all. Today I feel a little tense, but that's it. I am still waiting for somebody to pinch me and say, "just kidding!" It still doesn't feel like it really happened! OH, and it turns out I did break a nail, NOT HAPPY! :) And I didn't even like that stupid car anyways! (OK, so I loved that car, it was so cute, but if I had to choose between my car and life, I'D PICK LIFE) :) I'm grateful that it wasn't long after we could make jokes about it.

Jake said, "If you wanted a new car so bad, you just had to ask!"

And I (in all my wisdom) pointed out, "I think Heavenly Father is telling us to have kids right away.." ;)

Jake said, "K That's really stretchin' it..." Hey I tried!



I know everything happens for a reason. It is amazing to me how it only take 5 seconds, and you could lose somebody. It is so scary. I am so grateful for my life, I know I am just not done, I haven't fulfilled my purpose here on earth, whatever it may be. I know that I still have a lot of work to do here, I need to get going! There is so many things I could be doing better in my life, and it is time for me to start trying a lot harder to be a little better, because you never know when your time is up!

PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. DON'T USE YOUR PHONE WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING. Please learn from my mistake. I learned a good way to guilt you into it yesterday from my mother-in-law, "If you love your family, you will wear your seatbelt. If you love your family, you will pay attention and not use your stupid cell phone!"

Also last night, me and Jake just cuddled, and held eachother, trying to let this all sink in. I could not be here, and that scares me to death. Jake told me, "I just don't work without you." Life is precious! Don't take anything for granted! You never think anything like this can happen to you, but what I learned the hard way, it can! Fortunately in this case, everything in this accident played out perfectly, one nurse told me, "If you had to get in an accident, then you did it right." I still can't believe how many things could have gone wrong, or worse, and they just didn't. I really think I was in this invisible force-field where I was just untouched. What a blessing! What a miracle! (Can't you tell I'm still in shock?)

K now I know I am just rambling on. I just feel like I need to remember everything I am feeling, because someday when I am a mom, I will want to tell my kids what a loving Heavenly Father I have, that knows me, and knows when I am being dumb, and protected my life. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. I am so grateful for the power of prayer. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost. I am so grateful for our eternal perspective we have, I know that someday I can be with my family, and my husband, for all eternity! I know that Jesus Christ is my savior and he has saved my life in more ways than one! I know that if we are trying to live like him he will bless us in un-imaginable ways! I know that he gave his life for us so that we could have second chances in life, in whatever it may be. I know that my life is a gift, and I know where all blessings come from! I know that Heavenly Father sends us angels from the other side of the veil, as well as here on earth! Today I just can't help but have the heaviest, and most sincerely grateful heart.

Thankful Thursday... on Friday

1. I am grateful for the woman my little sister has become. She is one of the best people I know, she has always wanted to make friends and include everybody ever since she could talk. She has such a strong testimony that it blows my mind, she doesn't let temptation get the best of her, she is just too strong. She has the best personality, she always makes me laugh, and everybody else around her. She is so talented, she has a beautiful voice, something that I definitely wasn't blessed with. I can't help but admit that I have always wanted to be just like her! This girl also has no shame, by that I mean she doesn't care what other people think about her, she is just "Loriel," and theres nothing that is going to stop her! I am so thankful to have her in my life and to be able to brag about her, and to look up to her so much! (Not just literally!)<-- that's such an old joke, I know.


2. I am so grateful for the family I married into. I have the best mother/father/sisters/brothers/aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents-in laws that I could ever ask for! Seriously, people always talk about their in-laws and roll their eyes, not me, I love them! This family Jake came from is so loving and giving and I they have made me feel like I belong since the first time I met ALL of them at the Spanish Fork rodeo only a few years back. It's wierd how it feels like I've known everybody for years. And if I don't say so myself, I think my husband turned out pretty awesome, so I am eternally grateful to them for that. I am grateful that I haven't had to get too homesick, because even though my family is far away, I still have a family here! I know this is very general, I will get to specifics later, but today I'm just so thankful for the whole package!

3. I am grateful for good songs. This sounds silly, but let me explain. You know those songs that come on the radio and make you cry? For me it is actually many, it has always been a running joke with Jake, a song will come on and he'll say, "this song makes you cry huh." And I will already be crying. He knows me too well! However I love songs that do that, sorry I just have a lot of feelings! Lately the one that makes me cry everytime I hear it is Kelly Pickler's "Don't You Know You're Beautiful," at the part when she is talking about the homecoming queen in the back seat and she says, "if you talked to friends who have been where your at, I bet they would say they want their innocence back." I just love it! We need more songs like that that promote good values. "Don't you know you're beautifuuuuuulll just the way you arrrrrrrrrre." How could you not cry! I am just thankful for music that moves me to tears.