4 Years Have Passed

In some ways 4 years seems like a lot of time. Other times, it seems like such a short span. 4 years. 1460 days, or 35,040 hours, or 2,102,400 minutes. December 7th will always hold a special (is it odd to call it special?) day in our hearts. December 7th is the day that everything changed.

http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day.html

Every year I blog an update on or around December 7th. Partially for the semi driver, who witnessed the crash, who I hope still checks in, and mostly for me. Now that this blog automatically uploads to facebook, I really can't be sure who reads it. Heck, Nikki might find it, or McKenna (my niece), Cindy (Nikki's mother), or any other host of family and friends. While I am not going to seek them out and say, "Hey read this." I am not going to try to hide it from them either.

For those of you who didn't know about the accident, or had never read my updates, here they are, in chronological order.


http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/randomness.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/amen.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/amen-part-ii.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/devery.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/moving-on-up.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/moving-on-uperdown-part-ii.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-year.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-long.html

This year has brought about more changes for our family and yet some things will stay the same. Nikki and Phil were able to settle a lawsuit with the trucking company. It is nice for her to have some closure. While the whole process drug out a year longer than we had originally planned, it is nice to know that it is over, to a point. Nikki will always have to live with the results from that day, but her attitude about the situation could not be better.

Thursday night I spent the evening browsing ads with Nikki and just talking. I missed doing that and it was nice to just chit chat with her. She showed me the file boxes her attorney had given her, and the pictures from that day. I was awe struck when she showed me the picture of the semi. The inside picture of her car got me. You could see blood on the seat and I had a flashback to that day. We had just picked up my two oldest nieces from school and when were pulling out of the school, we saw the wrecker with Nikki's car on it. I had to swallow my vomit. Seeing that picture caused the same reaction. We ended the evening by watching a video the attorney had made for the mediation. We all went to the basement (Nikki, Phil, the girls, Tom, Jo, My mom, Ayron, Taylor, and Myself) and watched the 20 minute video. It was amazing to see the accident reconstruction and how everything actually played out that day. I was doing fine until I looked over and saw my two nieces crying, then I lost it! I think the only one who didn't get misty eyed watching the video was Nikki! Hearing her old voice got me too!

I am still amazed that she is here. No one should have survived that accident. Thank goodness for her hard headed and stubborn personality! I jokingly held up a picture of the front end of the semi and told my mom, "Look what Nikki's head can do to a Mack truck! What can your head do?" Nikki laughed, and I knew then that it was ok to go ahead and finish this post.