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Today is my Handsome’s golden birthday – 27 years old on April 27th. We’re getting old, but not at heart – his presents included G.I. Joes, a Transformer, Magic: The Gathering cards, and MarioKart for the Wii.

This morning I woke up to snow. Snow, in mid-April! I live in Oregon, 433 ft. above sea level! WTF?!

It was AWESOME!

It then proceeded to rain, sleet, and hail with intermittent sun throughout the day. Somebody in the weather department took was drunk today. Or just indecisive.

George is independently mobile again! And he is soooooo cute doing it! Oh we love it – all of us! (see pictures)

George’s wheelchair came in the mail today from Eddie’s Wheels, and it fits perfectly. PERFECTLY. We did very little adjusting to fit his body. Basically its a lightweight metal frame with padded leg holsters so that George can still use his back legs but doesn’t need them for support. It then attaches around his chest to keep it in place. It is fairly easy to get him in/out of the chair, and its wheels are sturdy enough to be all terrain.

The joy on George’s face is radiant. He’s still getting comfortable outside, but inside he’s doing well: turning around in the hallway, backing up, and just being able to go wherever he feels like. Since he’s been stationary for the last few weeks he gets tired very easily, so we’re taking it slow. We went up to the mailbox and back and he was pooped! After a nap, though, he was ready to get moving again.

As word about the accident gets around, many people ask what I remember. Here’s my account as completely as I can recall it:

I knew TJ was taking the corner too fast and I didn’t speak up soon enough. Seconds before it happened, I understood we were going to wreck, roll even. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t tense up, but then again maybe I just didn’t have enough time to respond. The right rear tire fell off the road onto the gravel shoulder – at 45 mph on a left-veering curve, momentum took that wheel and whipped us sideways. Fast. Like almost instantly. I very vaguely remember looking at the yellow stripes disappearing under my passenger door before I felt us starting to tip over. I don’t remember looking forward again, but I’m certain I did as the right side of my head hit the window/pavement. After the first hit I thought to myself that I shouldn’t hit my head again, so I covered my head with my hands/arms. My head was still looking forward, and I remember seeing the colors of the world spinning as we rolled through it. Just colors, no shapes or distinct objects. Mostly the blue of the sky and grey (of the road?) and not as much green as I would expect. So I just sat there as if on a roller coaster ride, arms about my head, colors spinning, waiting for it to stop. And then we were stopped, on the wheels, facing the other direction in a field. I don’t remember stopping, or being about to stop. We were just stopped, and as the steam from the radiator started rolling toward where the windshield used to be (and us), I started repeating, “Get out of the car! Get out of the car! We need to get out!” We both climbed out my passenger window and then the aftermath began.

The accident lasted one second and one hour at the same time. I remember feeling the seat belt restrain me when we were upside-down. I remember how loud it was – the glass shattering, the metal bending, the impact of car on road and gravel. Sheer cacophony. My life didn’t flash before my eyes. I didn’t think about whether I was going to die or not. Just to cover my head so I didn’t hit it again.

I’ve got new, super-fuel-efficient wheels! I’m the proud owner of a 2008 Toyota Prius (and the accompanying loan payment). Its dark blue – officially specter blue mica – in a small tribute to the 4Runner. Note: It is a much richer blue in real life than on the website – I really like it.

Besides getting double+ the gas mileage of the 4Runner, it has a navigation system that you can add your favorite places to  and is very roomy for all passengers. The back of the trunk is very accessible, and when you reverse there’s a little camera that shows what’s behind you. It also tracks your trip gas mileage and shows you whether the gas or electric engine is powering the car. It’s very quiet, too.

In addition, yesterday I sold my 4Runner for $650 (for the engine), netting me $500 and $150 for my coworker who significantly helped me, getting it from the towyard, holding it on his trailer, working to get it started again, and then selling it and offloading it with the new owner. Thank you so much, Old Man!

Update: So, this is what happened. TJ and I were on our way home from work Monday (3-31) when he took a corner too fast. The right rear tire caught the gravel shoulder, which whipped us sideways and rolled the vehicle 3 times into a field. It landed on its wheels facing the other direction. None of the windows survived and the outside looks like crap (see the pictures on flickr), but the engine still runs minus a busted distributor cap and we might get rid of the seats and rims for some money as well. I’ve got a sore right shoulder and right side of my head, and my knees and left foot are bruised. Somebody was watching over us.

PS – E-hugs welcome.