Road hazardous

I've been off work all week, having taken PTO in between the holidays. We initially had hoped to visit my mom in Texas this week, but airfare proved to be too expensive, and with Omicron raging, not traveling right now is probably for the best. I've mostly been uninspired all week, and it's felt good -- I need an extended break, and used only four PTO days (and I have a bunch to spare) to get a 10-day respite.

I did want do something non-lazy this week, and Lori wasn't going to mind if I got both boys out of the house. We had such a video game Christmas that a little road trip to Clearfield and Ogden to look for used video games seemed like a good adventure for a Thursday. Snow wasn't expected until the evening, and we left at about 12:30 and headed north on Interstate 15.

We were in the HOV lane just south of Layton Parkway when Ben heard something from the underneath the car. I heard it, too, but figured it was just a piece of ice that had been encrusted on the car falling off. But soon, the car started not handling as well, and the tire pressure alert lit up. I thought we had a blowout, and I pulled off to the left shoulder and called 911 for help.

I was so nervous. The shoulder was large, but cars were whizzing by us fast in the HOV lane, and if one of them veered over just a bit, we would be in serious trouble. I also requested help from AARP, but the towing service they called wouldn't arrive for more than an hour. I started freaking out just a bit. 

When the Utah Highway Patrol incident management truck pulled behind us, I made the sign of the cross in relief, then canceled the AARP-facilitated assistance. The UHP person called for a trooper, who slowed down traffic enough for me to get the car across the highway and off the exit. The tech changed the tire to the spare, and our day resumed.

Michael insisted we went to one store, our favorite up in Layton that was really close, where he bought a used Dreamcast, Ben bought a wireless Xbox 360 controller, and I bought Double Dragon for the NES. We took the long way home on the donut, picking up McDonald's in Sugar House for our late lunch that we would have enjoyed in Davis County.

After two Big Macs, I was mentally exhausted and took a nap. The tire just had a puncture -- it wasn't the blowout I feared, even though it felt like it at first. We'll take it to Costco to see if it can be patched or we need a new one. Today wasn't the day I had hoped for, but the bottom line, the boys and I made it off the interstate safely. Life's little hazards may be unavoidable, but getting through them is all that matters.

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