Accidents, Tornadoes, and Anniversaries

This has been a DAY.

Things started out on a wet and soggy note.  It had rained all night, so everything was soaked.  And green.  It was very green.  I drove my Jeep to work since it sounded like it was going to be wet all day.  I arrived at work and dealt with a new crisis, one involving an employee.  Once that was done, I had to sort through a few meetings involving some high profile projects.  All in all, it ended up being a very full day, as most of them tend to be.

I started the drive home in a monsoon.  The rain was coming down very hard, and traffic was typically slow. Things didn't improve when I hit the Beltway, and I was surrounded by bumper-to-bumper traffic.  After crossing the Northwest Branch near White Oak, the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes as traffic suddenly stopped ahead of him.  I hit my brakes and began to hydroplane.  I plowed right into his Honda Accord at about 20 MPH.  I was sick!  I don't get into accidents, and I certainly don't cause them.  This was a first for me; I was totally at fault.  I motioned to the guy to move onto the shoulder and followed him over.  Fortunately, both vehicles seemed undamaged.  There was only issues were cosmetic.  The guy was understanding, and we exchanged information, then we headed our separate ways.  I was very late to pick up my daughter, but the school, as always, was understanding.  The we went home.  That's when the weather went freaky.

I have a new tornado app on my iPhone that apparently sounds a pretty intense sounding siren when there's a tornado warning for your area or areas you designate.  That's what happened.  My daughter, who hates tornadoes and all other adverse weather, started to get upset.  For the rest of the evening, my phone went off every hour as new warnings sounded.  We ended up having two tornadoes in the area, one in the upper part of Howard County, and another in southern Prince George's County.  I find it ironic that I'll soon be headed to Oklahoma on business, where tornadoes are a way of life, and I'm experiencing tornadoes here in Maryland.

We also got word that my aunt was involved in a serious car accident.  As it turned out, she was fine, but she totaled her SUV after another car ran her off the road and she landed on the edge of a small ravine.  She had to crawl out of the rear window when she smelled smoke and feared that it might catch fire.  My father was able to get to the scene and help her out, since the accident happened near where they live.  I'm just glad she was okay.

What a DAY!

It was also my parent's 46th wedding anniversary, and I'm sure we will celebrate a little later.  My parents are so wonderful and do so much for me.  Despite all the crazy stuff today, I hope God blesses them with a wonderful day.