The drive from St. George, Utah to Palisade, Colorado (just past Grand Junction, Colorado) today was mostly uneventful. Last night, we decided to break up the drive home since we feel wiped out. That was a good call and tonight we are enjoying a glass of wine and resting before the last part of our drive home.

So besides the serene scenery, we did hit a bad storm. As the rain started to fall, we noted a car flipped over and another had run into the median. Within a few minutes, the rain picked up. The rain drops were so large and so loud. It was a fierce storm. Shortly thereafter, we hit hail. Luckily, it remained pea-size to nickel-size, but it was blasting the car. It was so loud inside the car and we were not sure if the car was sustaining damage or not. Then, in the middle of the storm, Ella got a build-up of secretions in her airway. It was scary enough that we had to pull over quickly, lean over the seat into the back, increase her oxygen to 2 liters, undo her car seat straps and pull her into the front seat area. From there, we leaned her over (with her mouth toward the ground) so that the secretions could fall easily out of her mouth as she was crying. There was such a build-up of secretions that she could not manage and they were starting to block her airway. She was having trouble breathing without inhaling the secretions. It was a close call and all of it happened while the hail and rain was beating the car. It was an intense moment.

We praise and thank Him for taking care of us as we make the journey back home. We’ve had such a great time hanging out as a family. Looking forward to rest tonight and a beautiful drive through the Colorado mountains on Memorial Day.