This one is more about "telling the story". I kept the design simple and focused on the journaling. (Provo Craft papers)

Journaling Reads: September 27, 1999. My 19th birthday.

It was 4:30 AM and I was leaving Virginia Beach, VA to return to college after Hurricane Floyd. For weeks, everything was flooded and roads were closed. But today was the day I would go back. The interstates were open and I could make it back to campus in time for Greek class.

As I pulled out and started my journey back to school, I could hear the words of my mom telling me that you should always be at least 12 inches away from the airbag to prevent major injuries should you ever get in an accident. So I stopped at the stop sign and moved my seat. I also realized my cell phone was in the back seat, so I pulled it to me. Only a few hours later would I realize how important this brief moment at a stop sign would be.

I made it to the interstate and traveled for several hours before I stopped at a gas station to get a Mountain Dew. Leaving at 4:30 AM was starting to wear on me….even though I had done it many times before.

After leaving the gas station, I pulled onto I-95. At approximately 7:30 AM I was nearing Wilson, NC when an 18-wheeler side-swiped my car and kept going as I struggled to keep my car on the road. I was fish-tailing like crazy and finally lost control. At 60 mph I hit the trees on the side of the road. I screamed,” Oh God, I’m going to die.” If at any point I wanted God to listen….it was at this moment. And He did. What could have been a very nasty accident only left me with a fat lip from the airbag and some burns from the seat belt. Later I would learn that I sustained some neck injuries, but even those were minor compared to what could have happened.

Remember that stop sign?!? Well, if I had I not pulled my cell phone up to the front seat I could have been stranded on the side of the road. I used my own cell phone to call the highway patrol. Then I realized that there was smoke in my car. I struggled to get out and my door wouldn’t open.

Then I realized that the door was just locked and after getting out, I saw that the smoke was only coming from the airbag.

I wear glasses. I can barely see without them. Out of all the things I could be concerned about, the glasses were the only thing on my mind. When the airbag busted, the force knocked my glasses off and I just knew they were gone.

Soon the highway patrol, critical care unit and wrecker showed up. I laughed at the critical care technician and asked if he was expecting to see me dead. He said he was. The highway patrolmen took down my information and called for the other HP guys to be on the lookout for the truck that hit me. The wrecker towed my car….and I….to Wilson where I waited for my former roommate to come after me. It was then that I found my glasses!!!! They were folded up and sitting in the back window of my car. Not scratched, not bent….in perfect condition.

It was then that I knew I had His angels watching over me! This day could have been my day to go. It COULD have been….but it wasn’t. I knew that God saved my life because He had a purpose and a plan for me here on earth. He wasn’t finished with me and I was bound and determined to figure out just what it was He wanted me to do. And to save my glasses….that was just proof that God is also in the little things!

The truck was never found. About 3 hours later I was in major pain from my neck down. My fiancé picked me up from school and took me home. After seeing a local doctor, I learned that I had some nerve damage in my neck. Several weeks later, after hours and hours of physical therapy, I returned to school. The Sunday night I returned, I gave my testimony during the campus worship service. I wanted everyone to know just how important it was to follow God and that He will do whatever it takes to get your attention.