It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Sheryl and I went back and forth on wether or not we should go. It was still a little chilly and we knew driving our own four-wheeler was probably not an option. Lon assured us that we would find at least a 2-seater so we wouldn't have to drive and to be perfectly honest, I just really didn't want everyone to go off and have fun without me. So...we all headed south to Sand Mountain for some 4-wheeling fun. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Everybody picked their machine of choice and Lon rented a 4-seater Rhino for himself and Sheryl and Jana and me.

Helmets were a must for all riders-except those in the Rhino. We were told that they were the safest of all the 4-wheelers. Super-duper roll cage and impossible to flip.


Everybody got a crash course in operation. Except Lon. He didn't really need one. The Rhino practically drives itself.
We caravanned it and headed toward the sand. There was a brief moment where Sheryl (who was shivering in the front) had to decide whether or not to continue onward or return back to sit in the warm car. She decided to switch places with Jana and sit in the back and share the blanket and gloves with me. It was at this point that there was no turning back. Was I cold? Yes! Had I lost all feeling in my hands? Yes! Was I about to say anything? NO! I was having way too much fun. Lon was 'pedal to the metal' the whole time. And yet I felt quite safe. (There was a heavy-duty roll bar-remember?) It was better than any roller coaster ride- ever! The only time I felt real panic was watching my kids (lbh..my son) tearing it up on those machines.

Christian and Brandon

The more sand you had on your face meant the better driver you were. Hailee and Shae were by far the best drivers.

Warming up in the sand...

Jason and Brittney take a turn in the 2-seater.
There was a lot of digging out. Not the Rhino. Not once did we get stuck.

There was Jason and Weston...
And Brittney and Gabe...

And my personal favorite rescue...Hailee...willing to offer Jason any help he might need.

Ready to rumble...

Jason and Weston

This was my view the whole day. The back of Lon and Jana's heads. Although Jana did glance back a couple of times to make sure Sheryl and I were still strapped in after a couple of hair-raising dips and turns. It was all good until Lon decided to try a couple of donuts in the sand. The first complete turn felt a little unstable, by the second one I knew we were going over. Lon laid the 'unflippable' Rhino on the right side and put Jana and Sheryl in the sand -resulting in a couple of scrapped elbows and sore necks. Lon and I were hanging snugly by our seatbelts. After a couple of seconds of shock-induced silence, I felt moisture dripping off my face. I had my big SLR hanging around my neck and when we flipped, the camera swung around and smashed me in the face-just above my lip. I heard a hint of panic in Christian's voice as he reached the Rhino and surveyed the scene and I was anxious to get out and wipe off my face. My biggest fear was that Lon would feel responsible and regret our trip. I haven't had that much fun in a long, long time.

The nurses in the emergency room said that the words "4-wheelers" are banned from their vocabulary. They claimed they have just seen too much tragedy. I just kept offering a silent prayer of gratitude that all of our kids were still in one piece.

6 stitches was a small price to pay for a day of (mostly) safe, happy, fun in the sun.

And Lon, for the 100th time, I'm not mad! I had way too much fun and I'm the only one who got to go home with a souvenir.

(Here goes my pride...I look pretty, huh? Thanks, Jord, for the close,close up)