The car got smashed... but we still made it to Meg and John's wedding!

Why is it that some of the more monumental events of my life have happened right on November 3rd? Weird, that.

Chalk up not one, but three things that took place yesterday. One we knew was coming and the other two were complete surprises. Of the three, two were very good and the other was pretty bad... but as nobody was hurt, and that the rest of the day's events were so joyous, I can't say that there's been any lingering regret.

I'll save Good Thing #1 for the post right after this one. That took place yesterday morning at 4:30 a.m. It was so awesome that I had to wake up Lisa to tell her the great news. Well we got in a few hours of rest and then made ready for Meg and John's wedding, which was set for 3 p.m. at First Congregational Christian Church in Reidsville. Just before we left, Lisa and I took pics of each other...

We headed out just before 2:30. Normally, this would be less than a 5-minute drive to the church. But not long after we had turned on Richardson Drive and were about to turn left onto Benton Lane to take a short-cut to the church...

...my Toyota Corolla got rear-ended by a truck.

Don't worry: Lisa is okay. The other driver is okay. And I'm okay. That nobody was hurt is a huge thing to be thankful for: things like vehicles can always be fixed or replaced. People, not so easily. I pulled the car into a guy's driveway and the following things came to mind, in this order:

- Is Lisa okay?

- Is the other guy all right?

- CRAP WE'RE GONNA MISS THE WEDDING!!!

Here's what my car looked like after the crash:

At least we weren't smuggling anyone in the trunk this time...

We don't know yet if it's totalled. I think it might be repairable, but we won't know for sure until this week. And if not well like I said: I have to thank the Lord that nobody was hurt. If this one is one then I'll just get another car.

But this lil' Corolla has had a glorious history! So many adventures that took place with it: travelling all around the mountains of western North Carolina as a newspaper reporter, driving all those times to see Lisa in Athens, escaping gunfire from neo-Nazis, fleeing a church full of snake-handlers, running surveillance on a swindling operation, going on the De Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River, crossing the Chesapeake Bay, doing the campaign trail around Rockingham County as a school board candidate...

If it can be fixed, I'll look forward to many more adventures to come in it. And if not well, it's had a good run. At least my Toyota Corolla will live forever on film, immortalized in our first movie Forcery :-)

The cops came by shortly afterward, got the relevant information and began cleaning the glass out of the street (the entire rear windshield of my car got blown out). By this time there were less than 5 minutes before the wedding was supposed to start, and we had tried calling over there to let our family know what happened but nobody was answering any phones. The wife of the other driver then offered to drive us over there (and we are very thankful for that offer!). The tow-truck was just starting to get my car when we drove away from the scene. We got to the church right at 3 p.m., and luckily for us the actual ceremony had not yet started. Lisa and I slipped in just before the wedding party started down the aisle.

So here is Meg and John during the ceremony...

And here are the happy newlyweds just after tying the knot!

We showed Meg and John the pics of the car and I told them "You know how at Jewish weddings, how they always smash a wine glass for good luck? Well, we did you guys one much better!" No seriously, I actually told them that :-P

But anyhoo, wrecked car aside, it was a beautiful ceremony, with a wonderful autumn theme to it. And after the wedding, which ended a bit before 4, everyone went back home or to their hotel rooms, to rest up and then change for the wedding reception at Wentworth Recreation Building. Meg and John had something of a barbecue dinner/hoedown for a post-nuptials party and they wanted everyone to dress-down out of formal-wear and be comfortable (and also 'cuz barbecue sauce is hard to clean out of a nice tuxedo).

And that was the day's more ummm... spectacular events. All things considered, it was pretty good. But I couldn't resist having a laugh with my car crash. Now, this next bit probably won't make much sense unless you are a regular viewer of WGSR Star 39 in Reidsville/Rockingham County and the surrounding area. It's referencing a commercial that I've heard a lot of people giggle at ever time it runs. The line that this guy delivers, it's something like the "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" of the Reidsville/Martinsville/Danville area...

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"We've had a terrible accident in the city and now we're going to Brian for a live report!"

"Coming to you with a live report right now from the city where we've heard that there's been an accident!"

"Let's check the condition of the driver! I wonder if he has anything to say..."

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Maybe I should post that commercial on YouTube so that people can really understand why it's so funny. The "Get me to Hoffman's!" line has been one of the bigger jokes that we've had to make light of the situation.

But hey, Meg and John are now married! And we got to see it! That's the important thing :-)

Categories: accidents, car crash, comedy, humor, meg and john, wedding