This is not your typical hit and run tale. I'm lucky (and so is my family) to be here and retell this traumatic event.
On Saturday morning, I was doing something naughty. I was eating the neighbor's cat food across the street. Heidi saw me, and called for me to return home. I perked up and started running. Right after Heidi called my name, she heard the car (SUV) rumbling down the street. She knew the worst would happen and it did. The car hit me, Heidi saw me fly and heard my yelp. The car stopped. Heidi ran to get a robe.
When Heidi came running outside the car was turning onto the next street and I was nowhere to be seen. Panicked, she checked under cars and in neighbors' yards. She expected to see me bloody, broken, bruised and barely alive, if at all.
Not being able to find me was the worst. She walked up and down the streets wondering where I could be. She assumed, the car that hit me had taken me. (Maybe to dispose of me in the garbage. . .)
Gerrit got the text message while he was taking care of a patient in the back of an ambulance.
Soon a few neighbors were helping Heidi look for me. Ginny and Heidi drove around and around trying to find my injured body so they could help me and have some closure.
One of the neighbor's asked Heidi if she was going into labor. . .she must have been really out of her wits.
Gerrit finished up his call and was now looking for me too (about an hour and a half later).
The good news is. . .he found me!!! I was about three blocks from home sniffing around. (I was pretty confused) When I saw the car and heard Gerrit's voice I came running.
It's a miracle!!
When the car hit me, I must have gotten up and started running. My fight or flight kicked in. Luckily, I'm safe at home and all the tears being shed are happy and grateful.
It's clear that my family wouldn't know what to do without me. I feel very loved and they feel very lucky!
Maybe it's a Christmas Miracle, maybe that cat food that I've been sneaking gave me some extra lives, but probably Someone knows how much I'm needed.
Our gingerbread house did not last long before it collapsed. Maybe we'll have a stronger foundation next year.
The party continued at our house with gingerbread cookies
and more.
We made gingerbread cookies last night and some this morning. There is still some dough in the fridge. YUM!
Our goal was to get to the summit.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of being on top of the world! (Honestly. . . I was a bit shaky. . .)
Feeling accomplished, but not yet finished, we headed on the rocky ridge to the glacier.
Once we saw it, we realized why everyone else had turned around at the summit or saddle. It looked impossibly scary. But in our minds, it was what we had to do. I ran down the dirt until I felt save enough to cross onto the snow. 
Feeling exhilarated and lucky to be in one piece, we didn't clearly think through how to best get back to our trail to head home. We took a downward detour to see more lovely flowers and mountain goats.
Unfortunately for us; we had to hike back up to Emerald Lake and then up some more and around before we finally got back on the long trail to take us down the mountain.
Our caution did pay off when we were suddenly sharing the trail with a great big male sporting huge antlers and less than the length of a 25 meter swimming pool away.
