Little Known Facts about Me, Fact #1

After yesterday's post, I decided I needed to lighten things up a bit. For those of you who know me well, you know I am not always the most serious person. OK, I'm hardly ever the most serious person. Sure, I know there is a time and place for being serious, but I would much rather have fun and act silly. I have been known to laugh at VERY inappropriate times...church, graduations, and even though I hate to admit it, funerals. So, while it wouldn't hurt for me to be a little more serious from time to time, I never want to take myself too seriously...life is too short for that. Since I let my serious side out in yesterday's blog, I knew today needed to be much more fun.

I decided that I will feature a little known fact about me from time to time to add some fun and humor to my blog. So today, you get Little Known Fact #1:  I was run over by a motorcycle at a Christmas parade.

Here's the story:

THE DAY I WAS RUN OVER BY A MOTORCYCLE
By:  Meagan Stoltzfus

I grew up in Altus, a small town in southwest Oklahoma. Technically, I grew up in Elmer, which is an even smaller town in southwest Oklahoma; however, since Elmer has no school, no grocery stores, and basically nothing besides a post office and a small gas station, I generally just tell people I'm from Altus. Not that Altus is a booming metropolis, but it does have a population in the thousands rather than a population of 94 (Elmer's population according to the 2000 census).

But, back to my story. The small town of Altus has a Christmas parade every year. It is your typical small town parade, featuring the school marching band, the cheerleaders, different businesses from around town, etc. Basically, anyone can sign up to have a float, ride their horses, or ride their motorcycles in the parade.

When I was in first grade, my family went to the parade just like we did every year. When I say family, I mean parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins...everyone. So, we're all there together, sitting along the curb just like always. I was enjoying the parade, watching all the floats, cars, horses, and even the Shriners (you know, on their tiny little motorcyles with their funny little hats?) go by. I was also enjoying my favorite part of the parade...the CANDY!

I remember innocently sitting and watching the parade go by. I remember seeing a group of people on motorcycles coming down the street towards me. This group happened to be riding their motorcycles in circles as they moved down the street. I remember the motorcycles getting close as I sat on the curb. I don't remember too much after that.

One moment I saw the motorcycles coming toward me, the next thing I knew, I was on the ground in the street and everything was black. Once I regained consciousness, I remember getting up, running toward my aunt and uncle's pickup truck, and leaping a small ditch to get there. They had parked in the K-Mart parking lot, and my mom was inside at the time having my little sister's pictures made (of all the things I remember, I'm not sure why this is one of them). I climbed into the back of the pickup and laid down. I'm sure I was screaming and sobbing, too. My aunt came over to check out the damage, and someone went inside to get my mom.

The motorcycle had run over my left foot/ankle, and the force of the impact had knocked me over. When I fell over, I hit my head on the curb, knocking me out and ultimately, leaving me with a concussion. My ankle was immediately swollen, and my head was bleeding right behind my ear. After a thorough examination by my aunt and my mom, they rushed me to the emergency room.

Miraculously, I was fine. No broken bones, but I had what they called a "crushed" foot. Basically, every ligament and tendon around my ankle and across the top of my foot had been stretched or torn. Like I already mentioned, I also had a slight concussion, and a small cut on my head, which did not require stitches.

When my mom asked if I knew what the person driving the motorcycle looked like, I told her it was a black woman. It actually was not a black woman (I guess I didn't realize everything looked black to me at that time), but instead, it was one of my mom's best friends. My aunt and my cousin had also been hit. I don't remember the extent of their injuries, but I know my aunt's pantyhose got torn. My mom's friend (the one who had been driving the motorcycle) came to check on us in the emergency room. She, of course, felt terrible and ended up buying me a very pretty bracelet (which I still have). I'm pretty sure she also bought my aunt some new pantyhose.

All in all, it was a Christmas parade I will never forget. I also NEVER sat on the curb to watch the parade ever again. The city also made a rule that motorcycles could no longer ride in circles down the street during the parade.

Every time I think back to this story, it makes me laugh. I acutally kept the shoe I was wearing that day for a long time because it had a big tire mark going across it, which I thought was pretty awesome. It did not seem so funny or so awesome that day, but I'm actually really glad it happened. Not everyone can say they have been run over by a motorcycle at a Christmas parade.