A Blast From The Past - "I Was Running"

I thought that I had posted this story about Matty running away, but I couldn't find it anywhere on my blog. Must have been one of those posts that I composed in my mind but never got around to typing. She has run off quite a few times and each time it scared me to death. In fact, I am still to this day careful about doors being locked, and on occasion when I get a 'feeling', I even barricade the doors at night!  But she really out-did herself this particular time. It was a couple years ago, spring 2010 I believe when we were living on 10th Street in Lovell, but I wanted to make sure I had it recorded...

I had been at a Young Women activity on a Wednesday night and was just getting in my car to go home when I got a phone call from Kyle. "Matty is missing." It was almost 9:00 at night. It was dark and it was cold. I raced home and called 9-1-1 on my way.

Kyle had put the girls to bed earlier. They had been fast asleep. So he went out to the backyard to work on our pump. He went back inside to check on them and they were still fine so he went back outside. About ten minutes later he went to check again and saw that our front door was open. Assuming that I had gotten home from my meeting, he started looking for me in the house. When he didn't find me, he looked outside and saw that my car wasn't home and automatically realized that Matty must have gotten out. He went to her bedroom, and sure enough, there was no Matty. He looked up and down our street and couldn't see any sign of her. That's when he called me and I called the police.

My heart was pounding on the way home. Once I got there, I started helping Kyle look all around the neighborhood. I was really pregnant at the time and was having a hard time running and yelling and I was really starting to panic! So many people showed up - almost immediately. Police, Sheriff, Fire Department, family members, neighbors. Everyone was combing the area. It was so cold outside and all I could think about was the fact that they had let the water into the canals and I didn't think she was in anything but a t-shirt and pajama pants. I was so afraid that she had wandered somewhere dangerous or was freezing. I was f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g out! And I wasn't the only one. Even Miss Anastyn as little as she was was terribly upset and wanted to find her Matty. Finally, after we were searching and yelling and crying for what seemed like an eternity, I got a phone call from a lady wondering if I was "missing someone". I said, "yes! do you have her???". And thank goodness she did!

My little Matty had wandered clear down the street, all the way down the hill, past a canal full of water (which typically she would have been curious about because she loves water), to a house that she had never been to before. Apparently she had tried to jump on their trampoline and eventually ended up at their back door. She knocked and they didn't hear her, so she just walked right into their house! Luckily they knew who she was!!! The fire chief and her Uncle Tyler drove down and picked her up for me. I was so happy to see that little girl's face. So happy!!! As soon as I had her in my arms I asked her where she had been. She matter-of-factly stated, "I was running!" like it was no big deal!

Come to find out, she was at least smart enough to put some shoes on and one of my coats! (They found those on the ground by the trampoline the next morning!) Oh, Matty. You almost gave Daddy a heart attack and dang near sent Mommy into pre-term labor!!!! I am certain she had some guardian angels looking out for her that night...