So, we were headed out of town this morning, to visit Rick's grandpa in St. George for his 92nd birthday. We ended up breaking down while we were still in Vegas. We were off on the side of the freeway. It was Rick & I & all 5 kids. This lady, who we later found out was named Kim, came down the embankment & started helping Rick. Kim knew what the heck she was doing. Rick asked her if she lived around there & she pointed up the embankment & said very matter-of-factly, "yes, I live under that tent." She was homeless. Her husband (Stan) came down a few minutes later & got right in there with Rick to lend a hand. Kim ended up going back to their tent to get Stan's tool bag. Kim ended up riding her bike to Auto Zone to get the wheel bearing that Rick needed. I had since taken Abi out of her car seat & had climbed up the embankment a bit & Kim came up to me, with the receipt, pointing to the amount & counted out the change, to show she wasn't 'ripping me off.' During all of this, I was also trying to get a hold of someone to come & get us. I ended up giving Kim the change I had, which wasn't much & I wish I had more in my pocket to give her. When I handed it to her she said, "this isn't why we do this," meaning she wasn't looking for anything in return for them helping us. She said that they come down & always help out when people get flats & break down. Stan turned around, while he was working on the wheel, & said to Rick & I, "these are what I consider blessings...to be able to help people."

We finally let the boys get out to stretch & Kim said to me jokingly, "I should take the boys up there & show them how the homeless live." I told her to do it. So she took them up the embankment & showed them & told them that they really better appreciate what they had & what their parents do for them. Our ride came & shortly there after, Rick & Stan had the fan back together & in working order. Before Rick left, he asked Stan if it gets really cold out here in the desert at night. Stan said, "I don't know. We've only been out here for 5 months." They just started talking & Rick found out that Stan & Kim had been together for 11 years & had 11 children total, the youngest being 9. They both worked for the local Teamsters at the Convention Center & both were laid off. They survived off of their savings as long as they could & finally lost their house.

Life was really put in perspective for both myself & Rick. I left there wishing there was more I could've done for them. They are such a neat couple & I am very grateful that we experienced them today.