Where's that superhero when you need one?

Liz and I had an adventurous road trip to Michigan over the weekend. She's staying with the Michigan Hedgers while I'm in Boston for a few days.

We headed out on Saturday morning and about an hour into the trip, she needed to stop for water and a bathroom break. Once we got to a gas station, I swiftly found a parking spot and went to put the car in park when the gear shift became stuck and I couldn't put it in park. So, I was able to push the gear into neutral and turn the car off.

Unfortunately, when the car is not in the park position, you can't take the keys out of the ignition. So, Liz and I hurried into the gas station and I had the clear realization that it was very likely we'd return to the parking lot, and the car would be gone.

Oddly enough. We returned 4 minutes later and the car was still there. That was exciting.

I went to put Liz in the car seat and as I was trying to buckle her in, the car began rolling backward. So, my mind began swirling and I instantly wondered how to handle the situation. I was able to put one leg outside of the car and somehow stop it from rolling. Probably not the smartest move, but it didn't seem safe for us to keep rolling - especially since Liz wasn't buckled in at this point - and there were cars nearby and cars driving by us in the parking lots.

The tricky part was trying to prevent the car from rolling while fastening Liz into the car seat. I didn't want to jump out of the car until I had her fastened in. Most of you know car seats can be a pain without the hassle of trying to stop a rolling car with one leg.

Miraculously, I got her buckled in and I jumped out and hurried into the front seat to grab the breaks.

Somehow, it all worked out and we didn't hit any cars or people. I was able to make it all 220 miles to Michigan without any other problems.

Now, I'm just hoping that there wasn't anyone nearby videoing the event, because I really don't want to see it on You-Tube or the local news, where the newscaster says something like: "Look at this crazy Mom."