1 of 7

What I love most about my husband, Kimmer, is his heart—full of compassion and sensitivity. Yeah, I love his heart and "never give up" spirit. —Krickitt Carpenter

I love Krickitt's personality and her eyes. Her personality is kind of wild—in an innocent fun way. And she has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. I flutter when I look at her eyes. —Kim Carpenter

Candid. Intimate. Words of endearment. Krisxan (Krickitt), 28, and Kimmer (Kim), 32, Carpenter are so much in love that they celebrate two wedding anniversaries each year—the "real one" in September and the "second one" in May. Three years separate the two weddings—three years that seem like a lifetime of marriage.

But two weddings in three years? For the Christian couple from Las Vegas, New Mexico, it was part of marital survival.

On Thanksgiving Eve 1993, with almost ten weeks of wedded bliss behind them, the Highlands University assistant athletic director/then baseball coach and his beautiful bride were heading with a friend, Milan Rasic, to Phoenix, Arizona. At the other end, awaiting their holiday arrival, were Krickitt's parents, Gus and Mary Pappas.

Everyone was looking forward to the break. Krickitt took the wheel of their brand-new Ford Escort at 4:30 p.m., while Kim, nursing a cold, tried to get comfortable in the back seat. Two hours later, night had fallen on I-40.

Krickitt has no recollection of what happened six miles outside of Gallup, New Mexico. Just ahead of their car, a slow-moving truck carrying auto parts was obscured behind a cloud of exhaust. Krickitt saw the truck just in time. Hitting the brakes and swerving left, she clipped the left rear of the vehicle. A pickup truck following the Carpenters' car swerved simultaneously and hit them with such force, the Escort flipped one-and-a-half times and slid down the interstate more than 100 feet.

"I screamed and screamed for Krickitt," says Kim, who remained conscious through the horrifying collision. When the Escort flipped, Kim was thrown onto the ceiling inside the car, his back exposed to the asphalt through the shattered "moon roof." His legs were pinned and he couldn't locate his wife. She didn't answer him. Their friend Milan was still in the front passenger seat.

Secured by her seat belt, Krickitt was hanging upside down in the driver's seat, head tilted, unconscious—the roof of the car crushed around her skull. It would be twenty minutes before help arrived and another thirty before Krickitt was in the back of the first ambulance heading for Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup. Kim and Milan (who suffered a separated shoulder) were transported in a second ambulance.

next page... |  1 of 7

	What did you think of this story?
	Please to give us your feedback.

Home  |  People of Faith  |  Stories of Hope  |  Today's Culture
Build Your Faith  |  Laughing Matters  |  Archives  |  Contact Us

				Try Today's Christian Woman Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian Woman coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian Woman as a gift Order a gift subscription!

FREE Newsletter Subscribe to the Today's Christian Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help