car accident

Hello Sunshine

Pretty Pink Posh

Hello, sweet friends.

Today I have a personal post to share- something that my new readers may not be used to. A little back story… before I started my business, videos or social media, I was just a blogger. I posted about my mediocre craft projects, things I was doing and little bits of randomness. During this time, my readership grew slowly but those readers became some of my very first blog friends. As I became more serious about blogging, and eventually started my business, these personal posts have been become a little less frequent. Nevertheless, they are still some of my favorite to write because I get to share my heart and give you little glimpses into my life.

Over the weekend, my sister that lives in San Francisco, surprised us with a visit. We don’t get to see her often, so when she does come, I try to put aside work so I can enjoy my time with her. As it turns out, I had stayed awake until 3AM the previous morning to finish up work projects, so it worked out perfectly. I had planned on stamping the whole weekend, but that was pity in comparison to spending quality time with my sister. As some of you know, my word for 2015 is LIVE, so I decided at that moment to live.

We had a lovely weekend together. We stayed up to the wee hours watching Netflix together, I randomly decided to cut off 8-9 inches of hair off, we planned details of my assistant’s wedding that’s in June, lots of delicious goodness from Chiptole was consumed and then we ended it with manicures and pedicures. Absolute bliss wrapped up in a single weekend.

Pretty Pink Posh

Some may be wondering why my word for 2015 is LIVE. I won’t go into it all, but back in August 2012 I was in a car accident that changed my life. It turned my whole world upside down and I went through years of trying to find logical answers on why I was dealing with all these health issues. Just this past year, I have been able to slowly enjoy moments in life. While I don’t live a “normal” life, by any means, I have learned to take advantage of the moments I feel well and in the midst of the craziness, I opened my shop. THIS POST really goes into it more, share links to other posts on the topic and even gives you the podcast where I share how the Pretty Pink Posh Shop came to be.

I won’t pretend that everything is pure bliss- that is far from true. I still have days where I can’t get out of bed due to chronic fatigue. I imagine life without health issues and the ability to drive wherever my heart desires, meet the man of my dreams and start a family. Who knows, it could happen someday… if it does, I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to keep plugging away. I want to continue to inspire you, my readers, customers and friends. Let’s continue to LIVE.

Pretty Pink Posh

Question: when is the last time you lived in the moment? It could be something spontaneous, or an event that was planned for a while. I want to hear how you all are LIVING in 2015.

*hello sunshine stamp can be found here

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Thankful Thursday

thankful2I don’t know about you, but I love a feel good story, especially one that is faith building. I have that for you today.

It’s been two years since my accident and during this time, the doctor bills, tests, MRI’s, medications and other things that went along with the car accident have added up. It’s been faith building every single time I got a bill (and boy, they were not cheap) and had to dip into savings and get additional credit cards. During all of this, I had to cut back my hours drastically for health reasons and the credit card bills got higher and higher and the savings got lower and lower. If I had to pick a word to describe all of this, it would be defeated. Every time I felt almost “caught up” on bills, a new one would come, or I would have to get more tests done that basically said “You are healthy”. That’s a whole other story though…

A month after my accident, I had to have several MRI’s done for my neck, back and brain and those are pricey. With the six days a week of chiropractic care in addition to the doctor visits, massage therapy, etc., the PIP from insurance got depleted far before the bills stopped coming. Let me tell you, the initial bill from those MRI’s could feed a small village. It was so hard to be in a place where I knew I had this bill looming over me and I would get “reminder bills” in the mail every few months, but knowing I couldn’t pay it all.

Okay, now fast forward two years.

I got a call from the MRI people yesterday saying this was the last call before it went to collections. Despite the attempts to work something out with them, I had to somehow figure out a way to pay them all of it. As I was talking with the gal, trying to see what we could do, she calculates numbers, I talk to her and then she says “Let me see if I can get this cut down to half for you.” What? We tried calling two weeks ago to work something out (they wouldn’t budge) and now this? Not to mention that she said her boss NEVER gives approval for a cut this large.

I had been praying the whole two years that somehow, someway it could get cut in half. Could this really happen?

Yes. It. Did.

I have to say I almost started crying when the phone call concluded. No more agonizing over getting this daunting bill paid. No more happy days crushed when I get a statement from them about this past due bill. No more freaking out about paying the biggest bill I have ever had in my life.

God is so good. He knew that deep in my heart I was hoping and praying this would happen. He knew that the last few months have been extremely hard and I needed to know that He still cares about me. I admit, my faith meter felt empty and I needed some sort of sign and here it was.

I felt the need to share this story in a post. Partly because it’s part of the car accident story, but I also felt like some of you are going through some deep valleys, or are feeling alone, and needed to hear something uplifting. It’s a miracle itself that I walked away from the accident, it’s a miracle that I’m still alive and here is yet another miracle to add to the ever-growing list. Miracles happen.

Do you have a miraculous story to share, or are you thankful for something today? Leave a comment- I would love to read your stories and I know others will be encouraged by it as well!

Fight for Joy

fightforjoy

Two years.

It’s been a few days past the two year mark of my car accident. My life these last two years has been so up and down. Life as I once knew it changed and I find myself always adjusting the term “normal” in my life.

I have to be honest, I have had some really, really dark days and weeks. Days when all I could do was cry from being in pain, clench my teeth in frustration at everything I couldn’t do or just lay down and sleep because that was all my body allowed me to do. This glamorous life that I imagined I would have as a kid was far from the reality I was living in.

It’s easy to have a pity-party for yourself in these circumstances. A while back I wrote a list of everything that I could no longer do and I cried. Why me? Why did this accident have to happen? I was in this downward spiral of thinking of everything that was wrong with my life and forgetting all of the good things I still had.

Some of you may remember the post I did called Finding Joy in the Journey. Despite the fact that I wrote that over a year ago, I still have to consciously make an effort to find joy in the difficult circumstances. It’s so easy to be down about where I am and forget how far I have come and where I am now, in this moment.

FIGHT FOR JOY, even in the heartache, pain and difficult times. Trust me, once you take a step back from the pity-party and find joy (even in the small things), your perspective starts to change.

Some of you have shared your stories with me and I have been touched by your transparency and openness to share. I know for certain that had I not gone through this, I wouldn’t have some of you as readers. Despite how difficult this journey has been, I know that I’m not alone. Occasionally I’ll get an email or comment from a reader who has encountered their own difficult journeys and while I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, it’s neat to be able to relate in a way that far outweighs crafts and blogging. In these moments, I almost sense God saying, “See, I DO care about you, I’m still here and you are not alone in this.”

If you are one of those who have sent an email or reached out, thank you. You may not have known at the time, but you were/ are little “joy tokens” that remind me I’m not in this alone. In the moments where I want to give up and have doubts that I’ll ever fully heal or get past my health issues, I cling to the things in life that bring me joy. It’s a mental change that I’ll admit isn’t easy, but it does change your perspective. It’s almost like it gives you a little more fighting spirit to tackle the difficult things.

FIGHT FOR JOY. And remember, dear friend, you are not alone in this journey.

A Little Update…..

updateFor those new to my blog, this is an update from my car accident post HERE. The other updates can be found HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE , HERE and HERE.

Today I’m taking a break from all things crafty here on the blog and giving a long overdue health update. I’ve been receiving several emails asking how I’m coping and how things are on the health front, so I figured it was time to update you all with a post.

It’s been 603 days since that dreaded day….the day I was in my car accident and my life drastically changed. Gone are the days of me being a normal twenty-something year old and now I’m facing a time in my life where each day is uncertain if I’ll feel good or not. Some may be questioning if I have been to the doctor to see why things are still unknown. The answer is YES. I’ve gone to so many doctors, I can’t even remember the number anymore. Have I had tests done? YES. Again, the number of tests, blood work, etc., that has been done is beyond my recollection. How do I feel about all of this? In a word: FRUSTRATED.

Many of you see me as upbeat, happy and having a cheery deposition. While I would like to keep that impression alive, I would be lying if I said I didn’t get discouraged that I haven’t been able to lead a normal life since the accident. Going from being the girl who had at least 4-5 things going on weekly, on top of work, to having absolutely nothing on the calendar and working when I can, my life has made a 180 degree turn.

With a drastic change in life, I found myself in a deep, dark depression that I couldn’t seem to get out of. I can’t even begin to tell you how many days I had where I wondered why God let me make it through the accident. While the days of severe (and almost unbearable) pain are gone, I’m still reminded that my life isn’t what it used to be. Rarely am I able to drive further than a few miles from my house, standing in grocery stores for longer than 10 minutes is almost impossible and going to movies isn’t something I’m able to do anymore (Did you know it’s possible for your senses to get enhanced after something traumatic? I didn’t, until now either).

With so many dark, dark days and very few answers, I felt worthless. defeated and angry. I know for certain that during those days, MANY family members, friends and maybe even some blog readers were praying for me. One day, I wasn’t so discouraged and while it may have helped that I had some coffee in me, I know that God just wrapped His arms around me. I felt joy- something I hadn’t felt in ages. I also felt like I needed to DO something with myself.

Enter in the Pretty Pink Posh Shop…. One day in October 2013, I thought maybe I should pursue my dream of opening my own business. If only you could hear the inner battles I had in this brain of mine. The practical side of me was thinking this was a horrible idea (since many days I was still in bed), but then the crazy, spontaneous side of me said I should just give it a whirl. I did some research on what it would take to become a business and from there things snowballed into a launch.

So now that I actually have my business, how are things going on the health front? Well, I still have to take things day by day. Some days I feel unstoppable and almost feel like I have my old energy levels back. Then there are other days when I feel pretty crummy, bound to my bed and am reminded that I am still facing health issues and need to not push myself so hard.

What have I found to be true in all of this? My story is far from over. God has amazed me in how a tragic situation could turn into something beautiful. The people I have been able to reach out to, help and correspond with because of my story is beyond amazing. I have been able to relate with people with chronic pain, physical issues and other situations that I wouldn’t have been able to had I not been in this accident. Since I had to slow down and was home bound, this prompted the start of my business. Goodness knows I was far too busy before the accident to even think about this possibility. It’s also been neat to see how my business has been able to touch others and also inspired people in many different ways. Something HORRIBLE turned into something GOOD!

Speaking of good….I recently was interviewed for a crafting podcast and was able to share some of this story there. I also share some other tidbits of info- I’d love for you to listen in as I do a mini interview with Renee! podcastWell, that’s going to do it for this update post. I want to give say a GIANT thank you to those who continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers, the lovely readers and customers who send cards and gifts and those of you who check in on me. I truly wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for you all. I’m so very thankful for YOU, my wonderful readers and blog friends.

Thanks for spending some time with me today!

Laughing In The Moments

I never would have imagined I would be 26 and riding in an automated shopping cart. Goodness, those were for people who were either old, handicapped, pregnant or had special circumstances. For someone who was overly cautious not to  hurt themselves, active and healthy and having no prospects of a husband or starting a family in sight, to THIS….

laughingIt’s not a secret I’ve been having a tough physically journey since the accident. I’ve gotten some answers, but new issues arise and it seems like life will never return back to the way it was. You know, “normal”. Being able to hop in the car and drive to wherever I needed to go, getting up at a regular morning hour and be able to work a full day, shopping and standing at the grocery store or mall. The little everyday things that most everyone takes for granted, those are the things I long to do.

Recently, I’ve had a few trips to the store where I learned that my body isn’t letting me stand past 5-10 minutes. For a while, I was stand for up to 20 minutes or so and could keep on walking, but that isn’t the case any more. A recent shopping trip proved that now my threshold is 5 minutes, if that. There’s something about that position that gets me super light-headed, which prompts dizziness and the feeling like I’m going to faint. It’s not at all pleasant and has left me not wanting to go anywhere.

As we all know, Christmas is right around the corner and I’m so far behind on everything, it’s almost comical. I’ve been able to do online shopping, but I learned that getting wrapping paper online can either be 1) super expensive or 2) impossible (as in, it’s not available). For a girl that likes to make presents pretty and wanting to handpick her own wrapping paper, this was going to be an obstacle. (Dare I say that I almost succumbed to using Valentine wrapping paper?!)

My sister came over yesterday and we made a surprise trip to visit a friend. Since that went without incident, she offered to take me to Target to get the items I needed. After talking about our “game plan” (aka: how I could get to the back of the store), she said I should use an automated cart. My initial thought: what would people think of me?

One would think with all that I’ve had to deal with these last 16 months, I would have learned to swallow my pride easily months ago. It’s something I’m working on and (slowly) succeeding at.

After prodding from my sister and her being more than willing to help me get items, I can now say that we maneuvered the store, I FINALLY got to the back of Target to get the items I needed and many items are now crossed off the shopping list. I have a new sense of admiration for those who have to use those automated carts at stores regularly. People constantly dash in front of them, the turn radius is atrocious (yes, I did run into one shelf), you get strange looks often AND reversing leads to an annoying beep, beep, beep noise….

During this memorable shopping trip, I couldn’t help but laugh many times. I know I looked silly, this situation is less than ideal, but the fact that I could laugh through it, is proof that change is happening inside of me. Not to mention, my pride is being broken piece by piece, I’m learning to appreciate the small things and I’m learning what true friendship really means. I’m not sure if I would have learned these lessons had the accident not happened… friends, it’s all about finding joy in the journey and laughing in the moments.

I’d love to know, what circumstance or situation did you last laugh about?

What If…..

whatif

Have any of you gone through a stage in your life when it feel likes you’re either drugged up or you’re in a dream? In either case, you aren’t in a complete state of consciousness- almost feeling like you’re in a daze. Welcome to the last 288 days of my life {story here, latest update here}.

I’ve posted updates here and there during this craziness that has been my life. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been on this giant roller-coaster that has had far too many dips and sharp turns in it. Goodness, I can’t handle them in real life and evidently, I don’t deal with them very well figuratively either. It feels like I’m in the seat and we’re slowing inching up towards the biggest curve and when I think the ride is almost done, something unexpected happens. Everyday I think I’ll wake up and this will all be a dream, but alas, I know this isn’t true.

Late last year, I did an interview with Jenny Simmons, a Christian artist {post here}. She released her debut solo album earlier this year and while I enjoy the whole cd, the song “What Faith’s About” has spoken to my heart ever since I heard it.

What if the days I’m walking into
Are the best of my whole life?

Cause who am I not to be, not to be
Everything that You have called me?
And who am I not to speak, not to speak
To every mountain that’s before me

— small snippets from the song What Faith’s About by Jenny Simmons

There have been so many times I have listened to this song and just burst into tears, tonight being one of them. In my heart of hearts I believe that God DOES have a plan and a purpose in all of this, I truly do. I’m hoping that someday, maybe in the near future, He’ll show it to me and my life can move on from this. My body is exhausted from the pain, the different ailments and then mysterious health issues that have arisen separate from the accident. Emotionally, most of the time I’m a wreck. My thought process, memory, cognitive behavior have all changed and the day-to-day things in life seem to get harder and harder. I’m at the age where I should be enjoying life to the fullest and yet here I am, feeling like I’m on the outside looking in on everyone else living life.

I miss being able to stand up for more than 5 minutes at a time. I miss the days when I felt relatively healthy for at least five days straight. I miss having good posture and not needing  to hunch over to make the pain in my back and neck bearable. I miss what it was like to not have to take medications for migraines almost everyday. I miss the moments when I was able to drive wherever I wanted and not have ANY flashbacks and anxiety over driving. I miss having a passion and zest for life. Honestly, this list could go on and on…..

Sweet friends, this is me. Real. There have more breaks here on the blog because I’ve been dealing with the issues above, along with others. My blog is my baby and honestly, if I didn’t have it during all of this, I don’t know how I would have managed to get this far. Many of you  have been with me since before the accident happened and I wanted to give you a raw, uncut look into life lately and why I’ve been slower about responding, less “on it” and not posting as often.

If any of you are facing difficult situations, I’m going to encourage you to listen to this song. Then, if you’d like, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email– know that you are not alone. For some reason I felt burdened to just be myself without editing too much and sugar coating things today.

With all of that being said, I AM still hopeful that the days I’m walking into are going to be the best days of my life. I don’t know what that will entail or mean exactly {I’m hoping it will still include me blogging!}, but I’m holding onto  hope. I need to.

In closing, remember, you are greatly loved by God, and by me. ♥

Health Update

update

I’ve been contemplating on whether to do this post for a little while now. For those who don’t know, I was in a car accident back in August that changed my life. {post here} I’ve come out of it a different person and it is reflected in my posts, my outlook on life, just to name a few things. Since then, I’ve posted a few snippets of updated info and then I did a health update {post here} back in November. I haven’t done another real post about it since, mostly because there hadn’t been any major changes and big steps forward.

In the past week, I’ve had a lot of people ask me via email, Twitter and text if things have changed recently. As of this very moment, yes, there have been changes! Actually, a lot of progress has been made in the past week or so. *insert squealing and happy dancing all around*

A few months back, while I was going to the chiropractor/ naturopath, he randomly suggested that I might want to change some of my eating habits, to see if that would help with the severe back pain. We quickly learned that I had digestive issues and my body no longer could handle any sort of MSG products. Uh, for those of you who don’t know, that’s in a LOT of things, especially Asian foods. Oh, and don’t just look for the label to say MSG, it’s disguised under a LOT of names. Lots of research, cutting out of just about every place I used to eat and no longer consuming my favorite “go-to” items, I could tell a difference, but I still wasn’t feeling that great. Time for more experimenting….

Another visit to the doctor and he suggested cutting out all grains {not just wheat items} and processed sugars. I won’t lie, I cried when he said this. My life pretty much revolved around breads, rice, and any sort of sugary drink or treat, how was this going to work?! Honestly, I was in so much pain, I knew I had to at least try this for a little bit. One week in, no changes. Two weeks in, a slight improvement. One month in, I could tell something was changing.

Now the question: what was causing my back to be in pain {after the accident}? Sugar, grains or both? After carefully planning out a day where I could afford to be sick, I ate a couple of Wheat Thins. Just a few triggered something, but then I realized it was dumb because it had both wheat and sugar in it! Another go at something with grains and I learned that was the thing that was inflaming my back. After introducing sugars into my system again, it seems to be okay and doesn’t trigger any major pain.

So……I’ve had to completely cut out all grains, MSG products, all nuts {since my body doesn’t seem to digest oils very well} and this seems to keep my pain level at bay. Granted, it’s not gone completely, but I’m SO grateful for this improvement.

Now the question that I get asked a lot, “Are you back to driving?”

Up until literally six days ago, I was only driving 10-15 minutes away from my house alone. Anything further and I would get panic attacks and flashbacks. I had a few failed attempts at driving further, which resulted in a mental/ emotional breakdown. Why couldn’t I get past this? It had been over seven months since the accident, surely I should be “over it” by now. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t seem to shake the fear and anxiety.

Thanks to the suggestion of one particular reader, I looked into talking to someone about my anxiety. I know many would try to hide the fact that they are seeking a counselor, but honestly, this person has helped me so much. Not only have I been able to talk through my fears, she’s been able to show me that some of the things I’m allowing myself to believe are completely untrue. I’ve had two visits with her {I have a third one today} and I can tell I’ve started to change the way I’m thinking of the accident and various situations surrounding it.

So I still haven’t answered if I’m driving alone yet. Well, the last couple of days, I’ve been able to drive 40 minutes away BY MYSELF! This feeling is even greater than when I first got my license! Do I still get nervous? Absolutely. However, as I’m doing it more, I’m getting a little more comfortable and hopefully, I’ll be driving everywhere by myself again!

What happens from here?

Well, we still haven’t figured out how to get the pain to go away completely, so hopefully down the road, that answer will reveal itself. I’m not able to stand for longer than 5-10 minutes at a time without pain shooting up and getting nauseated, which is still a mystery. I’ll still have to continue to eat the way I do, since my body literally won’t allow me to go back without major effects. I’m hoping and praying that as time goes on, I’ll be more comfortable driving and won’t need to have help with transportation anywhere.

Thank you from the very bottom of my heart to those who have checked in on me, sent me cards or gifts to encourage me, or somehow contacted me during this time. My blog has almost been a lifeline, since I wasn’t able to go many places for a long, long time. Your comments, words of encouragement and prayers have {and still do} mean so very much.

Whew! I know this was a super long post and I probably lost a lot of you along the way. However, for those who have been wondering or asking, I hoped this cleared up any questions. If there are any more improvements, or changes, I’ll let you all know! :)

So very grateful for you all……

Health Update

Before I start on my post, thank you from the very bottom of my heart to those who have mailed cards, sent emails or tweets, called or sent a text, or left comments here. I wish I could tell you how much these things mean to me. Since I’m not able to do a lot, it’s these interactions that make me feel like I’m still part of the human race.

It’s been twelve weeks since the accident {story here}. I’ve posted little updates, but I thought I would post everything up-to-date here. Please know I’m not posting this to have a pity party, or try to get sympathy…..I’ve had numerous people ask for an update, so I figured a post would be the best way.

After the accident I was sore and really tired, but it didn’t appear like there was much physical damage. About a week later, everything set in and I was really sore and in a lot of pain. I couldn’t move my neck at all {literally} and my left shoulder was practically to my chin since things were out of place. After a couple weeks of 6x a week of chiropractor appointments and massage therapy, I was able to start moving a little more than before. Driving was something far from my mind since I was still suffering from dizziness and nausea, not to mention major anxiety over driving since I was having flashbacks.

About a month after the accident, I started to feel even better so I started driving and life was semi-normal. Granted, I was still suffering from migraines, some nausea, soreness and dizziness, but it was bearable enough to start working more hours and get back to some of my old activities. I wish I could tell you how excited I was when I was able to drive to church by myself. MAJOR rejoicing.

While I was still rejoicing over feeling more normal, I had a set-back….a major one. I was driving home from work and then I felt super dizzy, nauseous, my vision started to blur and I couldn’t think straight. I pulled off to the side of the road and called my parents to pick me up. It was so discouraging and I felt completely deflated. Was hoping it was just a one day fluke and I would be back to normal…..sadly, that wasn’t the case.

It’s been about six weeks since I last drove and I’m still suffering from periodic nausea/ dizziness/ blurred vision, migraines, not being able to fully concentrate or retain memories and a lot of back pain. Sadly, my body hasn’t really been able to heal properly since I’m not able to sleep longer than a couple hours before waking up. The feeling of being so tired and not being able to sleep= frustrating.

We are still trying to figure out WHY I passed out in the first place. We thought it could have been an allergic reaction, but after an extensive allergy test, it didn’t turn out to be that. I had three MRIs, an EKG, two blood panel tests, a test for my nerves and those didn’t bring any answers either. One doctor suggested something I might have, but this isn’t a definite answer. Still doing some research and getting other opinions.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a doctor who came highly recommended. I’m optimistic since I’ve heard great things– praying we can get some answers. Even if some of the ailments go away, that would be amazing. It’s all of them together that make day-to-day life rough.

That’s the short version of the story. You all are the best blog followers a girl could ever ask for. Again, thank you to those who have checked in on me and been keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much. If anything changes, you can be sure I’ll give you an update! :)

Car Accident

There are some things you never want to be involved in. One of them: being in a car accident. The story I have for you may sound crazy or unbelievable, but I promise it’s the truth.

On Thursday, I had my full work day. It was a good day and I was so excited to start my weekend off afterwards with a trip to Target, my favorite store. I was making my way there and started to not feel very good, so I headed in the direction of home. I was feeling clammy, nauseous and dizzy on the drive home and was planning to pull off into a driveway to rest. As I was praying to get parked safely, the next thing I know I can’t see anymore and I’m waking up to a stranger talking to me. “Are you okay? Do you know where you are?- those were the first things I heard when I gained consciousness. After coming to, I learned I had passed out while driving. There was someone talking to the 911 dispatcher, people peering out of their apartments and many people gathering around my car.

Many moments later, the paramedics came and started taking vitals and information. Shortly after, a police officer came and got details and started assessing the damage. The miracle? I had crossed FOUR lanes of traffic (crossing the street with oncoming traffic coming towards me), jumped the curb, narrowly missed a tree and hit two parked cars. On top of that, this is one of the busiest streets in the city I was in and there are practically always pedestrians walking on the sidewalks. It’s a miracle that I didn’t get hit by an oncoming car, didn’t hit any walking pedestrians or hit the tree. Everyone around kept stating that they didn’t know how there wasn’t more damage.

It’s another miracle that I didn’t get more injured. In all reality I shouldn’t still be alive. I know for a fact that angels were watching over me. I went to the doctor on Friday and thus far, there isn’t any signs of lasting injuries. I’m SUPER sore, exhausted, dizzy and nauseous, but I know it could be so much worse. I think the fact that I wasn’t conscious helped since I wasn’t able to tense up beforehand. Also, I was wearing a seat belt so I didn’t fly out the window.

I never wanted to be in an accident- after nine years of driving, I haven’t ever been in an accident while I was the driver. Yes, all of this is a hassle, the pain is almost unbearable today and it’s not cool that my car has to be in the shop. However, I’m blessed to be alive. I’m thankful that my friend was able to come quickly and help talk with insurance while I was still recovering, that my sister was able to come from Seattle and take care of me that night, that there are no broken bones, all the cars involved are still drivable and overall everything should be okay within a few weeks.

I’ve been on mostly on my back these last few days- standing and walking aren’t things I can do for very long right now. I would so appreciate prayers for healing and the pain, along with being able to get back to “normal life” soon. I have a test coming soon to see if they know why I passed out, so I’m hoping that will answer questions.

I’m hoping that I can do what I normally do, but just bear with me if there are gaps between posts. :) I’ll be in contact with Ginny so we can announce the winner of the 10 Minute Craft Dash in the next day or two.

I know this is a super long post and I should go lay down again. I’ll talk with you all soon.

*updates can be found HERE, HERE and HERE.