13 things about 2013

I'm sure you are probably sick of reading nostalgic and retrospective posts about everyone's past year, but I just couldn't help myself from jumping on the band wagon. I don't always share my reflections on my year- but this year in particular has brought so many crazy, terrifying, wonderful experiences that I felt the need to reflect.

So to help me keep this post "short" I will limit myself to only share with you 13 things that happened this year.

1. I became a substitute teacher:
This was significant for me because it was my first "big girl" job after graduating college. It was the first job I had that actually used my degree and education training. While I was subbing I lived with my friend Derek in central PA and he subbed as well. It was my first taste of "adulthood" or life after college.

2. I almost was in Legally Blonde:
While living in central PA I auditioned and was cast in Legally Blonde as Kate.We spent weeks dancing and singing and learning staging. I met some amazing people and had a seriously great time- that was until a week before the show when #3 happened.

3. I was in a very serious car accident:
February 1st I was headed to work one morning and my car slid on a patch of ice, right into a tree. The accident was pretty severe and I ended up with a broken knee and hip and 2 surgeries. The accident completely annihilated my mobility and independence. For those of you that were around and there for me during this extremely trying time in my life- I can't say thank you enough.

4. I spent several months of the year relearning how to walk again:
Like I said in #3 my hip and knee were broken, I couldn't even get out of bed much less walk. I spent about a week in the hospital and then several more weeks at a rehabilitation center in PA. My roommate at the rehab center was 94 years old- as you can imagine most of the people there were much closer to 94 than 22. I worked with amazing doctors, therapists, and nurses and eventually was approved to go home. "Home" mind you, switched from being central PA with Derek to Western Massachusetts with my parents. Once I was home in Mass I started visiting a physical therapist several times a week, I moved from using a wheel chair, to a walker, to crutches, to nothing. I have an amazing amount of love and gratitude towards all the doctors and specialists that worked with me. Without their commitment and training I would not be walking today. I also could not possibly thank my parents enough for all their love, patience, encouragement, and support. It's hard to believe that less than a year ago I could literally do nothing without help from someone.

5. I started my own online greeting card business:
While I was at home recovering I was bored. Like really, really bored. You can only do so much when you are confined to sitting on the couch all day. In March I came up with an idea to start a craft business- I invested what little money I had into some supplies and began creating greeting cards and started up my own business called "Everyday Hello". I'm proud to say that after looking into my Christmas time sales I actually have made some profit off of the business- not much, but still :) To see more everyday hello pictures explore #everydayhello on Instagram- or go to the actual site!

6. I applied for countless teaching jobs all around the East coast:
Applying for jobs is one of the worst things ever. It takes so much time and effort to apply to jobs and then most of the time it ends in rejection. I applied to many jobs and interviewed for several. By the time August hit I still hadn't found a teaching job. I can't really explain how defeating it feels, but I'm sure many people can relate in today's economy.

7. I was hired for my first full time teaching job: Mid-August hit and I got called for an interview for a middle school music position in central Massachusetts. I did the interview and shortly after was offered the job. I cannot even explain my excitement and gratitude I have for this job.

8. I moved out of my parents house and got my first studio apartment in a city I've never been to:
In the beginning of the school year I lived at home with my parents and drove an hour to work everyday. That was killing my bank account, and making me lose out on a lot of sleep so I decided to move out! I found a lovely studio apartment in a city not far from my school. I'm completely in love with the apartment and I had so much fun decorating and moving out on my own. At first I was really hesitant about living by myself, but it's honestly not so bad. True, it can be lonely, true it sucks to have to do all the housework and pay all the bills, but really I quite enjoy living alone. (Well I do have a sweet kitty to keep me company- that certainly helps).

9. I was given teacher of the month my first month at school:
I was so nervous that I might fail miserably at teaching or disappoint the school. What if I wasn't what they wanted? What if I actually suck at teaching? What if I don't know enough? Well it turns out I was doing just fine. The administration noticed me and awarded me teacher of the month. I was surprised, honored, and truly grateful to receive positive recognition for what I was doing. Since then I've gotten pretty good reports from observations etc. and although teaching can be extremely challenging and hard at times it's also extremely rewarding.

10. I conducted my first chorus concert:
During my student teaching I never was able to conduct at an actual concert so the very first time I conducted was this December with my middle school chorus. The students did an amazing job and displayed their abilities well. I was really proud of them and am really looking forward to the spring.

11. I met and started dating Dan:
Making new friends and meeting people has been a challenge this year. It's hard to meet people when you live in a city where you know no one. I decided to give online dating a try and met Dan. He lives in the same city, we have a lot in common, and we hit it off really well. We've been seeing each other about 2 months now.

12. I lost and kept off about 20 lbs:
Throughout this whole year, especially spring and summer time I focused on being healthier and trying to lose some weight. I did the 17 day diet with my mom- all 4 cycles pretty diligently. We even came up with this complicated rewards system to keep us motivated. Even during the school year I managed to continue eating healthy, it wasn't until the holiday season that I really started tripping up. After the year ended I can proudly say I managed to lose and keep off 20 lbs. I am looking forward to working towards being healthier this next year too! I've already delved back into a more strict diet to recoup some of the holiday gain. After the first several weeks I am feeling great, healthy, and am looking forward to seeing continued positive and healthy changes in my body!

13. I had the opportunity to take trips, see friends, and experience a lot of great moments:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention how lucky I am to have had multiple opportunities to take trips to Lockport, Mansfield, and other places this year. I was blessed to be able to take trips with family, with friends, and to see family and friends. One of my favorite trips this year was when I went down to SC. I traveled with friends going down, and then got to see even more friends once we got there. I have many amazing memories with friends this year- even though they might be fewer and farther between than during college they still mean so much to me!





So much for "short".... at least I limited myself to only 13 things.

In conclusion I'd say that 2013 has been a year of growing up, a year of appreciating, a year of refocusing, and a year of new beginnings. I'm excited to think of what 2014 may hold! Wishing you all the best as we begin this new year.

Retrospect

Today is my 23rd birthday, and it's been such a great day. Instead of recapping the events of today with some pictures I'd like to take a moment to talk about this past year for me. I realized today when chatting on the phone with my Aunt Amber, that in these past 365(6) days I've gleaned years worth of life experience. As a brief recap let me just list some of the things that have happened.

Last year June 2012 I was just finishing up my senior year of college. That summer I moved to Massachusetts and spent the summer here working at a camp and also traveling a bit with friends and family. I also participated in the World Choir Games and had my last performance as a member of the MU Concert Choir. I completed my student teaching that fall, which was an amazing life changing experience. I met so many wonderful and inspirational people and I really got a better sense of myself as a teacher and future music educator. That December I graduated with a BA in Music Education, Magna Cum Laude from Mansfield University. During this time I lived in State College, PA with one of my best friend's Derek. While in State College I got involved with some community theater and after graduation I began substitute teaching in the district. In February of this year I was in a serious car accident which resulted in: totaling my car, 2 surgeries, 7 screws and 1 plate in my body, 1 week in a hospital, 2 weeks at a rehab center, and then moving back in with my family in MA for the remainder of this year. During this past year I was in a serious relationship that ended. Also in these past few months I managed to start my own online business and even achieve some profit from it thus far. I also have had my first experiences with applying and interviewing for full time teaching jobs. (I am sure I'm missing something... )

Looking back at the year of 22- I can't believe that this was all crammed into 365/6 days! It's amazing to me. I feel like I have grown so much as a human being, in this time. I have been able to take away some life lessons from this crazy past year of my life. I am so thankful to have these experiences and to be the person I am today. I am excited for what the next year of my life holds- which right now, I haven't even the slightest clue to where God might take me. I am trusting that this next year will be just as crazy and full as the last- I hope I will keep experiencing new things that will challenge me to grow and will help me strive to be even better than I am today.

One last thing: if anything, this past year has taught me the importance of relationships in my life. I want to give a special thank you to each and every family member and friend who had been here for me this past year. It has been amazing to receive such amazing support and friendship through all of these life changes. I only hope that I can be as good of a friend/family member to all of you as you have been to me. Thanks everyone! <3 nbsp="" p="">
Alright that's enough sappiness and reflection for now. Have a good night!  

10 Days in Rehab and Counting

After my accident on February 1st I spent about a week at the hospital. I included many details in my last blog post about the accident and the hospital stay. On February 7th I was moved from Geisinger Hospital to Healthsouth Rehab Center. In this post I'll dive into tons of details about my rehab process from the past week or so.

Luckily my sister was in town on Feb 7th and while I laid in my hospital bed she packed up all my flowers, balloons, and personal belongings onto a cart to be transferred from the hospital to the rehab center. I remember being really nervous about moving since it would be a brand new place where I knew no one! I kept feeling like I just would rather stay at the hospital because I had started to get used to the nurses, doctors, and basic routine. Now looking back- I am so glad I am not still at the hospital- but more on that later.

Derek (friend/roommate) also came into town to visit that day just in time to use his car to transport all of my things to rehab. Gabby was especially happy she didn't have to make the long trek back to the parking lot to get her car! While Derek was busy being a great friend- Gabby was busy being a great sister riding over with me on the shuttle bus. This was my first ever experience with using one of the wheelchair lifts on a bus- and for that matter riding on a bus in a wheelchair. I had flashbacks to an episode of the IT crowd where Roy pretends to be disabled to use the handicap bathroom (funniest ever).

Once we made it over to Healthsouth Rehab Center they unloaded me from the bus and signed me in. I remember thinking mostly how cold it was outside- but also how great it was to feel the outside air. By the time I got to my new room Derek and Gabby almost had everything unpacked for me! Several doctors and nurses came in and had me answer tons of questions, explained some things to me and had me sign a bunch of papers. When I moved into my room my roommate was out of the room in therapy- I was very curious to meet her. The biggest thing that was stressed to me by multiple nurses was that I was not the typical age of most of their patients. (This was them nicely telling me everyone here is old.) I'm not talking "old" like adults around my parents age- I'm talking well into the 70's and 80's. Speaking of the older generations, my roommate's name was Dorothy. She told me she was 70 years older than me at the age of 92 (although her daughter who was visiting later told me she was 94). Dorothy was very sweet but actually checked out of rehab the very next day to head to a nursing home. Since then I have been lucky enough to have the whole room to myself!

My first 24 hours here were a lot to adjust to. I didn't know the nurses or the doctors. I did however love some of the new tasks I was able to do while I was here. Firstly I was able to use a bathroom. Now for all of you with working body parts- please take a minute to thank God right now that you can use a toilet. At the hospital I was not lucky enough to have this luxury. During my hospital stay I basically was in bed 24 hours a day and was too weak to be able to walk- so I had to use a bed pan. You are welcome in advance for not getting into the details behind using a bed pan. I promise it would only give you nightmares and bad images if I told you. (On that note if you really can't live life without a personal account of how bed pans work- talk to me privately). So at rehab I had the assistance available to me to get up and use a real toilet!! I could have cried I was so happy the first time using it (and that was even with 2 people in the room helping me). Now that I have been here awhile and am able to navigate with a walker better I have been granted bathroom privileges(BRPs) meaning I can use the bathroom by myself. (You can't even imagine how happy I was the day I found out I had BRPs). Aside from finally being able to use a real toilet- the first morning I was here I was able to take a shower!! (Again- thank God right now that you have the ability to bathe yourself). The first time showering I had to have someone with me the whole time during the shower. My occupational therapist is very nice and luckily we get along well so it wasn't so bad having her assist me in the shower. Now I am pleased to report after one week I can shower almost entirely by myself. I have mastered putting a bag over my broken leg and taping over my stitches in my hip before a shower. I have enough mobility that I can physically take the shower by myself- and just need someone to come change my hip bandage when I'm done before I can get dressed.

So long story short rehab immediately provided me with the luxury of using a real bathroom for the shower and toilet purposes. Along with these amazing new privileges- my first full day there I got to experience physical therapy and occupational therapy. (More on that in just a moment).

The second evening there Gabby was still in town because of the snow! She got to sleepover with me now that my roommate was gone! During her time here we collected up a lot of the cards and gifts I had received and decorated the room. I felt so thankful to have received so many lovely get well cards, flowers, and gifts. I even got a batch of cards from my students at the middle school where I did my student teaching. (My cooperating teacher Molly dropped them off in person when she visited me with her whole family!) I thank God everyday for the amazing support I am getting. Every single thought and prayer has gone so far in helping with my recovery- including a fast healing and helping to keep my spirits up! I really appreciate all the different visitors who have stopped by. Thanks to my mom, Gabby, Derek, Sydney, Uncle Buddy, Sara R., Sam, Erin, Sarah T., and Molly. You all have been such an important part in making my days lovely!

While Gabby was visiting aside from decorating with some cards we decided to undertake some crafting in order to really spruce the place up! I got the idea to make a paper chain (loved making those as a kid) but I didn't have any construction paper to do it- that's when we thought of using magazines. Luckily I had a bunch of magazines in my possession, so we sifted through the pages looking for any bright and colorful ads. We then cut the paper into strips and stapled them into this chain. Gabby hung up the chain over my doorway area. Since then tons of nurses and doctors have complimented me on how nice my room looks!

After a few days had passed I was feeling a lot more comfortable with everything. I started to recognize the nurses, the doctors, and my therapists. Everyone here has been very nice to me. Like I mentioned above a lot of the nurses have told me they love my room because it's so bright and cheerful- and I can sense that some of the nurses really enjoy having a younger patient to work with. As time has passed I have really been enjoying my therapy sessions- both occupational and physical. Therapy usually takes up about 3 hours of the day. I find the time extremely rewarding since I am up and moving a bit more than all the other hours of the day, and I feel really accomplished when I am done at therapy because I know it is helping me get one step closer to recovery. 

Let's talk about occupational therapy first. Occupational therapy is a very valid and needed part of a full recovery. It reteaches you how to accomplish everyday tasks while dealing with your disability. For example: showering, using the toilet, transferring into a tub, getting out of bed, using a kitchen, standing and sitting, etc. During my occupational therapy time we practice a lot of different practical things. The other day I used my walker in the kitchen to make a cup of hot cocoa. I know it sounds simple- but think about all the implications of making cocoa while using a walker. #1 you can't carry anything while you walk since both hands are on the walker. #2 you need to get a mug, water or milk, spoon, hot cocoa packet and be able to access the microwave. #3 once you have made the cocoa you need to be able to get the mug to the desired location of where you will sit and drink it. You learn tons of little tricks pretty quickly (like using the counter tops to move things around a room) that really make life a lot easier. One very interesting thing Healthsouth provides is a practice apartment. It's a little area with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and washer and dryer made for the patients to practice daily tasks in. I found out from my therapist the other day that sometimes they use this apartment as a trial run location for a patient that they are on the fence about sending home. Another thing we focus on in OT is upper body strength. Arm strength is so important for me since I need to use my arms for almost everything now- including walking, sitting and standing, and not to mention all the normal tasks we use are arms for! My therapist Jamie has a whole routine worked out including free weights, stretchy bands, and an arm routine she stole from an insanity workout! 

Physical Therapy is also a very crucial part in my recovery. This therapy kind of explains itself. I work on building muscle and regaining motion and other physical tasks. Usually we start the routine on a raised mat where I work on leg exercises with my good leg. I have to strengthen this leg while laying down since I can't put any weight on my right leg. Recently we have added a few motions with my right leg on the mat. After the mat we work in the bars. They remind me of ballet bars although I'm certainly not using them like that. I stand in between the bars and can use them for balance or to workout my arms. Usually I work on right leg mobility while I'm in the bars area since gravity is helpful in getting that leg to move. We also practice walking using a walker- and increase the distance a little bit each time. Another feat I face during physical therapy is climbing the stairs. In fact my first day of therapy, my therapist, Chelsea said "we are going to try and climb the stairs." I think I almost fainted when she said that to me- and we did try that day- unsuccessfully. Chelsea seems to constantly be asking me to do the impossible in therapy. For example Day 1: climbing those stairs, Day 2: Moving my right leg, etc. One thing I really wanted to talk about is my Day 2 challenge. I stood between the bars and she said "OK, I want you to mover your right leg out to the side." I tried to move it- and nothing. This was the first time I experienced my body rejecting an instruction from my brain. I seriously tried as hard as I could to swing that right leg out using my hip muscles- but no movement came. I felt so sad and shocked. It's an incredibly frustrating experience to not be able to invoke motion in one of your limbs. This happened again when she wanted me to lift my leg forward. I explained the situation and we adapted by using my toes and foot to kind of inch my leg in either direction- but I felt totally defeated! After a few days however my hip muscles were starting to heal more and were able to lift my leg a bit. So now I can do those movements without needing my toes to come to the rescue. I did however have another frustrating experience when we added new mat exercises. She wanted me to do right leg lifts. (laying down lift my right leg up). I tried 15 times very hard to make this happen and it wouldn't budge. Again it's super frustrating but I need to trust with time my leg will heal and I will regain full muscle strength and mobility. I challenge all of you reading to really consider the frustration you might feel if you couldn't move a limb, like physically could not make it happen. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to permanently lose mobility of a limb! I feel for all those people who have and now can understand a fraction of the frustration and sadness that comes with that limitation. Speaking of limitations I did master going up and down the stairs, unfortunately I have to do it on my bum- using the scooch method. Essentially I scooch up the steps backwards on my bum up onto a stool then a chair and finally into standing position. It's kind of silly, but at least I can do it by myself! 

  

Everyday I feel as though I am getting a little bit better. My knee and hip are starting to heal up pretty well, but I am sure that I will have huge battle scars from this experience. If you check out the picture above you can see the insane swelling in my right leg. It pretty much is still that swollen- and I am anxious for it to return to it's normal size (see left leg). Aside from swelling and scarring I am trying to treat the rest of my body as normally as possible. I am eating a regular-ish diet- although I am craving better foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables and coffee!!! I am showering everyday and some days I will even spend the time to blow dry my hair or put makeup on because I feel more like myself- and it takes up some of that daunting free time! My clothes here don't really feel like 'me' but at least I am comfy. My sister went out and bought me some loose shorts and comfy t-shirts to wear while I recover.

Aside from therapy and returning to normalcy, another big help in my recovery is due to me learning how to use adaptive tools. As I mentioned before I use a walker and wheelchair to get around. But so many small tasks can't be done without the help of these tools to the left. Let me break down what these tools help me do from top to bottom. The very top tool helps me put my socks on. You pull the sock over the plastic part and slip your foot in. Next you pull on the cords to yank the plastic part back leaving the sock on your foot. Using this tool is the only way I can get a sock on my right foot since I can't bend more than 90 degrees forward. The next tool down is a grabber. You might imagine a short person using one to reach a high shelf- but this tool helps for so much more. Since I can't bend over I use it to take off my right sock or put anything on my lower body (i.e. undies, shorts, pants, etc). I have to loop the grabber around the shorts then place it on my right leg first- once I manage to get the shorts up to my knee I can reach with my hands to do the rest. I also use the grabber to help me reach things that are far away- like covers at the bottom of the bed, or my book that's out of my reach. Another super useful tool is the third one down- which I affectionately call my dog leash. It actually is a leash with metal in it. The open loop at the bottom and the leash all the way up is stiff. I can use this to loop onto my right foot and pick up my leg. I have to use this tool a lot! I need it to get out of bed, out of a wheelchair, to go to the bathroom, and for so much more. The dog leash and the grabber are by far my most useful tools. And lastly we have the metal shoe horn. It works like a regular shoe horn it's just ridiculously long so I don't have to bend to reach my right foot. That concludes all my adaptive tools I have mastered using. 

One of the last things I wanted to show you was my room! Here is where I have been living since February 7th- and I'll be here until the 19th! Then I'll be packing up all my things and heading to Massachusetts to tackle my next task- living in the real world! 

Thanks for sticking it out until the end of this post. I know it was long, but now you understand so much more of what my life in rehab has been like. Obviously I didn't talk about everything that happened- I didn't even get into medications, free time, and other stories- so if you want to know more of the details just give me a call. One thing I can definitely say is that I feel this experience changing me. I have this total new perspective and I can feel it seeping into each area of my life. I thank God every day for taking care of me and having my back. Without God's love, strength, healing and support I would be no where. I pray God blesses you all as much as he's blessed me and more! 

*Stay tuned for more posts soon* 

February 1st

The past 2 weeks have been- possibly the longest 2 weeks of my life. As I'm sure many of you have heard by now I was in a car crash on February 1st. Now I don't know how many people really know the entire true story of what happened- since usually as word gets around it's hard to keep it accurate. So I wanted to go on the record and give you a run down of my life for the past 2 weeks (this will take more than one post).

That Friday morning I was driving to work- a substitute job at a middle school about 20 minutes from my apartment. I am very familiar with the route I was driving and the roads themselves weren't even bad that day. I left as usual and drove over the mountain to get into state college. I came around a curve and noticed some ice and snow ahead so I put my breaks on. (Maybe I wasn't supposed to do that- but I can never keep it straight about how you should drive on ice). My car started to swerve out of control into the other lane. Another car was coming so I decided my only option was to try and swerve back towards my side and avoid the collision with another car. My car did avoid the other cars on the road but did not avoid hitting a tree! It's pretty thick forest along that road and going off to the side of the road means hitting trees. To this day I am still thankful that my car did not hit any other cars or injure anyone but myself- in this account I was very lucky.

The crash was bad- and the impact from it destroyed a lot of the front of the car. As you can see in these pictures the damage was pretty extensive. Derek (my roommate/friend) who went to gather my belongings from my car later on- took these pictures and told me that the engine had started to protrude up into the dash area of the front seats, especially on the passenger side.

After the crash happened I didn't really notice how bad the crash had been. I know that sounds strange, but I was in such shock and pain that most of my thoughts were focused on worrying about my own well being- not really worrying about the car. That being said- when the police officer showed up at the hospital with his report on the accident it prompted a lot more tests to be done on my body for internal and other serious injuries that may have occurred.

Now that the smoke has settled from the accident we have been able to work through all the details with my insurance company and seem to be getting back a fair amount of money for the car. In case you couldn't guess, my car (named Angie) is totaled. I was so looking forward to many more years of driving her, but I am glad that at least I should be getting enough money to get another car of somewhat similar caliber.

Enough about my car- let's talk about what happened to me. As I said earlier the crash was pretty bad- I hit a tree, head on, and the airbags did deploy. When the crash happened I was in total shock and pain. I remember crawling out of the car and onto the snowy hard ground. I wish I could say that I was fine and responded with logic and calmness- but I didn't. I basically felt like I was going crazy. I kept saying "Oh my God" over and over again while shaking and crying.

A seriously good samaritan named Nicole, stopped to help. She rushed over and started asking all the right questions. She asked about my pain, and if I had blacked out, and tons of other questions. She had another passer-by call 911 to report the accident as she helped me limp into her car. She grabbed my purse and then drove me to the hospital. In the car i called the middle school I was supposed to be subbing at and my mother. When I finally reached the E.R. I was in a lot of pain. My right knee was killing me, and skin was protruding from a hole in my jeans. My left hip and my nose also hurt a lot- and I had just about cleaned up my bloody mouth by the time we got inside.

Once i was admitted to the E.R. I felt really alone and scared. I didn't know anything about how intense these injuries were- and on top of it no one gave me any pain medicine! (for a really long time). I ended up having some X-rays and a C.T. scan done. (yes I had to drink the horrible radioactive fluid). It wasn't until after the C.T. Scan that we found out the total news of my injuries. My right patella (knee cap) was broken- with a pretty big whole in my knee down to the joint- letting air in (huge risk of infection) and my right hip was fractured. The news of a broken hip came as a huge shock since my right hip didn't even hurt at all!

All afternoon there was discussion of when and where the surgeries might take place. At this point I was at Mt. Nittany Hospital and they knew the knee would have to be operated on at least to clean it out and stitch it up. After waiting all morning and part of the afternoon they gave the word to ship me to a different hospital with doctors who specialize in hip injuries to get a more solid second opinion on the hip and the knee. I was so thankful to have my friends Sydney and Derek there for the afternoon- I am not sure if I could have done that entire morning all by myself.

Later- I took a hour and a half ride to Geisinger Hospital in Danville, PA. At this point my mom was already on her way to PA to come to the rescue.When I reached the new hospital I was notified that I would be admitted in the trauma department since my accident had been so severe. This is more urgent than an E.R. and came with some interesting details. When I got there about 10-15 doctors, nurses, and interns, poured over my body to examine every inch of it. I felt slightly humiliated when they removed my socks and hospital gown and just about everyone saw everything. I got over the physical embarrassment quickly but didn't adjust well to so many people acting crazy and running a million tests on me at one time. My knee at this point still was killing me- and had been bandaged up a little. While I was in the Trauma department my knee got a pretty good cleaning and new bandages- however it also got more painful X-rays and another C.T. scan. On top of all of this for the entire day I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything- not even water- because of the uncertainty of when my knee would be operated on! I hated not being able to drink water and at one point my blood pressure and pulse dropped dangerously low from being dehydrated. (That's when I finally got hooked up to Saline).

That entire first day is still pretty clear in my mind- and I remember the relief I felt when I was finally in a hospital room and my mother arrived. By this point I had some pain relief, but was still dying from not being able to drink any water. I somewhat remember drifting off to sleep that first night, being totally drained and stripped of any molecule of energy I might have had left.

The next morning my knee was operated on- they cleaned it out thoroughly and stitched it up. The recovery after this surgery was rough and I had to take a lot of pain killers before it even felt muted. The weekend included some really lovely visitors and a lot of recovery- just in time for my second surgery on Monday.

Monday (Feb 4) the doctors went in and operated on my knee and hip adding a screw to my knee and plate to my hip- to hold everything together. Waking up from this surgery was brutal- and again the with-holding of water was unbearable! Most of the nurses at the hospital were wonderful and very kind during this rough recovery process. We had a horrible and very scarring experience with one nurse on a night shift that I never wish to repeat in my whole entire life. (Don't worry- Mom reported it). Other than the one nurse we had some issues with the rest were so king to me. Their gentleness and patience I would count as a major contributing factor towards my recovery.

My mother was also my rock during this whole process- she held my hand (literally) through the entire process and I certainly would not have been able to get through that first week without her help. She is the best mother in the world- and I am ready to fight anyone who would disagree.

After about 4 very intense days of recovery it was finally time for me to leave the hospital and go to rehab. (which is where I am now!) I will get into all the ins and outs of rehab another day.

But for now you should know- my knee and hip are healing well. Both have a combination of staples and stitches- which you can see in my knee pictured below!

I am not able to bend my knee at all since the surgery on the knee was so extensive. Instead of a cast the doctors put my right leg in an immobilizer. It can come off but is supposed to stay on all day and night. My hip I just have a bandage on but when leaving the hospital they gave me some hip motion limitations in order to allow for it to heal fully. I am not allowed to bend my body forward more than a 90 degree angle because of my hip (this one is the hardest rule to follow).  

Aside from my right knee and hip- my other injuries are minimal. Most just include bruising or scratches and will heal on their own. One nasty bruise that I am thankful for is on my left hip (pictured below). This bruise is the proof that I was wearing my seat belt- and the reminder that it most likely saved my life!

There are a few bruises however that I really hate- and I find totally unnecessary. During my hospital stay I was pricked in about 10 different location for IVs multiple times. I also had IVs moved and ended up having 4 IVs total- and blood drawn from my arms everyday. This resulted in a lot of pain and tons of bruising on my arms!! (the picture below doesn't even do the amount of arm bruising justice).

One totally lovely thing about this entire experience has been the amount of love and support I have felt from everyone. I feel so overwhelmed by love because I never once have experienced people from every stage of my life all supporting me in one endeavor before. People from my childhood in Utica have reached out to me- all the way up to my most recent acquaintances in State college- my students and my cast of Legally Blonde- all of them reached out to love and support me through this time. I feel so blessed to have so many amazing people thinking of me and praying for my healing. I know it is by God's glory and power that my healing has been going so well so far. And everyday I praise him for sparing my life in the car accident and thank him for placing angels in that car with me to protect my life! 

I have so much more to tell you all- but for now I'll leave it at that. Hopefully you better understand my accident- my injuries- my surgeries- and my week long hospital stay. Thank you so much if you have been thinking or praying for me at all during this time. Every single person who has reached out to me- I feel nothing but love and gratitude for them. If you have any questions about anything don't hesitate to ask! And in the mean time- I pray God will bless you and keep you safe!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day

P.S.- I graduated.

I forgot to ever post on my blog that I graduated- this past December! I got my Bachelors in Music Education- and Vocal Performance from Mansfield University. I LOVED graduating with a few of my closest friends- Derek, Beth, and Ryan (Not to mention a bunch of other amazing people!). I was even lucky enough to have some close friends and family come watch the ceremony! One of my favorite parts was after the ceremony when a huge group of us and some of our parents went out to eat. It was the perfect reminder of all of the close friendships I have made during my time at Mansfield.

I won't get into my time at Mansfield too much- I could write a whole book on the years I spent there- my classes, teachers, friends, and other experiences. All I will say for now is that I feel extremely blessed to have had such an amazing experience in college. I learned acquired amazing amounts of knowledge from interesting courses and inspiring professors. I built close relationships with many people around me and made  myself a little "Mansfield" family. I grew up so much, and learned a lot about myself, and realized I still have so much more to learn! I wouldn't change a single detail about college- every single moment of it has helped shaped me into the person I am today- which I like to think is someone good. ;) Thank you to everyone for all your help, support, and love! I could not have done it without all of you and the amazing love and support of my family!

It feels awesome to be done but a little surreal! (More on that later). If you'd like to see some pictures check out my Mom's post here. My official degree came in the mail right around Christmas! It was the perfect present!! For those wondering-- I AM using my degree currently! I have been substitute teaching in central PA. So far I really enjoy it, it's fun to teach all grades and subjects- and certainly keeps my life interesting!

Belated Holidays!

Better late than never! Sorry this is a bit over a month late- the holidays were crazy! Here are some pictures from my holiday season!

 Ken when he has code red! 

 Macey

 Marilyn

 Yahtzee and Popcorn with Mom!

 Christmas Eve Church Service- It was so beautiful!

 Mom & I- can you see the resemblance? 

 Christmas Eve goodness- while watching the Grinch and Polar Express!

 Christmas Morning! (Notice the freshly fallen snow)

 She's so pretty! 

 Christmas Morning- Fireplace and PJs! 

Christmas Dinner- was delicious! 

 And Dessert was sooo tasty!

 My sweet Kitty Maggie!

Some serious snow! 

Sorry I don't have more pictures from the holidays- My Christmas was so lovely! I spent it in Massachusetts with some of my family- Gabby, Heather, Andy, Justin, and Kate were missed! 

I am so thankful for my family- and this lovely time we got to spend together!