Catching Up

I haven't done a good job blogging lately. I've been so busy. My mom finally got to go home 2wks ago after being in the hosp for 3mths. She still has a long way to go. She is walking with a walker and starts her outpatient physical therapy next wk. We are also dealing with a wound that won't heal. She had an aritificial skin graft done last wed and wound vac placed. Cheyenne has been keeping me busy. She is trying out for colorguard. Let me tell you, 6th grade homework is no fun. She was so sweet on Mother's Day, she bought me a card that said "You're like a mother to me" on the front. She also bought flowers. It really made me feel good. We have finally started hanging things on our walls after being in our house for 3mths. I'll have to post pics later. We are finally taking a break and going to see the Gamecocks play baseball Fri night, I'm so excited.

One Day At a Time

Since my last post, a lot has happened. We have moved in our house. Still unpacking some things. Haven't done the final closing yet, waiting on the bank. Our house is our dream home. I wouldn't want anything else. Now on to the news that gives my post its title. I have recently experienced a life changing event that has made me live one day at a time. On Jan 25 my mom was involved in a head on collision. She was flown to MCG in Augusta, Ga. She was on a vent for 5 days. Her injuries include: 2 compound fractures to left leg, fracture in right knee and ankle, collapsed right lung, fractured right clavical, fractured right and left arms, cut on spleen, fractured ribs, and fractured pelvis. I think that covers it. She has already had 3 surgeries. She is now out of the ICU and making slow progress. We are blessed she doesn't have a head injury. Every day has its own obstacle. Friday we found out she has a blood clot in her left leg and today she was given 2 more units of blood because her hemoglobin was 6 ( normal is 12 ). This event has opened my eyes to see how precious life really is and how we never know what's going to happen. We are not promised tomorrow and should live each day to its fullest. My sister, Cheyenne, is eleven and has moved in with me and Allen. This has been an adjustment because we don't have any children yet but now we have a preteen. Her school is 45min away and getting her back and forth is a challenge which again I do one day at a time. God is good and knows what we each can handle. We don't always know why things happen, but we must trust in God. My mom's recovery is going to be a long and rough road, but with prayer and determination she will make it through this. We now have to find a skilled nursing facility for her to go to until her bones heal, then she can begin the rehab process.

Catching Up

A lot has happened since my last post. I just never seem to have time to post any of it. Allen and I went to Tennessee in Oct for a weekend getaway. We had never been to the mountains. I enjoyed seeing the mountains but don't think I'll go back anytime soon. It was way too busy, like Myrtle Beach but with no beach. My dad passed away unexpectantly in November. That experience was very difficult and I just try not to think about it much. I am very blessed to have family and friends who care and have helped me through the difficult times. The fall semester ended. I had a great group of students. I won't be teaching again until next fall. I'm greatful for the little break. Then the holidays came. A bunch of us left at midnight Thanksgiving night to shopping. Yes, we were crazy but I won't do that again. There's nothing out there I need that bad. Christmas has come and gone in a flash. Jackie and I took my sister and nephews to see the christmas lights at James Island and they loved it. There were so many lights to see. Next year we probably won't wait until the week of Christmas to go, the line was really long to get in. While all this was going on, my house was still being built. At this time we are awaiting our final inspection so we can move in. I'm so excited. We were able to get the granite counter top we wanted and stainless steel appliances. Every thing looks great. I'll send pics when we move. Not really looking forward to unpacking though. By the way Bo loves duck hunting. Of course all my pics are in the wrong order.

Buck

Allen's first buck of the season weighed in at 197 pounds with a 18 1/2in inside spread. It was killed in our front yard on 9/26/10.

Outside Almost Finished

Things are really moving along with our house. The roof and siding are done. Only thing left on the outside is painting the porches. The inside is a different story. The dry wall is next. The cabinets are ordered and hardwood floors picked out. Every free moment we have is spent in Lowes picking out stuff. Hopefully we will be in by Christmas. Next weekend we are going to Ashville and TN.

House and Pics

Bo going swimming in the pond. He loves it.

A picture from when we got snow last winter.

Bo being his photogenic self.

Our house this week with windows in. Next step shingles and siding.

Our House...so far

Actually, these pics are from about 2 weeks ago. There is now paper on the roof and walls up. I'll post those pics later. I'm ready to move in but its not ready for us. Building this house is exciting and stressful.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Everyday we are faced with making decisions, some bigger than others. With building a house I find myself making multiple decisions everyday but recently I have been pondering a big one....to start a new job or not. Well you probably say I start a new job all the time since I work full time at the hospital, part time at USC Salk and part time nursing home so whats the big deal. Well the big deal is whether or not to change my full time job. I truly love what I do and where I work. Of course its work and any of us would much rather stay at home any day. I wasn't looking for a different full time job it just fell in my lap. USC has offered me a full time position as a Student Success Manager in the nursing program. However it is a grant job for only 3 years but I'm like I can always go back to the hospital...hopefully. Its a M-F job, no holidays, weekends, or nights. I've never worked a M-F job, don't know how I would like it. I know I would like the no holiday, no weekend, and no nights part. I've worked nights for 4 years. Oh and by the way, its more money. So, whats the problem you wonder? I like the people I currently work with, they are like family. I have been at HRMC for 8 years. I know I could always stay PRN there and see them every once and a while and also keep up my skills. Allen totally supports me, so its up to me what I do. I'm praying about it and will keep you updated.

Lately.....

So its been a while since I've blogged. Living with Allen's parents is going well. Our contractor started building our house on May 31. We are so excited and stressed at the same time but trying to enjoy every moment. So many decisions to be made. Concrete has been poured into the footings and the brick arrived yesterday. Todays delivery will be blocks. I will try to post pics soon. June 7th I traveled to Blythewood to meet Lindsay so we could travel to Clover to see Jessica and baby Izzie. I really enjoyed this trip and getting to see my two best friends from college.

The Big Move

Well, we have officially sold our mobile home. We moved out Sat after I worked 16 hours and then continued to move until today. We are now living with Allen's mom and dad. The move went well except our brand new chest of drawers I got for Christmas was dropped and broken. I called the company and ordered a new one. We had so much more stuff than we thought we did. Once I get to move in my new house I never want to have to move again--its no fun. We met with our contractor Sunday to make final changes to the plans. I've met with the building inspector and all the red tape you have to go through just to get started is already driving me crazy. I feel so disorganized right now because I haven't had a whole day off since the move to get things organized, especially our clothes. They are all in boxes--wrinkled up. I'm off on Friday but Allen has his cardiology appt that day. We will be there all day. Echo at 1145, stress test at 1 and see the doctor at 2. Allen's mom is in a play that opens Friday night so we hope to get to go see it when we get back. Only one more clinical day and then no more teaching until August.

So Much Going On

So much has been going on since my last post. I had bronchitis last week which had me down a couple of days. Allen had been having chest pain the last couple of weeks so we went to the doctor last Friday. They did an EKG which found an abnormal rhythm. So we had to go to the hospital for labs and xray. The doctor said he would have to see a cardiologist and have a stress test. So all week we have been stressed. We went to the cardiologist yesterday in Columbia and he said he didn't think it was anything to worry about. That was a huge relief. We did find out Allen does have high cholesterol and is going to have to have a stress test and echo done next month. On to better things, Allen and his dad bought a John Deere tractor from Alabama and it finally came last night. So I'm ready to take a ride on my big green tractor. We also think we have sold our mobile home. Now, I have to pack everything up and find a place to put it---this is not going to be fun. And we're going to move in with Allen's parents until our house gets built.

New Car

My new car

Our pond full of water since all the rain. I can't wait for a house to be sitting where the trailer is now.

Bo passing time now by watching TV

Bo doing what he loved before he was injured



Well I finally decided to get a new car. It was bitter sweet. I have had my Jeep for 6 yr and it had 181000 miles. Monday Allen and I went and got a Chevy Trailblazer and I love it. I am finally posting some pics. We are to meet with our contractor in April but still can't start on our house until May or June.

Car Trouble And Surgery

Well since the last post a lot has happened and not really anything good. But despite all the bad I am blessed. First of all, on Jan 23 I backed my car into a tree in my own yard. This made me sick to my stomach because there was a good amount of damage. I've had my Jeep for 6 yrs. It moved me to and from college 3 yrs. It now has 180,000 miles on it and its age of 10 yrs is showing but I have been putting off buying something new. Well, I was internet shopping and found something I liked at Hendrick Chevrolet in Charleston. I called them Friday and asked if it was on the lot, they replied yes. So after working a 12 hour night shift Allen and I traveled 2 hours to Charleston in the rain. It felt a little crazy but I was excited. When we got there they told me the car I wanted was in Kansas. Needless to say I was furious. They tried to make deals but I didn't buy any of them. I got 1 hour of sleep and had to go back to work. So I have decided to let my insurance fix my Jeep and keep her a little longer. If that wasn't enough for one weekend, Bo's hip became dislocated again on Sunday. It had stayed in for 3wks. We spent all day in the vet Monday with no success. They would put the hip in and it would come out. So Tuesday we went to Columbia to South Carolina Vet Specialists for surgery. The surgeon called me at 5:30 yesterday and said everything went well and I can pick Bo up on Wed or Thur. Bo now has to be on restricted activity limited to mainly rest for 6 wks. I don't think this is going to be fun. I've always believed things happen for a reason and now I know why I didn't get a new car, because now I have a huge vet bill, but Bo is truly worth every penny. Rite Aid has a new thing like McDonalds monopoly game but instead its the game of Life and someone asked Allen's mom yesterday, are you playing the game of Life, she said no I'm living it. I thought that was funny.

Update

Its been a while since I last posted. We got our king size bedroom set and we absolutely love it. I was a little nervous about the mattress at first because we got a firm but it sleeps great. Christmas was great, celebrating with family. I did have to work Christmas night but we didn't have any family things going on then. Since I got to pick out a bedroom set and Allen had a little shopping spree at Bass pro, I thought our Christmas was done. So I didn't get Allen anything big. Allen suprized me on Christmas Eve at his sisters with a Nikon D3000 camera. I was speechless and felt really bad. I still don't know everything about the camera but I've been taking pictures like crazy. Can't post any right now though cause I'm at work. We had a real scare Sunday. Allen accidently hit Bo with his truck in our driveway. Bo ran off and we didn't find him for 3 hours. The worst had already set in. We found him hiding under the shrubs at my in-laws next door. We had to call the vet for an emergency visit. Bo's right hip was out of place and had a laceration to one paw. He had to stay overnight. He looked so pitiful when he was sedated. Now I'm having to take care of him at home and he is a hand full. He has to take 12 pills a day and have a drsg change every other day. Also, he has to rest. No running, jumping, etc. And thats what he lives for. So today he whinned and moaned all day. We also have to keep him on a lease. So I have been all over taking him out to pee. If the hip doesn't stay in place he may need surgery. Someone asked me would I really pay all that money. I said definitely, If you have a dog or pet you should take responsibility. Hopefully, we won't need surgery.

BUSY WEEKEND

Friday, Allen and I made a trip to Savannah to go shopping. We had a lot of fun. I couldn't believe he wanted to go shopping. We went to Bass Pro, seemed like we were there forever. That must have been why he wanted to go. We ate at Ruby Tuesdays because it was in the mall then headed home. We had to travel on I-95 in the rain in the dark. Not fun. There are crazy people out there. Sunday, Jackie and I went to Columbia to see the Rockettes. That was a lot of fun except for trying to park at the colonial life arena. And to pay $10 for parking after you've already paid $70 for each ticket. We ate at Olive Garden that day and it was great. Finally, Monday Allen's mom and I went to St. George to Southern Cosmetic Laser. My boss at USC salk owns it and hosted a girls night out for all our hard work this semester. It was awesome. We got a free pedicure, facial, and laser tx under our arms. I was a little hesitant about the laser but it wasn't bad. No shaving under my arms for a couple of weeks, woo hoo. For it to completely go away I'd have to have 6 more tx. I don't think I'm doing that, better things to do with my money. And of course there was food there. I've done a lot of eating this weekend. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera to any events. In my spare time, I've been trying to clean and make room for my new king size bed.

Big Buck

Its been a while since I posted anything. Since my last post, I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth out in Nov, on Friday the 13th. Not a lot of fun. Glad that is over. My clinicals are over for this semester. I start with a new group in Jan. I bought a brand new king size bedroom suit yesterday. I get it after Christmas. After purchasing it, I got home and my car died in the middle of a 4 lane Hwy. But, I thought to myself it will be okay. Good things happened today, Allen killed a 9pt buck this morning and how about those Gamecocks. Go Cocks!

Catching Up

Going back into time to catch everyone up on what has happened the last few months. Back in the spring I got the opportunity to meet Steven Garcia at the Ladies Football Clinic. That was a lot of fun. We decided not to buy season tickets this year due to the price increase and the fact we just enjoy watching it on TV. We did get to go last weekend to the USC vs. FAU. How about beating #4 Ole Miss!! Go Gamecocks! I also wanted to post a picture of my first students. I enjoy the teaching and I even learn new things. To start the summer off. Me, Allen, my father-in-law, and couple of friends made a river trip by boat from Allendale, SC to River Street in Savannah, GA. It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun. My pictures are out of order. I'm still learning. I'm just excited that I figured out how to add the pics.

New To Blogging

This is my first blog so please be patient. I enjoy reading my friends blogs and finding out what's going on in their lives, so I've decided to try it myself. Allen and I live in Allendale, SC. Not much here but we like it. It's quiet and everyone knows everyone. We've been married 3 years. No, no babies yet, but maybe in the next year or so. We do have a beautiful 1 1/2 yr old lab we love. His name is Bo. I stay pretty busy right now working as an RN at HRMC and teaching for USC salk. I truly enjoy nursing, wouldn't do anything else. We hope to build a house soon. We have been discussing it for almost a year now and it is frustrating. As of right now, we have the land, house plans, and a contractor. The only thing is the contractor can't start until June 2010. So we'll be patient and continue to save money. Allen loves hunting and spends a lot of time getting things ready such as the stands and food plots. He has already harvested a 10 point this year.