Celebrating Life ~ ONE Year later...

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, I WAS GIVEN A NEW LEASE ON LIFE ~ GOD WAS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET.... This was my first road trip, resuming our 'honeymoon' weekends, to see Frankie on Tybee Island (2nd weekend in January) ~ I was still not walking very well but the ICE COLD OCEAN WATER was very therapeutic

Driving to Charlotte to see my sweetheart late fall 2008~ I used the cruise control.... because I still had to wear the boot cast

Mom, Melanie & Frankie ~ My most excellent caregivers!! Mom was able to come & run the household ta I could not ~ It was a learning experience for us all, most of all I am happy that the kids got to know their Mee-Ma better ~ She is an amazing woman!

My mode of transportation ~ A far difference from my rockin' stilettos I wore every day!!!

My first outing after the accident ~ Frankie took me to the Pier @ Jacksonville Beach on Labor Day weekend ~ I was scared to get out of the house, I still had not had the surgery on my hand and the X-Fix was hard to camouflage and looked scary too ~ we even went to our favorite pizza joint, Happy Stefano's & he and a staff member carried me up the stairs in the wheelchair so we could listen to the band on Sunday afternoon ~ I was able to heal in many ways that day....

The room with a view is my bedroom, (This photo was taken from my window) I had not spent this much time in bed EVER, but I did for more than 2 months straight!! I am thankful more than ever for this peaceful place that we call home...

This is the X-FIX ~ It was painful but did the job ~ Savanna said it looked like something from 'NASA', she was not to far off...

This photo was taken 48 hours after the fall, My left eye socket was crushed, almost all of the bones in my left hand were dislocated and I blew out the bones in my right ankle on both sides. Guardian Angels saved me from dying that night...

There was a picture of humpty dumpty above my hospital bed, all of the doctors did an awesome job at SHANDS HOSPITAL putting me back together again...

My Wonderful Rugrats ~ Garrett & Savanna on the first day of school last year, it was not easy for either of them to have their only full time parent 'down and out' for 10 long weeks but we have managed very well and we work together as a team now more than ever!

I was bruised and broken but he loved me just the same! Frankie dropped everything in NC and came to stay with me until I was released from the hospital and settled in at home with everything I needed...I knew that he was a keeper and whatever hang up's I had about 'Happily Ever After' were quick to disappear after that!

It has been ONE year since I took my almost fatal fall last August 9. I was sitting on a 2nd story balcony railing at this historic hotel in St. Mary's GA. and lost my balance, I fell 25 feet to the pavement below and landed in between the car tire and the concrete curb. It is indeed a miracle that I am alive today & as sassy as ever! I am still healing and will be for a long time to come, but I am thankful that I have my foot attached to my body, and the pain I feel reminds me that I am still alive and very well thank you! :)

It was a real struggle at first, I have been very independent for most of my life and I could not do much of anything for myself for a few months. We take such mundane things as jumping out of bed, taking a shower, walking up and down stairs, cooking, cleaning, shaving my legs and driving ~ to mention just a few of the things I realized I was taking for granted every day ~ Speeding thru life with my stilettos on was what my life had amounted to over the past few years, plugging along, doing everything I could to take care of myself and my children independently of course! I was in a 'man hating' place for quite awhile too and for good reason. I had two failed marriages and knew what I DID NOT want in a man, I also knew that I was not going to make time for anyone unless that person could compliment my life, it had become a nuisance and more of a complication to date than anything and I had given up on the idea of sharing my life with someone...Then last May 20th I made a phone call that changed my life! You read my blog, you know the love story that follows and it is more amazing to me every day! It was not until the fall that I was willing to let him 'take care of me' ~ My mother was able to come and take care of the house, rugrats and me as I took the necessary time to heal, How lucky I was that family & friends came to my aid in my time of need. My injury was life changing in so many ways and the longer I am able to truly reflect on life, the more appreciative I am of the little things that I was just speeding past before...

My life was great before the fall, I was just in fast forward mode, not living in the present moment very much and I love doing just that as much as I can today and for as many days as I am blessed to be on this earth. I have always loved the beach & ocean; I love it now more than ever!! It is not only a peaceful soothing beautiful place, but also a place for physical therapy every time I go... I AM BLESSED!

An unforgettable Honeymoon....

A pictoral blog entry of our weekend honeymoon #22 in Tybee Island, Ga

We drove from I-95 north and I-95 South to meet each other for a romantic getaway...

Sunrise Saturday morning on the way to Tybee Island to meet my sweetheart! I took this picture out of the car window ~ I love my Canon Sure Shot!

Our beach blanket and umbrella ~ We had the beach all to ourselves....

The sea gulls were resting, not even bothered by our presence that early in the morning...

North Beach where the lighthouse and old Fort are ~ completely deserted in the morning but the bathrooms were open :)

Putting my toes in the sand after a long break since the accident...It was good therapy to walk in the sand and feel the COLD water on my foot...

Sunset Saturday evening as we watched the full moon rise over the ocean.. it was a beautiful sight!

The Honeymoon Suite....

Our themed room ~ "Some like it Hot" ~ I brought my own feather boa :) and I still carry my pilllow everywhere I go...

Our 'honeymoon' weekends are so very special to us...We have not traveled to meet each other halfway since the acccident 5 months ago so this was an EXTRA special time for us :) The Atlantis Inn where we stayed was awesome ~ We were walking distance to the beach and the rooftop veranda was amazing...especially at sunset. The place was not real fancy in the accommodations department but there were egyptian cotton sheets on the bed and the towels were fluffy, it was clean and cozy and private ~ it was all we needed to enjoy our time together loving each other ♥ I know we will be back again for another honeymoon weekend in each others arms ♥

Honeymoon Weekends...

I am CRAZI ♥♥ in LOVE with my sweetheart!! He was here for our 17th honeymoon celebration this weekend and it was awesome!! I feel so very lucky to have a man in my life who really loves me for ME!! Its been a long time coming, I feel like we have come full circle since our days as High School sweethearts in West Columbia SC ~ I have been getting back in touch with classmates on Facebook and MySpace ~ its been fun to see how everyone is doing 20 years later :) I feel so blessed to be living this fairytale with my Prince Charming!

We call the time we have our "Honeymoon Weekends" ~ living apart is hard so we cherish the moments we have together ~ I literally don't want to be disturbed when I am with him ~ I feel like I need a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on my life! Crazy as it sounds but when you only have limited time with the one you love you want to make the most of it! We have both been married before so we are more focused on a healthy relationship for us...We don't need to make it official by getting married to prove that our love is true, I think people should be married in their hearts first then the rest comes easy. This Thanksgiving Holiday will be our first together with family and friends, I am happy to finally have someone special to share the Holidays with, it sure beats being alone again...