an amazing road to recovery

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the dozens of people who have supported me and loved me through the past few weeks. It has been one of the most amazing things I have been through in my life...through the good and the bad. These past few weeks have shown me so much about the value of life, of love, and of family and community. It has been incredibly humbling to be embraced by friends who have said to me over and over again that they are so glad that I am alive. I will never again take for granted the days that God has given me and continues to bless me with, but also for all of the amazing people that God has put into my life! I love each and every one of you and am incredibly glad that you are all alive too:) Sorry, but I do think that I have the right to be cheezy;)

So... to update, we have been traveling constantly since the accident. We went to the rivah the day after the accident where it was a perfect place for me to recover with my mom and dad being there and a beautiful place to sit and breathe in the fresh river air and soak in the beauty of the sunsets. We celebrated mine and my mom's birthdays and I got a real treat:
We came home for a few days where we had a friend stay with us from new york. The real treat was that she is a yoga instructor and used to be a raw foodist. She made me some awesome food, led me in some healing yoga., and helped me to process through the accident. By the end of the week, I was feeling up to a trek out to the pine berrens of jersey, where a few of us girls honored my dear friend into a bridal blessing ceremony, did some rafting, ate more blueberries in one sitting than I have ever eaten in my life, sat around the fire and got about 5 deer ticks on me. Ha! When I got home at 1am, I thought I better check for ticks, so I lifted up my shirt and immediately saw 1 crawling up my stomach and 3 others embedded in my skin! I awoke the sleeping husband who checked me over and plucked 5 deer ticks out of my skin. Luckily, no bulls eyes so far.
The next day, we hit the road again for Indiana. We are just now returning after two weeks out there. It took me a few days to wind down, but now I am having a hard time winding back up. I spent most the time relaxing, reading, sitting by the pool while the kids swam, and taking long walks...oh and lots and lots of yoga:) The kids really enjoyed being with their grandma and papaw as well as the cousins... and they got pretty darn good at swimming (especially India!).



Chris took me out to eat at a great Vietnamese-vegan restaurant for my birthday and then we hung out at our favorite bookstore. He also made me a delicious raw birthday cake!
I did go out to Chicago for one day to visit Reba place, which was an amazing trip. I learned a ton from those folks and am looking forward to hanging out with them again at the family reunion next month. And I even got to try a raw food restaurant:)
Chris and I took the kids to eat lunch with the beautiful sisters at victory noll and walk their labyrinth. It is this gorgeous piece of land right there in Huntington, IN that is preserved and well cared for, and I felt so at peace walking through their property.


Now that it has been three and a half weeks since the accident, I have hardly any bruises left, the scar above my eye is healing up, and the soreness in my neck and shoulders is much improved. The numbness in my face is the same and my teeth still feel weird, I still startle easily and forget words and use the wrong words at times (in other words...my mama brain has gotten a bit more jumbled up since the accident). But I really can't complain when I think about how bad it could have been. I am thanking God every day for my legs, which I used to always complain about:( Anne Lamott calls her thighs her aunties. They have always been my least favorite part of my body... but now, I love and appreciate these "aunties" and will never say another bad word about them for the rest of my life. These legs should have been crushed and looking at that car, I should not be here at all, but I am and so I do feel blessed. As I complete my daily yoga practice, I thank God for the body that enables me to care for my family, to work, to garden, to create, to nourish, to be nourished, to love, and to be loved.

Mostly, I have been contemplating how much I love my family. I have enjoyed every moment with them these past two weeks. I have even had momentary brain lapses that have caused me to think about homeschooling...but then I quickly come back to reality;) I love how much they care for each other and for others. I love that they love their grandparents as much as they do, that they love to read, that they love to be in nature, that they love trying new and interesting things to eat (like the vegan beef and cabbage that they ate for dinner tonight). I love that they care about animals and the beauty of a sunset. I love that they don't get too frazzled when I have a mood swing, and know that it will pass, and that we can make them laugh even in the midst of their mood swings. They are just incredible girls! And I appreciate Chris in a new light.
This whole thing had been almost as traumatic for him as it has been for me. He really thought he had lost me when he got that phone call after the accident. We have realized now how much we need each other and how much of a team we really are. We have gained a new respect for each other through these past few weeks and a deeper love.

Now, as we drive through the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I think I can say with all sincerity, without running the risk of it sounding like a cliche, that I am truly blessed and that life is truly amazing.