It's a Hard Knock Life...

These last few weeks have been the hardest, most stressful, emotional weeks of my life.  Starting a blog for me is more like starting a diary.  I feel like writing down and reflecting things that happen in my life will help me a lot.  I am a full-time college student. This is my 5th semester at Pasco-Hernando Community College.  I am almost finished with my AA, then plan on going to nursing school in the spring to pursue an AS in nursing.  So I will be a registered nurse by 2014.  I cannot wait!!! Nurses in my area are making $60/hour. We have too many hospitals to even count around here. So finding a job in that field should be no problem. Since marrying my husband at the age of 17 and having our first daughter at the age of 18, my life has been quite a roller coaster ride. We have been through some really amazing times, and some really hard times. My husband and I both decided to pursue our college degrees so that we don't ever have to worry about struggling or living paycheck to paycheck. We want to be successful, and be able to pursue all of our dreams. We also want to set the best example possible, for our 2 daughters. Making sure our children go to college is a top priority in our house. Ok, now i'm getting off topic....so like I said earlier, these last few weeks have been crazy. A few weeks ago I started my summer semester at PHCC. A few days later, I received a phone call from friends of my Mom's, letting me know that my Mother had been in a minor accident with her horse. I rushed to the hospital, even though I was told she was ok. When I got there, her friends were sitting in the ER waiting room. I spoke with the security guard at the front desk and he said they are not letting anyone back right now because she is in the Trauma unit. Finally, a nurse came out and got me, and said the Doctor will only let me back, but that he needed to talk to me about her condition. The nurse lead me to a room.....the kind of room they lead family members into only to give them bad news. I was scared out of my mind. The Doctor told me that my Mother had very serious injuries. She was thrown off of her horse after a man on a 4-wheeler spooked the horse. She landed head first. She had a fractures skull, severe concussion, bleeding and bruising on her brain, and bleeding out of her ear and nose. She had a TBI(Traumatic brain injury). He said I could come see her, so I did. I held her hand and stayed strong. I assured her that everything was going to be ok. I then walked back out into the ER waiting room to speak with my Mom's friends who were there worried about her, and let them know what was going on. Then I told them I would be right back. I walked out to the parking lot, to my car....got in the passenger seat, and cried hysterically. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would my Mom even survive this? Would she have permanent brain damage? So many questions went through my head. I called Jason and cried on the phone with him, only because I knew he would be able to comfort me, which he did. Once I got myself together, I went back into the ER. I called my grandparents and my brother. My brother is in his 2nd year of med school in Hawaii. So I wanted his opinion and wanted to make sure he was able to speak with the Doctors. I spent as much time as I possibly could there at the hospital with my Mom. She developed a 105 fever, which then caused more panic and worry. She spent almost 2 weeks in ICU, then they finally moved her to a rehabilitation facility. It has now been 3 weeks and 1 day since her accident and she is doing remarkably better at the rehab facility. The physical therapy and occupational therapy have helped a lot. Her cognitive skills are almost back to normal, but she is still in a lot of pain. She has some issues with her short-term memory, but only someone who is close to her would know it. I go to see her every other day. I am amazed at her progress. But about 10 days after my Mom's accident, I get a phone call from my brother. He had gotten a call from our step-mother in Colorado(My Dad lives in Colorado Springs). My Dad was now also in the hospital and being admitted with pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. My parents are still pretty young, in their early 50's. So this was a lot to deal with, especially all at once. I was so worried about both of my parents. My Dad is doing much better, but is also dealing with nerve damage in his legs from his diabetes. We're hoping he can reverse the issues he's having by taking better care of his diabetes. So both of my parents are doing better, but still have not fully recovered. Dealing with school, home life, taking care of my Mom's house and her dogs, visiting my Mom as much as possible, making sure my kids get to swim practice and gymnastics...etc...etc...etc...has made these last few weeks practically unbearable. I have never felt so stressed and worried in my entire life. I was afraid I was going to lose both of my parents. It was just too much to take in all at once. But i'm thankful they are both still here, and I hope to have many many years left with them. An event like this really makes us realize how very important family and close friends really are....

This is a picture of me, my husband, our 2 daughters, my mom, and grandparents at Red Lobster for my 30th Birthday dinner on April 11, 2012. When my Mom was in ICU, I looked at this picture constantly...

This was a couple of years ago when my Dad was visiting from Colorado. Me, my Dad, my cousin Elizabeth, and the kids(Mackenzie and Jadyn).

                                  One of my favorite pictures of my Dad and his granddaughters :)

                                      My Mom and Mackenzie riding horses a couple years ago!

                                      My Mom and one of her standard poodles(Belle or Cherry)

It's About Time!!!

I have wanted to start a blog for years! I finally decided to say screw the housework and screw my homework...time to make a blog! This will be a blog about our day to day life...enjoy.