Friday, March 30, 2012

Life Changing



Today is February 17th. Its been 4 days since I had a car accident that will forever change my life.I am having a hard time finding the words to start this blog, but here we go.
As I was coming home after working in Columbia on Monday, I was involved in an accident. A car came into my lane, and hit me head on. I remember everything; the sounds, the smells, the sheer horror of realizing what was happening around me. I have told this story at least 100 times, and every time, the accident replays in my head. I'm not going explain every detail of the accident, its still just a little too real at this point. I was taken by ambulance to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where I spent the next 7 hours as they checked me out from top to bottom. Again, I remember it all. I had severely broken my right leg and broke a small bone in my left wrist.I had one cut- it was on my finger. It was where I had been hanging onto the steering wheel.The stitching on the wheel dug into my finger from hanging on so hard... 


Obviously it is not February 17th, it's actually March 30th. I started writing this blog a few days after my accident, but never could finish. To be honest, over the past 6 weeks I have a hard time remembering everything that went on, but I finally feel like I'm ready to share what happened. 

Like I started sharing earlier, I was in a car accident the day before Valentine's day. I had surgery on Valentine's Day to repair my leg, where they had to insert a rod and screws into my Tibia, leaving the fibula alone since it bears no weight. IT WAS ROUGH. I was in the hospital for 4 days. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through in my 26 years on this earth. I was very very lucky though. It could have been so much worse..... My wrist was broken and would have to  be repaired after I got out of the hospital, but honestly it was cupcakes compared to the pain in my leg. When I was released from the hospital I knew it would be hard to adjust, but Lord was it hard.    One broken leg, one broken arm and one very fragile Emily. 

You know, nothing prepares you for something like this , where you see your life flash before your eyes, you hope for one more chance to see your family, to be ok. And yes in the end my wounds will heal, most people say "it's only broken bones", "it's only surgery" but in the moment sitting in the car before anyone was there to help me, I felt so scared. But not alone. I knew the Lord had protected me.

The past 6 weeks have gone by so fast, although day to day it feels like time is dragging. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on what's important, sharing quality time with family,  laughing with friends, crying because of the pain, crying because I just wanted to feel like myself again, experiencing anxiety like never before just riding to the doctors office, fighting through the anger and hurt feelings, working everyday to get better, pretty much any and every emotion you can think of. But every single day gets better:-)




I am walking again, without a walker, crutches, wheelchair or cane! I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I am healing wonderfully. My doctor says it will probably a year before complete normalcy will return. My arm is healing great also, but I will continue to be in a splint until the bone is completely. Although it also has a screw in it, they require that the bone be healed before being released....hopefully about 4 more weeks.

I could not have made it through this without certain people:

First my amazing Husband, Daniel. We've only been married a little over a year. Not exactly what you expect to go through during that honeymoon period, but in any case he has been my rock. He has been such an encouragement to me when I felt like giving up. He has been the one that has made me laugh when I didn't feel like I could laugh about anything. He has held my hand when I woke up with nightmares and loved me more than I ever thought someone could. He's always been my hero, but something like this just brings you closer than you can ever imagine. I could not have made it through the hardest days without you, and I wouldn't want another single person to spend the best days with.  I love you honey! You have my heart forever, even though you already knew that ;) I will spend the rest of my life trying to show you how much I love and appreciate you!




Next my mom. My mom and Daniel were the team that bathed me, changed my clothes, did all the laundry, made grocery runs, adjusted me countless times when I couldn't get comfortable. They took turns at the hospital so each could get rest. Mom we couldn't have done it without you!! Thank you for every single moment!

My In-Laws, my coworkers, my friends and all those people praying for me through this- I appreciate every single word of encouragement,  meals, prayers, cards, flowers, gift cards, visits .... every single thing helped me recover and gave me reason to get up every morning. It is amazing how God has blessed me with such amazing friends and family! I probably don't deserve any of them, but I am so grateful! 

I hope this is the very last time I ever have to share something so tough with you guys, but this is life. Things happen every single day that we don't expect. Somethings will be easier to deal with than others, but never the less, things happen.
There is one thing to remember... there is HOPE. We have a God who loves us and gives us a new start every morning. A chance for a new day. And I know that I am so so grateful for that new start He gives.

Please continue to pray for healing of my body, mind and spirit. I'm ready to get back full time to my crafts, cooking, baking, traveling and sharing the crazy, fun times of The Hudsons!

With Love,
Emily H.


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Christmas in February??!!??

I can't believe it is February!! Let me start with an apology for being away for so long. It has been non-stop since December 1st! Two months later I finally have the time to look back on the crazy madness that has been our life.Let's start with Christmas. This Christmas was absolutely wonderful. It was filled with time with family, laughing, and making memories. 



We spent the 23rd with my family at our favorite Chinese restuarant then back to my parents house where we exchanged lots of homemade gifts, made cookies and spent hours looking at old family albums. It was wonderful! This is the birdhouse Daniel and I made for my mom- she was so surprised!!

We spent Christmas Eve with my husbands family. It too was wonderful! 
 
Great company, great food and wonderful memories. 
Then I got sick! BOOOO!
Not only was I sick, I was supposed to be getting on a plane the next morning to go to Jackson Hole, WY with my sweet husband on our dream get away. Needless to say, I was doped up on NyQuil for the first few days but it was magical. The Rockies were amazing, Yellowstone was breathtaking and I CAN NOT WAIT to go back. 6 days was far too short a time to enjoy the area, but no worries, we WILL be returning. Here are just a few pics from the trip!

At Snake Rive Lodge and Spa in Jackson Hole ,WY


Riding snow mobiles in Yellowstone

Sleigh Ride 
Sunset on our sleigh ride
Sweet Husband skiing in Jackson
Tram and Clock tower in the Village

There are about 1000 more pictures, but I will spare you all. It is definitely a trip worth taking! Even if you don't ski, it is a magical place to visit with great people and really nice spas:)

It has been non-stop since coming home. We were home a little over a week then went to Pigeon Forge, TN with GREAT friends for a really long weekend, came home for 2 weeks then headed to Florida for my brother-in-laws winging ceremony in Pensacola, Fl  (more in the next blog). I don't see how people who travel all the time do it! I would finally get all the laundry done, then it would be time to leave again! In any case, we are blessed to have jobs that allow us to travel and so we will enjoy it as long as we can. Hope to share some more life moments and recipes in the next few months. I've tried some great, lighter options over the past month and I can't wait to share. More exciting things to come in 2012!!

With Love, 
Emily