wHeRe Do YoU sEe YoUrSeLf In FiVe YeArs?!

FIVE years later!!!

    Recently I had a conversation with one of Aaron's college friends and we were talking about how long ago the accident was. He was telling us about recent job interviews he had and how they seemed to ask this popular question, "Where do you see yourself in FiVe years?" Think about it for a minute.....it's not an easy question is it?!

    I know that if you had asked us this question just a few days prior to June 16, 2008 you would have gotten a completely different answer. Even just days after June 16, 2008 I could have never imagined telling you that we'd be where we are today. FiVe years seems like such a long time ago, then again it has seemed to go by so quickly! 

    Lucky for us God had this because we sure couldn't have done this without Him and I don't think I always give Him the credit He deserves! At first we had doctors telling us that the first year was where we would see the most progress, then we heard the first two years, then somewhere along the way it became the first FiVe. I am pretty sure that since then we have heard the word indefinitely used to measure the timeline for progress that Aaron could make. Well folks, we've hit FiVE (and are still seeing improvements) and feel blessed with every single second, minute, day, and year! 

     I asked my favorite photographer, Beth Carter, if she would help me get some new pictures to share for this blog. Lakeland Regional Medical Center staff were the ones who saved Aaron's life and I couldn't think of a better place than where it all started. On a side note, we have been invited to LRMC Trauma Awareness Day each year, one of the gifts Aaron received was a t-shirt that I thought would be appropriate for this photo shoot! (Check out the close up in the pictures that follow!) 

In front of Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

I can not tell you how often I go through our pictures from 2008 to present day and see what an amazing story they tell. Each picture, along with each year, reminds me that we have both survived through this craziness annnnnnnd Aaron has gotten just a little closer to being that same old Aaron we all know and adore! 

Sporting his LRMC Trauma Survivor Shirt!

   
    In FiVe years we have come a LONG way and I think Aaron would agree on these FiVe things...


OnE: Our lives haven't been easy (or where we thought we'd be) the past five years but we have learned a lot along the way. 

TwO: We are thankful for all of the progress Aaron has made that no one could guarantee that we would see. 

ThReE: We share our life with so many wonderful people that have helped us in big and small ways and shared our lives in good times and bad! 

FoUr: Anything is possible! 

FiVe: God is good ALL the time!

The fountain in front of LRMC where we took family pictures while Aaron was in the hospital! 

   

    I recently found a quote from Sonia Ricotti and I thought it was the perfect way to share my answer for the question I asked in the beginning of this entry. In five years, I hope to be able to continue to "Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be." 

    I can't wait to share what the next five years has in store for us! Where do you see YOURSELF in five years? 

All pictures are courtesy of Beth Carter Photography  at http://www.bethcarterphotography.com

cHeErS!

    This all started back at my staff Christmas party in '08, just a few months after Aaron's accident had happened. This was during the time where Aaron was not able to travel outside of his rehab facility. I reluctantly went, although I really wanted to go, I knew it wouldn't be the same without Aaron.

   I'm not sure exactly how it happened, if I remember right, I was drinking a beer before dinner and it was sitting on the table (almost empty) in front of me. That's about the time when my co-worker's husband, Jerry, came up to me with a smile on his face and a fresh cold beer in his hand! 

    Little did I know, that this was only the beginning of him taking care of me at our many social gatherings. From that night on, Jerry always made sure I was taken care of...with a smile and a cold drink! 

   Last week we went out for one last drink before we all started our summer vacation and went our separate ways. I had gotten there late and had ordered a water. I was chatting with people on my side of the table, not even paying attention, when I turned around here came Jerry with a smile on his face and a cold drink in hand! 

   It's truly the little things that make this journey just a little bit easier...who knew how much a smile and a cold drink could make my day over and over and over again?! Thanks Jerry and Dee for always being so sweet and putting a smile on my face!