Become A Better Me!

I am the seventh of nine children, four boys and five girls. I was raised in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, and I am still an active member. As for childhood memories, even through now, I could not tell you much. I try to keep journals and make scrapbooks to help me remember things better.
My earliest childhood memories were from the hospital that I stayed in when I was six years old. I had been hit by a car and received traumatic brain damage and was in a coma. The doctors had told my parents that if I lived that I wouldn't be able to do everything that I used to. I had been in the coma for sixteen days before I had come out of it. They transferred me to another hospital where I could begin my occupational and physical therapy. The people in charge of me at this hospital told my parents it could be anywhere from six to eight months before I would be able to return to live at home. I had lost all of my memory and ALOT of my strength, especially in the left side of my body. Physical therapy was painful and hard to do but I stuck with it and gave it my all! Went through alot of tears and alot of getting back up and trying again! I remember being in a wheel chair and not being able to walk. (I remember once I got to go home and spend one night with my family and I sat on the couch while my four brothers would take turns doing tricks in the wheel chair!) Eventually I was able to walk with lots and lots of physical therapy. Once when I was having therapy in the indoor pool I remember a camera crew coming in and rehersing with me and my therapist what to say. We were put on Good Morning America! They got to choose one patient to put on tv and they chose me! The hospital crew that worked with me were amazed at how well I was doing! I ended up only having to stay at the hospital for three and a half months before I was able to return home to live with my family.
I was able to return to school the next year! But I still had to return to the hospital three times a week for therapy. I couldn't even get myself dressed for school in the morning, I was always had to have others help me. I was put into resource classes to help me out a bit. School was tuff! Kids were always making fun of me and leaving me out, so I had always thought that there was SOMETHING wrong with me. I have never felt like a normal kid, always being told by peers and teachers, "No you can't do this! No you can't do that!" So I started telling myself that. And I still do! I don't know how to let myself just try something! And its frustrating!
This year, 2009, I am taking a stand and trying to, "Become A Better Me!" I am working hard at losing weight and I will succeed at this! I am not going to let ANYONE hold me back!
There is another story to tell about my life but this has taken up ALOT of space! So I will tell my next story another time. All of these things that I have written are true and have happened to me! And it has taught me a lesson in life! NEVER GIVE UP! KEEP ON TRYING!

Tuesday May 5, 2009

Okay, so I have not posted a blog for a LONG TIME! With so much going on I figured it was time to do so, so here I go...
Alot has happened since I last posted a blog. Robyn Christensen and I are pretty much best friends now! Which is what we both needed, a best friend! We go just about everyday to try and find a new adventure here in Germany! We have so much fun!
This month will be Drew & my 3rd wedding anniversery. We talked about it tonight and I think that we are just going to stay around town for it. We have done alot of traveling while we have been here for the short 6 months so far! Already we have been to Amsterdam, Paris, Belium, Berlin, Luxemburg, Switzerland, & Germany (of corse). Thats all that I can think of right now. I LOVE living here!!! I even got to go and tour the very house that Anne Frank went away and hid in with her family and a few others before they were taken to concentration camps! I love reading about her! She was a very strong young lady! Well besides the fact of Europe not having ANY WalMarts ANYWHERE! But we manage to get by without them. I do miss seeing people that I grew up with though. And I really miss seeing family! I call family EVERYDAY! Good thing we have free calls to the USA! And we set it up to where people with a 706 number can call us for free too! Otherwise people will just get charged with a regular long distance call.
I have lost 13 pounds since I have last posted a blog on here! I have been working HARD at losing weight! And it is finally paying off! I go with Robyn during the weekdays to a workout class here on base, it totally kicks your butt! I have heard women that are taking the class now say they have already lost like 7 pounds just from taking this class! I am glad that I found this workout class because it seemed like nothing was helping me anymore with the weight, I have even started to gain some back! I did lose 17 pounds but had already gained like 4 back! And I don't want to gain anymore so I am going to step up the working out!
I have a dog! We drove to Ramstein to get him! Which is two hours from here. The people we got him from adopted him and his brother in Tennissee but the apartment they are living in will only allow them to have one pet so he gave me his other dog. He is a Puggle... Half Pug... Half Beagle Mix. He is a beautiful dog! He is about 21 months old now. We named him Spanky. We think that he has been abused! He is very skiddish and very afraid of people, especially men! But he has been getting better about it. I take him out as often as I can so he can be around different people. He loves going outside and playing with the kids that also live on base!
Well I need to go and get ready for bed! Hopefully I will be on here sooner than 5 months the next time! lol
Take Care!
Em