The Giving Keys.

Ah! I finally got my The Giving Keys necklace in the mail the other day and I haven't taken it off since! I'm in love. Right when I heard about this non-profit organization, I couldn't wait to buy a necklace of my own. I am a huge supporter of non-profit organizations and I always love it when I find/heard about new ones!

When I first heard about The Giving keys, I immediately knew what word I wanted. I chose the word "STRENGTH" for my key because, as most of you who read my blog know, I've had to overcome a lot the past 13 and a half months. Emotionally and physically. Everyone that I have talked to about my car accident and injuries, has always told me that they really admire my strength. Even though they might not know it, that really helped me out a lot. I never knew how strong I could be until this happened. I can't wait to give my key away to someone that I feel needs the message just as much as I did. I know that whomever I give it to, will love it just as much as I do! And trust me, I'll be buying plenty more with other words on them. They will make the greatest gifts!

Pay It Forward

One thing I loved the most about this organization is that you get to create you own 8 letter word to have put on the key and at some point in time you have to give it away to a person you feel needs the message on your key. Once you've done that, you go and write on the website the story of why you gave it away. How great is that? I really think that one simple little word could completely change someone's day or even life.

All proceeds of The Giving Keys go to keeping a homeless couple of the streets and giving them a better life. On the website, it gives you updates on how the couple is doing and what they've accomplished since they became a part of the organization. I love knowing that my purchase has really helped out and the updates make it that much better.

To read more about this great non-profit organization, check out there website which I have listed below.

And go purchase your own beautiful necklace right now! Do it.

The Giving Keys Info

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Xoxo.

Two Thousand Twelve.

I've been meaning to write a post about the new year but haven't gotten around to it until today, day 10 of 2012. Better late than never, right? I changed the name of my blog and my blog template for the new year. Not sure if I really like either of the changes I made yet, but I can always change it later if I decide I don't.

2011 Recap:

2011 had many, many ups and downs for me. The year, for me, was consumed by doctor visits, surgeries, recovering, and lots of physical therapy. When it started off, I was very bitter and still going through the stress of my life completely changing. I now know that it changed for the better. I started off the year in a wheelchair and ended it walking on my own. How awesome is that? Not that I was never going to walk again, I was just never sure how long it was going to take to have everything completely fixed. Those of you who know me, know that I was determined to have my legs completely fixed before 2011 was over. I still have tons of physical therapy to do, but everything is fixed. Mission accomplished! I realized that I have some of the greatest friends in the world, I'm more than lucky to have them. I met a ton of really amazing people that I'm very proud to call friends now. I've become a lot closer to my family and I'm glad that I've gotten the opportunity to get to know them better and learn things that I never knew about them. Through everything that I have gone through, I found myself again. I'm happy, happier than I've ever been. I've tried new things. Crafting and reading are now my two biggest obsessions/hobbies. All in all, the year was a million times more fantastic than I could have ever imagined. I'm thankful for everything that happened in 2011.

2012:

There is a lot of things that I want to accomplish in new year. I've never really been one to make New Year's Resolutions, or anything of the sort, but since I have a lot that I truly need to get done this year, I thought I'd make a list of everything that I really want/need to get done before this year is over.

My Goals For 2012:

- Get a job.

Still can't believe it's been over a year since I've actually worked. I really miss it.

- Pay off my loan.

One less thing to pay a month will really help me out in the future.

- Get a new car.

Since Dora, yes I named my Explorer Dora, went out with a bang, I've been car-less. And I can't stand it.

- Save up at least $2,000.

When I first moved out when I was 18, I had no money saved up. And I always wished that I had actually thought about saving money before I moved out, instead of being in a big hurry to grow up.

- Get in good physical shape/lose weight.

Before you read this and tell me "you don't need to lose weight" or whatever else you might say, save it. I have a mirror and know what I look like. I'm not saying that I'm super overweight or anything, but I have gained a lot of weight since my car accident and I will feel a million times better once it's all gone. Plus, I can't stand exercising, so I've never really been in "good" shape and I would really like for that to change.

- Eat healthier.

I've never been a healthy eater. Which can cause a ton of health problems if I continue to eat all the greasy junk that I usually eat. I've actually been eating a lot more vegetables and fruits lately, I'm proud of that and plan on eating even more than I already do. I want to cut out my butter intake, greasy foods, fried foods, salt, etc.

- Take classes at the gym.

Once it starts to get hotter outside, I plan on taking water aerobics classes. Yes, I know what you're thinking, "that's what old people do". But it will be really, really good for my legs. And water aerobics is a good and easy way to get/stay in shape. I also want to take spin classes, but I can't even attempt to do those until my physical therapist says that my legs are strong enough to do that.

- Take lots and lots of road trips.

Road trips have always been one of my favorite things to do. There's something really soothing about driving to far places that you don't normally go to.

- Be more creative.

I've been making a lot of crafts that I have found the tutorials for online, but I would really like to completely create something on my own.

- Make a list of crafts and do every single one of them.

I want to make a scrapbook of every craft that I want to make and put the tutorial on there too, once I've completed the craft, I'm going to put a picture of it on the page with the tutorial. That way I'll always have something to go back to for a reference.

- Help others.

I'm going to start looking into a bunch of different non-profit organizations and start doing this one soon.

Not too crazy of a list, just some things that are really important to me. I don't think that any of them are too unreasonable and I really hope to accomplish every single one of them.

Xoxo.

These legs were made for walkin'.

And that's just what they'll do....

Whew, now that that's out of my system.... For everyone that has been keeping up with my long road of surgeries and recovering, I want you all to know that my legs are doing fantastic! My left leg is recovering a lot faster than I had expected it to, which is always great news to me. I still can't believe that I'm finally done with all of my surgeries and am finally walking on my own again. No more wheelchair, walker, or crutches. I'm done with all of them, and let me tell you, there's no greater feeling than walking on my own again! I still have to wear both of my knee braces for a few more months, but that's perfectly fine with me!

Physical therapy has been going great! I'm finally back to my little routine of going. 3 times a week. Which I love going, even though sometimes I don't act like it. I know that every time I go, I'm getting more and more stronger. And how awesome is that? I'm truly one lucky lady to have such amazing people help me with everything. Anywho, I think both of my legs are finally straight! All the prone hangs and other exercises that I do to make them straight have finally paid off. They're both bending really good but I was never too worried about that.

In other news, I've been crafting a LOT lately. I have a million crafts that I want to do, my head feels like it might explode! It doesn't help that I'm slightly addicted to Pinterest. I have a list of things that I want to make, and I'll post pictures as I get them done. I can't wait to see how everything turns out! I love creating things.

Here's a few of my recent creations:

Mod Podge Glitter Shoes

Before:

After:

These were really fun to make and I think they turned out pretty good considering I had never tried anything like this before. They were the perfect shoes to wear for the holidays! I can't wait to make a bunch more. I want to make them in every color of glitter I can find!

Homemade Air Fresheners

I made these in lavender scent and made them a bit too strong. The tutorial that I read said to put in 30 drops of the essential oil, but when I turned the bottle over, a bunch of it poured out! I was really excited when I woke up and saw that they gelled perfectly. And now that it's been a few days since I made them, they're not as strong and are actually starting to smell really good!

Melting Crayons

Before:

After:

When I first saw this project, I thought, "Melting crayons! How simple!". Man oh man, was I wrong! It took forever for the crayons to melt. I didn't anticipate that at all. It was a lot messier than I thought too. I put a bunch of paper down under the canvas because I was concerned about it dripping on the floor. I never anticipated on the melted crayon shooting off to the sides. Lesson learned! It was really fun to make though and I love how it turned out.

I can't wait to craft some more and post pictures of my creations!

"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."

- Kurt Vonnegut

Xoxo.

The worst is over.

Can't believe it's already been 10 days since my last post.

Man oh man, time sure does fly.

"Oh the weather outside is weather...."

Since my last surgery on the 2nd, it has been raining non stop! Don't get me wrong, I know that we really need the rain, but the changing of the weather and all the icky-ness, really hurts my legs. Everywhere that I have metal, the weather makes it feel like someone just hit me with a hammer. Not something that I enjoy. Luckily, it finally stopped raining and the weather is at a constant cold temperature, so the pain has semi gone away. Kinda makes me sad because I used to love the rain so much and now I just depise it. Damn the rain, right?

I finally had my doctors appointment on the 13th and got my stitches removed. And boy, did it feel good! There was one stitch that was poking me really bad and would start to poke my incision, causing it to bleed, every time I walked on it. I was miserable. Needless to say, I was more than thrilled when it came time to get them out.

I have to keep my straight leg knee brace on until my quads get stronger and then I can finally switch back to my bending knee brace. I should be off both knee braces in 6 months! Seems so far away but I can't wait until that day comes.

I started physical therapy again on the 14th. Back to the "beginning" one last time. Have to get this leg strong, bending and straightening properly! Getting my legs to bend has never been an issue, it's the straightening that's the hardest part. For some reason, my legs hate to be straight. Which is a slight problem. I'm trying my best to get them back to normal! And I'm back on the E-Stim machine, which I don't like but it really does help. And the pain isn't too bad, just an irritating feeling, if you know what I mean. I love going to physical therapy and instantly seeing results. Makes me feel very happy!

Other happy news, I won't be getting any new scars now that I won't be having anymore surgeries. 13 is the final number of scars. So glad there won't be more!

"There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with."
- Harry Crews

Xoxo.

Living. And I mean, really living.

Before my car accident, my life revolved around things that I thought I needed or needed to do. Not things that I wanted.

Working my ass off as a waitress, 7 days a week for 2 and a half years, some of those days also working double shifts, looking back now, it just doesn't seem worth it. So much time wasted. Precious time. Time that I'll never get back. Sure, I made a lot of money, but what good is having a lot of money if you're too tired to go and spend it on things that you really want? I always said that I was going to quit, just never actually brought myself to do it. Which is another reason that I think my car accident was a blessing in disguise. If I wouldn't have wrecked, I'd still be waitressing. I'd still be stuck in the miserable rut that I was in just a little over a year ago.

Now, I feel free. I feel like I can do anything that I want to.

I read an article today, The Top 5 Regrets In Life By Those About To Die, and it really got me thinking.... I don't want to ever go through life with regrets. When my time comes to leave this life, I want to look back and be proud of everything I did. I don't want to ever wonder "what if". I want to be happy and really live.

The first regret was the one that really stood out to me more than anything, "I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me." Growing up, I was always told that you have to go to college and get a degree to become successful and happy. This, to me, is wrong. Personally, I find school to be a huge waste of time and money. And no, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from going. If that's what you want to do, then by all means, do it. I would rather learn about things that I really want to learn about, rather than what someone has to teach me. I want to travel, craft, read, try new things, set goals and succeed in them, have adventures, etc. From now on, I only want to work enough to have enough money for my little adventures and what not. Anything and everything that makes me happy!

I want passion and pride in what I do, in everything I do. I want to wake up every morning, absolutely loving everything I do.
I want to matter.

 From now on, I am going to live my life the best I can. A happy life. One that I can be proud of in the end.

Are you living your life the way you really want to?

Xoxo.