check out her fancy feet!

You know, people who don't know my story, are probably like, man, this girl talks a lot about feet.

I'm sorry, but walking and feet are my favorite subjects to talk about.

I'm so proud of myself.

I can walk.

Over 2 years ago, when I was told my leg was paralyzed, I never thought those would be words that I could  say again. I feel so awesome.

Granted, I've been able to 'walk' with my brace the past two years, but it just isn't the same having something help you walk. Plus, I always felt so foolish limping whenever I wasn't wearing the brace. 

So, here's what happened "the day I walked".

***

I had been out of my boot a little bit, but relied on it, because I honestly was too scared to walk without it. 

I went without it when I was doing exercises, but I was always in a safe environment when I wasn't wearing it. I was either at physical therapy or at home doing my own work outs and practicing "walking like a normal person"... I held out my hands to balance and would walk around the house saying "heel - toe, heel - toe". My family was very entertained. 

I woke up that morning and I just felt like today was the day.

I was going to try.

I was going to walk, outside, not hiding in my house, without my brace, without a wrap, without my boot.

I was going to walk, without a limp, on my own, 

NO MATTER WHAT, and no matter how slow I would have to go.

I walked upstairs and was just overwhelmed with courage and thought to myself, 

I'm going to take Lotte too.

It would have been easier without a huge dog pulling me but I just felt I should take her.

I prayed. Please, give me strength to do this, and please, don't let Lotte make me fall.

I put on my most supportive tennis shoes, and walked out the door. 

I was slightly freaking out.

I can't do this.

 I'm not wearing a brace. 

I'm going to get stuck somewhere, helpless and I'll have to crawl home.

 I can't do this, it's too hard.

 I'm not ready. 

Then, I just started. I was given strength I didn't know that I had.

I was walking.

It wasn't very fast, I wasn't very steady, but I was walking.

I wasn't limping, but anyone watching me would have definitely noticed how careful I was being.

I held on tight to Lotte's leash, and was grateful she was being so calm.

I kept going. I went a block, then two, then three.

I felt awesome. 

I tried walking faster. I couldn't go much faster, my foot didn't have the strength. And it still wasn't in proper working order, but it could manage a slow pace.

So, I decided I would trust it more. I walked with less hesitation.

I waved to neighbors.

I smiled. 

I smiled the whole way home. 

I had done it.

I hadn't done it perfectly, but I had done it.

Walking without assistance was something I never thought I would be able to do again, and I did it.

***

Walking. A task so simple, that I forgot how awesome it was.

I'm so grateful I did this past surgery. 

That I took a chance for improvement, that I'm going through all this pain.

Because, the other day, I was able to take my dog on a walk. I wasn't wearing a boot, or a brace, and I didn't limp. It was awesome. 

When I got home, I seriously couldn't hold back the tears.

I just cried.

I was in a lot of pain, my foot was so weak, but I did it.

I walked. By myself. Not limping.

It was and will be one of the happiest moments of my life. 

I never knew something so simple, could bring so much joy.

Since then, I've been "practicing walking" and gaining strength at physical therapy. I've been wearing a wrap or an athletic brace, just to give my ankle more support as I gain more strength. I haven't used these muscles for years, and they are still damaged, and trying to remember how to work. They are always in pain, but they are working hard to get better.

I will admit, I prefer wearing some type of wrap. 

It is better for me to walk in it, because my ankle is so weak. 

But, I also prefer wearing it because, I don't really trust my foot, and some of the biggest struggles I have had is emotionally and moving past this.

I've spent the last 2 years compensating for my foot, and it's hard to believe that eventually it will be able to do most things on it's own. I know that I'll never have a 'normal foot' again, but I will be able to do so much more very soon. I also prefer wearing a type brace, because I'm just so use to it and it gives me a sense of security and support.

Speaking of support, Elise was the first person I told after I went on my walk.

We went celebratory shoe shopping, because now, I can buy shoes that aren't tennis shoes, or shoes that my brace has to work with, because I don't need a brace anymore!

I still have a long road ahead of me, but I'm one giant step closer to recovering!

It's been amazing, and I feel so blessed. 

I don't even know how to properly put it into words, which is why this post is just me going on and on about how awesome it is to walk!

Here's to the next few months of perfecting my "new walk" and hopefully getting better each day.

Maybe next year I'll be blogging about the marathons I'm running in...

xoxo

Nichelle

dear boys... {avengers edition}

I haven't written a "Dear Boys" post in awhile, and figured it was time to. 

Sometimes, I'm nervous to write these, because what if the boy I'm talking about reads this.

awkward. slash, funny, but mostly awkward.

Please know, these are all written in code names to protect the interests of both parties.


Dear Iron Man, 

You are seriously so cool! It's impressive how awesome you are. But, I just don't understand why you have to be so lame all the time. 

Love, N

Dear Thor,

So, I was kinda interested. Then, you started asking me girl advice. So, I gave up.

Love, Nich

Dear Hawkeye,

First you ignore me, then you call me all the time, and now you are talking about the girl you love.
I'm not a yo-yo.

Love, Red

Dear Hulk,

I miss admiring your extreme awesomeness and attractiveness from afar. 

Maybe you should get my number and ask me out.

Love, Girl

Dear Captain America,

Blah.

All my heart, Nichelle

I'm linking this post to Elise's Pieces "Dear Boys" linky party that she has every Wednesday.

Sometimes it feels like #wearetheonlybloggersnotmarried #dontworry #itsfine #onedaywewillbemommybloggers

 Oh, did you know Elise is awesome. Yeah, it's true. #slashtag

Follow me on instagram @nichellelora

xoxo

Nichelle

what are men to rocks and mountains

The other day, I just needed to clear my head. I have a lot of personal things going on right now. 

 At times I've just felt like a failure. That I just let things get the better of me. 

I needed a break.

... 

So, I pretended that I could go on a hike. 

Don't worry, I drove most of the way, then only walked for about a mile. Nothing to crazy, I still have to take care of my foot. 

It was nice to just clear my head, to be around earth's beauty.

I came home to my same troubles, to the same tasks, to the same problems.

But, I felt better.

...

I have so much to do, so much to overcome, so much to work through, but now, I feel like I can.

It's amazing how taking the time to pause, can make things bearable. 

Sometimes, I wish that the world would slow down, that we would take the time to notice the little things that are so easily overlooked. I know I'm guilty of it all the time.

Before my accident, I was working 3 jobs and going to school. 

70 hour weeks, and hardly any sleep.

To this day, I don't understand how I did it.

My accident made me pause because it brought my life to a screeching halt.

I looked at life in a way I couldn't before.

Not because I didn't appreciate life enough, but because I was just too busy to care.

So, it's been my goal, that no matter how busy I get, or how much stress comes into my life, that I will take the time to pause and to let life be life, and to look for the good.

We are so blessed, there is such great beauty, amazing blessings and wonderful moments happening all the time, we just have to take the time to notice them.

...

xoxo

Nichelle

"The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility."

Thomas S. Monson

THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN A BOOT.

So, a few days ago I got my cast off.

I was expecting to get another cast for 4 more weeks, but as it turns out, I was able to get a boot!

I feel so blessed that my foot and ankle are healing faster than expected!

Here is my boot is all it's glory.

I'm pretty sure nobody was as excited as I was to get a boot.

I feel so blessed. Boots are awesome.

Since getting my boot, I've started physical therapy.

It's hard work, and emotionally taxing, but I know it will be worth it.

My first day of physical therapy, I was doing some of the same exercises I did two years ago. (I'm working with the same therapist, which is a blessing, because she already knows everything I've gone through.) During one of the exercises, where I have to move a towel on the ground with my toes, which I couldn't do, but I still had to go through the motions to try to remind my toes that they can move, my foot tingled.

MY FOOT TINGLED.

 People, 2 years ago, nothing happened. 

I just sat there looking at my foot, trying to get my toes to move the towel on the ground. Now, obviously, my toes couldn't move the towel, but my foot tingled. 

My good little foot is trying so hard.

I'm soooooo happy. 

I know that I will never be able to do all that I want. 

But, even the slightest improvement makes me ecstatic with joy.

I'm excited to see how far physical therapy can take me. I know that I won't be able to move my foot very much, if I can move it at all. But even a more stable foot would be a blessing.

Well, I have a million things to do, so I'm going to end this post. 

But thank you all of being such awesome bloggy friends!

Also, do me a favor and wiggle your toes for me!

xoxo 

Nichelle

JUST GET IN THE CAR... AND DRIVE...

So, I have this new tradition.

Every time I get overwhelmed with my recovery and all the things I'm going through with my health and physical limitations, and all the rest of the emotions and experiences this event has caused, I hop in my car {yes, literally hop} and drive.

I just drive.

I usually drive when the sun is about to set.

I drive to my favorite spots.

I drive up the canyon. I drive to the spots where I can overlook my town.

I drive, and then, I cry.

I just sob. 

I let everything out. 

I don't hold back. I just let myself leak watery emotion.

I let myself mourn my old life.

How much I miss the days when I wasn't in constant pain, they days when I could walk normally, when I could go to a different room and not have to concentrate and tell my body it needs to work hard to move and complete simple tasks, the days when my biggest worries were if a boy liked me or not. 

I miss those days so much.

I miss the simple things that I can no longer do.

I miss feeling pretty.

I just feel like a gross, broken person sometimes.

I know it's just my foot, I know most people don't care, and a lot of people don't even notice.

But, I do.

I feel so restrained. I feel so self conscious.

I am so very grateful for how blessed I am.

I know that my situation could be, and should have been a lot worse.

In fact, I know that I could have died.

That I could have been completely injured, and that when you think about what my body has gone through, it's a miracle that I am even here.

But, even though, I'm grateful that my body has healed so much, and that I am so very blessed that I am not more injured, that doesn't take away from the fact, that what I am going through is really hard for me.

I struggle.

I do my best to stay positive.

But, some days, I just am sad, and I miss old Nichelle.

So, I drive.

After I drive, I always feel better. 

I get to be alone. 

I get to think.

I am allowed to think whatever I want when I drive.

I can be sad, mad, happy...

After I get my emotions out, a funny thing happens.

I don't notice my foot. I stop thinking about what worries me, what scares me, and how much pain I am in.

I notice the beauty around me.

I notice the sun set, the trees, the lights from the buildings.

After I get my emotions out, I just enjoy the beauty around me.

Then, suddenly, life doesn't seem so hard.

Life doesn't seem so lonely.

I know that I am here for a reason, and that I am being watched over, and that I am loved.

I am so grateful for my testimony of the Savior.

That I have the knowledge that I'm not alone. That I can do this.

That even though, I don't feel strong enough to go through this, that I can do this.

I can do it, because He is on my side.

That is why I drive.

To remind myself that it's okay to cry. 

That I'm surrounded by so much beauty.

That God's hand is everywhere, and that He blesses me every day of my life.

That sometimes, we just need to pause, and let life be life, and know that we aren't alone.

I've decided it's okay that I feel like is hard at times.

Because it is.

We each are going through our own individual trials.

We each have hard things that we have to work through, that we have to accomplish, that we have to overcome. But, as we go through these things, we will become better. We will grow, and we will see the blessings and the strengths that come through these difficult experiences, we may not see them in the midst of the pain, but, they are there.

These drives of mine, help to remind me of how much I am blessed, they help me get out emotion and truly think and process what I am going through.

I go on these drives so often, there's a rule for my car...

I only listen to my Church, Gospel or Spiritual CD's in my car...

Or... a Christian Rock Radio Station.

No really. It's a rule.

*************************************************************************

Footprints in the Sand 

Last night I had a dream. 

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

 Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. 

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:

one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

 I looked back at the footprints in the sand. 

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

 especially at the very lowest and saddest times, 

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

  “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, 

You’d walk with me all the way.

 But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, 

there was only one set of footprints. 

I don’t understand why, 

when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, 

“My son, my precious child,

 I love you and I would never leave you.

 During your times of suffering,

 when you could see only one set of footprints,

 it was then that I carried you.”

*************************************************************************

I'm so grateful for my faith, and the strength and hope it gives me.

If you wish to learn more about my faith, click here.

xoxo

Nichelle

THE POWER OF ONE.

Alright... let's be honest....

{artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to take or use, just credit properly please! xoxo}

I feel so very blessed.

Everywhere I go, everyone I met, I feel love.

I can't tell you how many times someone has taken the time to lift me up, to lend me a smile, to ask how I am, to tell me they are rooting for me.

Heck, even the old guy who helps me with my taxes told me he's rooting for me.

People often ask me, "How do you stay so positive through all of this?".

Well, let me tell you something, it's because of YOU.

It's because of the nice little boy at the store who opens the door for me.

It's because of the "Get Well" Card sent in the mail from an old friend.

It's the way my friends at church compliment my painted toenails that match my cast.

It's the way my girls still invite me to go dancing, even though they know they'd have to sit in the corner with me and play "how many weird boys will come up to the girl with the crutches".

I have decided that YOU are awesome.

That people, when they make the choice to uplift others, they are such a powerful influence for good.

That one person can change your life.

That one person can change the world.

{artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to take or use, just credit properly please! xoxo}

It's the little things in life that make the difference.

It's the small moments that count.

It's the way you help others in the small ways that change lives.

It's because you are you.

So, thank you for your confidence in me.

For your kind comments.

For your emails that you send, telling me you are on my side, that you hope my recovery goes well, or to simply tell me your story.

It's no small thing that you are doing.

YOU are changing the world.

so... thank you for that.

xoxo

Nichelle

SILLY SISTA TIME! {YEP. TOTALLY SILLY.}

Once upon a time, my little sister came over...

Once upon a time, we spent an hour taking silly pictures.

Once upon a time, I posted them on my blog.

Please excuse my hat hair... Bwahaha.

{hey. we are the sisters.}

{we like to be weird. because weird is cool.}

{funny caption}

{me: oh look, a bird.}

{little sis: nichelle, i don't think that's a bird.}

{me: wasssssup}

{little sis: yep, nichelle really is the weird one}

{cute}

{me: uhhh, i don't know.}

{little sis: what? you don't know?!}

{me: that looks weird.}

{little sis: whoooooa. that does look werid.}

{awkward.}

{me: i will ponder to the east.}

{little sister: i will ponder to the west.}

{i can't think of a caption.}

{the end}

xoxo

Nichelle

P.S. I LOVE MY FAMILY MUCHO MUCHO!!!

WHAT MATTERS MOST...

'Never let a problem to be solved, become more important than a person to be loved.'

xoxo

Nichelle

{original artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to use, please just credit properly.}

MY DEAR, THAT IS JUST MY STYLE...

{1, 2, 3, 4}

{1, 2, 3, 4}

{1, 2, 3, 4}

{1, 2, 3, 4}

XOXO,

Nichelle

I HAVE FOUND, THE TRICK TO BEING HAPPY, IS BEING HAPPY.

It's amazing, how one, tiny happy moment can change your entire outlook.

How one kind smile, one happy thought, one act of kindness can change your life. 

{original artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to use, just credit properly pah-lease}

 I have felt so blessed lately.

Actually, I've felt very blessed since my accident. 

There have been so many prayers, so many thoughts, so many acts of kindness that have been given to me, for me, to help me through this time in my life.

I never knew that I was so loved.

That people would do that for me, that I mattered that much.

It's amazing.

I'm in awe.

People are awesome.

You guys are awesome.

Seriously.

A lot of people ask me how I 'stay so positive' while dealing with everything.

Let me tell you this,  I am not always positive. I get scared, there are moments when I am so full of fear I literally can't breathe. I long for my old life, for the days when simple tasks weren't full of pain. 

But, I made the decision, I decided to be happy.

{original artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to use, just credit properly pah-lease}

Now, I'm not always happy. 

I have long sleepless nights where all I do is cry.

But, I think that's okay.

It's okay.

I'm just dealing with my loss, and accepting my new life.

It's okay if you have hard times, and it's okay if you can't always be positive.

What I have found, is that you have two choices when it comes to life:

to act, or to react.

I choose to act.

I choose to take action for my life.

To make each day important. 

To make each day count.

To never loose my faith, to always keep hope in my heart.

{original artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to use, just credit properly pah-lease}

Bad days happen.

Good days happen.

That's life, and boy, I love life. What a miracle it is to wake up and to have an entire day, full of choices, full of opportunity. How incredibly blessed am I? 

I have found, the trick to being happy, is being happy.

{original artwork by vintage wanna bee. feel free to use, just credit properly pah-lease}

Life, as awesome as it is, is never going to be perfect.

But, you can and do have many perfect moments.

I have found, that through my hardest times, I have found my strengths. 

I have found greater hope, and a greater capacity to understand and love.

I'm grateful for trials, and the ability they have to expand my understanding and knowledge.

For the ways I am blessed to grow, learn and thrive.

You only live by going through life.

I choose to live with a heart full of happiness.

Full of the desire to make a difference.

To help others along the way.

There have been so many people who have helped me, who have blessed me. 

Most of them don't know, that their smile made me a better person.

It gave me hope.

I hope none of you forget the influence you have in this world.

That you can change a life.

That you can, and are making a difference.

Life is what you make it.

I have decided to make it awesome.

xoxo

Nichelle

I HAVE A CONFESSION...

There's been something on my mind the past couple days, and I've felt I just needed to come clean...

Imma nerd.

It's true. I even have a whole pinterest board honoring it...

Now, as much as I love Princesses and Girly Things...

{See Figure 1.}

I have this secret, well not so secret, obsession with muscle-y men fighting aliens...

{See Figure 2.}

It's true.

I'm sorry. I never meant to fool any of you.

Yes, I love Disney.

But, I also love Marvel, Star Wars, LoTR, {Oh, that's Lord of the Rings -and yes, I will be watching the whole extended trilogy this week}, Harry Potter, etc, etc...

{Captain America. I have a crush on him}

Oh, and math...

Yeah, that was one of my favorite subjects in school.

I say was, because I completed advanced math in high school, so I didn't have to take any college math courses because I got all the credit done in High School.

Oh, also, chemistry was great fun too.

{don't worry, I also was in art, choir and drama.}

Source: tumblr.com via Nichelle on Pinterest

Now, I hope you all understand my secret.

I'm still the same Nichelle, I just thought you all deserved to know the whole truth.

I. AM. A. NERD.

Live long and prosper, 

Nichelle

DEAR ELISE...

So, once upon a time,my BFF Elise from Elise's Pieces, wrote this post for me while I was in surgery. 

She contacted some of my family, friends and bloggy BFF's and they each wrote a little note to me.

Let's just say, it pretty much made my life, slash made me cry.

So, I thought I would write a Dear Elise post...

Please enjoy some of my favorite pictures of Elise, stolen from facebook...

Here are some gems...

Also, Elise, you may take comfort in the fact, that stalking your Facebook pictures provided me mucho entertainment.

Bwahaha.

She's awesome.

The mascara picture.

Epic.

So, for those of you who don't know, Elise blogs over at Elise's Pieces. 

Also, because of Elise, I now remember how to spell 'pieces'. 

Elise is my best friend.

Slash, everyone says that.

Because she's just that awesome.

Seriously. 

But really.

I'm trying to make this post at cheese free as possible, but it's really hard not to gush over how awesome Elise is. 

When we first met, we didn't really click.

In fact, Elise thought I was weird. 

But, because we had a close mutual friend, we became friends.

*BOOM*

That was the magic exploding. 

Called blogs.

Yep, we didn't become 'friends' until we discovered we both were bloggers.

After that, Elise got over my weirdness and agreed to be my friend.

Elise is one of those people that lights up the room when she walks in.

You can tell she is someone who is confident, caring and hilarious.

Seriously, she's so funny. It's hard not to pee my pants when she gets going.

She seriously spent 30 minutes one day talking about how she wanted to invent cloud pants that we could wear while in heaven, and I was dying I was laughing so hard.

But, beyond her humor and her ability to make everyone happy and comfortable, she's the person I go to when I need a true friend.

I'm pretty sure I talk her daily about my problems.

I know that she will be there for me, and she won't think that I'm complaining.

She understands that sometimes you just need someone to talk to.

You just need someone who truly cares about, who has your back, who understands life, and understands what you mean, even if you don't.

Elise has been a blessing in my life.

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her in my life.

I'm pretty sure I would be in some crazy house from all the stress from my life, if I didn't have her.

She helps me remember my worth. 

That I'm a valued Daughter of God.

She keeps me strong when my faith is weak.

She helps me laugh when I want to cry.

She helps me through hard times.

She's with me for good times.

I don't know what I did to deserve such a friend, like Elise.

But, I am so very grateful that I have her.

She is one of the many miracles of my life, and I owe her so much.

So...

Dear E,

You're the bestest friend I could ever ask for.

Thank you for your faith, strength and understanding.

Thank you for making me laugh, and telling me it's okay to cry.

Thank you for making me a better person.

Love, N

2.5 YEARS AGO.... {STORY OF MY ACCIDENT}

Over two years ago, my life changed dramatically. I had decided to go sledding with a bunch of my friends, and this decision would forever alter my life.

You see, when I went sledding, I hit a tree. We had made a chain of five of us, on inner tubes, on the icy side of the hill. Of course, me, being the wimp of the group, was in the middle, so the guys could hold on to me and I wouldn't break the chain. We started down the hill, and we were going faster than anticipated, with no plan of action. I had an overwhelming feeling that I didn't need to think, I just needed to protect my head and twist my body. So, I did just that. The next thing I remember is waking up in the Emergency Room.

Between the time I had felt to protect my head, and the ER, this is what had happened:
I had hit the tree which had cause my back to break in 3 places, I had broken all the ribs on the right side of my body, and I had punctured, deflated, and bruised my right lung. My left hip was also dislocated. (Remember that one for later.)

I woke up, and realised where I was. Blinked a few times, then was suddenly was overwhelmed with the most horrible pain. I immediately started to panic. I had no idea where my friends were, if my family knew, how badly I had been injured. I had never been stung by a bee, or broken a bone, severe damage to my body was something I was not use to. I had no idea how to handle being in the hospital. Then, I saw my Dad. Even though the pain didn't go away, I knew I was safe. He told me that I had been injured while sledding and they needed to find out what had happened.

I was in and out at this point, thankfully. Because when I woke back up, I was in worse pain than I was before. They explained the accident, and I accepted it, staying the next 7 days in the hospital. Joking and making light of the situation saying, "Well at least I wasn't paralyzed."

Boy, I should be careful what I say.

Because of my dislocated hip, I needed to have surgery to have some fragments removed. They had decided to wait for my body to heal before putting me into a surgery. So three weeks after my accident, I went in for surgery.

During the surgery, my sciatic nerve was damaged.

I woke up, not able to move my left leg.
Panic struck.

The doctor came and said it was normal for the first few hours after surgery and to call him if it was longer than a few hours.

Nothing changed.

They did some tests, and decided they needed to go back in and see what had happened. After that surgery they confirmed the damage.

My left leg was paralyzed.
I was in shock.
I can't remember if I cried or not.
My family did.

My situation wasn't really explained to me, I had no idea if I would walk again.

The next few months were some of the hardest of my life.
I had severe nerve pain, if someone walked by my foot too fast, the wind would cause unbelievable pain to explode through my whole body. As time went by, the pain went down, but I still couldn't use my foot.

After I was able to get out of bed and move around (on my rad walker) I slowly got better. As I visited Doctors, they said that nerves could repair, but it would probably take close to a year.

That wasn't that bad.
I could handle that.

I went to physical therapy, went from a walker, to crutches, to a cane, to being able to wobble without anything in a matter of weeks. *power of hard work in action* Then I got a custom brace which allows me to walk normally, so with long pants, no one can really tell.

I went back to school, got a job. Tried my best to be normal and not let my paralyzed foot hold me back. Granted, it was painful, is painful, everyday is a struggle. I have to turn down hiking dates, dancing with friends and beach trips. But, I was okay. I knew if I worked hard enough, I'd be okay one day.

Well, it now has been two years.

I'm not better, and my nerve won't ever heal.

But, that's okay.
I'm just fine.

I've had ups and downs, breakdowns and failures. But, I haven't lost my faith. I'm better for going through this. It's one of the hardest things I've had to go through in my short life, but I'm grateful. It's taught me that I can accomplish anything. I've relearned how to walk for crying out loud! I have another surgery coming up, and I have a whole life time of limping ahead of me, but I'm so glad to still be on this earth. My accident SHOULD have killed me, I should've been paralyzed from my back breaking, but I was given the easy way out. My left foot doesn't work. Meh, that's life.

Throughout this whole experience, I've just tried to remember this...

"Everything will be okay."

I know that I've been through a lot, but that just means I have a lot of blessings in store. When you know how it feels to be completely heart broken and hopeless, you have a greater capacity to feel and know true joy.

I'm grateful for life and it's trials. They mold us into who we are, and make us better, more compassionate, stronger individuals.

If you are going through a trial, just know, everything will be okay.

xoxo
Nichelle