Saturday, August 24, 2013

The Shannon Way

So I've always thought that my blog wasn't supposed to be about my life necessarily, just about my recovery. That's why all of my posts and stuff have only been about surgeries and stuff like that. When I talked to my aunts today they said that I needed to post about some of the recent events in my life. I knew that that was true because some of it does relate to my recovery, but when I was retrieving pictures from my phone, I realized how out of the loop you blog-readers are! So, today I will inform you of a little bit more than I normally do.
First, we should jump back to before the surgery on May 3rd for just a second. In April, I was able to meet my entire immediate (siblings, in-laws, and children) family in Florida for a family reunion of sorts. This was so much fun! And although I was in between medical procedures, that did not stop me from getting all my nieces and nephews together to have a blast!
glow stick dance party
Chad's kids at Disney World
 
 Also, my mom says I'm really good at taking cute pictures of her and my dad with their grandchildren, but I don't think it has anything to do with me, just with how cute they are with them!

Lilly, Tonya and Gus









Then I told you how the surgery went. What I did not tell you however, is that once again, I decided that I was going to try college again. I don't know if I told you all before of the challenges I had when I tried to go to BYU before, but it was a total disaster. The biggest reason for this however, was because it was about a month after a reconstructive surgery. This time I decided to go back to school about 6 weeks after a reconstructive surgery.... Idiot, right? Yeah. But this time, I pulled it off. This time I had an incredible professor, Dr. David Bringhurst, who had worked with TBI victims in the past although this was his first time being a professor. So we worked together and I freaked out over tests. The midterm I only got an 82% on and so I was freaking out for the final. But with much study, not only did I get the highest grade on the final (49/50 = 98%) but I also got the highest score in the class as a whole (102.4%). So yes, this time I not only succeeded, but I excelled, the Shannon way.
The week after school got out, I was running around being a bridesmaid for my cousin, Ashlee. Then the day after her last shindig, I got on an airplane to go visit my brother in North Carolina. In North Carolina I brought all kinds of crafts to do with my nieces and nephews. Below are some of the pictures of the fun times we had. The picture in the middle is a picture of some sun-catcher monkeys that we painted for my sister's baby shower which I hosted the day after I got home. So I have been running around like crazy for the past few weeks, and I don't get to stop because school starts again in 2 days.







4 comments:

  1. Okay, your crayon art is awesome! And the guitars! And I love this post. :)

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  2. Thanks for the post. I loved it!
    Aunt Pat

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  3. Well again I had this great comment written and while the computer thought about posting it, it decided I was not worthy of posting. So I will try again.

    Shan, I love this post, I think you should do more posts like this! We never could have imagined how hard your recovery from a TBI would be, but it isn't all bad! You have kicked some major butt and should be proud of your accomplishments! You have defied the odds! And I think it is important for people to see the hardships you struggle with but also the victories you have had! This blog is about a "journey of healing" it truly is amazing to me to see how many people still read and follow your blog! It is important to clue them in on your struggles but also your successes! I would love to see more posts like this because it is important to stay positive and see how things are getting better, even if they aren't quite where you want them to be yet.

    I love you Shan and I love seeing your life get better. Granted you still have rough days and days where you feel lost and alone, but you have still carried on. You are the perfect example of enduring to the end and I know that God has a watchful eye on you. You have inspired so many people in the past 3 and a half years, don't taint that inspiration with negativity, keep things real...meaning the good and the bad! I hope to see more posts of you living life like this because that is the true miracle! When this blog first started we were not sure if you could ever live life again, and now you have. That should be celebrated! It may not always be easy, but it is so worth it in the end! I love you sis and I hope you know that you inspire me! You are such a great role model and a source of strength! Let everyone see that! Love you
    Love
    Kate

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