Time flies when you're not paying attention

As I sit here now, I'm just waiting for my laundry to finish drying. What took place earlier though was an emotional three hours of sorting through, reading, reminiscing the stages of what not only myself, but my two sisters, and a family friend endured, coming up on now 15 years ago.

Not even a year after the accident, for the first time ever, I sorted through pictures, cards, letters, newspaper clippings, and made a scrapbook from what my mom, dad, various family members, friends, and the community saved during my time in the hospital. During this time that I put this book together, I don't recall ever being as impacted by what my sisters, our friend and myself have lived through until tonight.

I have been on this cleaning and organizing fit for the past week or two. Cleaning out the clutter from my room, and trying to make it more workable through these next two years of school. My room before all you could do is walk in and sit on my bed. If you tried to do anything else, you may trip over a shoe, book, binder, art things (i.e. paints, brushes, canvases, etc), or my big 6' easel. Tonight I took on my closet... Not the clothes, or the things on the floor (2 drawer file cabinet, or the two "connect-a-drawer" things on wheels, even the luggage and bed-in-a-bag in the opposite corner of it all), I'm talking about the two shelves on the top of it all.

Here I found all of my past portfolio submissions for "Teacher's pick," past art projects for various classes (some amazing and stopping me for a second to question if I really did that - and yes I did do them, and then some not so good pieces...), two and a half scrapbook boxes of NUMEROUS things from the accident in '98, a scrapbook that my mom had started for me back in 1992 (yes friends I at one point in time sported the much laughed about today.... mullet & there's proof in this book), to my numerous towels I have (this closet acts as my linen closet too), and my big box of purses (and old HP paper box that held like 10 reams of paper at one point in time).

Getting down the scrapbook boxes and going through them took me about three hours, and countless tears at the support of not only family and friends, but the out pour of love from the community, surrounding schools (and their administrators), to businesses, church groups, and organizations.

In going through a box I found numerous.... but on a much larger scale.... letters of "Get well" wishes, and "I'm praying for you" from my peers at school. Though I'd love to list them all, there is just way too many to do so. But there were a few that totally grabbed my heart and made me swell up with so much gratitude that I had to list them here:

 Fontaine, you a really sweet girl, who I know will make it through this! You're a very strong person, who always has a positive out look on life! Everyone here is pulling for you, your sisters, and your friend! You have a beautiful voice, we miss you in Choraliers! Stay Strong! And remember, God is with you! Never forget that!! God works in mysterious ways! But you'll pull through.
Love, Bobbie Malarkey
*Come back and keep me company in Choraliers*

and

Dear Fontaine, Sabrina, Markita, and Savannah;
The thing that happen in life happen for a reason, a reason which we may never know. There is good that comes from this situation. It proves that you can survive. While the battle is still being fought, a small victory is won.

To Mr. and Mrs. Selby,
Keep faith in your girls' strength. All any of us can do is hope and pray. I have known Fontaine since I was a freshman. In that time I have rarely seen her without a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. The question of "if your daughter will pull through" has already been answered. She will. She will and she will go on to dreams bigger than anything I ever could achieve.
Chris Lanham

To some really sweet cards, especially this one from my youngest brother:

A picture of a good friend, Stephanie, at the Ronald McDonald house. In the picture with her are my dad and Tim laying on the bed:

To a news paper article that quotes me saying;

Sometimes I feel like I am living a nightmare, and I am hoping that some will come and wake me up, but nobody ever does. So then I keep hoping my alarm clock will go off, but it never does. - Christmas Eve '98

And:

"One night, when I was really scared, scared I would never walk again, I felt the presence of the Lord. And he told me that I would walk again" 

It continues:

And she is. Fontaine has begun to take steps, albeit with a limp and needing help from others. Doctors believe she will again walk normally. She should be back in school by January, '99. 

In this article it talks about how my mom was trying to figure out how she was going to purchase a new pair of glasses for one of us girls (I have a hunch it was for Savannah) because they were smashed in the accident and mom had received a card in the mail simply signed "A friend in Christ" and contained a $100 bill.  The article goes on to quote my mom:

"When I feel like I can't take another step, someone does something like that. It really keeps you in the Christmas spirit. We have had to lean on faith. When everything was pointing against us, we had to have faith."

I miss my mom, but I'm so very grateful that I was able to have her as my mom for the 20 years of my life that she was on this Earth. I'm as well, grateful for all of my family and friends. Without any of you I would not be the person I am today! Thank you all for the encouragement and reminders that God is in control of it all, and the battle that we fought was already won yet we were still in the midst of fighting it!! You all were soldiers fighting along side with us girls and our family's!!!! Thank you!!!

Unexpected God Moments = A New Friendship and a Small Road Trip!

This morning before I went to church I swung into Starbucks for a 1/2 Cinnamon Dulce, 1/2 White Mocha Latte, and found a seat at a table to do a little bit of a bible study, and a flight look up for my mission trip coming in September (I hope to purchase my ticket no later than Wednesday - More to come at the end of this blog). I'm minding my own business when this Chinese woman asks if she could sit with me. I say "Sure" and move my things out of the way for her to sit. But it's not like all the tables were full, only one other person was sitting down. 

I start up the chat and ask her if she's a student here at Miami, she said she was. So I ask her major and she said that it's the English language and a minor in the German language. She proceeds to tell me that she's actually getting ready to go home on the 3rd, and then asks me a simple question. "Do you think I could ride my bike to the Ohio River, or maybe take a bus there? I get a big smile on my face, with a little chuckle in my belly and tell her that she may be riding her bike for a long time because she isn't able to go on the highway and that it's about 30-35 miles one way. As well, that there was no busing to Downtown Cincy from Oxford. 

We started talking a little more. I told her that I would take her to the Ohio River after church, and then invited her to come with me. She at first told me that she's been to the two Korean churches there in Oxford, and expressed that she didn't really care for the services. I told her that I didn't go there, that I went to the Oxford Vineyard. I said come and meet my friends, then we'll grab some lunch, and head Downtown.

She loved my church!! She really enjoyed the music and talking with John my pastor. She felt really welcomed (not like she wasn't but she had set her mind based on past experiences that there would be so much structure that we would just be "going through the motions").  Towards the end of the service today Andre broke us up into groups so we could pray together about our "mystical" name in God our father. Like He gave to Simon and Abraham in the bible. I LOVED her word for John and the who Oxford Vineyard experience she had this morning. She called him the Green Banana!! She referred to him & our church as a new good experience for her. She expressed that she liked how she was greeted by members of the church, she was very touched by the worship music, and she liked how the message was delivered (plane jane, easy to apply to everyday life and not over her head). 

This is Bird, her Chinese name is Lai Yin Zhi (yeah I didn't get it either ;o} but it was a lot of fun trying!!)

After church we headed for Downtown.... ROAD TRIP!!!! She was a truly amazing woman to get to know!!!! I love those God moments that you so totally don't expect!!! Today was truly a so very much so marvelous day!!

When we got to Colerain Ave we went to Panera Bread. Her first experience!! She got the alfredo pasta with the rice and chicken soup and she really liked it. On our way down I-275 to 74 then hitting I-75 we ran into a little traffic (on a Sunday I know weird right, especially on 275?) because, my guess, the big boys were still playing in the road on 74 towards Indianapolis. Any who - My car hasn't been doing well just idling while running lately (I'm contacting Monroe Tire's Corp about this too). So I'm just praying to find a break in the middle of the highway so that I might flip a "U" turn and just head down I-75... didn't happen so I prayed I wouldn't over heat. I didn't!!! God's so awesome!! We get down there and park in the Great American Ball Park's garage, so we just had to walk across the street to the little park/walk way by the Ohio River. She enjoyed it, the weather was perfect for a day like today, but she admitted that she must have gotten her "Rivers" mixed up because she had something else in mind. LoL So we walked around for a bit, sat on the swing for a bit and talked. We talked about God, why I have so much faith, my walk with God and trials. Then we talked about guys (come on we're women... it was bound to happen), our families. She told me how China has a 1 child restriction on families that live there, but she has an older brother who is 9 years older. Confused I asked how her family was able to do this. She told me that they were originally from Japan, and they had moved to China. 

We spoke about cooking, and she insisted that I come to China and when I did to contact her and I could come over to her home and she would cook for me. Fantastic!!! Love this woman!!!! We walked around the block just to further check things out. I honestly thought that there would be more to see, but there actually just a block of bars and restaurants right there next to the ball park. Not having cash on me for parking (don't know what I was thinking) we set out to look for an ATM. Funny moment: There is this restaurant that started with "ATM" so thinking they had one inside, we went in and asked. The waiter who approached us said that it would be just an moment and we will be helped. I just said to him, "I'm just looking for the ATM." He kindly replied that there wasn't one, and I said it says there is on their sign. Walking out of the doors and looking up.... that was just part of the place's name!!! HA HA HA HA He said that there was one in the building on the other side of the block. Walking over there we found that the doors were locked :o(, but then again it's Sunday. Luckily, the garage took credit cards ($5's to park down there).

We headed back to Oxford. And talked most the way, about music, our passions, family, cooking (some more of it), and the fact that I need to visit her in China :o) When I dropped her off at her dorm she said that she knows we'll see each other again, myself going there to China, and herself coming back to Ohio. 

Prophetic?  I think so!! I truly honestly seriously enjoyed myself today!! I can't remember another time when I have had such entirely unexpected fun!! I love God!!!

UPDATE ON: Mazatlán, Mexico

I have $400's for my $600 air fare ticket!!! Whaooooo!!! $200 more is all I need to get my air fare!! Then I'll be working on my room and board costs of $675 and it will be paid for!!! I'm looking at booking my flight no later than Wednesday!!! I'm so uberly excited!!!! (If you can't tell by all the "!!!'s")