Today it has been a year since my Papaw passed away. This morning while I was getting ready and eating breakfast I was trying to think of what I was doing at this time last year. I remember getting up and getting ready to go to class. I remember that my mom was still home when I left, and Sean was home, because it was spring break for them. I remember riding to campus with my windows rolled down listening to this one song fromt the Twilight Soundtrack that I had fallen in love with. I went to class and left early because I wasn't feeling all that well. I went straight home because I had an hour or so before work. When I got home mom was in the kitchen making lunch, and I decided since I wasn't feeling well, that I was going to go take a nap. I wasn't in my bed for five minutes before I heard mom coming up the stairs crying and screaming. I remember coming out of my room and seeing her falling on the staircase trying to tell us between her cries and gasps for air, that our papaw had just died. I remember Sean saying "no!" over and over again and all I could do was try to keep myself together and help mom get up the stairs. I helped her get to her bedroom, so that she could call her other family members. As soon as she was on the phone and Sean was with her, I went downstairs and called a family friend, Barbara Rabil. I had no idea what to do. My mom's family, including Papaw, were all in Mississippi, a ten hour drive away from us. Barbara told me to be strong and go upstairs and help Mom and Sean get packed and get ready to leave. We had to make that drive on this night. A lot happened in that day, and yes, it came a time where I could not hold myself together anymore, and I lost it, but I didn't let Mom or Sean know that, because if I lost it, they would too and we wouldn't get anything accomplished then.
There are many days in my life that I don't know what I ate for breakfast, that I don't remember what I say, and that I just don't care about honestly, but this day, I will never forget. I won't forget what song I was listening to, I won't forget how I felt, I won't forget the presence of death in our house and our family. I also won't forget how people from our church came over and prayed over our family, or how our friends came over and helped us get things together so that we could leave. God was there, in our presence, and I know He helped me to keep my emotions and my hurt self together for my mom and my brother. He helped us take that ten hour drive and safely helped us arrive without any problems or complications. I know that God is with me in the hard times and the good times, even when it's hard for me to feel his presence.
To this day, I think about my Papaw everyday and I will never forget the impact he had on my life as well as others. He did great things with his life, and I just pray that I can do the same things with my life. I miss him, and I always will, but I also know that one day, soon, I will see him again, inside of the gates of heaven. I love you and I miss you Papaw Jackson! See you soon!
Hello again!
Just updating to say that I am, in fact, getting two degrees instead of switching majors. As soon as I graduate, I am going back to nursing school. I have made a complete circle, I know, but I am very excited about this! Just an update...but for now, I have to get back to writing those horrible long lesson plans.
Goodnight!
I never realized how much life can get in the way of keeping up with a simple blog. I keep trying to write on here, then I either forget, have no time, or get to tired.
Anywho...I'm trying yet again to write on here regularly. :)
To start where I left off in my last post, I went to El Paso to visit my daddy back in July, it was amazing! A few days after I arrived in El Paso, we took a road trip to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, and San Diego! I played my first slot machine on this trip, and it was overall a wonderful daddy/daughter bonding experience. By the end of our road trip, we were both very tired, but it was completely worth it. 
The next major event was Daddy's 48th Birthday, which was August 18th. Shortly after that, daddy came home from El Paso for good! Next was my fast and rather dumb decision to date and get in a relationship with Justin. I met him, went on a few dates and within two weeks was in a relationship with him. Not the best idea I have ever made. Needless to say, we didn't last very long. I think I was just really excited about being in a relationship again, and I didn't see all of the things that I should have. Next was Halloween! Jaime, Jason, Amanda, and I spent our night going to parties. We went to the "redneck" party at Heather and TJ's, then we went to Carlos' party! I was dressed as a pirate this year, Jaime was Alice in Wonderland, Jason was a cowboy, and Amanda was a vampire. We had lots of fun! These were one of the few Halloween parties that I have ever been to, and I was definitely not disapointed!
In November, Sean's football team had a ton of games and a few in the playoffs to end the season. Mom had her 48th birthday on the 25 of November. I also met Zach in November, and dated him for a little over a month, nothing serious, but we realized it wasn't going to be beneficial to either of us to continue the relationship. After all that drama, Daddy, Mom, Sean, and I took a family trip to Disney World the week before Christmas. It was really cold, crowded, and stressful. Just overall, not the best trip ever, but we still made the best of it. Grandma and Grandpa were suppose to join us, but ended up not being able to make it do to my greatgrandmother becoming ill. I don't have my Disney pictures saved to my computer, so I will upload some of those later! When we got back in town, my college sunday school class took a trip to Atlanta to go ice skating. We ended up getting free tickets to the Thrashers game that night, so we had a little change of plans! My first ice hockey game ever and the Thrashers won! 
Then, we had Christmas, which we spent here at home! We canceled our annual trip to Mississippi since we were going to Disney. We spent New Years here as well...I didn't go to any big party or anything, kinda just spent it alone. This month has been a tad bit crazy getting back to classes and work and such. I am taking 6 classes this semester, five of which are Education classes with field experience, which makes me a little crazy! I spend my nights and weekends doing homework now, and I will probably have no life for the next 4 months, but hey....I'm almost finished. I keep reminding myself this fact.
Last night I went down to Athens to visit some friends, and that is one huge party town, there were so many people out barhopping and such, and it was really hard for me to figure out how they could find the time to do that and yet still be going to UGA, while I'm at home on most nights doing homework and I'm only at KSU. It's crazy how things are so different, yet so close to home. I enjoyed my visit, and I loved getting to actually be in a real college town, that isn't Kennesaw.
For now, I think I have caught you up on mostly everything since July. Oh, daddy has been unemployed for awhile now, and he finally got a 6-month job with the Coast Guard, and is currently up in Washington D.C. so, even though he isn't here with us, atleast we now have an income again.
Until we meet again...
:)