One Year Later

What a year it has been.

One year ago today I was hit by a truck while crossing the street. That's not something I ever thought I would say. Clearly before the accident I never thought I would say it. But there were times after the accident I was in so much pain, I was so irritated, I was so over it, I just wanted to give up. Thankfully, I didn't give up.

I'm sure if you're reading this you either know me or know at least a little about my accident. If you know me, you probably know more than you care to know about the accident. So I won't repeat the same things over and over... I'm just going to look back over the blog posts and tweets of the last year. Thanks for taking this journey with me...Sorry it's so long :)

Love,
Shae Suzanne

Blog posts:
1/29/10
When I heard the song Faithful (Steven Curtis Chapman), it immediately made an impression on me. Since November 19, 2009, I had a lot of fears. I had nightmares, I wondered how long it would take me to heal. I was frustrated. I got irritated. I couldn't figure out why I was the one to get hit by the truck, why my arm was stuck in a cast, and why my knee hurt. I mean seriously, this is the kind of stuff that happens to people in movies or on the news, not in real life. But apparently it does happen in real life ... Since hearing the song, I have gained a whole new perspective. No matter what God is faithful. In our darkest hours, on our happiest days. God is so faithful. ... So although I still don't understand why I was hit, why my knee hurts or why I'm stuck in a cast, I do understand that God is faithful. I'm alive, and that's what counts. This cast will eventually come off. My knee will eventually heal. And hopefully my nightmares will stop and I won't be scared of cars or crossing streets. When will any of this happen? I have no idea. Do I want to know? Well, kind of. But I'm content with where I am, knowing that God has perfect timing for everything.

2/23/10
One of my very favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11. It reads: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (New International Version) ... I often worry about things...one of those being my future. I will graduate in December. To be exact, I graduate 297 days from now. I have no idea what I will do. I am just a 20 year old filled with dreams.

2/27/10
Possibly my favorite part of Saturday was...beating Kansas and rushing the court!! It is something I have always wanted to do (court, not KU). While it might not have been the smartest idea to run onto the court with hundreds of other students while wearing a knee and wrist brace, I did it. And I loved every second of it. I am so proud of the OSU team, and having the chance to celebrate with all the other sweaty students just made victory that much sweeter. My friends and I got separated, but I figured out singing the alma mater can bring together anyone... None of the people singing around me knew each other. KU, good luck at the national title run, I pick you over the other top teams! ... I'm still holding tight to Jeremiah 29:11. Sometimes, I need encouragement in order to do so. Encourage someone. You'd be surprised how much you get out of it.

3/7/10
I've put off blogging this week because I don't really know what to say. Those of you who know me personally or follow me on Twitter probably know by this time what's been going on. For those of you who do not know/follow me, my cousin's husband passed away this week. Please pray for Christie & her wonderful three year old twins, Avery and Ainslee. Talking with people about our favorite memories with JR got me thinking... Those are lyrics from one of my favorite songs, Legacy, by Nichole Nordeman. My favorite part is the bridge. When I'm gone, I don't want people to remember the worldly things I've done. ... I would much rather people forget all that stuff about me and remember my love for Jesus, my love for people, my passions, my character. If all someone remembers about me is that I drove a black mustang with hot pink seats, they don't actually know me, nor do they remember anything of significance about me. If all someone remembers is my love for Jesus, they know my heart. ... My challenge is to figure out how you want people to remember you. ... Be consistent. Why? So that when people talk about you, they'll all have different memories but they'll remember the same person. JR is remembered as a great daddy, husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. We will all miss him, but remember him for being a wonderful person.

4/1/10
Everything accident related yesterday kind of put me in a grouchy mood. The tightness and pain of my knee reminded me of how it felt in the weeks after the accident. It hadn't been as swollen as it was in probably three months. I couldn't walk and I thought I was going to have to drive my mom's car again instead of my beautiful mustang Gerard. I was so upset about what was going on, so confused as to why the accident happened, and so irritated with the pain! I lost focus of the faithfulness of God. I forgot how far I've come. I quit thinking how blessed I am just to be alive. I stopped asking God to use this to reach people. I pretty much gave up. Thankfully, that only lasted for a few hours, but just going back to where I was after the accident wasn't a good thing. I realized yesterday that things aren't always on an smooth road. We are going to hit potholes. We aren't perfect people and this certainly isn't a perfect world. Philippians 3:14 came to mind: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (NIV). I lost sight of all the greatness going on right now for just a small amount of time. Don't let yourself do that, press on.

5/11/10
"I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change, but 'till I try, I'll never know." How many times do we let people dictate what we are and are not capable of? I let people do that more times than I can count. Not things like following rules, because clearly that has to happen. But people telling you that you can't do something? Why can you not do it? Because you let one person (or group of people) influence your thoughts. Turn that around - make it an encouragement. One time, my dad told me I couldn't win Grand at county. At the time, it was true. He said if I won he would build me a half court basketball barn. I had awesome sheep, don't get me wrong. But I wasn't working. He said I couldn't win and it made me mad. I wanted to prove him wrong. Did the months of solid hard work pay off? Well, there is now a 40 x 40 barn hanging out behind the house... Maybe this isn't the best example, because I had the talent and the goods I just wasn't applying myself, but once Daddy tried to limit me, I wouldn't take no for an answer. Don't let others create limits for you. ... "As someone told me lately, everyone deserves a chance to fly."

6/19/10
I had surgery on my knee on June 10 ... They were able to find some things to repair in my knee, thankfully.

8/10/10
A lot has happened over the last two weeks. I’ll share the good news first – I was released from the doctor on July 30!! Eight months and 11 days. That’s a LONG time, especially for someone so impatient like me. I learned a lot in those months. ... I learned how precious life is. Milliseconds could have changed the outcome. God truly had his hand on me in that moment. ... I learned how faithful God is. ... I learned how great my family is. ... I learned how blessed I am to have great friends. ... I learned God can do anything.

Tweets
Tweets posted sometime the day of the accident (11/19):
Thankful for God's protection..& for good pain medicine. And for my amazing family, friends & professors. Thanks for prayers
Changed the knee bandaid... @kennedt got to inflict some pain. Haha. Thankful for pain meds & a very campassionate family taking care of me!

11/21: I'm getting tired of sitting here bored. But I won't complain too much about the excruciating pain because I'm alive to be able to feel it.
11/25: Come as you are, broken & scarred... -Natalie Grant, Perfect People
11/26: @kennedt thanks for being heartless. Hahahahaha.
11/28: Man #bedlam could take a few years to finish. Let's go Cowboys!
12/3: No surgery! 4 weeks of physical therapy on the knee! I'm so thankful! :)
12/14: Walked without crutches all day today - it was painful & now I'm nice & sore, but I'm slowly getting better!
12/23: Short cast day!!! *(Might I add, this was a GREAT Christmas present??)
12/28: I'm not old lady driver anymore! Well at least for the day. hopefully my knee can hold up to the stang!
12/28: @kennedt well it did make me feel like a granny...
1/4: RT @kennedt I'm proud of Kaden's as he works for blackbelt/personal improvement by daily items. 3 prayers, 10 good deeds, daily writing & exercise
1/7: "Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
1/7: Last day at PT central tri city; they're sending me to the one in stw :) they're great! I recommend them to anyone needing PT in the area!
1/8: "God is in control of my life & I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the rock." -Colt McCoy. LOVE his testimony. #Big12
1/10: I'm scared &I'm confused but You are faithful...I will scream it in the dark-You are faithful -@StevenCurtis - I needed to hear this tonight
1/11: God is so big! No traffic @ the intersection this morning when I crossed it - by myself!! Thanks to all who were praying for that moment! :)
1/12: Apparently I have a lost/in need of physical therapy "look". I walked into the wellness center &was immediately directed to PT central. Haha
1/12: "What happened?" "I was hit by a truck while I was walking & yes I'm serious." I am a novelty apparently & have to tell the story constantly
1/13: a. reading twitter in class is dangerous if you follow funny people. b. i have a deformed knee. and c. i need coffee. #randomfacts
1/19: I wish there was a lotion to squirt in my cast to make it be less scratchy. 3 days until I know what"s next! Praying for no cast/surgery!
1/20: having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. hoping prayers & basketball will fix it.
1/22: I'm hiding under my covers trying to sleep a few more minutes & my blackberry buzzes every 42 seconds. :( But...Doctor today = cast news! :)
1/22: Welcome my newest accessory, cast #3. Ugh. http://mypict.me/36QXI
1/25: I don't think thinking OW! every time you take a step is exactly normal. It's not fun either. Either I'll heal or eventually not notice.
1/27: Work computer not working & tylenol not kicking in. Why does this feel like a monday?
1/28: Another 'accessory', a lovely knee brace. (sorry its upside down!) http://mypict.me/3iiS8
1/29: Ice, heat, strech, Wii, movie. Rinse & repeat. I'm so bored.
2/8: I would do anything to be able to actually hand write notes right now. Its so difficult to study without writing notes! Heal, arm!
2/10: I think I just heard myself use fixinto & holler in the same sentence. I'm hoping it was my imagination. Probably not though.
2/19: 8.5 hours until I get cast 3 off & news about the future... My appointment time is 3 months & 59 minutes after the accident. Wow.
2/19: RT @MaxLucado: There is more to your life than you ever thought. There is more to your story than what you have read.
2/19: No cast, no cast, no cast!! Or surgery!!!
3/1: Headed home with a heavy heart. Pray for Christie, Ainslee & Avery & the McComas & Kennedy families.
3/3: "Don't let your life speed out of control. Live intentionally. Do something today that will last beyond your lifetime" -Barbara Johnson
3/8: Off to physical therapy. "Never let it be said that the body was willing & the spirit was weak" (it just hurts!)
3/12: All that stands between me & spring break: a little pain & ice (aka the last part of today's pt). Here comes my physical therapist... :(
3/23: I just enrolled for my last undergrad semester... @kennedt, you're gettin old! #in
3/25: read Branded for 1 hour. sleep 4.5 hours. AZ prayer breakfast. OKC/orthopedic. Stillwater. Jo's Pizza. Falls Creek/Retreat! yes :) Bring it!
3/26: The starbucks guy remembered me as the girl who got hit by a truck. At lease I'm rememberable?
3/26: Accident update: 4 months & 1 week later: arm not healed, getting a bone stem. Knee a puzzle, getting another MRI.
3/31: I wore matching socks AND shaved my legs today. These MRI folks should feel special! I hope this knee injection idea doesn't hurt!
4/2: Mom registered me for the OKC Memorial 5K. I was planning to run it this year, but that's not an option. I pray I can walk the whole thing
4/5: I was reminded yesterday that no matter what happens, good or bad, God is in control and has a plan. Thankful for that for sure!
4/7: darn knee. i took off the brace and it was all nice and swollen. i'm praying for answers on friday.
4/7: There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly :)
4/8: Good day :) saw my big, pt wasn't too bad, then a great practice & bible study. I'm so blessed :) now I'm icing the knee & sleeping!
4/9: MRI came back good, no knee surgery!! #fb
4/12: my boss informed me this morning that she felt like she was hit by a truck...then realized who she said it to. best monday quote ever? yes!
4/12: I wish creating awkward/embarassing moments was a qualification for a cool job. If so, I'd be overqualified :)
4/14: "Its like this isn't physical therapy central, its relationship therapy central!" Glad my PT gives out free advice... Ha!
4/17: "I'm through accepting limits cause someone says they're so; some things I cannot change, but until I try I'll never know!"
4/21: it doesn't look like I get to do run/walk the @OKCMarathon 5K this year b/c of the knee. Super bummed... do they still need volunteers?!
4/23: This morning my PT woke up & decided "I will make shae remember she isn't supposed to do a 5K this weekend & turn her leg into jelly" Super!
4/27: 8 years ago my sweet cousin went to live with Jesus. I miss you and love you forever CJ. http://bit.ly/bWcvyJ
4/29: Words of wisdom: don't leave the injured girl or the one that can't bake in charge of party dessert. Me + cooking = disaster + injury = :(
4/30: Doctor day!! Praying for progress on my arm's bone growth!
4/30: Good news - finally!! My arm is starting to heal! 2 more months of the BGS but it's on the right track! #fb
5/7: Great news - no more physical therapy!!! :) #fb
5/8: Oil change, hair cut, back to Stillwater. Happy graduation day @cayleeolson!!
5/20: The sunset sure is beautiful from my bedroom window.
5/26: I will declare it in my heart...you are faithful...and I am holding on -@StevenCurtis
6/4: I'm #thankful... It's Friday. For my AK. To be sitting at my desk copyediting. For unexpected smiles. For so much I can't put it all on here
6/9: If I had it my way, I would be in Nashville at #CMAFest tomorrow. Instead, I'm having knee surgery. Pray the doctor finds the problem.
6/9: Oh, I'm not complaining. The next opening was a month away & I can't wait that long. I #SEE how much better His way is than mine! #Faithful
6/10: The hospital gave me "Fall Risk" bracelet. Clearly I should be wearing one of these even without medicine. http://mypict.me/83cVq
6/10: Thanks for prayers the last 6 months. I'm out of surgery, groggy and hurting, but I am hopeful I'm headed in the right direction.
6/10: @kennedt is heartless. #fb
6/10: @ChefTJKelley made GREAT food tonight! Kelley's Urban Comfort makes comforting comfort food; it was my 1st pick after the accident &surgery!
6/11: Hurting this morning, but glad Dr. O'Brien found the source of my knee pain. My entire leg is wrapped &I'm sleepy from medicine. Good night!
6/13: It is a little toasty at the Kennedy home. This is coming from the girl with a leg packed in ice. So really, its HOT!
6/14: After sleeping most of the last four days, I'm not ready to be awake all day at work.
6/18: Stitches out, back to physical therapy.
6/22: What can I say, what can I do, but offer this heart, oh Lord, completely to you?
6/28: What a hectic but great day! Headed to Physical Therapy Central Newcastle to get the knee worked on. #GodIsGood
7/14: Sore knee today. Not painful, sore. I'm so not used to this - I'm used to intense pain. What a relief!!
7/28: At Tan & Tone to work out. Its been a long 8 months and I'm so glad I get to work out again!
7/30: 8 months,11days and 22 minutes later: I'm released from the doctor! #fb
8/6: Waiting at the ER for the ambulance to get here with my sweet grandma. #pray
8/8: Grandma Sparks is in Heaven this morning. I'm thankful she is pain free and able to worship Jesus on Sunday morning as she so longed to do.
8/11: I'm so thankful for all the prayers over my family this week. Today at two we will say goodbye to grandma. I can't remember the last time I said that without also saying love you, see you soon. So today will be a celebration that we will see grandma again. I'm praising God for the sweet lady I was so honored to call grandma & friend.
8/23: Senior year goal: dont get run over. #fb
8/23: @lolojo I don't even want a band aid!
8/26: I guess if you don't jump, you'll never know if you can fly -@Miranda_Lambert #fb
9/14: On days like this I wish I was spending time with Grandma Sparks. Really missing her today.
9/21: Even in my stopped up nose sickness, I can tell vapor rub, biofreeze and lotion aren't a good combination. Sorry :(
9/21: I just crossed a street BY MYSELF!!!! With traffic and everything! Thank you Jesus for victory!!!
9/25: RT @jasonoelrich Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. -Lance Armstrong #motivation
10/6: "though the road is long & we don't always get to understand it all...I have faith in You" -@jamismith
10/7: watching wheel of fortune & getting ready to go... missing grandma sparks, this was always our show
10/8: Finished with work & none of the pompers found me!! Thanks kflem for keeping them away for a bit. I love HoCo, but today I loved the break.
10/14: don't worry 'bout what you dont know, life's a dance you learn as you go
10/17: go old people team! bahaha RT @bemm114 Celebratory basketball game in honor of #libsignsetup #OKstateHC *(This was my first time to play basketball since before the accident!)
10/20: i believe mom deb's thery of tired being the first word you learn in college is correct #catdh10 #philambdelt2010
10/23: GO PHI LAMB & DELT!!!!! #philambdeltdomination #okstatehc http://yfrog.com/6x5yej #fb *(Most exciting day of my senior year so far!!)
10/26: Take me east to Nashville, life will be okay.
10/26: love talking to my aunt kandi. time to start on the why i'm glad to be graduating list. on it: working with AK every day again
10/29: almost got git by 5 deer. yes, you read that correctly. I don't hit things, things hit me. trucks, deer, etc
11/11: I'm such an old lady in this Oklahoma weather. pain medicine & ice on knee...awesome.
11/12: ice, ice baby
11/17: if you wanna be a phi lamb theres just one thing to do: give your heart to Jesus, he gave his life for you! #SorryWeStoleYourTuneChiO #iWeek
11/19: Haha oh i will! RT @kennedt @Shaeken. Look both ways when crossing the road today. :-)
Today is my one year "live-aversary." Check out life after being hit by a truck: http://shaeken.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/one-year-later/

Thanks again for all your prayers, love and support over the last year. God is faithful.

sneak peek!

Since Homecoming has taken me away from blogging, I thought I'd give a sneak peek!



Our house dec is going to ROCK because of this little man!

Also, our sign went on library lawn today...and thanks to the hard work of Emily (@bemm114) and Tommy, OUR SIGN LOOKS AWESOME! Although Jared did try to singlehandedly ruin homecoming, I think Emily did a marvelous job of saving the day! Thank you both for all your hard work!!



I'll try to post a few updates through the week. Of course, you can always follow @shaeken on Twitter for real-time updates.

Love,
Shae Suzanne

Music for tonight, the first of #catdh10: I Gotta Feeling

for as much as she runs she's still here

I just realize it has been FOREVER since I blogged. Why? Well, homecoming mostly, but throw in some school and fun and you'll quickly understand I'm a busy girl! Since I don't have all time time in the world, I'll do a quick life rundown and promise to be back soon (as in probably after homecoming!)


My Phi Lamb Phamily grew!! We are so blessed to add my newest little Cindy, my g littles Lauren E & Lauren H, and my g nieces Macy & Morgan to our phamily! I love all of you and I can't wait to get to know you and watch God work in your life!
[caption id="attachment_157" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Phamily"][/caption][caption id="attachment_155" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Some of my original phi lamb phamily!"][/caption]


Like I said, homecoming is ruling my life right now. And it's always nice for some unexpected humor in stressful times, right? Well, my co-director, James, happens to be good at that...When I was looking for a plastic bag to put tshirt money in all he could find was a glove. So here you have it, the t-shirt money glove. At least no one messed with the money!


Also, Mom Deb is breaking me of saying "like". It's harder than you think! If I don't get anything else out of homecoming, this will be worth it!


Well, I also have a cat now. We don't get along. She doesn't have a name because I'm not sure what to call an evil cat. I've never had a cat period, now I'm stuck temporarily with an evil one. I also don't have any pictures of here. Feel the love, I know. We'll see how much longer we tolerate each other.


And, as if anyone could forget, my big graduated last May and I REALLY miss her! So when this picture popped up on Facebook it delighted me. I can't wait until Homecoming when I FINALLY get to see Caylee again! Love you big!



A bit of advice:
[caption id="attachment_158" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Kendal\'s Tip of the Day"][/caption]


Well, that was the 140 second version of my current life. For more up to date information in only 140 characters, follow me on Twitter. I'm @shaeken.

Love, Pomp, & (Phi Lambs will never get this...) USE GLUE!!!
-Shae Suzanne

Now Playing: Guinevere, Eli Young Band
Now Reading: Crazy Love, Francis Chan

Unbranded

Something I realized today, which really I think I've known for a while, is that we tend to un-brand, if you will, a lot of things. I know that sentence sounds really unintelligent, but hang with me for a second.

When you get online and need to search for something, what do you do?
Google it.
When you want a soft drink, at least in Oklahoma, what do you ask for?
A coke.
When you have a cut, what do you cover it with?
A band aid.
Something I tend to do a lot is sanitize my hands (germs are gross!)...How do I do this?
I purell. (Side note: I feel as though Purell could use this to market their mini bottles of hand sanitizer: iPurell. Maybe not.).

We tend to take something a person has worked really hard to develop, trademark, market and integrate into our daily activities and trivialize it by unbranding - making it generic. Isn't the reason we use such products in the first place is because of their great marketing? We've unbranded so many things that I really had to stop for a minute to realize, looking around the room, the things sitting around me that have been unbranded.

Now for the point of all this: we, as Christians, have been branded. Just as the makers of Kleenex (gotcha again, right?) produced their product and labeled it proudly, we were, in a sense, produced and branded. We were called to live for Christ and have been marked as His. Nothing can take us out of His grip and nothing can unbrand us! We can be persecuted and distracted, but we still wear the brand of Christ. How great the Father's love for us - through all the times we try to "unbrand" ourselves, He still forgives, loves, cherishes and desires us! Don't trivialize the gift we've been given by unbranding yourself to fit with the status quo!

What are some brands you notice are unbranded?
Have you noticed Christians unbranding themselves? How, and for what reasons?

-Shae Suzanne

Check this out: Choosing to See, by Mary Beth Chapman (yes, wife of Steven Curtis), was recently released. It is currently #16 on the New York Times Bestseller List. I bought it yesterday and I already love it. If you buy books in the near future, put this one on your list.
Music: Fingerprints of God, SCC

Do you have the guts?

Recently I was talking to my Little, Catie, about some things going on. In the course of the conversation, we were talking about how hard it can be sometimes to talk to people about sticky situations. She said something that has stuck with me since that second:

"Do you have the guts to say something?"

Catie is known for asking hard questions and expecting answers. So when she said this, it didn't surprise me that she wanted an answer. What surprised me was how long this question has stuck with me and in how many ways it's come up since our conversation.

Do you have the guts to stand up for yourself?
Do you have the guts to stand up for your friends?
Do you have the guts to speak the truth?
Do you have the guts to live for Christ, no matter what that may look like?
Do you have the guts to love like Christ loves?
Do you have the guts?

-Shae Suzanne

Music for the week: Ready to Love Again, Lady Antebellum

Proverbs 31

This chapter was read at my grandma's funeral today. I felt the verses pictured best capture what can be said about Grandma.

Shae Suzanne

11.19.2009/7.20.2010

A lot has happened over the last two weeks. I'll share the good news first – I was released from the doctor on July 30!! Eight months and 11 days. That's a LONG time, especially for someone so impatient like me. I learned a lot in those months.

I learned how precious life is. Milliseconds could have changed the outcome. God truly had his hand on me in that moment.

I learned how faithful God is. Never once did I feel like it was too much to bear. Never once did I feel I was going to have to give up. Yes, I had some bad days. When you go through such trauma you generally will. However, I always knew God would pull me through. He proved himself over and over again.

I learned how great my family is. My parents of course came straight to the hospital. But the rest of my family – they immediately started praying and just never stopped. Words cannot express how thankful I am for everything each one of them did. Kaden and Kale – thank you for taking care of me, taking orders and being good little brothers. Now, if only you could act like that all the time :) Magan – thank you for pushing me in the wheelchair during Christmas shopping (until you turned into your evil twin). Oh the joy of day after Thanksgiving! haha. Katie and Jared – thank you for taking me to the movies (Go Pokes!), to Pop's and keeping me entertained. The rest of my family – you are all incredible and I don't think I could have made it without your prayers and love.

I learned how blessed I am to have great friends. Hailey – thank you for coming to the hospital and taking care of everything. Sorry for waking you up on your day off classes! I knew everything would be OK when you got there to take care of it all. Caylee – thank you for driving to OKC to pick me up so I could get away from Tuttle for a weekend. Swim House – thank you for crossing the street with me and letting me stay whenever I wanted to. I have the best Big and Adopteds :) Brittany – thank you for being a constant friend and praying so much! I never think twice about asking you to pray about something. Littles – Catie – thank you for taking care of me and bringing me food and medicine when I felt like I was on my death bed! Also for letting me stay at your house and helping me figure out what to do next when things go wrong. Paige – thank you for coming to Tuttle to check on me and bring me coloring books and CDs. I'm so thankful to have two wonderful littles. Jim, Terri, Stephen and Cherish – thank you for bringing pizza, a CD and being great friends. Cherish and Terri, thank you for the girls evening – I had so much fun! Shelly and all the AGCM department – thank you for making sure I was going to make it and working with me on all my classes. I have been so blessed over the last three years. There are so many more friends who were there for me, calling me, checking on me – Jess, Colin, Cinda, Patrick, Twinnie and many more – thank you so much for caring.

I learned God can do anything. The song that helped me through the whole deal was Steven Curtis Chapman's Faithful. The first time I heard it, I was in the car driving for the first time since the accident (I doubt I was even going more than a mile!). It made such an impression on me. Check it out here.

I know I said there was more to this post than just good news, and there is. Keep watching and praying. More will come in the next few days.

Shae Suzanne

Pray.

Mac's dad, Terry Gordon, was recently diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. For those of you who don't know, Mac is my cousin Magan's boyfriend. Pray with me in the coming days, weeks and months for Terry and his family. Remember the doctors who will be treating him as well.

-Shae Suzanne

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:6-7

Some people need a picture

A few days ago I posted a tweet saying some people need a picture. I was actually irritated with some people when I posted it, but then I started thinking.

How often do we need a picture to understand something? How to assemble something, how to properly excercise, how to operate new technology. What about how much we're loved?

What is something you need a picture to comprehend?

My friend Drew...

Is on a mission trip this summer! Check out his blog. Pray for him and the people God is using him to minister to!

Happy 4th of July!!

Thank you to all those protecting our country's freedom - and to their families!!

Happy 4th of July!!

'Twas the night before Friday and all through the camp, not a creature was stirring...

Except Magan.

Mag came back to the cabin at about midnight aftyer attending FBC Washington's in-cabin devo. At 12:08, she remembered she was supposed to call her mom.

"Hey I'm going to walk out front so I have service and call my mom."

She wasn't back by 12:30 so I got a little worried. I walked outside, around the cabin, to the creek. No Magan. So I had to go wake my mom up (she was cooking for the campers). Finally, at 12:40, Magan answered her phone.

"I'm on the hill kind of by the tabernacle by the bog cabin. I'm coming back though."

Keep in mind, no one was supposed to be out od the cabin at all past 11:45. Clearly, we were waaaayy past that mark!

It turned out she walked across the creek to the front of camp, out the gates, back in the gates, back around to the tabernacle, down the hill, around a corner and into a big parking lot to get service. On her way back to our cabin, which was literally across the creek, she had service the entire time. Amazingly, the "Falls Creek Police" (golf carts driving around) didn't see her. How, I don't know!

So, it's about 1 a.m. and Magan got hungry. So she dug ranch chips out of the trash can, made a triple decker mustard and bread sandwich and had a glass of tea. She finally got tired and went to sleep. Good thing too - we had to leave at 5:15 the next morning to go to work.

It's always an adventure with that Oompa Loompa.
[gallery]

Falls Creek 2010 - Sent

Thursday night I visited the FBC Tuttle youth at Falls Creek; what a great week it has been for them! Many of the group have come to know Christ, many have redidcated their lives, they have had awesome group prayer time, they've heard some great speakers and they have played some great volleyball! Tommy Woodard (of The Skit Guys) paid a visit to the cabin after the in-cabin devotion and the youth loved meeting him.

It was so weird not seeing James Lankford and hearing him speak! One of my favorite Falls Creek memories is when James was speaking at my church's cabin. He said "Go to the ends of the Earth." My cousin, in all seriousness, said "But James, I thought the earth was round!!"

The Skit Guys were the speakers, and they were awesome. The night I went they talked about your life script. I don't know about you all, but my life hasn't always gone as I planned. But that's just it - its not what I have planned for me, it's what God has planned. And I know his plans, the script he wrote for my life, are so much better than my best dreams.

Has your "script" been rewritten from what you had planned?

Kaden (brother) & Tommy Woodard (1/2 of The Skit Guys) at the cabin

Who's bright idea was it to give you power?

Spotted at work (OK, in my cubicle).

And no, I have no power. I'm an intern, remember?

Sent with love from Shae's BlackBerry.

Photo Update

Like I said, I'm pretty far overdue in updating people on my life. I suppose I can say I've been busy, but really, who hasn't been? So before I get back into the routine of blogging, I thought I'd do a quick photo update so you'd all know what's kept me away for so long...



The OKC Marathon! I'm so proud of my brother, he ran the entire 5k! In all, almost 50 of my family and family friends walked the 5K in memory of my cousin, Blake.



Kaden got his black belt! Once again, I am SO PROUD of my brother!! (I'm proud of Kale too, I just don't have any pictures of him at the moment that I know of!)



My big and best friend, Caylee, graduated!! GO CAYLEE!!!!! I will be lost without you next year, but I am so excited for the opportunities you will have in the future. I hope your internship is going well and you get a super job afterward. If you must move to Alaska, at least it will mean good vacations for me! :)



Jared is now officially my coolest cousin :) haha. Katie Kennedy became Katie Voegeli on May 22! Congrats Jared and Katie!



LAKE SEASON IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This might be the most exciting picture of all (kidding, kidding!). After Amanda & Austin's wedding in Stillwater (congrats, you two!) I went to the lake to spend the rest of my long weekend. I drove onto the dam just in time to see this beautiful sunset. By the time I reached the other side (after stopping to stare since there were no other cars), it had completely gone down. Those of you who know me well will probably know sunsets are one of my favorite parts of God's Creation and I LOVE seeing them. I never get tired of watching sunsets, and driving from Stillwater to Ft. Cobb let me watch this one in its entirety!



I had surgery on my knee on June 10, and they put this bracelet on me. I should probably wear one of these all the time.



Mom got a little sick trying to take the wrap off my knee two days after surgery!! They were able to find some things to repair in my knee, thankfully. I will start PT soon so keep me in your prayers!



Patrick is my faithful blog reader and commenter, so I felt I should pay tribute to him by including him in the update. We've been friends since forever, and I beat him a few times in sheep showmanship at the county fairs :)

What would YOU, my faithful blog friends, like me to blog about? Any topics in particular?

Have a great week and be blessed!
Shae Suzanne

Music for the Week:
Don't Stop Believin', Glee cover

So, dont tell anyone, but...

One thing I've noticed in my 21 years on earth is that people STINK at keeping secrets and promises. And, for some reason, some of the people you trust the most (your "best" friends) seem to be the people that break the promises.

One area I've noticed friends seem to have difficulty is with boys (Guys, sorry, this is from a girl's POV. Leave yours in the comments!).

I remember in 5th grade, one of my then-besties asked my "crush" to "go out" with me. In high school, another friend would never dream (yeah right!) of telling a guy I liked him! Maybe your bestie isn't telling the guy/his friends you like him, maybe she's telling everyone else. All your friends, all your enemies, all your family... Sound familiar?

Maybe it has nothing to do with a guy. Maybe we're telling other secrets about each other - who got the promotion, who hates their boss, who couldn't make it in the top house, who has an eating disorder, who had a fight with their parents or maybe "just" revealing details about a bad day.

No matter what it is, these things we're telling were told to us in confidence. Why, ladies, do we have to tell things our friends trust us not to? Even if she never said "don't say anything", many of these things were told in secret. Some things you might have discovered accidentally (or on purpose), and she didn't even want you to know.

Remember when we were first graders breaking pinky promises was the worst thing we could do? When did that change?

My challenge to you, ladies, is to keep secrets. Keep unspoken pinky promises just as well as you keep spoken ones. Be the girl your sister can confide in and know her secret is safe with you.

Love your sister. Love your friends. A true bestie is so hard to find.

Thank you to my bestie for being the best. You keep my secrets and love me no matter how difficult it might be.

-Shae Suzanne

Music for the week:
True Friend, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus
Fifteen and I'm only Me When I'm With You Taylor Swift

Sent with love from Shae's BlackBerry.

Sent with love from Shae's BlackBerry.

New blog site :)

Hey, all!

This is the NEW Shae Suzanne blog! Because I have poured my heart into entries on the old blog, I will also be pulling them over here (slowly).

Why did I switch where my blog is hosted? I want to be able to update you more frequently! After waiting months for a mobile app from Weebly (where my portfolio is hosted - great for that use, by the way!), I finally decided I would just make the switch to Wordpress. It makes sense; I want to be connected 24/7, and the Wordpress app on my BlackBerry makes that possible.

Thanks for following me and being a part of my journey. As always, I love feedback (especially music suggestions)!

-Shae Suzanne

Sent with love from Shae's BlackBerry.

Faithful

When I heard the song Faithful (Steven Curtis Chapman), it immediately made an impression on me. Since November 19, 2009, I had a lot of fears. I had nightmares, I wondered how long it would take me to heal. I was frustrated. I got irritated. I couldn't figure out why I was the one to get hit by the truck, why my arm was stuck in a cast, and why my knee hurt. I mean seriously, this is the kind of stuff that happens to people in movies or on the news, not in real life. But apparently it does happen in real life.

Since hearing the song, I have gained a whole new perspective. No matter what God is faithful. In our darkest hours, on our happiest days. God is so faithful.

So although I still don't understand why I was hit, why my knee hurts or why I'm stuck in a cast, I do understand that God is faithful. I'm alive, and that's what counts. This cast will eventually come off. My knee will eventually heal. And hopefully my nightmares will stop and I won't be scared of cars or crossing streets. When will any of this happen? I have no idea. Do I want to know? Well, kind of. But I'm content with where I am, knowing that God has perfect timing for everything.

Always remember - God is faithful. And please keep praying for my recovery :)
-Shae

P.S. - Listen to the song Faithful by Steven Curtis Chapman
"I will proclaim it to the world/I will declare it to my heart/and sing it when the sun is shining/I will scream it in the dark"