First I will start out by saying that life never turns out quite the way you think it will. I found myself going through a divorce after only 1 year of marriage. I felt like a failure, I was embarrassed and completely broken as a person can be. After moving back into my parents house, a few months went by, I knew it was time I started a new chapter in my life. The ultimate goal... Getting my happiness back.
So, I applied for a loan and decided I was going to buy my very own home and I was going to live close to my job which was an hour away. My house was the very first house that I looked at and after putting in an offer I got a call saying I was a HOMEOWNER!!! I was on cloud nine and had something to actually look forward to again. I decided that after all that I had been through that I was going to live it up and live it up I did! I went out with my friends, I took road trips, I just enjoyed being single and not having to worry about having to answer to someone else. I found myself again.
A year and half later...
I had went out to eat with my friend's Cammie and Amanda. Cammie had mentioned that I needed to go out with her friend Josh Sparkman. At the time I was kinda talking to this other guy so I didn't really give it any more thought. One day I was looking around on myspace (myspace? I know!) and seen Josh Sparkman on Cammie's friends. I decided to add him as a friend. He had put on his profile that he was in Nashville at a Tennessee Titans game and I had been to Nashville myself so I commented on it saying something stupid about Nashville being awesome, trying to spark up a conversation. We started messaging back and forth that lead to texting and talking on the phone. We finally made plans to go out to Amigo's to eat which was our first date. I found out that I had been around him at my ex's church but my ex had me in such a bubble, I didn't even remember him. Josh jokes that if it had rained I would have drowned I had my nose stuck so far up in the air. LOL. After that night the rest was history! He asked me to be his girlfriend on October 16, 2009. Josh was so different than what I was use to. He actually treated me with respect, he cared about how I felt and he was willing to take on a relationship with me as tattered and torn as I was. I had major trust issues and after lots and lots of work he made me realize that he wasn't like my ex's. He wasn't going to leave when things got hard. I soon realized I fell in love with him the first night I met him. He was my very best friend and we had so much fun together. Most importantly he made me laugh, ALOT! Which was the sexiest thing about him not mention he was so good looking.
Our first picture together.
August 21, 2011
We had been making plans for a whole year to go on my first cruise. The Bahamas, the Atlantis, Nassau. I was so excited! We had plans to go to the water park inside the Atlantis which would be the highlight of our trip! I had been counting down the days for a month and finally the day had came. I spent all day getting things ready. We were going to go ahead and drive on down to Fort Lauderdale the Friday before, our ship left out on that following Monday. Things were all packed in the car and we left around 11 or so that night. Ted and I both work graveyard so we figured we could keep each other awake and it would be less traffic. It never crossed my mind that day that my life could be changed in a matter of a few hours.
We had just stopped for a bathroom break and snacks, we had only been back on the road just a few minutes when I hear Ted start screaming "Della!" There was something laying across both lanes of traffic, a tractor and trailer, Della luckily got around it on the outside median. She stopped on the other side of it and we were able to see that it was a Budget rental truck, A BIG ONE. The driver was trapped. Josh and I jumped out and ran over to the truck, a couple more men came running over. Josh and the other men helped get the driver and his grandson out of the truck. They pretty much had to use Josh as a ladder to get down. The grandfather was shaken up pretty bad but as far as injuries, he just had a few cuts and scratches. His grandson only had a seatbelt burn. The budget truck had no damage at all. Josh, Ted and Maurice (another man that stopped to help) were trying to calm the driver down, the boy asked if I could get his phone. I walked over to the the cab of the truck to see if the windshield was broken, it wasn't. During this time there was constant traffic going around the budget truck on the outside median. There were tractor and trailers going by, one even stopped to ask if we needed any help. The traffic was lined up for miles. I heard the sound of a semi's engine, thinking it was just another one fixing to pass by. The next thing I remember is being thrown like a rag doll and what seemed like metal hitting me from all sides. I remember hearing a scream. The scream I heard was me screaming. All I heard next was the sound of Ted's voice screaming for Josh. I'm a long way away from them, how did I get down here? All that was going through my head was "What just happened?" "Where's Josh?" "Omg he's dead!" I heard Josh's voice... I had to get to him! I made it but how, I'm not sure. Josh couldn't move, he thought his back and legs were broke. My legs and feet were bleeding, I had a huge knot on my right foot. My shoes were gone. Where's Della? She stayed back with the car to call the police. Ted ran down to check on her, leaving Josh and I in the median, its raining and really dark. There is a mattress laying in the middle of the road. It looks like a tornado went through. There is stuff laying everywhere. Ted hadn't come back and Josh and I were getting worried. Josh asked me if I could stand up and go find them. As I stood to my feet I felt something at the bend of my left knee. At the same time Josh seen what I was feeling and told me to sit back down. I thought it was grass so I went to grab it to sling it off and as I did I realize that it was meat. I was cut, badly. I immediately fell back to the ground. By this time Ted and Della had made it back to us. I was passing out. Della sat behind me and kept me from falling completely over. She had witnessed the whole thing. Next thing I know, Josh and I are being strapped to a backboard. They duct taped my head to the board in case I had a neck injury. I work in the ER and see trauma's come in all the time strapped to that board but when its you its a whole different world. I was scared to death and all I could think was oh my god somebody needs to call my parents. We were taken in the ambulance to the closest hospital that was 40 minutes away. I was on the stretcher and they had Josh on the bench that the family usually sit on during the ride. We held hands the whole ride there. The paramedics told us on the way there that they thought that both of my legs were broke and probably my hip. They thought Josh's back and femur were broken.
At the hospital we learn what we suspected. A tractor and trailer driver (the police report says he was doing 75mph) had ran completely over the budget truck causing it to spiral. It threw Josh about 30 feet and I was drug under the budget truck. Ted said that he saw me coming out from under the truck when I was making my way to him and Josh. Fortunately, neither one of us had any broken bones. Josh had a really bad bone bruise to his thigh. I had two sprained ankles and a deep laceration to the back of my knee and tons of bruises. They had to stitch a drain in my knee which later had to be removed. They gave me three morphine shots which made me so sick. I threw my guts up for a whole day. My parents made the 5 hour trip down to see us, I barely even remember them being there I was so sick.
The tractor and trailer.
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The Budget truck.
The mattresses that were laying in the road.
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My injuries.
Yes, as crazy as it may seem we still went on the cruise! It was probably the hardest, sorest, most miserably painful vacation that I will ever take but little did I know it would be a trip I will never forget!
Josh had planned out the whole thing. We would go parasaling on Coco Cay island and as we are in the air they would roll out this big HUGE sign that said KRISTEN WILL YOU MARRY ME? But, now all those plans were ruined!!! I couldn't get in the water due to my stitches, we were both on crutches, and we both could barely move. The day we went out to Coco Cay we got up and got ready. Josh went over to his mom and dad's room as I was sitting putting my makeup on. Della said he came over and wanted her to give him the ring. He said "I'm just going to do it now". Bless it he was devastated and nervous I'm sure. Della said no Josh we have this big sign and we are going to make the best of it! So as we got on the island they put me in a sand wheelchair which is the craziest looking thing I've ever seen. We found us a beach chair under some shade and I stretched out with my foot propped up. I ended up falling asleep due to all the pain meds and antibiotics I was on. I remember Josh waking me up and saying "Kristen, what does that sign say over there?" I woke up disoriented, you know that feeling of confusement and you have no idea whats going on. So I look at him confused and said "what sign?" I looked around and saw this.
I looked back and him and said the only thing I could think of at the time. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?" He said "Well yes!" He was laying in the beach chair beside of me holding the ring. I said Yes, OF COURSE!!! His mom and dad captured the whole thing.
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The Proposal
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Definitely a story to tell the grandkids.
Everyone on the beach and even back on the cruise ship was coming up to us and congratulating us! Not that we hadn't already attracted attention with our crutches, wheelchair, and bruises.
Even though his extravagant plan didn't work out... to me it was the greatest proposal ever!
After months of rehab we healed and returned to work. We both still have issues today from the injuries we sustained in the accident but being able to say we walked away from such a horrible accident (ok not literally) we can live with a little discomfort on a daily basis. We thank God every day for wrapping his arms around us that rainy night.
We were married on May 28th 2011 on top of a hill next to a beautiful pond overlooking the beautiful mountains. We had so much fun planning our wedding. It was laid back and tons of fun!
Our favorite memory from our wedding day.
I had finally found my happiness.
