When the smoke clears....

Expect another bomb to drop. 

The transition of buying the day care went off without a hitch.  It has been a process but it is going well.  I have most of the accounts/licensing/insurance stuff set up.  I finally began to breathe a sigh of relief. 

Kristen and I went camping on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend to relax.  It was amazing to have time where it was just the two of us (and Banjo).  We went hiking, spent time reading, and sat by the fire playing cards.  I had a wonderful time.  Then on Monday we went back to Portland and dropped Banjo off at home.  Kristen and I walked downtown to have lunch and drinks on a deck in the sunshine.  It was great until I got the phone call... 

About half way through lunch my mother called to tell me that my father was in an accident.  He had driven out to Ohio to move my mother's stuff out there and then he was riding his motorcycle back.  Apparently about four hours after leaving my mother's house, a deer ran out and tried to jump the back of my dad's motorcycle.  He didn't clear the motorcycle and my father went flying.  He had been going about 70mph when the deer hit him.  Apparently he didn't even see the deer before it hit him.  He was knocked out and the only thing he remembers is waking up to a woman crying over him.  She had been driving behind him and saw the whole thing.  My father was lucky enough to be only a few miles from one of the best hospitals in Pennsylvania.  He was even luckier that he only suffered a broken clavicle, scapula, humerus, 6 ribs, and has a punctured lung.  He has some road rash on his legs and hands and he is very bruised, but all things considered, he is doing very well!  He has a lot of pain and has been in the hospital for a week now but hopefully he can leave tomorrow or Thursday.

So, when we found out about the accident, Kristen and I figured that we should go stay at my dad's house to care for the house and his pets.  We stayed there until Friday morning and then made arrangements for a friend of mine to stay at the house while we went to visit my father.  We drove to Pennsylvania and I have been here since.  Kristen left on Sunday so that she could go and work for me at the daycare with my new employee.  It has been good to be able to spend this time with my father and make sure that his care is going ok.  Everyone in this hospital is great (for the most part) and they have done a good job caring for him.  Once my father is released, I am going to drive him out to Ohio to stay with my mom for awhile.  Then I will be turning around to drive back to Maine.  It has been one hell of a week, but I guess it is just life!

Other than worrying about my father, life is going ok.  I was beginning to relax into my new career and feeling good about the change.  Kristen and I had a wonderful time camping and hopefully will have the opportunity to spend some more time together soon.  As for the baby making stuff... I think we will probably try again in August or September.  Until then, hopefully we can relax a little bit.

For now, I am sitting in a hospital room listening to old men tell war stories.  I am starting to feel a little depressed but I know that this is only short-term.  I just need to keep it in perspective.  I am so incredibly grateful that my father is going to be ok.  I am endlessly lucky that I have a wonderful partner like Kristen.  She has made it possible for me to spend time with my father while she takes care of the day care, house, dogs, etc.  She is truly a blessing and I don't know how I am ever going to repay her for all of her help and support. 

Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing well in baby land.  Hopefully I will join you in pregnancy pain and bouncing baby bliss shortly!  Lots of love to you all!
-Ashley