Reflections on 2013

The end of the year is often a time to reflect on the year that is coming to a close and think ahead to the new one. 2013 was a year I’d rather not repeat. It wasn’t all bad, and there were some pretty awesome times, but there were a lot of times when I’d ask myself “what’s next?”…and not because I thought it would be something pleasant. January was pretty ordinary. February was pretty good until the end when Justin deployed a couple days before my birthday. Corey and I got back into our routine while Justin was having a deployment that was definitely not boring (though I would have been okay with boring). March and April went by pretty fast, as did most of May. Toward the end of May, the Burdette side of the family welcomed a new member when Cole married Nikki. Then came June. It’s been a rollercoaster since then. But for each difficulty, there has been something to be thankful for. Justin got his legs blown off, but he’s still alive. His injuries could have been a lot worse, but they weren’t. My dad’s place of employment decided to downsize and my dad was laid off after working there 30+ years. Because of his age and years of service, he qualified for early retirement status…something that couldn’t have happened if he had been laid off a year ago. My sister’s husband got in a car accident (other driver was at fault), but he wasn’t injured. The driver that hit him didn’t have a valid driver’s license, but amazingly he had insurance. Two things to be thankful for. Justin’s brother was riding his motorcycle and was hit by a car. He sustained minor injuries, but he was wearing his helmet (actually Justin’s helmet which we were glad that he had and was wearing), so he was a lot better off than he would have been without it. My grandmother had a mini-stroke not too long before Thanksgiving. We’re thankful it wasn’t worse than it was, but we still aren’t sure what effects from it are only temporary and which are permanent. The doctors are still working with her to find out what medications will help her situation. One medication did not react well with her, and we had to call for an ambulance on Christmas day. She is now out of the hospital and she and Poppa will be staying with my parents for a bit while she’s recovering. Please pray that she will make a full recovery from the stroke and that the doctors will have wisdom in treating her. Please also pray for her as she’s having difficulty understanding and remembering what’s going on and is worried and anxious about a lot of things.

There were a lot of things that made 2013 a rough year, but there are also a lot of things that happened that gave us a lot of good memories to treasure. Corey finished his first year in the Awana program as a Puggle. He also got to play in his first team sport…even though his season was cut short due to Justin getting injured. He got to play in practices and in one game. As I already mentioned, I gained a new sister-in-law, and Corey and I were able to be at their wedding. My sister, Krista, and I took a road trip together down to Florida for the wedding/mom and Wendy’s birthdays and had a lot of fun. (“Look, there’s a Chick-fil-a!” lol) Justin found out that even though he was injured, he’d still be able to hunt and fish and wouldn’t have to wait on getting prosthetics to do so…huge morale boost for him. Justin was able to participate in a fly fishing tournament the weekend before his birthday…just 2 ½ months post injury. He had a great time and caught a lot of fish. I can’t say enough about how great Project Healing Waters has been for Justin. Between the weekly fly tying and the fishing trips here and there, they’ve helped him get back into one of the hobbies that he loves. And the people who make it happen are some of the nicest people you could meet. We got to go as a family to Sharptown, MD and enjoy some time away from Walter Reed, met some amazing people who treated us like family and welcomed us with open arms into their community…oh, and Justin shot some does and we got to stock our freezer with venison. Minor details. Lol And going there wasn’t just a one-time thing and they forgot about us – it was a “give us a call and come back anytime” thing. We went back about a month after the Heroes Haven event and had a wonderful time then too. They even threw Corey a little birthday party complete with a camouflage cake. We were able to drive down to Georgia to attend the homecoming ceremony for Justin’s guys. I was probably more emotional for that homecoming than the ones where I was welcoming Justin home. Lol It was so good to finally be able to meet the men who were up there with Justin and made sure he didn’t bleed out after he was hit. I also got to meet some of the wives – many of whom I had spoken to on the phone but had never met in person. Even though Justin had been back in the States for months, this was his first time back in our house and back on Ft. Stewart. He only beat his guys back by a few days. It was so great to see him in uniform on the field with his guys and the rest that came home that day. We were able to drive down to Florida to be with our families for Thanksgiving. This was the first time Justin had been in Florida since January and the first time since May for me. It was so good to be with family even though the trip went by way too fast. Justin and I were able to go to Texas for a hunting trip at the San Rafael Ranch. We both had a great time, made some new friends that hopefully we’ll see again down the road, made some great memories (and got some fun pictures), and I even shot a hog…something most people never thought I’d do. Shoot, I never thought I’d do it either. Lol I was content shooting paper targets at the range. Shortly after our Texas trip, we drove back down to Florida to be with our families for Christmas. Our Christmas wasn’t at all what we expected, but we got to be together for it. Both of my sisters and their families were here. All of Justin’s siblings are here. I got to see one set of grandparents a couple days before Christmas, and the other set on Christmas day. I’m also glad that I’m here and able to help out with Grandma even though I’d rather be spending time with her under better circumstances. I feel so helpless when stuff happens and I’m out of state (and formerly out of the country). Grandma was upset and said that she feels she’s ruining things for me and for my mom and feels like a burden, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. I’m thankful that she’s still alive and that I’m blessed with the opportunity to spend time with her still.

2013 has been a year of highs and lows. We’ve gotten to meet some amazing people (and even a few famous ones), do some really fun things, reconnect with old friends, feel the love and support from our families, friends, churches and communities. Looking back at the pictures from this year brings many laughs and smiles, and some tears here and there. Here’s to 2014 having less stress, fewer difficulties, more adventure, more healing, fewer surgeries for Justin, and hopefully seeing the end of our time at Walter Reed (though I know it won’t be any time soon). A belated Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of my friends! Thank you for being there for us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers this year! We are truly blessed.