Where in the World is HALO Inspirations?
Yep, I was singing to the tune, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” I am one of the people that find songs and music in just about everything I think or do. I struggled with a title for the blog post, and found myself singing this tune. Although this has a bit of fun to the caption, it hasn’t been an easy time for HALO Inspirations.
I have to say, first and foremost, that this week is quite heavy on my heart. It isn’t a writer’s block or a personal illness, but it is related to what has happened at HALO Inspirations and why my blog has taken a short absence. This is the first time I have publicly told this story. Therefore, I hope you will be o.k. to spare me a minute and understand that I am not looking for sympathy/empathy, but to allow you a moment to see my vulnerability, to maybe share a story that some of you can relate to, and to share with you why you haven’t seen us weekly as normal. So, here we go.
As you all know, my husband (the other half of HALO Inspirations), has taken a full time job in Maryland and comes home every couple of weeks for the weekend. Friday, 11 Oct 2019, he was coming home to VA and was 20 minutes from the house, when he was T-boned. He normally drives a Mini Cooper, but it was in the shop for new tires and a State Inspection. Therefore, he was driving my Mustang GT and was bringing it back to me, as his Mini was ready to go. Once he was T-boned, he was then sent into a spin where he spun around and hit a tree with the back end of the Mustang. He was travelling at 55 mph on a state highway. I don’t know how many of you have experienced your best friend being in an accident, but with today’s technology, it definitely creates a whole new experience. First, he called me before the paramedics showed up. There happened to be a nurse on the scene, and I was able to speak with her RN to RN. I actually do not recommend ever calling your spouse at the scene when it was a horrible accident. I felt completely out of control, struggled with not being able to help at that very moment, and not seeing him to be able to assess him and his injuries. I wrongly went into a sort of nurse mode and tried to assess him quickly over the phone (not the smartest thing-he was in a bit of shock and honestly, so was I). I admit that I begged the nurse to not leave his side until the paramedics showed up. After the paramedics showed up, I had to let him go. Later, he then called me from the ambulance. As someone that grew up without cell phones and a time that you do not make calls from the ambulance, this phone call sent me into overdrive that he may not make it. It wasn’t the case, it was just my past experience and lack of real knowledge of his injuries that drove my mind into some serious circles. I will not go into any more real details. But, he spent 25 ½ hours in the ER, went to a floor eventually, and then discharged Sunday evening. Thank goodness he survived with injuries that are treatable. He is absolutely my best friend, and I am the luckiest girl to have this man as my husband, the father of my children, and my best buddy during our life journey together. Although I do not have a choice when our God will decide to take him, I am ever so relieved, happy, and grateful that this was not the time. I say this with tears in my eyes from the heartfelt appreciation that he is still with us. We are a dream team together and we have many more life goals to conquer together. However, needless to say, I am his designated driver for however long this recovery will last. Because of that, I am in Maryland Sunday evening to Friday evening, and in VA Friday evening to Sunday evening. Planning what to take, which projects I can work on in Maryland or Virginia, and how to make this all work, has been a challenging learning lesson. Do any of you have a magic wand that can shrink my longarm to fit in an overnight size piece of luggage???
My Airbear, my soldier, my wonderful husband, and my best friend!!! God bless!
“Whiskey Girl” It is time to say goodbye to my dream car. Looking forward to “Whiskey Girl 2,” sometime in the future.
Next week, I will resume the Series of “Quilting: A Philosophical Journey.” We also have some other things in the pipeline that we are excited to share with you. For now, they will stay inside HALO Inspirations, but we are looking forward to sharing them with you at the appropriate time.
For those of you that were looking at purchasing one of our Pac-a-mats, we have to put a hold on any orders. The majority of our current inventory was in the trunk of the Mustang. We have to go through each one to see if they are lost inventory or good to go. Please bear with us for a couple of weeks. We will open the order process for the Pac-a-mats once we understand where our inventory stands.
Thank you all for your support. Thank you all for taking the time to listen to my short story. Thank you for allowing my vulnerable moment. Thank you for your understanding during this time of transition and healing. All of this is appreciated more than words can say.
I want to add that we are still here to answer any questions you may have. We are honestly just a click away either by our Facebook page, by email (stauffer@haloinspired.com), or you can comment below on this blog post.
Until next time, may you continue to be inspired, productive, and joyful! And never stop making your dreams in quilting come true!
-Angel