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(Sorry this post is so long)
Hey there! I'm Jaime, and I am CONSTANTLY doing DIY projects, reading DIY blogs and scouring the net for inspiration. So I figured, why not start my own blog and post my adventures (and misadventures) with DIY projects and with life. This is my first blog, and I'm not too tech-y, so I'll be figuring this out as I go...kind of like life. :)
First, I'll tell y'all my story so you'll know what kind of person is administering this blog. I'm a 20 something year old from Southeastern Louisiana. I was born and raised on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which borders New Orleans. That's all what I like to refer to as my "past life". I love New Orleans, and will someday own a home there full of DIY projects. I was a completely different person in Louisiana, two years ago, when tragedy struck.
I'll leave out as many details as I can, without taking away from chronicle number 1. My brother Brandon was involved in a car accident when I was 15 years old that left him paralyzed. He was a tetraplegic, meaning he was unable to feel or move three of his limbs. After Hurricane Katrina, with my mom's help, he was granted a waiver and allowed to come home from the hospital... if he could find a home.
He was able to get a home built on my dad's property, which my dad had leased to yours truly. It was perfect! I was next door to help him, and to put him into his wheelchair and go anywhere he desired. My mom, aunt, and some of our family helped to get a handicapped van, and I truly believed he may finally have a somewhat "normal" life.
Brandon faced the same struggles as others who are wheelchair bound. He went through times of depression, frustration, happiness and loneliness. Every day was a struggle, and all I could do was be there for him and help him in any way I could. For six years, we lived next door to each other. I finished college, and planned on finding a career in the marketing field. All of my plans for my future revolved around keeping my big brother safe and with me, from vacations to building a handicapped equipped home someday.
In August, on Friday the 13th, 2010, at 30 years old, Brandon passed away from a heart attack. Devastated is not the word to describe the state in which I found myself. Brandon was everything to me. He was the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving. The things that I learned from Brandon are the most important things I will ever learn. He taught me about struggle, about finding joy when it's tough to find. He taught me appreciation, determination, and that it is absolutely ok to break down sometimes. He would always say, "It's you and me against the world, J". My heart had been ripped out, and I have never fully recovered.
First, I'll tell y'all my story so you'll know what kind of person is administering this blog. I'm a 20 something year old from Southeastern Louisiana. I was born and raised on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which borders New Orleans. That's all what I like to refer to as my "past life". I love New Orleans, and will someday own a home there full of DIY projects. I was a completely different person in Louisiana, two years ago, when tragedy struck.
I'll leave out as many details as I can, without taking away from chronicle number 1. My brother Brandon was involved in a car accident when I was 15 years old that left him paralyzed. He was a tetraplegic, meaning he was unable to feel or move three of his limbs. After Hurricane Katrina, with my mom's help, he was granted a waiver and allowed to come home from the hospital... if he could find a home.
He was able to get a home built on my dad's property, which my dad had leased to yours truly. It was perfect! I was next door to help him, and to put him into his wheelchair and go anywhere he desired. My mom, aunt, and some of our family helped to get a handicapped van, and I truly believed he may finally have a somewhat "normal" life.
Brandon and I circa 2008
Brandon faced the same struggles as others who are wheelchair bound. He went through times of depression, frustration, happiness and loneliness. Every day was a struggle, and all I could do was be there for him and help him in any way I could. For six years, we lived next door to each other. I finished college, and planned on finding a career in the marketing field. All of my plans for my future revolved around keeping my big brother safe and with me, from vacations to building a handicapped equipped home someday.
In August, on Friday the 13th, 2010, at 30 years old, Brandon passed away from a heart attack. Devastated is not the word to describe the state in which I found myself. Brandon was everything to me. He was the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving. The things that I learned from Brandon are the most important things I will ever learn. He taught me about struggle, about finding joy when it's tough to find. He taught me appreciation, determination, and that it is absolutely ok to break down sometimes. He would always say, "It's you and me against the world, J". My heart had been ripped out, and I have never fully recovered.
