The Day It All Changed

It was a brilliant sunny Hawaiian afternoon. The white powdery sand was perfect. The ocean surface at the Turtle Bay Hilton where I swam as smooth as glass. The heat from the sun zoomed in and colored my nose, cheeks, shoulders, and back a nice golden tan, with a small hint of red--okay, let's be honest, my nose was A LOT red.  However, nothing was more perfect than the love radiating from my heart for the man I loved--the hottest Samoan I'd ever seen--my fiance of one entire month.

Nothing could ruin this day!

NOTHING~!

Zzshhhhuuuummmmmmmmmmmmpppp! WRONG.

DEAD WRONG.

Little did I know that perfect day would be the end of life as I knew it.  Things would change. Thoughts would be different. What I thought was one way was really another. The security I'd ignorantly grasped for 21 years had vanished.

Gone.

Gone like the beautiful setting Hawaiian sun behind the green shaded mountain range.





 What was lost? What was gained?



But more importantly:  What the hell are you talking about, Erin?

Oh yeah, you might want that part of the story.  Silly me.

Yeah, not MY actual wrist (no time for pictures)

Real quick, stupid story involving a DVD, burnt brownies, a vegetable pairing knife, my wrist, blood--lots and lots and LOTS of blood, awesome house mates, Fa'a bloody shirt wrapped on my arm, a small car to the Kahuku Hospital Emergency, a room full of nurses and doctors, a blood pressure cuff stopping the blood from pumping from my now exposed and badly cut artery, a ruined beautiful blue & white flowery sun dress that accented my perfect tan earlier, Fa'a making a late night call to my parents in Utah, a military helicopter ride over the Koolauloa's at midnight, surgery, and a very loving, concerned, forever my Eternal Companion--Fa'a, anxiously waiting to see if I'd come out of surgery okay, the same quirky girl he fell in love with.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But what's that got to do with change?

Here it is.   That day was the end for me. Up until I actually woke up the next morning I had total and complete faith in the comfort of being at the hospital, with able bodied doctors, nurses and equipment. As long as I was there I was safe. There was not threat to my life.  Nothing to worry about because I was there and would be okay.  Right? Wrong? Especially after working at a hospital myself a few years ago, I'm very aware that doctors, nurses, hospitals are only at the mercy of time, skills, and circumstance. God does the rest.

Do you see my predicament? One day, knock on wood, the safety net I created in my mind, might not be able to save me.  Wow.  Eye opener for me.  Life wasn't always as I dreamed it to be.

And now here I sit, sixteen years later, in the same situation I was that night, but the circumstance different. My life isn't the one at stake--It's our country--the beautiful United States of America.

I always thought that good would always win out (and it will in the end--but not always at first).  Somehow I'd devised this idea in my mind that the law was the law. It couldn't be changed. Americans were intelligent, loving people that had the same loving, deep conviction for this country as I did.  It was laughable to think that we as a people, as a nation, would allow our great constitution to be trampled on, disregarded, laughed at.

No, that wasn't possible. Only in post-Apocalyptic books or movies. Not real life.

It's time to get real, Erin.

But what we face today it true. Life as we've known for the past two-hundred-twenty-one years is gone. We truly are facing as a nation what we've only read about or watched on the big screen.

This is the time to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, American to American, and fight for our continued honor of the Constitution. For our rights as an American. How the media can report the actions and words of President Obama and not question it, and Congress can sit by and not start the impeachment process, baffles me.

I do not recognize my country.

And it's sad.

Another day for the Erin Apelu history book.








God Bless The USA Erin M Apelu

Welcome!!!

Welcome--

Thanks for clicking on the link that brought you to me today.  I can't tell you how exciting it is to start this blog. Yeah, I've got 2 other blogs--one for family stuff, the other for fun stuff, but this one's for important stuff.  

Not that the other stuff isn't important. But this stuff is SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT.

If you've had the pleasure of conversing with me the last few years, you'll agree with me when I say--Religion and Politics find a way of dominating my conversation (when I'm not talking about my wonderful wonderful family or 4 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels).

With that being said, I feel its high time for me to get off my big tooshy and start sharing my thoughts, feelings, and information I learn to those of you who aren't cursed to see/talk to me daily. 

Basically, I'm sick of my kids, parents, hubby, neighbors, and dogs giving snorts, eye rolls, droopy ears, the volume on the tv remote somehow finding its way going up and up, and feeling like the only person listening to me is ME!

Now it's your turn.  Lucky you--if you decide to stay. And return...

At this point you might be asking yourself, "Who is this Erin Apelu chick anyway?"

That's a great question. I knew any investigators to this blog would be brilliant :)

So check this out for those answers:

God Bless The USA Erin M Apelu