April 2013 update

Danny has been walking with the walker and is up to 9 times across our living room :)  we feel so blessed to still have progression.  And we have grown so much spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  (Some of you might scoff/giggle at that;)... But we are working on it).

We got our taxes back and bought a car!!  First car I have ever "owned" (no debt) and that feels good :) ...so with a car, I got a job! ...AND, I LOVE my job!  I am working as caregiver/aid and I feel like God was prepping me for this.  I finally feel like I am where I am supposed to be.  Not just work wise, but in life.  Regardless of our poor choices in life God still blesses us; additionally, we are responsible for recognizing those blessings.  Thank to our family and friends and we promise to pay it forward continuously.

I realize I often repeat myself from post to post, but I want to express again how thankful I am for our blessings.  Although Danny probably would not verbally agree with me on this ever, I would not give up any of what Danny and I have been through if that meant losing the knowledge/enlightenments/lessons we have gained individually and as partners.  We have made so many mistakes, collectively and individually, but we have also made so many 'non-mistakes'* (*I don't say 'good choices' because that implies that a mistake is bad) and each one has created who and where we are now (physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally).

I often speak before thinking as many (or maybe any) of you reading this might know.  I also do not speak up when I should (such as apologizing).  contradictory it seems, but me nonetheless.  I recognize this fault, therefore, feel free to call me on it: please do.  Help me mend my hurts and yours.  Sometimes it might take or have taken a lot of time for me to see your perspective, but believe me I will keep at it until get it.

First of all I am thankful for and love my Heavenly Father & Mother, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and I know they love me and no matter where I go from here, they will love me.

I am thankful for my immediate family.  I love you Dad.  I would not be me without you.  You are an amazingly strong man and have always been an excellent Father, Dad, mentor, and friend.  Your love has always been unconditional and know that mine for you will always be the same.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to have two amazing moms.  Mom, I love you. Marcia, love you.  There have been many times I would not/could not have "just kept swimming" without your presence in my life.
I love, admire, and am thankful for each and every member if Danny's family, no exceptions.  I am not always kind to each and every member but that is due to my own weaknesses and they continue to love me anyway.

We are blessed...

This life has been such a crazy ride.  We feel very blessed.  We are so thankful for the generous help, prayers, love, lessons learned, and support we have received throughout this journey.  If you know either one of us and you are reading this post, we say THANK YOU!  Whether you remember either one of us in a positive or negative, we thank you for being part of our journey...not just since the accident but throughout our lives.

I want to make a confession to the universe.  .  I have ignorantly lived most of  my life thinking I was a pretty good person.  I have so many people to apologize to for failing to be empathetic.  I have too often been inconsiderate in my actions or words and I have at times been cruel and I still carry guilt for that.

So I am sorry...mom, dad, Marcia, Jason, Jodi, Danny, each of Danny's family members, my kids, John, crystal, Becky, Kim, Amy, misty, Jessica,...

I need some NETWORKING help!!!

Here are the obstacles:

I need to be available to Danny about 8 hours a day, BUT, not consecutivel (do you move 8hours consecutively and then stay still for 12 hours consecutively?) unless I can make enough to hire an aid for him.  ..thus, I am in a conundrum...how to find a job that meets our needs...

Profile/Coverletter/Resume

Raydene Morgan

Rexburg, Idaho

208.709.5528

raydenemorgan@gmail.com

I want to make the WORLD a better place. If your goal is the same as mine, let's leverage our power for better and more success.

Summary/Special skills/Weaknesses

 I have ten years of  upper management hospitality  experience.  I have a bachelor's degree in Business Management and Finance.  I am intelligent, self motivated, always about 10 minutes late, organized, often too trusting and loyal but I do not want to change that.  I do not like an audience.   I am not looking to get rich.  EVER.  Money changes people or people's perception of you. 

I am an intelligent person in some areas of life and naive/ignorant of many others.  I will continue to educate myself through schooling, experiencing life, listening, and pondering, with the ultimate goal of only creating positive energy.   I am not good at everything but have experience in many things.   I am an experienced grant writer/facilitator.   I am a top notch employee relations/retention manager, operations manager, customer service manager, budget writer, sales & marketing manager, housekeeping manager, food and beverage manager, aquatic manager, facilities manager, finance manager, hospitality manager, and most importantly, loving mother.  I have learned to listen, think, ponder, and research before reacting.  I have learned to always follow the Golden Rule.  I love and trust my God/creator/higher power/deity (or whatever you call yours).   I have 10 years experience in B2B marketing; I am above average at it but do not particularly enjoy it.  

I promise to be open, open-minded, honest, and upfront in all my dealings.  I promise to always right my wrongs.  I cannot promise that I will not make mistakes along the way but, I do promise to always be thankful and pay it forward.

EDUCATION, WORK HISTORY = EDUCATION

Summary:  

Bachelor's degree awarded May, 2004

Double Major:  Finance and Management

Realtors License awarded January, 2004

Certified Pool Operator

Certification awarded June, 2005

Food handlers license

Certification awarded annually, last certification, January, 2012

AmericInn Lodge & Suites

Consulting 

March 2012 to present

Reason for leaving: n/a

AmericInn Lodge & Suites       

General Manager                

October 2004 – March 2012

Reason for leaving: husband's car accident.

Manage and oversee all daily operations at property.  Perform weekly outside sales calls to obtain negotiated corporate accounts.  Doubled revenues within first 4 years.  Maintain exceptional customer relations and staff morale.  Sort and organize all incoming resumes and applications, pre-screen potential employees. Conduct new hire orientation including company policy and procedure, safety, attendance, and benefits. Input new hire information into HRP system, create and maintain employee files. Update and maintain the daily attendance log for all employees, including write ups and warnings when necessary. Daily, weekly, and monthly reports, cash statements and budget reports.  Create annual budgets and ensure adherence to operation budgets.  Process and reconcile all accounts receivable, and payroll.  Receive, sort, code, and process all incoming invoices and receipts. Enter into data system and process checks. Maintain merchant accounts and clients. Collect and process all workers time sheets and process paychecks. Greet and direct customers and employees. Answer multiple line telephone and direct calls.  Oversee all property maintenance, upkeep, and updates.  Perform daily property inspections.  Develop and maintain all maintenance programs.  Design and setup gift shop, maintain inventory, pricing, and bookkeeping.  Development and implementation of operational guidelines, policies, and procedures.  Maintain and update breakfast menu, ensure food safety training and compliance.  Perform monthly staff safety and training meetings.  Monthly reporting to ownership group as to property performance.  

Private Caregiver

Independent

March 2012 to present

Yellowstone Teton Territory.  

 Elected Madison County Representative  

2007-2012. 

 This is a nonprofit organization which writes for and determines the use of  awarded grant money given by the state in order to promote tourism in our area.

          

 Countrywide Properties

 Office Manager/Transaction Coordinator        

Reason for leaving: opportunity at AmericInn

Manage all Real Estate files including, but not limited to, follow up with clients, assuring dates, signatures and forms are complete. Process ,sort and pay all bills, invoices, accounts payable and receivable, earnest money account and general business checking account. Management of office's leased properties including tenant relations and lease administration.  Greet and direct customers and agents. Answer and direct calls, answer questions, and take effective messages on multiple line telephone system.  All office and some agent marketing including website, blogs, flyers, brochures, pamphlets and binders.  

USPS

RCA   - rural substitute mail carrier. 4 hrs per week.

Reason for leaving: needed full time work after college graduation.

Sorting and delivering mail.  

Horkley's Filling Station

Cashier

Reason for leaving: USPS job

Basic merchandising, cashiering.  first job  out of High School

Comfort Inn

Housekeeping => Night Auditor => Evening Front Desk

Highschool

Related Skills    Microsoft Office (Including but not limited to: Word Perfect, Excel, Power Point, Publisher, Outlook) 20/20 Graphic Design, PC Formation Real Estate Forms, Navica MLS, QuickBooks, OperaPMS

Type 55 WPM accurately, 10-key by touch. 

General office equipment knowledge, excellent telephone and focal interaction skills, organized, and professional. Strong financial and managerial proficiency.

References    

Alisa Smith      

Former supervisor at Horkley's Filling Station

My first job.  I was a cashier.

406-529-6099

Mary Lyman

Office Manager of AmericInn Rexburg parent company    

208-313-0869

Marcia Riley

Assistant Manager, AmericInn

208-351-8053

    

Jeff Lerwill

Countrywide Properties, Former Employer

208-356-7300

Howard Anderson

VP, Three Rivers Hospitality

952-294-5000

Lynn Wilcox

Owner, AmericInn

208-356-7503

PERSONAL HISTORY

mysoulmatedanny.blogspot.com

OBJECTIVE, MY GOALS

My life long goal:  To always use my energy for more positive for the good of all, not just my family, in doing that I will not create bad energy that hurts others.  Karma.

My 20 year goal: To maintain/establish/reestablish relationships with all family

My 5 year goal:  To see my husband walk again.  

My current goals:  A way to financially support us to enable Danny to continue therapies, allow him to stay out of a group home, not depend on public assistance,  and something that allows us time with the kids, while not just surviving but adding positives to the world.

Objective (Does what I need fit what you need?)

I need to reach my current goals without compromising my other goals. 

I want to work with a honest, pure, entity (utopian i know) that is putting its energy toward good for ALL (as I want my energy to go toward something positive for the world/universe/infinity but, also towards the most positive as a sum AND infinitely; as everything has some positive in it).  

If you have no need for me but you think you know someone who might, please connect us.

Yesterday he took 15 steps!!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4975470101197&set=vb.1132650054&type=2&theater

Hey Everyone :)

This is Raydene :)

We obviously made it home.  Discharged June 13 and then back to Rexburg. My dad was kind enough to let us live in one of his rental units on 4th West and we have made a nice little home.  Although we have some mobility issues here, it has definitely been a God send.   Daily life at home compared to daily life in a hospital is obviously different and has been a definite adjustment.  Therapies come to our home twice a week and we get some daily help from an aid.  My job wasn't held for me but we are making do.  I am home helping Danny and raising the kids...funny how life works.  You spend your days wishing "if I only had this one thing everything would be ok" and then when you have what you prayed for you wish you had those things that you inherently had to give up for the answer to the last prayer...I hope I get a small reprieve from the lesson learning soon...

Paul told us on his first visit in June that our goal was for Danny to be standing for  30 seconds with the walker within 6 weeks and walking with it by October.  We reached the first within 3 weeks and are  now standing for 5 minutes and stepping.  None of it is without assistance but it is ALL an improvement from what we were told back in March by the doctors...they were talking nursing homes back then...

We have enjoyed being home even with the challenges and especially enjoy the visits...sometimes friends to say hi or help with a plumbing, carpet, or moving problem, but we appreciate and enjoy each visit and would love to see more of you....going out to visit can become an issue when most homes aren't wheelchair accessible.

Daily life now consists of playing with the kids, personal issues related to the accident, doctor visits, LAUNDRY, and cleaning...BUT how can we complain...how many of us get to spend this amount of time with our spouse and kids?   There's a trade off for everything.  We are broke and humbled but more content with each other than ever before...

BBQ at my parents's (Danny) Saturday evening from 5pm to 7pm.  We would LOVE for everyone to come.Although I haven't been able to respond to everyone's notes and posts, I am very grateful for the support and look forward to being back home.  We'll be having burgers and hotdogs.

111 North Center, Rexburg (by the library).

 The standing chair :)  He starts in a seated position and then they pump it up slowly over 5 or 10 minutes, taking his blood pressure every couple minutes.  I asked today how they decide who uses the standing chair and they said they put everyone in one in it to help promote bone and muscle growth.

Danny says, "Don't take anything for granted.  You never know what may be taken from you...even if it's just standing up."

We're gonna have a party :)

So Danny is obviously slacking since he told me he would take over the blog :)  He gets discharged from the hospital on June 13 and we are heading back to Rexburg.  Our plan is for him to continue out paitient rehab at EIRMC for the next year...or as long as we can afford.  He can do board transfers now on his own.  (Sliding across a board from chair to bed or seat).  His upper strength is getting better.  He still has limited motor skills in his fingers.

His trach hole has healed nicely and just a small scar remains.  The bed sore he has had should be completely healed by the time we leave.  We got results from a CT scan today and he will be in the neck brace for at least another month :( He was not pleased with that news.

We will be living in Rexburg thanks to help from my Dad and I will be returning to work at the hotel thanks to the patience and support of the Wilcox family.  Danny and I have spent the last week trying to be completely self sufficient within the hospital and figuring out what things we still need to learn and figure out.

Our life will be completely different but I'm not sure that either one of us would trade this experience for the knowledge we have gained.  We have learned so much about what is important in life, who is important, and what we want for our life together.

They started Danny on the FES bike a couple weeks ago.  They hook him up to electrodes that stimulate his lower muscles. 

ALSO, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BIRTHDAY BBQ ON SATURDAY, JUNE 16 FOR DANNY!  WE ARE NOT FOR SURE WHERE WE WILL DO IT, BUT IT'LL BE 5PM TO 7PM IN REXBURG...SO CLEAR YOUR CALENDAR IF YOU CAN AND COME SAY HI.  DANNY WOULD LOVE TO SEE EVERYONE.

We are also going to have a garage sale at Danny's parents (111 N Center, Rexburg) on the 16th from 9am to 2pm :)  Pass the news on so we can clear out the house!  We are coming home with a manual wheelchair, which is way better than having to have the electric wheelchair that is SO heavy and big and would require a van...

Danny is doing the standing chair this afternoon for the 3rd or 4th time so I'll post pics.  He can make it to fully standing, with the chair doing the standing, without passing out now and they have been able to cut back the dose of his medication for his low blood pressure.  Yeah!

I'm taking over the blog.  I just want to tell everyone thank you so much for all the help and support.  I'm starting to have movement in both my legs.  My discharge date at this point is still set for June 13. 

Thank you to everyone who has come to visit, sent us messages here, sent us cards and financial support.  We could not have done any of this without your help and it is truly appreciated.

It's official!!  Movement in the left leg documented by the therapists!  Wahoo :)

Danny is doing amazing with rehab.  Last week when he was sitting up with Shannon it was a struggle to situp like that for 30 seconds.  This week he can do it for minutes at a time without issue.  He rolled right and left by himself this week.  He can raise his behind up off the mat using his arms and arching his back (learning how to do transfers)...

He is getting additional movement in his fingers back :)  There has been some movement in his legs and feet.  The doctors and therapists sat it is all likely to be involuntary muscle spasms.  Danny and I truly believe that he is regaining some control.  Many of the "involuntary" movements seem to be a natural movement that he has been trying to do that it just delayed.  On more than one occasion he has concentrated on moving his legs/feet together in bed and then moments later the "involuntary" spasm does it.  These spasms just started in the last week or so.  Nurses say they are common in spinal cord injuries but we believe they are sign of Danny's improved pathways.

The trach hole :) Healing up and uncovered for good!

Last day with the trach!!  It came out on Friday at noon.  Wahoo!!

Beautiful Gracie :)

Amy, Robyn, Candace, Mom, Nicole, Jamie, Jessica

Danny, me, Davis (my princess and maid of honor), Billie, Grace (Grace LOVES Billie!!)

Christian, Dad, Troy, Justin, Jeremy

Cody, Danny, Lynn (the best man)

Cutting the cake.  Danny suprised me and had his thereapists help him bake the cake for the wedding!!

Our Care Coordinator, Jody, decorated, bought us a cake, and drinks.  She is AMAZING!

We love you Nicole.  You have been a lifesaver.

Danny got a little too much sun!

Danny and I will be getting married at 1pm on Saturday, April 28 at the University of Utah Medical Center in the Rehab Commons on the 2nd floor.  You can park in the valet section at the hospital lobby entrance (it's been approved)...in the front lobby entrance, up the right hall to elevators labeled A, up to the second floor, right out of the elevator straight down that hall to the end where it then turns right, to the end of that hall, turn left, past the elevators and then right :)  There are signs and lots of people to ask for directions of you get lost.  Everyone and anyone is welcome to come.  It won't be anything fancy or lavish, just Danny and I expressing our love and commitment to each other and we would love to have anyone who would like to share this special day with us and the kids.

No more catheter!!  The trach will hopefully be removed on Friday...the doctor is being extra cautious with that as they do not want to have to put another in if he does have anymore issues with secretions in his lungs.

Danny working with Shannon, his amazing physical therapist!!  Sitting up on his own.  His strength and endurance are getting better everyday.  We are so happy to be here.

Danny has started a regular rehab schedule each day and this has been his first day off :)  He is very excited and motivated as are his therapists.  They are all very optimistic about his potential.  He gains more control of his muscles each day.  Still no movement below the waist but we are still optimistic as each day is better than the last :)  Danny still gets pretty dizzy with quick movements but with some adjustments to his blood pressure medications to help keep it higher he is doing well.  Dealing with Danny's injury on top of the narcolepsy has been a learning experience for the staff here.  He no longer has any infections, fevers, or pneumonia.  We are hoping the trach will be removed tomorrow and the Foley by the end of the week.  No more tubes and wires!!

We went to church today and wedding ring shopping (all here at the hospital).  We are getting married here at the hospital on Saturday.  It has been so nice to be close to Danny's family now and have that support.  We had the kids here with us this weekend and it was awesome.  This experience has sure helped Danny and I realize what things in life are truly important.  And although the experience at the hospital in Meridian was not very positive, we did learn to trust each other and we did meet some amazing people.  I believe that Danny and I needed that time alone to understand each other.

I also added some new pictures to the picture page today.

We transfered to the University of Utah yesterday.  Danny went via ambulance; I followed in the car.  This hospital is very nice and all the staff has been very kind.  They ask Danny how he wants to do everything rather just telling.  The doctors we have been very welcoming, thorough in their explanations, and very caring.  We are very happy to be here.

This morning was VERY scary as Danny coded after being transferred to a chair.  His blood pressure dropped and he quit breathing.  Everything is good now.  Will post more later.