So many thank yous!

Hello everyone. It is me, Sarah, and I am back!! I feel so completely overwhelmed with emotion as I sit down to do this. I feel like I could say thank you every hour for the rest of my life and it wouldn't be enough.

First, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who thought of me, mentioned me, prayed for me and added me to temple prayers rolls. I believe in prayer. I believe there is nothing more powerful than speaking with our Father in Heaven and when it is done on anothers' behalf, it is all the more powerful. So, thank you! I sincerely mean it. I know that I am here because of the faith shown by my family and all of you.

Second, I feel a little bit vulnerable in this situation that I am in. I know everyone must be so curious as to know my side of things, and I promise as I get a little stronger to share my perspective, but really for the time being, I am struggling. I am SO grateful that my sister, who is the greatest one in the world, kept journal of all of this both for all of you but also for me. I will admit when I sat down to read it, I was not prepared for the information. I really had no idea I was so sick until I read it all. It is an odd thing to sit down and read about your own life for the last two weeks and not have most of those memories. I am thankful that I don't have those memories, I am just feeling a little weird that for nearly two weeks I don't really have any memories.

Third, I feel really pretty good considering everything. I am pretty weak though. I cannot hold my baby for more than about three minutes and that has been hard on me. I want to do it but I am just learning to walk steadily around the house. I felt so great and was off the oxygen and everything on Monday and walked all over the hospital for physical therapy and then yesterday came home and had zero energy! Today has been better but it took me almost two hours to get showered and dressed! Yikes! I am not used to this! I know it will get better.

I am just so grateful to all of you for your love and concern and to my family for their vigilant faith.

To Jimi who was by my side most of every waking minute and most of the sleeping ones too, I always knew you were the love of my life! Thank you for showing your sweet love to me over and over again over the last ten years. You are the kindest, most gentle-hearted man and I feel honored to be your wife. Everyone at the hospital kept telling me what a keeper I have and that you rarely left my side. I am sorry you had to go through this but thank you for loving me enough to.

To Tracy, what can I say to you? You touched my feet!?!? You are the greatest big sister I could ever hope for. I thank you for not only taking care of my blog and keeping everyone up to date, but for taking care of me! I know that I had THE best nurse on my side the entire time and that it was you. I think nurses are amazing people. You have always been my best friend and I am so happy to still be around to raise our kids together to be the same kind of friends.

To my mom and dad....I love being your daughter and am who I am because you allowed me to always be myself and even encouraged it. I really am not sure where I got by stubbornness because you both are way more generous and kind than I have ever been but now I have more time to work on that. Daddy, thank you for holding my hand and crying when I made a new milestone and mom, thank you for holding my heart (literally) and taking care of Grace for us. I cannot imagine watching my own daughter go through this and I hope to never have to, thank you for your faithful prayers and temple visits. You are the best parents and I am a very blessed girl to have you both.

To my doctors and nurses...I have never heard of a patient being treated with such love and encouragement by medical staff as you did to me. I know I was saved because of you and your skills, that and a lot of prayers. Yesterday before I left the hospital, I had two different Intensivits stop by just to check on me, they were not even the one who discharged me. I have a very soft place in my heart for the ICU staff at McKay-Dee. I would consider any of you family...especially the nurses who shaved my legs and armpits for me!!

To my eight brothers (that's right 8! 4 by blood and 4 by love).... thank you to your families for being there for me! Jimi's brothers offered him so much love and support and I know as the youngest of the bunch, he has always looked up to each of you. Steve, thank you for flying out and helping him and my family understand just what was going on. I am only sorry that I was unconscious your entire visit! I really need to work on my people skills. Mark, thank you for driving up after hours of work to spend hours with Jimi after you have had your own journey this year. I know that if anyone could relate to Jimi, it would have been you. Craig, thank you for helping our family be able to come together. I heard how quickly you offered to bring Steve out and I said to myself, that is just so Craig. Thank you and Amy for your Christmas visit also. Those are my earliest memories of waking up and I loved having you both there. To Lance, you have always been my biggest protector and it is no different now. I loved waking up to you and dad peeping in my room, yes, even at 6:40 AM!!! To Scott, mom just told me that you spent an entire day with me. I hope I didn't try talking you into any more water....it only worked with you that one time because you are so sweet and giving! To Nate, thank you for the awesome pjs, they are the first thing I wore when I was out of the ICU. Also, thank you for your visits and foot rubs...I loved your visits because I love hearing your laugh. To Ryan, thank you for reading my blog to me! Those are some of my earliest memories of all of this, I know you helped so much with the kids and allowed mom and Trace to spend time with me. To Matt, thank you for visiting me and and even more, thank you for lending your wife to me for two weeks. I know that left you to be Mr. Dad, but if anyone could do it, it is you! Your boys are so blessed to have such a strong role model of what a dad should be. To all of my sisters-in-law, thank you for helping watch Gracie and support your husbands while they spent time with me. All six of you are amazing people and I love you all!

To Steve and Frances, I love your son and owe you so much for the man he is. Thank you for your love and prayers and I look forward to your visit soon!

To Aunt Joyce and Uncle Hal and Hilary....thank you for the beautiful plant and flowers and for calling mom all the time to check on both her and me. I love you all so much! Hil, thanks for all the encouraging words! To Melissa, Kaylin, and Alicia, thank you for stopping by the ICU! I am so glad that you were all there on my parade to the 3rd floor! Thanks for the books and goodies....that lipsaver just about saved me!

To everyone else who came and I cannot remember, I am sorry, but thank you.

To my ward family....I love and have missed each of you! Your encouraging words on my blog and facebook have made so much the difference on my journey. I have looked forward to your words and cannot wait to see you all soon.

Thank you all for your love, your flowers, your gifts, your encouragement, your visits, your texts and emails and comments on my blog and your prayers.

Thank you to my Heavenly Father for giving me more time with my sweet family. I believe in prayers and I believe in forever families!