What this blog is about and who we are!

Three and half years ago we were in a car accident, I, Dana, had a concussion/migraine which resulted in me having a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) causing movement control on my left side, speaking issues, cognitive issues and short-term memory loss. I can remember for about 5 minutes at a time on most days sometimes longer sometimes shorter. I have worked very hard to come back from this injury, but I still have major issues. This accident was the turning point for our family. I was no longer able to work, which means less income; am not able to cook a full meal, so more eating out; not able to handle things like I was able to for my family especially our daughter. We found out a few months later our daughter is NOS-PDD on Autism Spectrum Disorder. She had managed to slip through the cracks on being diagnosed due to series of events so we did not learn until she was 11. On top of this last year Jeremiah, my husband, had a accident that hurt his back and made him unable to sit or stand for more than two hours without uncontrollable pain and unable to work or do things needed to be done for the family.
     This is were needing an escape plan is essential! Whether we escape for a few minutes or for a few weeks, escaping provides us with the ability to handle stress better and be more positive in our out-look and behaviors. An escape can be a mental vacation to a beach or forest or just something fun. this is great for an quick immediate stress reliever and pick me up. Be careful using though, I have ended up agreeing to something I didn't really agree with, while I was on a mental vacation.
     Sometimes the need for escape is greater, I really need a feeling of productivity that does not come from trying (and usually failing) to keep the house clean. So I cross stitch  or read for about ten minute at a time and it sometimes causes problems with my cognitive functions. This can be a big pain for my family. Sometimes the need to escape the house is more important (I don't have a driver's license anymore due to the TBI) so going out to eat is very popular with my family or going to a movie (which is fun, because I usually can't remember the movie well enough to claim I've even seen it).
    This blog is a family effort of all of our ways of staying sane and helping to control our stress levels. Future posts will be from my husband Jeremiah, our daughter Meg (hopefully) and me, Dana, allowing us to share a favorite and not so favorite experiences of escaping our everyday lives. Please join us in our adventures of escaping with reviews, DYIs, Tips, and commentaries on our every day existence.