Sunday, April 22, 2007, Nashville, Tennessee, 9:22 p.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

This concept of keeping a journal to express my innermost feelings is unfamiliar to me. Oh, I've tried it already a few times, but it really never gelled.

So I am trying again. Please bear with me.

For the uninitiated, my name's Katrina. Katrina Ann Delchamps is my real name, but my fiance', my friends, and my family call me "Kat". I hate the name Katrina, of which I will explain the reason why shortly.

I am 46 years old, just turned, and I am getting ready to start a whole new life (again). I'm getting ready to go on an Alaskan cruise (one-way); while on this cruise, my fiance', Frank, and myself will be getting married. That's right. I will no longer be Katrina Delchamps; I will soon become Katrina Hammer. We'll spend our honeymoon on the ship; when the cruise is over, we will settle in Alaska, in Fairbanks, where we will make our new home.

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana: lived there all my life until August 29, 2005, when that bitch Hurricane Katrina wrecked my world. I not only lost both my parents, I also lost friends and co-woekers. I lost my very way of life, all my worldly possessions. I lost everything. (I nearly died, too.)

Once I recovered from my injuries (plus I had pneumonia), I started working at a HUMMER dealership, which was where I met the owner, Frank Hammer. I was hired on the spot. (Of course, this all happened after I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, which I didn't particularly care for). Oh, Nashville itself was okay enough; I just didn't care for the weather (too cold in the winter, not humid enough for my Louisiana Cajun blood), and it was too---green. And the traffic was a nightmare. (Thank God I lived close enough to where I worked; I could walk to work! Yet the traffic scared the living hell out of me.)

I seemed to be getting my life back on track when one hot July summer day in 2006, I was inadvertantly hit by a drunken driver. I ended up breaking my back--and was instantly paralyzed.

I would spend the rest of my life sitting down--in a wheelchair.

Life had thrown me yet another nasty curve ball.

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Once I got over the initial anger of my situation, I went back to work after rehab, scared my boss wouldn't hire me back because of  my now being disabled. Surprisingly enough, he did. Frank put me at the front desk as a receptionist. I loved it. (Prior to my accident, I repaired the HUMMERS. It was very rewarding work.)

It wasn't long after this when Frank proclaimed his love for me. I soon was sittin' on top of the world. All the pain of the past had quickly diminished. I was finally at peace. Life was good again (for the most part: I still suffered those g.d. flashbacks about the hurricane; I had frequent nightmares).

For the time being.

~Katrina Ann Delchamps (soon to be Katrina Hammer! :) ).

To be continued.