Hi... Thanks for stopping by...
this page tells about
me...
well, not everything, just a few highlights
I sat in the hospital... I knew then
that Jai wasn't going to live either... I held my newborn baby and just
wondered "WHY" was he born... and "HOW" was I ever going to survive????
I wanted to die, but as I looked at my beautiful baby I knew I had to keep
going. David had always told me if anything ever happened to him, that
he wanted me to remarry, because he would do the same... if I had known
back then that it would have been over 4 years that I would be a single
parent... I may have given up... but I kept going... one day at a time...
for my kids and also hoping once again to be happy.
I kept busy... which wasn't too hard
to do with a newborn, 2 year old and injured daughter. I also spoke frequently
on Victim Impact Panels. I have spoke on these panels to offenders, in
high schools and training seminars for various organizations. I also have
addressed the topics of complicated grief, children and grief, and different
aspects of God and the grieving person. I find speaking to be very
rewarding. It gives me an opportunity to remember my family and to
use my experiences to help others. I limit how often I speak because
of my responsibilities at home and the emotional stress it can bring.
If you have an organization looking for a speaker and think I may be what
you're looking for, please contact me by email
for a resume.
In 1995, five years after the crash,
I designed and founded "Caldwell Memorial Markers".
They are grave markers that go at the gravesite of someone killed from an
alcohol related incident. I feel that these markers will start to show
people when they visit and pass by cemeteries that the statistics they
hear about drinking and driving are more than statistics... but real people!!
I have also started writing a book about
my family and dealing with grief... but right now I have put it on hold
and I am working on my website. I hope that the information
that you get from my website will make a difference in your approach to
drinking and driving... that it will keep you from drinking and driving...
and that you will in turn reach out to STOP your friends from drinking
and driving also!!! I also hope that the information on this web page may help other victims of drunk driving.
A year and
a half after my family was killed... we had a couple in our area murdered...
the girl, Tammy, was 4 months pregnant. I went to visit Tammy's
mother... and when I was there, I met her brother, Chris. He
and I became very good friends and helped each other to deal with the loss
and pain that we each felt. We had a lot of ups and downs,
but we still remained close friends and it was evident that we were becoming
more than friends... we were falling in love... Our love for each other
grew and on April 29,1995 we were married!
These pictures are from our wedding,
but they didn't scan very clear... but I decided to put them on for now
anyway. Chris's brother came up from Florida to be his best man (he's not
in the pic), then Mary was my maid of honor, Kezia
was flower girl, and Zeke our ring bearer.
My mother made my dress and the girls dresses for the wedding. Hopefully
I can get a clearer picture soon. Chris is great with my kids and very
supportive of my efforts and speaking on drunk driving. On February 21,1996,
I gave birth to our daughter "Harley Rachelle."
