ashley, a.k.a the byrd collective, is one of my more recent friends and i feel blessed to have her in it.  she and i connected last year over email and i felt like we were close from the start.  ashley was in head on collision 4 weeks ago (her husband, son and dog were in the truck and made it out with little to no injuries).  thankfully, their daughter was with grandparents at the time.  ashley was not so lucky and was told by her dr. after the fact that she should have died. she came into the hospital with a broken back, broken ribs, a torn spleen, a torn aorta a sprained ankle and a torn duodenum. it didn’t look fun. 1% of people in her condition make it to the hospital alive.  i often think about how fragile life is and how anything could happen in an instant.  ashley is a mother to two beautiful children and has a devoted husband who is by her side. she also is a talented florist who will likely jump right back into the swing of things….it just will take time to heal and rest.  she asked me to document this “not so pretty” moment in her life so she remembers where she’s been.  i’m glad she’s here.