And here's the rest of the weekend....

Saturday morning, my boys decided to hold a lemonade sale to benefit Gridiron Heroes!   They set a table outside and were catching people walking around at our community yard sale. They weren't getting much business, so Benji and josh came up with the idea to have Benji dress in a dog costume. So, there was benji, dressed like a giant floppy eared dog, chasing after cars and people with a Gridiron Heroes  sign in his hands, I mean, paws!! Well, the response was overwhelming! In about three hours, the boys raised almost $70! The founder of GridIron Heroes called me on the phone and asked where we lived and within a half hour, Eddie  and Chris Canales, Drew waters(Coach Aikman on FNL and his family were standing in our driveway, drinking lemonade. It was so awesome and Benji and Josh were thrilled, to say the least!

After that excitement wore off, time was spent in the kitchen, between making strawberry pie and and king ranch casserole. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the next fun activity, the Red Carpet Screening of Friday Night Lights! We got there early and just people watched until it was time to go in.

What an awesome evening, getting together with everyone. I got to see some old friends as well as make some new friends. We got to meet Madison Burge, Jesse Plemons, Ernest James(Calvin on FNL) and got to see Drew and his family again. we also got to meet local newscaster, Jennifer Broomes who had some advice for our budding photographer, Josh, who's a big fan of hers. it was a wonderful evening. The best part of the whole weekend was that I got to share all this fun stuff with my dear friend and adopted daughter, Jessie! She came down just four days after her birthday and between getting to talk with Kyle and going to the premiere, I think she had a great time. I know I did!!

Today was the typical Sunday. Church and loving on my 1:00 three year olds. I'm so blessed to have such an awesome job, working with these kids..
So, that was my weekend. I'm pretty exhausted, but in a good way. Tomorrow will be a good day to just take care of stuff at home and just chill!!

Drew, trying out the goods!!

The boys' donations!!

Benji, Chris and Drew

Benji and I!

And then the premiere...

Jessie and I all dressed up!

Mama's girl!!

Kyle was there in spirit....

The Cast of FNL!

Becky from FNL!

Jan, myself and Jessie!

Jessie and me!!

O, what a night!!!

Jessie Tate and I were background extras last night on FNL. It was a great night. All day, we had been hearing about the possiblity of severe weather happening while we were filming. So between our rain boots and ponchos and Jessie's interest in all things meteorological, we were as prepared as can be.

We got to the set with about a half hour to spare and the mood was awesome. a lot of the old timers had been booked for that night and there were lots of hugs all around. It was humid outside and thought it was still clear, you could feel things building out there.

After doing all the stuff we needed to, to get checked in and after eating some dinner, we finally went out onto the field. Our family was seated pretty much front and center. I wasn't feeling the greatest, physically, last night, so I was going from dozing to having to get up and move around as much as I could.

During one of these times I was walking around, Jessie and I saw Kyle Chandler. We caught his attention and he came over and gave me a hug and I told him that this would be so long for a while, as i was having surgery over the next few weeks. He asked what surgery and looked concerned as i told him. Jessie came up then and shook his hand and told him that this would likely be her last time filming as well. He asked her why and she replied that she was going to school. Kyle asked Jessie where she was going and she replied Tech. Kyle nodded and seemed to approve, which is a good thing, because how disappointing would that be if Kyle was not supportive of anyone going to Texas Tech? Kyle's daughter chimed in and was asking about her going to school on Saturdays like it was a foreign concept!! Jess said, yeah that people go on Saturdays and Ii said that if she was lucky, she could so some classes online and stay home in her bunny slippers.

After a few minutes, I pulled Kyle aside and told him that I had heard about his Pilot opportunity and i knew that he was going to have to make some tough choices for him and his family over the next few months. I told him that I would be praying for him and his family that they would make good decisions that they would be happy with. He looked touched and then smiled and said that he would just throw darts.

We went back to the stands and just relaxed while they were setting things up. It was the first game of the seasons and we were so happy to be there, but we were all mindful of the approaching weather and were curious about how things would be handled.
A little while later, Connie Britton and the young lady who plays Mindy Riggins were escorted into the stands. One of the P.A.s took a look at our family and moved us right below and next to the two of them. We got to talk to Connie, Stacie and brad for quite a while between scenes. Connie was concerned about the weather and we spent time talking about Texas' weird weather. All the while, the storms were getting closer and stronger.

We filmed for a few more hours, then were were told to change and move over to the other side of the field. While we were setting up, Jacob, one of the P.A.'s told us that if it were to rain, we would evacuate to a bunker on set. The show was trying to film as fast as they could. They were laying down and pulling up track as fast as they could and were rushing through scenes, trying to race against the weather. After a while, it was obvious that the weather had the upper hand.

The wind started blowing and the rain starting coming down and before we knew it, we were grabbing are stuff and running to this so called bunker. we ended up going into the Quality Inn and sheltering there for a little bit. While we were there, they fed us Subway and we were able to access WiFi, which helped us all keep up with the weather. The weather wasn't really bad at that point. It was really windy and spitting rain, so Jacob told us we were going out onto the field. We were walking back to our places when we saw this far off flash of lightning and just like that we were wrapped.

I have never seen production move so quickly. After we were organized in lines where we needed to be, we were out of there within 15 minutes from wrap time. we saw some lightning coming home, but honestly, I think this was a case of a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. It was the first game of the season, and possibly my last for a good long while and I feel like it was quite the adventure and a good way to go out.
Clear eyes, full hearts....

Done!!!! And I LIVED!!!!

The biopsy was hard. The hardest part was getting the tube into place by passing it through the cervix. It seriously rivaled childbirth. That part hurt so bad that I never felt the actual biopsying being done. It's the worst pain i've felt in a long time.

The good news is that i have a Dr. who prefers to err on the side of caution. So he probably took more than he needed, but better to have too much than not enough. I NEVER want to go through this again. I have some back pain and a little aching around the cervix, but I'm not feeling as bad as i thought I would. I go in on 4 May to meet with the doc and discuss what kind of hysterectomy we're going to proceed with. The Doc that I'm seeing now is booked up solid through May, but i can be placed with another doc to get things done sooner. That's the route I'm going with. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone for all the prayers and the support. When i was up on the table, even with the worst pain right there inside me, I NEVER felt fear. I felt a peace about getting this done and moving to the next step. The pain I went through today didn''t make me afraid or have second thoughts. It made me more sure of my decision than ever. And a special thanks to Charlie for driving me there and back and keeping me sane while I was waiting. She was truly a good friend today and I'm so grateful to her.

It's been a while....

This weekend has been busy. Thursday, Benji had his very last MRI before being considered cured. We'll get the final word May 5th!! Friday, working with the kidlets, lots of fun, but tiring. Little Heroes Prom that night, also fun, but not as tiring. Saturday, we participated in this race to the finish thingy that our sunday school class had. I didn't want to do it. I was exhausted and it was raining so hard that there were wrecks all over the road. the organizer managed to change my husband's mind and we ended up doing it. we came in dead last. I think we might have other plans the day of next years' race.

Last night, we saw the most amazing concert! It was the Rock & Worship Road show, featuring Family Force Five, David Crowder Band and MercyMe. We also got to hear Francesca Baticcelli and Fee!! A great show for only $10 at the door and we had great seats!!

This morning, Rick left for a TDY in Washington DC. He'll be back later this week. I'm going in fior my biopsy today and I'm filming tomorrow. So we're keeping pretty busy. I'd better go get Benji up!!

Today's appointment....

All went pretty well. The doctor was nice and recognized my Vera right off the bat. Is it wrong that I gave him points for that? We talked about my symptoms and we talked about options for treatment.

Option #1, an IUD with progesterone. Hormones and a clotting condition don't go well together, so I shut that door and backed away slowly.

Option #2. Endometrial ablation. Doc: "blah blah blah, ablation!! Go for it. Me: "I don't know.  I hear it's very temporary. Doc: Oh no, it's not THAT temporary. Well, alrighty, then. Moving on...

Option #3, a hysterectomy, Yep, permanent, short term pain for long term gain, risks are there, but once it's done, it's done.

Doc told me to research and think on the options. I told him that's ALL I've been dong and i'm going with option #3 as soon as possible. I go in Monday for an endometrial biopsy and I need to get some blood work done tomorrow, but it looks like I'm on my way.

I know it won't be pleasant, but I'm sitting here, going through hell right now and I'm tired. This uterus has worked hard over the years, carrying four babies, three of them to term. It's time to put the poor thing out of my misery once and for all.

And now for the comedy portion of our program....

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support ,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0 ..

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5..0 , NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1 .
Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.
Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate.

DEAR DESPERATE ,
First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.
Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html, try to download Tears 6.2, and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If those applications work as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5 , Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1 . Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.) In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 -program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.
We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!
Tech Support

My ultrasound results.

My doc called me today. I have a 2.5 cm ovarian cyst on my right side and there is some abnormal stuff going on within the walls of my uterus,  pointing towards small fibroids. I see the specialist on Monday and I'm waiting to get an appointment for a pelvic MRI. I covet everyone's prayers right now. I really want to get this issue resolved. Please pray for wisdom for the specialists dealing with me and my poor little uterus.
Thanks!!

Today is my day of rest...

Fromt friday through yesterday, it's been go go go for me. Between celebrating Easter with my family, working childcare, and then having to go in yesterday for an ultrasound, it's been busy. Today, I'm not doing much of anything. I may wander out to the library and see about a couple of books I'm looking for, or I may just stay home and relax. It's almost noon and i'm not even out of PJ's yet. It's so nice to have days like this.
yesterday's ultrasound was painful. I had lots of cramping afterward and I felt icky all day after.  Next Monday, I go into the Dr to get the results. I'm hopeful that they can find out why things have been so hard and that they can fix it.

Seven years ago tomorrow...

It was seven years ago tomorrow that my son Benji had surgery to remove a brain tumor. I spent the last precious preop moments memorizing Benji and telling him how precious he is and how much we love him. How happy he makes everybody who meets him. I sent him to surgery knowing that I said everything that needed to be said.
During the surgery, time slowed down and sped up. i remember some things vividly, and other things are a blur. I remember the Muslim couple with their prayer rug, and their worried faces. I remember the male nurse who came in, and called this couple out of the room. They never returned.
The OR nurse would call every hour or so ,and update me. Each call would keep me going for another hour or so, so I never panicked.

My pastor, music minister and children's minister flew in, and played UNO with us. I won just about every game. I wonder if they let me win. Looking back, if I could've seen the shape I was in, I would've let me win too. We ate munchies from a care package sent by the Joy school director, and talked about how special Benji was to us.

Then Dr. Shapiro came and spoke to us. Our pastor joined us in the hallway, much to the surgeon's chagrin. I remember looking at the surgeon's shoes, looking for Benji's blood, and feeling an odd mixture of relief and nausea that there was no blood. He told us that he believed he got all the tumor, but he would have to see another MRI.

I went into Recovery to see him, not knowing what to expect. A very sweet nurse met me at the door, and when I told her I was Benji's mom, she went on about how sweet and adorable Benji was. I went to his bedside, and indeed he was being sweet and adorable. Little innocent, sleepy smile on his face. He was feeling no pain. His tongue was swollen from the tube, and he wasn't thrilled about the tube sticking in his "privates", but he was fine. The scar was a surprise, but all this time later, it's still a suprise sometimes.
The next few hours were a blur, getting him all settled in ICU. Benji's surgeon suggested to us that we go back to the house, have a meal, come back and say goodnight, then go back to the house, and sleep. Best suggestion that man could've had. I slept like a rock that night!!
Here we are at seven years. Benji is 14 years old now. We're so blessed to have him here with us.
Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past year. You all mean alot to us!!

God bless,

The past couple of days

Grace and I had our gilr's night out tuesday night. We went to Justice and bought her a new dress and we went to Vera bradley and bought me a new wallet. Vera Bradley was a no brainer. Pick out a wallet and all is good. Justice was a little bit different. Grace has grown so much that it was hard finding things that fit her. I literally found the last perfect dress in her size. Grace was very patient trying things on, but dang, it was a nightmare finding something pretty that fit properly. The fun part was just spending time together. Grace and I had a blast, just walking around and talikng and just being together. It's nice having a shopping buddy!

Yesterday was a little strange.   All started out normal. I went on a field trip with my daughter to a ranch. It was fun. We all had a blast. About half way through lunch, I check my twitter and there's a breaking news report that my son, Benji's school is under lockdown. After a few really stressful moments, we find out that the lockdown had been lifted. A kid had a gun hidden near the campus. Just thinking about the worst case scenario gives me chills. Thank God no one was hurt. I was thrilled to hear Benji's voice that afternoon and had a hardtime letting him out of my sight. Last night, the boys and I stayed up late watching New moon. Lets' just say that I'm grateful that we didn't have to pay to see it. A friend loaned us the DVD and that's all we're going to say about that.

Tonight Josh, Grace and I worked childcare at the church. Lots of kids, lots of volunteers and all went well. I love my job and I'm blessed to be able to serve this way. So that's been the past few days in a nutshell. Good Friday is such an important day. I'm so glad that I was able to spend it doing what I love best with my children by my side. I wouldn't have it any other way.