Time just ticks away...

I am writing this blog from my hospital bed. I have been here since last Sunday. My surgery was Friday. Of course it was not routine, because lets just be honest, nothing ever goes routine for me medically.

Dr. Thomas said he removed around 2,000 gallstones. He had to cut me open to get to them all. He also had to take out part of my liver. So this has slowed the healing process WAY down.

Right now I am basically in constant pain. Right after surgery I had the handy little pain pump that jacked me up on the Diloded (?) whenever I needed it. But alas, they took my little friend away a few days ago... I know that's a good thing, I do not want to get addicted... BUT in the mean time, I hurt. ALL the time. The Lortab and Demerol dull the pain, but getting up, moving around is still really painful. Just going to the bathroom is an ordeal because I have these drain thingys that are sewn in to me. FUN TIMES!

They transfused 2 units of blood the other night... that is never a fun ordeal... PLUS were feeding me Lasix to keep swelling down, so I was hooked up to all these tubes and IVs and having to get up and pee like every 20 minutes. That was not a good night my friends haha

But I know it will slowly get better. I took a shower by myself for the first time Friday. Moving around is slow going, but getting easier. I even took a walk down the hall to the nurses station and back, with some assistance from the hubby.

So I need to learn patience right now. I need to let all of my drs and nurses help me and not be afraid of sounding like a whiny baby.

OH BROTHER, here we go again!

2007 - well we all know about 2007. Long hospital stint right before my wedding. Open Heart Surgery, etc etc

2008 - summer time, I'm bleeding to death and have to go in AGAIN for several blood transfusions and a DNC...

2009 - just got the call that they found a BUNCH of gallstones in my gallbladder and its going to have to come out. problem is, I am on Coumadin because of my mechanical mitral valve, so any normally, easy procedure is trickier with Couamdin patients.

So much for my hope of 2009 being hospital free!

The Big 30!

I am planning a birthday party for my husbands 30th birthday... and I have absolutely no creative ideas.

HELP!!!! So far I have a list of people I want to invite and I cant decide if I want to have it here or not, because our house is kind of small and there isn't much seating... that's as far as I have gotten...

Things that make you go hmmm.....?

So Thursday I took my wedding ring in to Helzberg to be inspected and cleaned. While in the little cleaner machine thingy... one of my itty bitty diamonds that covere one of the bands fell out! The little guy just happened to get it stuck to his finger while emptying the tray out to look for it! WHAT LUCK!

Since the Lubbock store does not have a way to repair anything locally, they must send things off to one of the DFW locations. So, I do not have my ring for about a week...

What surprised me is how much more confident my wedding ring makes me. Not confident, like... I'm hot stuff man, I'm MARRIED - hehe... but confident like, I can go to the store in my sweats and crocs and not think twice about it. Weird, I know. But since I haven't had it, all of the sudden, I'm like "I cant go to fill Sally up in what I'm wearing?!"

So what is it about that little band of gold that affects me in such a way? Its not like I am trying to land someone whilst out shopping, just because I have no ring on my finger... its not like I'm searching for the hot little college boys. So what is it? I'm sure there's some weird, psychological thing about it... or maybe I am just crazy. A ring doesn't make you married. So all you psychology people, tell me what you think. Has this happened to you?

HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween is less than 2 weeks away! I can't wait to see all the cute kiddies in their costumes!! My nephew, Wyatt, is going to be a a dragon and Brantley is going to be Woody, from Toy Story... CANT WAIT TO SEE PICS!!!!!!

Happy early Halloween everyone!!

Humdrum...

I haven't posted in a very long time because, quite frankly, I have nothing to say. I have been having non-creative bouts of insomnia, but am trying to ween myself off of the use of sleeping pills. Its hard... very very hard, but I hope it will prove to be worth it in the end.

Work is okay I suppose... its work. I got half of the raise I asked for. I know in this economy, that's a tough thing to do... but I did feel a bit slighted, I have to admit, because I am doing SO much work, and they only felt it was worth half? *sigh* oh well, I am truly blessed in my life, so I'm trying not to "sweat the small stuff".

Our Red Raiders aren't doing so hot lately, but I am hoping that will turn around...

And I have some super awesome news I want to share when I get the green light :)

For now... off to try and sleep for a few hours. I have been up all night, kind of sick to my stomach, but can't NOT go in to work, because no one else knows how to do to GE. Fun times, fun times...

LET US ALWAYS REMEMBER...

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing the day the towers fell? I do... Do you remember how you felt when you heard the news that it was a terrorist attack on our own soil? I do... The body count kept going up... the videos kept coming in... the tears of the people that were there and couldn't find their loved ones...

I was at work at a suicide/crisis hot line. We were all glued to the television. Our callers were sad, scared, heart-broken. Some had loved ones unaccounted for and didn't know how to handle it. We even had a volunteer who's son was at a meeting in one of the towers and he couldn't reach him. (side note: he was okay. they got out before any planes hit)

My sister was in the Army at the time and I frantically tried to reach her once the word "WAR" crept in. She was stationed in Hawaii at the time, so she hadn't heard or seen anything about it. I called, told her what was happening and she started describing the scene on base. It was a long line of cars trying to get in and it was taking forever, because they were searching EVERYONE. She was doing life guard training at the time, so she was in her bathing suit. Once she finally got in, they closed off the base. No one in or OUT... but she was not in her uniform, so she couldn't really do anything. So she just sat around and watched all the heavily armed guards walk around, wondering what was going on.

Our biggest fear of course was that a war would start and she would be deployed. By the grace of God, she wasn't. Eventually her future husband was... but he had to have knee surgery, and could not deploy. He was upset, but we were really happy he didn't go over there.

So it's been 8 years. The war is still on. MANY soldiers lives have been lost and changed forever. Families shattered, both here and over there. Osama is still hiding out somewhere, but I truly believe we have to support our men and women over there. They risk their lives every second they are there. My cousin, Tyler, is actually serving over there right now. I pray every day that he is okay and will come home, once again, safely.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU MEN AND WOMEN - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (like Tyler's little brother, Hunter who just joined) - WHO CHOOSE TO SERVE AND RISK THEIR LIVES FOR ALL OF US. YOU ARE TRUE HEROES.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND KEEP YOU SAFE