Christmas Came and Christmas Went

Christmas is officially over. In a short period of 24 hours, Christmas came and Christmas went. It's hard to believe that we spend so much time preparing for this one day, and when it finally comes, it's over faster that we can blink!!! It will do the same thing in the years to come, but we will still do our hustling and bustling right up to the very last minute leading up to it. It still doesn't make it any less fun or meaningful, no matter how short it is!!

Our Christmas was short, but very fun and rewarding at the same time. My week started off with an ingrown toenail that hurt too badly to ignore, so I found a doctor on Tuesday who could see me right away. The numbing shots hurt extremely bad, but the procedure was over pretty quickly. By the time I came home from work that day, my toe hurt sooooooo badly! I couldn't believe how badly it throbbed and even the pain medicine they gave me did not do a thing!! Needless to say, I did not get any sleep that night due to the throbbing and burning in my toe!! We only had to work half a day on Christmas Eve, and I was so happy that I could get a short nap in before we had to go to my in-laws for dinner and present opening with them and my husband's grandparents. We got some awesome gifts and had an amazing dinner. After we left, my husband and I got home and exchanged our stockings. I was sooooo excited when I pulled out my Nintendo DS and four games to go along with it!!! This Christmas I decided to ask for things that I needed, rather than things that I wanted. My husband knew that I wanted a Nintendo DS, but I really needed clothes for work. So I spent my Christmas money on the things I needed, and so my hubby rewarded me with something that I wanted, which was the Nintendo DS!! I was super excited about it, and have picked out so many more games that I want! After we opened our stockings I had to soak my toe in Epsom salts and it seemed like the pain was finally starting to let up. Thankfully, that was the end of the pain and I got a great night's sleep!!!

Christmas morning we went to my in-laws again for breakfast, and then we headed to Decatur to spend the day with my family. We had an awesome visit and ate so much good food!! The day went by way too fast because the next thing we knew, it was time to head back home. We ate some leftovers last night and I played with the DS for a little while until I had to get to bed. Unfortunately I had to come to work this morning, but I am already looking forward to getting home to play :)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, and hopefully Santa was good to you all!!!

'Tis the Season

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here already? Do you feel like each year of your life seems to go by faster than the last? I was thinking back to this time last year and what I was doing. Almost exactly a year ago, I was having my second knee surgery, travelling to Atlanta for a work class and then all of a sudden it was Christmas. It just seems so hard to believe that it really was an entire year ago because it seems like just yesterday!!! So much has happened in my life this year - good and bad. It will definitely be a year that I will never forget.

Well, Alabama didn't quite make it to the Championship game, but we almost did! The SEC championship was a great game and although we didn't pull out the win, we had a great time there and did not have any issues with the Florida fans!! I've heard some stories where Bama fans had some unfortunate run-ins with the Florida fans, but luckily that didn't happen to us. It was a long day trip but we had a good time. I'm so proud of our team and what they have accomplished this year. I don't think anyone thought that Nick Saban would turn our team around like he has in just two years. Which raises the question...what can he do in three years? Four, five or six years?? It's enough to give me that tingly feeling in my stomach to know that the best really is yet to come.

I have to be honest in sharing my personal thoughts with all of you, and tell you that I am dealing with a personal struggle right now. It is something that has come up recently, and unfortunately it won't be going away any time soon. I'm learning some things right now and I'm trying to take the things that I have learned and actually apply them to my life. Easier said than done though. I'm having to make a lot of mental adjustments due to these issues that I have never had to deal with before. This is why it is a struggle for me...I've never been in the situation I'm in now, so I'm trying to learn how to handle it. It's not easy at all, and it's something that I'm dealing with on a daily basis. I wish I could share more, but this is something that I have to keep to myself and I just ask that you please pray for me.

On a lighter note, a good high school friend of mine just had a healthy, beautiful baby boy, so I would like to tell Jana CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can't wait to meet Baby T!! Also, my friend Nikki just finished up her LAST round of chemo!!! This is really exciting news, but now it is a waiting game. I think we all know that waiting on things to happen or not happen can be so hard and stressful. Unfortunately, this stress is exactly what she does NOT need right now in order to keep her body healthy. Please continue to keep her in your prayers, as this is a continuing struggle.

As always, thank you all for reading and thank you for your prayers! I would love to hear any feedback, advice or really anything you have to say so please always feel free to leave a comment!! :) I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

What a Weekend!!!

There's just no other way to start this post than by saying ROLL TIDE!!!!!!! Honestly...what a game!! Okay, so now I'll back up and start with Thanksgiving ~ we had a great Thanksgiving this year, although it went by too fast! We left early Thursday morning to drive to North Alabama to my grandmothers. We ate lunch and visited a while with my family that I don't see often enough, and then we left at about 1:30. We then drove down to Hattiesburg, MS to visit Justin's family and got there just in time for dinner at 6:00. Of course the food we ate all day was fantastic!! I think I could eat turkey and dressing all year round!!

Friday, Justin, his dad and I got up and drove down to Biloxi to spend the day at the Beau Rivage casino!! We got there just in time for brunch at the buffet, which was sooo yummy!! We had a couple of Mimosa's with brunch so then we were ready to check the place out. Justin and his dad had been there several times together but it was my first visit there. At this time it wasn't very crowded so we claimed a seat at the bar and played video poker while watching the LSU vs. Arkansas game. Even though I only played quarter bets, I doubled my money!! We decided to go take a look at the craps tables because all three of us were looking forward to playing. Unfortunately, it had gotten pretty crowded by this time, and the table minimums were $10 or higher! We didn't have much time left and we were really hoping for a $5 table, so we watched for a few minutes then headed out. We drove back into Hattiesburg and met the rest of the family for dinner at a catfish-house that is a local favorite.

And then, we woke up Saturday morning and realized that the biggest game of our regular season was just hours away!!! We were so excited that we packed up as early as possible and headed back to Birmingham. We got home just in time to get settled in (and I took about a 45 minute nap!) and finally it was kick-off!!! The game couldn't have gone any better for us, although we really didn't even play our best. I'm still happy because a win is a win, and this one was a long time coming!! Justin and I have been walking on air the last two days and it still seems to be the main topic of conversation in one way or another!! We have the SEC Championship game this weekend against Florida in Atlanta and Justin and I have our tickets ready to go (thanks again Aunt Judy!). I'm extremely nervous about this game..it will be the biggest game for us this year and will be a challenge. We'll see what happens......ROLL TIDE!!

I hope everyone has a great week and I will try to post some pictures from Thanksgiving soon!

Happy Thanksgiving and ROLL TIDE!!!

I honestly cannot believe that Thanksgiving is here, and that football season is almost over!!! Didn't it just begin?!? What an exciting week this should be though...visiting family and eating the best food in the world for Thanksgiving, then hopefully watching the Tide end this ridiculous losing streak against Auburn!!!

First I guess I will update on what we've been up to lately - Last weekend my husband and I went to visit my best friend and her husband in Huntsville. We went to a hockey game Friday night which was so much fun!! I had never been to one before and I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. Let's just say that I am already wanting to go back!! We had the best time and it was such a fun atmosphere!! Saturday we spent most of the day grilling ribs, wings and everything else possible! We watched football all day and played the new Guitar Hero!! Another best friend from high school came over Saturday night for a little while and we all had fun being silly and playing Guitar Hero! Sunday we stopped by to visit my mom and brother on our way home and it was really nice to see them. It had been a while since I had seen either of them so it was a short but great visit.

My stomach is pretty much back to normal since my surgery. I had a check up not too long ago and the surgeon said that as long as I don't have any other problems, there was no need to see him anymore!! I'm so happy that things have started getting normal again, but I have had to eliminate some things out of my diet. The hardest thing so far is pizza - it is just too greasy for my stomach to handle now, which is so depressing because who doesn't love pizza?!?! Coincidentally, that is the meal that I ate the night I was put into the hospital so maybe that was a sign???

I do have some VERY EXCITING news to share - I would have shared the news as soon as I heard but as you can see I have not been very good at updating my blog this past month!!! My friend Nikki who has been battling cancer for about a year now is CANCER FREE!!!! Yes, can you believe it?!?! I was so thrilled when I found out!! Her scan that she had at the end of October showed NO tumors!!! So now she is officially in remission which is such great news!! She still has a couple more rounds of chemo to go, but she should be completely finished with treatment soon. She said that the first year of remission is the hardest because that is when there are the most relapses. She still needs our prayer because she needs to be cancer-free for the next 5 years before she is officially "cured". Please continue to keep her in your prayers....as you can see, the prayers are being answered so don't stop praying!!! Thank you so much to those who have prayed...your voices are being heard. God is so good!!!

I am so nervous about our game this weekend - it's only the biggest game of our regular season!!! We are officially playing Florida in the SEC Championship game, but I can't even begin to stress about that game until we get Auburn under our belt!! We will be coming from Mississippi on Saturday headed towards Tuscaloosa. As of now we do not have tickets, but hopefully something will change before Saturday! Who knows, we might just stop there on our way home and visit Tuscaloosa friends and search for tickets!! We do have tickets to the SEC Championship game (thanks Aunt Judy and Uncle Fred!!) so I am very excited about that! The last SEC Championship game I went to was in 1999 when we beat Florida - I'm hoping for a repeat of that game!!!! ROLL TIDE!!

I hope everyone has a great holiday week and a food-filled Thanksgiving!! Please be safe in your travels and remember to give all thanks to God!!! And of course, ROLL TIDE!!

Happy Halloween!

First off, Happy Halloween to everyone, and I hope you all have a fun and safe night! Although I have no plans of dressing up, my husband and I are going down to T-Town tonight for the weekend. It's Homecoming for UA and we're playing Arkansas State. I'm really looking forward to going down there, spending time with friends and watching our boys play!!!

Yesterday, our office closed for the day and we all went to Camp Cosby for Teambuilding! It was a great experience, and I think everyone had a great time! We played a few teambuilding games for the first part of the day, and after lunch we did the high ropes course!! It was awesome! I am feeling the pain today b/c my arms and legs are so sore!! I'm posting a few pics of our day yesterday!

I also wanted to relay the news I got regarding Baby Dulce - she and her mother saw a doctor this week and her surgery is scheduled for December 2!!! It's so exciting to see how this has all come together with the help of a few compassionate people!! Apparently her mom got very teary eyed when the surgeon showed her his before and after pics!! I will keep you posted on any other news I hear!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween weekend! The weather is beautiful and it should be a perfect day for some Alabama football tomorrow!!! As always, Roll Tide and thanks for reading!!


The first group getting ready to go!!


Me keeping my balance!!


Me and my boss getting ready to walk the tight rope!


My boss and I falling off the tight rope!

TGIF!!

I am so excited that it is finally Friday! The week seemed to be never-ending, and I'm glad that the end is finally here. I had my post-op checkup yesterday and everything is healing nicely. My doctor's only concern being my digestive tract. He wants to see me back in a few weeks to see if things have gotten better. We're hoping that my body is still regulating itself after the surgery, but if things haven't changed then I will go back to see my gastrointerologist. Not exactly the news I wanted to hear, but it could be worse, so I am counting my blessings.

We're really looking forward to the weekend - UA plays Tennessee this weekend! This is always a big game for us, and I'm super excited that it is finally here! Unfortunately I have to miss a baby shower for a close high school friend, and I'm disappointed about that. I never get to see my pregnant friends while they are pregnant because every one of my old high school friends seem to live in other cities. Thank goodness for Facebook - at least I can see pictures!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and stays safe in all your travels!

ROLL TIDE!!!

Speaking Too Soon

So in my last post I made comments about how life was moving slowly for me, with not a lot going on. You will probably not catch me saying anything like that again, because I have learned my lesson! After making those comments, life did a little flip-flop for me very quickly - the very next day actually!!! Here's what happened:

On Thursday, October 9, I was getting into bed at about 9:15. As soon as I crawled in and pulled the covers up, I started getting this stomach pain. I have felt this particular pain twice in the last few months, and recognized it immediately. It is not normal stomach pain, and it's kind of hard to explain - the best way I can put it is that it is the WORST pain I have ever felt in my entire life. I've been through appendicitis, three jaw surgeries, two knee surgeries and much more - and they don't even compare to the pain that I felt!! Well, the last two times that I had felt this pain before, the pain subsided within thirty minutes to an hour. So as soon as I realized that it was this certain pain again, I checked the clock so that I would know how much longer I was going to have to deal with the agony.

By 10:15, I realized that the hour had come and gone, and I had not felt ANY relief. I was in tears, crying because the pain hurt so badly. By the way, when I'm in a lot of pain, stomach pain in particular, it is very hard for me to sit still. I constantly shift into different positions, hoping one hurts less than the other, and I'm constantly moving my legs and feet - I think this is my way of trying to get my mind off the pain by thinking about moving my legs and feet instead. So when my husband decided to come to bed, I knew that I would need to relocate myself, otherwise my constant moving was going to keep him awake. So I got up and moved to the sofa and tried to curl up with my favorite blanket and make it all go away. Well, instead, I found myself running to the bathroom to throw up, which I hoped would help me feel better because I was beginning to get very nauseous. Unfortunately, it didn't help at all. I continued to be in pain, in tears and throwing up for the next few hours.

By 1:30am, my husband was sound asleep and I was still on the couch, rolling and writhing in pain. I had already looked up my symptoms on the Internet to see if there was something seriously wrong with me, and webmd.com was not much help. I tried watching TV and reading...completely impossible when you can't sit still and all your brain can think about is PAIN!! So I decided to look in the phone book to see if 24-hour clinics existed. I was in no mood to sit in the emergency room all night, but when I found that a 24-hour clinic IS the emergency room, I called the closest hospital in hopes of getting some medical advice. They wouldn't give me any medical advice over the phone, but told me they had just cleared out the waiting room and now would be a good time to come in.

After contemplating what to do and waking my husband up to get his advice, we were stuck trying to make a decision. I quickly ran to the bathroom to throw up one last time, and that was the deciding factor in what to do next. So, off we went to the ER at 2:00am.

The nurse on the phone was right - the waiting room was clear and I went straight back to a room. Within about an hour, I had seen a doctor who decided to do an ultra-sound on my abdomen. It didn't take long for him to see at least three stones around my gall bladder. Great. I had gallstones. Feeling somewhat relieved that I had not drug my husband out of bed and to the ER in the middle of the night for something as silly as gas, we then began to realize that this was something serious and not to be taken lightly. The doctor said the first order of business was to get my pain under control, start me on an IV and medicine and then wait for the surgeon to come in first thing in the morning. Morphine became my best friend, and my nurse who administered it to me heard "I love you!" from me all night/morning!! haha :)

At about 5:30am, I went ahead and called in to work to let them know I would not be there, and there was a chance I would be having my gall bladder removed that day. I guess somewhere around 7-8am, I was taken to have another ultrasound done, I guess to see if the stones had moved at all. Of course, they were still there and appeared to possibly be lodged somewhere, which was keeping me from passing them. Shortly after, the surgeon came in to give us our options - surgery today, or go home with some pain medicine and antibiotics over the weekend, and come back to be re-checked on Monday and possibly remove the gall bladder then. There was no way in the world I was going home for a few days to deal with the pain without my morphine, and we made the decision to go ahead and proceed with the surgery that day. I mean, why not? We were already there and it didn't look like we were leaving any time soon!

So we waited and waited for the surgeon to finish his already scheduled cases, and they took me into a private room at around 1:30pm. By 2:00pm, they were moving me to the holding room and prepping me for surgery. The surgery went fine, with the only concern being that it didn't look like things were flowing through my digestive tract like they should be. So with this in mind, along with the fact that my Billy Ruben and liver levels were too high, they decided to keep me overnight for observation. They said typically the levels go back down to normal after the gall bladder is taken out, but we would need to wait and have more blood tests done the next morning to make sure.

Some time after noon on Saturday, the doctor came in and gave us the unfortunate news that instead of my levels going down, they went UP instead. I was staying there at least another night for more observation, and they would do the blood tests again the next day. I have to admit, I started kinda freaking out at this point, wondering if something more serious was wrong with me. But talk about being disappointed!! We had already had to cancel our plans to visit friends in Tennessee, and now they were telling me that I was to spend my entire weekend in that hospital room. Bummer.

Sunday morning finally rolled around, and after having my blood taken AGAIN, the doctor came in around lunch time and told me I was fine to go home!!! I was so excited and so was my hubby! We ended up leaving around 2:00pm on Sunday, which means we spent almost exactly 60 hours in that hospital. I was so ready to get all those tubes and needles taken out of me and get home and take a shower!!

I took the next two days off from work and stayed at home recovering. I was very sore and could not walk very well or stand up straight at all. I am almost 100% now, and my incisions are almost completely healed. I have my post-op checkup tomorrow so hopefully that will be the end of my gall bladder saga.

So, for future reference, next time it seems as if your life is moving slowly - be thankful!! I've always been told that no news is good news. In my case, no action in my life was good news!! Like I said, you probably won't hear me "complaining" or commenting on my slow moving life again...I learned my lesson!!!

So Behind....

Seriously, I have to get my booty in gear with this blog thing. I have no idea why it just continues to slip my mind!! Maybe because my life is going a little slow these days, with not a lot of action to report on!!! The most action my life is seeing right now is Alabama football!! Truth be told, that's about all I need :)

We have spent the last couple of weeks just taking it easy (a.k.a. watching football). The last couple of weekends we have either had family/friends over to watch the games, or we have simply stayed in being couch potatoes!! Two weekends ago we had a great brunch with some good friends and his family, which was awesome because it was the first time we had met this side of his family!!

Alabama football this year has become a major big deal, as we are now ranked #2 in the nation! I personally do not like the rankings, and wish there was a way to not even know what we are ranked. I mean, in the long run, what do rankings mean? Our first game we played a high ranked team, and they are no longer even ranked. Not to mention, we are only halfway through the season, with a lot of big games to play!! There is no telling what can happen b/w now and the end of our season. All I can do is hope and pray that our boys stay healthy and we continue to win like we've been doing! It's so fun and exciting to see our team "back" again! It's been a while, and I honestly didn't think it would happen this soon, but it has been a pleasant surprise this year! Justin and I are HUGE Nick Saban fans (how can you not be?!!), and it's awesome to see what he has done with our team in just two years. I can't imagine what we'll be like in another two years! It's a little nerve-racking to hear talks of going to the National Championship game, and I think it's a bit too early to even be throwing that thought around....but since it's out there, it's nice to wonder what it would be like to win! Kinda makes me wonder...should I be scheduling a trip to Florida right now?!! Who knows....all I can say is ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

My mom has been sick for about a week now - she has been running a fever and has a whooping cough. She went to the doctor today and I'm anxious to hear back from her...I can't help but be worried that she might have pneumonia. Although it seems a lot of people are getting sick lately, I have been feeling okay, just trying to exercise like I should be doing according to my heart doctor! She is always on my case about my lack of exercise, and I'm really trying to work on that, as well as my diet. My diet is full of sugar (can't help it...it's my weakness) and I'm working on cutting that out completely. Or at least cutting down some!!

I do have some GREAT news about my friend Nikki............she ELOPED!!!! Yep, even though she has been planning for a June 2009 wedding, her and her fiance decided against prolonging their marriage and decided why wait?!! So on her birthday, they married at a chapel in front of family, and they are planning to have a reception for friends in June. I am so happy for her and the decision they made. I think it was such a good idea, and now they can enjoy an even longer marriage together!!

I guess that about wraps it up for now!! We are going to visit our good friends in Tennessee this weekend, and I am really looking forward to the trip! I love her kids and we always have the best time visiting them. Thoughts and prayers for safe travels are always welcome!! Please continue to keep Nikki in your prayers....she is responding well to her chemo treatment, but still has a while to go. As always, thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great week and weekend!!!!

ROLL TIDE!

This Time Last Month...

I seriously cannot believe that it has been a month since I posted my last blog!! I have really been slacking at my internet usage lately...I haven't been reading any blogs, posted anything, checking my daily websites or anything! I honestly don't know why though!!

The last month has been great though, I have no complaints. We have gone to the last two Bama games in Tuscaloosa, but unfortunately did not have tickets to the game in Atlanta against Clemson. I'm not sure if we will be able to go to anymore home games this year due to some weekend conflicts that came up in October. I guess it worked out better for us that the majority of our BIG games are away this year! Last weekend we went down to T-Town Friday night to spend the night with some college friends we haven't seen in a while, and we had a great time! Even though it's only an hour away, it sometimes gets hard to find the time to make the trip for a visit, but I wish we did it more often. This weekend we will do some kid-sitting for our cousin on Friday night, then watch football ALL day on Saturday!! It should be a great day for football with all the good games this weekend! (GEAUX TIGERS!!)

Work is still going great....I usually have about one phone call a day that could potentially put me in the worst mood ever and really upset me, but I have learned to laugh it off and not worry about it. Some of the things we hear on the phone is so absurd that I can't help but laugh at these people! Ah the pleasure of having a job :)

Well, that's all for me right now....not too much to update on. My friend Nikki is continuing to respond well to the chemo, which is great news! I also got an update on Baby Esmerlada, which actually turned out to be Baby Dulce...we're still not sure where the confusion came from! They were able to find a doctor in Mexico that would do her surgeries, so her family does not have to deal with the stress of getting all of the proper papers and visas to come to the U.S. Please keep her and her family in your prayers!! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend! ROLL TIDE and Go LSU!!!

A Miracle in the Making

First off, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for the Glaub family. I know they will continue to need your prayers for a long time.

Second, I want to tell you all what an amazing person my former boss is. She is truly inspiring. She ("T") has an amazing gift of helping people, and the story I am about to post is an awesome example of how God has used her to potentially save the life of a child. Please be aware that the pictures below are graphic:











T has a friend who is originally from the Birmingham area, but moved with her family to become missionaries in Mexico. She recently wrote about a 4 month old baby girl named Esmerlada Domingues de Luna. This little girl is in serious need of our prayers. Her friend wrote this:

"They need money or someone who can do the surgery to fix her mouth. As I was watching her mother feed her, the very first thing she did was to put a plate in her mouth so that she could take her bottle. If she doesn't get the surgery I do not know how long she will make it. imagine growing up in poverty and still be disfigured for life. So I ask that you pray and let God lead your hearts."

After T read the story, she immediately went into action and began doing online research. She began emailing people and was amazed when people began responding so quickly. Within a few hours, an organization made contact with a doctor in Texas that specializes in the particular surgery that baby Esmie will need. T got a very exciting email today from the doctor who has agreed to do the surgeries for Esmerlada!! This is what it said:

It was wonderful to briefly speak with you today about Esmerlada, the Mexican child with the bilateral cleft lip and palate. I am glad to help in any way to bring her to Corpus Christi to repair her lip and palate. Just to re-confirm what we spoke about:Please forward pertinent data such as date of birth, full name, height and weight, parents’ names and recent length and weight.(any other known medical problems? – heart? etc)As I stated, I would lean toward a 2-stage repair of her lip (doing one side first, then the other in 6-8 weeks) and then the palate before she is a year old. She needs to weigh at least 10 pounds before we consider operating on her – just a good judge of her overall physical condition.She also needs to have a hemoglobin concentration of at least 10 gm/dL – this should be checked rather soon because she may need to have iron supplement with her feeding. About her feeding – I will send you several Haberman bottles ( and a couple of Ross nipples as well) which have a little wider and softer nipple to help in the feedings – The child should be held upright in your arms when feeding, and not flat. It is not unusual to spill some formula on the sides because of the clefts – don’t be alarmed by this – you don’t want her to be choking on her feeds though – and this is avoided by positioning her body. She needs to be feeding at least 2-3 oz every 3-4 hours. If she is only breast feeding, sometimes this takes so much work that they get too tired to finish the meal before it’s time for the next feeding – these Haberman nipples make it easier to direct flow into the mouth with a whole lot less work. I will send you several pamphlets on the management of cleft lips and palates – in Spanish and in English. I will see if we can get some free formula sent to you from Mead Johnson. I will be glad to do the surgery for free. With health care costs skyrocketing, the problem is that our hospital will most likely want some reimbursement for the surgery – I will try to get an estimate of what they require and also try to find some local donors – any ideas from your end would be helpful. We should be able to provide a free place to stay once they arrive in Corpus Christi. You stated that you can work on getting the child and her mother papers/visa to come to the US. If there is a problem with the parent’s papers, maybe there is a family friend or relative who is legal and can get power of attorney to accompany the child. Hopefully we can get the ball rolling on this and get her here within a 4-8 weeks.


I was so stunned to find out that within such a short period of time, T was able to get in touch with the people that are so willing to help baby Esmie. The fact that she has found this doctor/organization that want to help this baby is such an amazing accomplishment. T has helped save this baby's life, and I cannot imagine what that must feel like. She has a 4 month old daughter herself, so this situation was very close to her heart.

I am asking that you all please pray for this baby and the doctor that is willing to do her surgeries. What an amazing human being this doctor is, as well as my friend T. Please pray that all stays on the right path and that the baby meets all of the necessary medical requirements needed to proceed with the surgery. Pray that there are no problems getting the baby and her mother papers/Visas to come to the US to have the surgery. This process is a true miracle in the making and I am so proud to know that my friend has put this together out of the goodness of her heart. Thank you all for reading......God is so good.

R.I.P. Geoffrey Glaub May 24, 1999 - August 16, 2008

Little Geoffrey passed away peacefully yesterday morning, with his parents at his side. I cannot begin to imagine the pain and sadness that comes with the loss of a child. Although I only had the pleasure of meeting him once, it is clear in reading his journal how loved Geoffrey was. He had a true love for music, Star Wars and reading, and was an incredibly smart 9 year old. The picture above is of him at City Stages...his parents stated this was the highlight of their year. It was at this time that his parents began to realize that something was wrong, thus beginning the horrific journey that has lead them to this. He will truly be missed. Please keep his parents, family and friends in your prayers.

Urgent Prayer is Needed!!

I've been asking for prayer for Geoffrey Glaub for a few weeks now, and things have apparently taken a turn for the worse in the last 24 hours......his Caring Bridge site only says this:

Geoffrey was taken to the Pediatric ICU this morning around 8:30 a.m. Your prayers are needed more than ever.

Please say an urgent prayer for him.

Where Does the Time Go?

It hit me today that it seems its been forever since I updated my blog! When I signed on I couldn't believe that the last time I wrote was in July!! It's amazing how fast time goes by. Isn't it funny that when you're young, you never really understand the concept of time? You just do your thing and listen to the "grown ups" talk about how time flies, and before you know it, you're one of those grown ups talking about how time flies. I can remember thinking in elementary school that every year of my life seems to go by faster than the last. The same still holds true, only they're going by way too fast for my liking!!! Sometimes I wish life had a pause button...just to give yourself enough time to soak in those precious moments, or to give your memory everything it needs to remember something exactly as it was so that you'll never forget it. There have been many moments in my life that I would have loved to hit the pause button....awesome Alabama football games, concerts, special moments with my husband or family, my dad's funeral, a fun night out with friends....the list could really go on and on. But unfortunately, that pause button does not exist and we have to rely on our memory to keep those moments locked in tight. I'm always scared my memory is going to crack open and leak some things out, never to be retrieved again. I hope I am years and years away from that happening because I have a lot of special memories in there that I never want to let go of!!

Things have been pretty quiet lately....Justin has finally finished his summer work which means he's not out of town all the time! We enjoyed our first full weekend together this past weekend, and it was awesome! We spent most of the weekend watching the Olympics, and ventured out to the movies on Sunday. I have to say that this year's Olympics have got me pulled in completely! I made sure to stay awake last night to watch Michael Phelps swim and win his 2nd gold!! I'm totally obsessed with him right now! I'm hoping that he breaks the record for most golds because he is an amazing athlete and I believe he deserves every gold he goes after. He is truly gifted, and the way our American team handled the French comments that were made about them just goes to show you how much class our athletes have. I think Michael Phelps is right there at the top of those classy athletes. I hope you all were able to catch the opening ceremonies...they were outstanding! I wish I had counted how many times my mouth just dropped wide open!! The creator of that show deserves a gold himself! How one creates a spectacle like that is beyond me....I would love to sit down and pick his brain to see where in the world he came up with his ideas!! To have an imagination like that is a true gift as well.

I have been dealing with some family issues lately, but at this point, all I can do is pray about them, and ask you to pray for them as well. My job is still fantastic! I continue to learn new things all the time and do not have one complaint!! It is now 19 days till Alabama kicks off against Clemson at the Georgia Dome!!! I am so excited about this season!! I wish we had tickets to this game, but I will be just as happy spending all day on my couch eating good food and watching good football all day! My only complaint is that we play late, so I have to spend all day anxious in anticipation waiting for our kickoff!! At least there will be plenty of good games on to pass the time (here I am wanting the time to go by fast....makes no sense huh?). We are also planning a fun October full of Panic shows - some in New Orleans for Halloween and some in Atlanta!! This is the first year they have played this venue in New Orleans since 2003 and I am so happy about going back! We have so much going on in the next few months with football games, concerts, traveling to visit friends/family....I'm really looking forward to it! Nothing beats Alabama football, good music and good company!! I'll just have to do my best at savoring the moments to come because life has no pause button.......

In closing, please continue to pray for Joe, Geoffrey and Nikki. I think these are three people that could really use a pause button right now, and could probably teach us all a lesson in the concept of time.

Just an Update

Well, not too much has been going on with me lately so I don't have much to write about!! The job is still going great, and I like it more and more each day. Friday night I went out with my boss for a little while to dance and hear a band play!! It's great having a boss that is so close to me in age because I feel like we can really relate to one another. I'm so happy to feel that through this new opportunity I have had the chance to make another friend! Saturday, Justin and I had dinner with his parents and I ate a steak for the first time in months!!! It was so tender and yummy and it really didn't hurt my jaw too bad! I was so happy to be able to eat it!

I saw the new Harry Potter movie trailer for the first time today and it was great! I think this movie is going to be super good! It was my favorite book until I read the last one so I hope they do the book justice with this movie. I was somewhat disappointed with the last one, so this one better be twice as good to make up for it! I hate that I have to wait until November to see it though! The good thing is that college football starts in about 30 days, and once that gets going, the fall tends to fly by! I cannot wait for kickoff against Clemson - Roll Tide!!!

Like I said, not much to write about...it's amazing how little free time I have left since I have a job again!! Although I am NOT complaining! I love having lots of free time but I like having a job much more! Please continue to keep Geoffrey, Joe and Nikki all in your prayers. Don't forget that Geoffrey and Nikki have a Caring Bridge site set up if you want to read about their experience of leave an encouraging message! I hope everyone has a great week and an even better weekend!

For Geoffrey and Joe

Over the last week or so I have been hit with two very important prayer requests, and I would like to pass them along to anyone out there that will join me in prayer. The first is for Geoffrey Glaub. He is the 9 year old son of a former co-worker, and he was put into the hospital last week. He had been running a fever for about a month, and was finally sent to see an Infectious Diseases specialist at Children's Hospital. A CT scan showed a mass on his liver, so they took an open biopsy for a pathology test. The test came back today and he has been diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. He is still in the hospital trying to recover from his recent surgery. He will probably be starting the chemotherapy treatments next week. Please keep little Geoffrey, his family and his doctor's in your prayers. It's not often that we hear about a child being diagnosed with cancer. His family has set up a Caring Bridge site, and I encourage you all to please visit the site. Geoffrey is apparently loving all of the messages that people are sending him, and I know that he would love to hear from people who are praying for him. His website is http://caringbridge.org/visit/geoffreyglaub.

The second request is for a family friend named Joe Elkins. He went to high school with my mom, her sisters and her brother-in-law. My aunt and uncle have stayed best friends with him and his wife since high school, and they are currently down in Tallahassee to be with both of them. He was just diagnosed with lung cancer and congestive heart failure. Him and his wife, Paula, were in Florida for a vacation when he started hemorrhaging from his lungs and had to be rushed to the hospital. He was stable enough for the doctors to do surgery, but had to stop abruptly due to the amount of blood he was hemorrhaging. Please keep Joe, Paula and his doctors in your prayers as well.

It's so unfortunate to have so many friends and loved ones diagnosed with cancer. It seems the disease is everywhere we turn these days. You constantly hear on the news about studies that are showing all of the crazy things out there that can potentially cause cancer. I don't necessarily believe that there are certain foods or beverages out there that can cause cancer. I have known plenty of healthy people who have been diagnosed and it truly has nothing to do with what we consume - if that was the case, we would all starve to death because of all the things out there that they "claim" to cause cancer!! I don't think there is any rhyme or reason to this cancer thing, and I think that is one of the reasons why it is so hard to understand. All I know is that I am going to continue living my life the way I always have. If I get diagnosed with cancer somewhere along the line, then so be it. All this tells me is that for some reason, God planned for this to happen to me. And we can't spend our time questioning why...it absolutely gets us nowhere. All we can do is pray.

So Far, So Good

Well, two days into the job and so far, so good! The drive has been excellent and I've gone home for lunch both days (something I haven't done in a looong time!). I know it has only been two days but you can usually tell pretty quickly if you're gonna dislike the job, and I feel quite the opposite! I think it will be a job that I really enjoy, and I am excited about working in a small office with a small amount of people. I've always worked in a corporation so the atmosphere is completely different!

My wires came out Friday, and after I slept off the sedation, I was hurting and aching pretty bad. My gums are extremely sore and they just throb! I've been taking my pain medicine which just really throws me out of whack! I didn't sleep well the first night ~ I woke up wide awake at about 1am and read my book and watched TV, and by 6am I was up, showered and at Wal-Mart!! I've since cut back on my medicine and I've been sleeping much better!

I also want to give a quick update on Nikki ~ and it's good news!! She got a call from her nurse today and her tumor counts are DOWN!!! So hopefully this means that the new chemo is working! She has an appointment with her doc on Friday and hopefully the good news will continue to pour in!

Below I'm going to post a "before" pic from Friday ~ this is what I've been dealing with since the beginning of May! Then I've got a couple of random pictures to post as well. Hope everyone had a great weekend!



METAL, METAL, METAL!!!


My Mom and I


Justin and I at a Panic show!!

New Beginnings

Well, I am happy to say that my interview this morning went fantastic!! It actually went to so well that I got a call a few hours later with an offer!!! I am SOOOO excited about this job! It seems like it will be a great learning experience for me, as well as challenging at the same time. And what's even more amazing - I start on MONDAY!!! It's literally about four minutes from home so I am ecstatic about the drive (or lack thereof!)!! I can also work flexible hours so that I have every other Friday off!! The interview was pretty easy and I made an instant connection with both ladies interviewing me, and I think I will get along very well with both of them!! I am just so relieved...I feel like I can actually breathe again!! This just takes away so much stress, you just don't even know!!!

On top of getting a job offer today, I cannot stop thinking about tomorrow!! I mean, what a great way to start off my weekend!! A job offer, getting my wires out, recovering and then starting a new job!!! A fresh start....a new beginning. I could not be happier and I feel like I'm on top of the world right now!!

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers during my stressful time! Please continue to think about and pray for my friend Nikki. Have a great weekend!!

Interviews!!!

So as of this morning I have two interviews lined up! I'm really excited about them!!! I was hoping to have an offer on one of the other jobs by now, but, more interviews are a step in the right direction. Plus, the more interviews I go on, the better. I admit they are stressful, but the more practice I get at them, the better I will be. One interview is tomorrow morning, and the second is scheduled for Monday morning. I hope they both go well and I'll be sure to report back any news I get!!

Well, in about 41 hours (but really, I'm not counting or anything!), I will be at the doctor's office getting prepped and sedated for my wire removal!! I seriously cannot wait!! Of course, I will have that day off to recover, and I'm also taking Saturday off in case I'm still drowsy or in any pain. I can't remember how I felt the last time I went through this, I can only remember sleeping the sedation off the whole day. So, in a way it will be like a new experience!!

I also wanted to give a quick update on Nikki ~ she had her doctor's appointment last week and didn't really get great news. She said that since the higher dose of chemo wasn't very effective, there is no point in continuing with that particular chemo treatment. She started another one last Thursday, and I haven't gotten an update on how that one is going. Since she has never tried this chemo before, there is a 30-40% chance of it shrinking what she has, but the doctor does not think this will cure it. If this chemo doesn't work, the next step would more than likely be clinical trials. Amazingly, she still has this positive outlook on things, and can still find a way to see the good side, rather than the bad. It's amazing to me how she has stayed so positive throughout this whole process. She realizes that there are some people who have it worse off than she does, but at the same time she realizes how lucky and fortunate she is to have lived the life that she has. I'll share something that I haven't yet shared with her ~ when I was cleaning out that closet last week, I found an old scrap box that I have kept all of her old letters in from when she moved to Illinois. There were SO many of them!! There were even some notes that she gave me when we lived right next door to each other!! I took a while to read through some of them, but I couldn't quite make myself read them all because of how emotional I got. The ones that I did read brought back so many memories!! Some of the things that she wrote are so ironic to read now, knowing the situation she is in. Even then, she had this amazing outlook on life. I know that outlook is what is keeping her here, fighting this disease with everything ounce of her being. I hope and pray that she continues to fight like she has, and that she can continue to keep her positive outlook on life. Please pray for her as well, along with her family.

A Moment to Vent

I'm sorry that I'm going to take my frustrations out on my blog for anyone and everyone to read, but I have to get it out!!

I am truly amazed at just how badly I have misjudged someone. I mean, I have always thought I was a pretty good judge of character, but oh how I was wrong. Now Justin on the other hand, he can tell you what kind of person someone is after just meeting them. I thought that I had that ability as well. Today, I learned that I don't. It's amazing how someone's true colors come out during a crisis or when emotions are high. So here goes my venting....stop reading now if you don't want to hear my rant. There will be no mention of names or specific actions that occurred, as this is directed at one person who may or may not read this blog. If so, you know who you are.

For someone to call themselves a "true lady" and claim to be a classy woman, or a "real woman" - I beg to differ. You are sooooo wrong. A true lady and a classy woman does NOT do the things that you did. Granted, you might see those things as a payback of some sorts for something wrong that was done against you. But I have never before been thankful that original "event" happened, because I would have never known what kind of person you really are. Thankfully, things unfolded the way they did for a reason. Now I know who you are and realize how badly I misjudged your character. And just remember, WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND. I know you think what you did was funny, and you feel like you have proven a point. But all you have proven is what a sorry person you are. The things that happened two months ago really upset me. I was mad at what happened and I was completely on YOUR side. I did not agree with the actions that were taken (his actions, just to clarify) and the hurt that was placed upon you, and I hoped so badly that things would work out between you two. I hurt for you and I felt your pain. I truly wished I could take it all away and make things right again. I did not, however, see this coming.

You fooled me big time. You fooled myself and my family. I know that you don't see what you did as your fault. But I never thought that you would stoop so low and do the things that you did. I thought you were a bigger person than that. Now, I'm going to quote YOU for a bit. I'm a little unsure how someone "provoked your emotions"....I think really what you're trying to say is that you didn't realize that you had those emotions and those feelings, and the ability to be so mean and cruel. Maybe you should take a step back and look at yourself from the outside. You think you were "pushed to be someone you aren't proud of"? I don't think so.....I think you're someone you aren't proud of on your own. The problem is, it took this chain of events for you to see the kind of person you truly are. And you're not proud of it. Now, whose fault is that??? And oh yeah, so "you gave more than he'll ever know how to"? Really? And how is that? By not learning the concept of responsibility and managing your money? Didn't your car recently get repossessed? And I'm pretty sure this happened AFTER you were on your own. Again, whose fault is that? Hmm, let's see...what else? Oh okay, the "using and pushing" part? What exactly are you talking about? How were you "used and pushed"? I would love to hear your explanation on that!!! So...you "always come out on top" huh? Because of all the "love and support" you have? From who exactly? Your mother? I would find that hard to believe after the things that YOU told me about her. Your sisters? Didn't you always tell me that one of them you don't even get along with? So is it all of your faithful friends that you have? The ones that probably helped you do what you did? Some friends you have. These "friends" are the kind of people who help someone perform an act of cruelty and meanness for nothing more than having the feeling of triumph and excitement. And the best part?!?! From your own words - "you have dignity and class"!!!! I'm still laughing that you can actually believe that!!!! I mean, seriously, do you truly believe that? You truly believe that someone with dignity and class would do the things that you did yesterday? Seriously, you have a warped sense of self. You truly have a misconstrued image of yourself if you really think that you have dignity and class. And just because no "painting or hole patching" has to be done, that is NOT THE POINT. But really, why didn't you just go ahead and mess up the walls and put holes throughout the place? I'm actually kinda surprised that you didn't, with all the other stuff you did!! Ha, I guess you fooled me again didn't you? And nobody is "playing innocent" here except for you. He knows what he did and he has not tried to hide that from you. He knows he did a horrible thing. Trust me, I let him cry into my arms after he told you what he did. I saw the hurt and the guilt with my own eyes, and I felt his pain just like I felt yours. So nobody is trying to play innocent on his side. The fact that you can't see the wrong in what you did shows me that the only person that is playing innocent is YOU.

Again, I'm still confused on how exactly you were used? I would love an explanation on that one!!!! I think it's sick that you can actually tell someone that they "don't deserve an ounce of happiness in their life". Do you honestly believe that? What kind of person wishes that upon someone else? I would never wish you unhappiness. I don't agree with the things that you've done, but that doesn't mean that I hope you live a terrible life full of pain and unhappiness. What kind of sick person thinks that? My family has seen enough pain and unhappiness for you to ever even dream of having. You truly have NO idea what we've been through together. And for you to say that he doesn't deserve an ounce of happiness....it's just wrong.

Maybe one day you will look back at this and realize how childish and malicious you acted. Maybe you will see the pain and hurt that you also caused. Maybe you will actually regret what you did. I know he does. Or, he did, I should say. I don't really know how he feels anymore, since what you did showed a side of you that we would have never seen otherwise. He doesn't deserve you. He deserves sooooo much better. And you deserve someone that sees you for who you truly are. If they can accept that, and accept you for your true colors, not the lady of class and dignity that you claim to be, then good for them. I hope in all honesty, that you find someone that makes you happy. I hope that you can move past this time in your life, and learn from all the mistakes that were made on BOTH sides. I truly hope that you live a life full of happiness.....because EVERYONE deserves at least that.

Holiday Weekend

Well, I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend!! This is the first year that I can remember not doing anything to celebrate the 4th!! Kinda sad, huh? I had to work until about 6:30 that night and Justin was working out of town so I didn't really have anyone to enjoy it with! I know I could have gotten together with some friends, but honestly....I was exhausted!! I helped my mom pack and move stuff all day Thursday and I don't think my body had completely recovered from that! By 11:00, my happy butt was in my bed reading until I fell asleep!! Unfortunately, I had to work again yesterday and realized how horrible it is to have a manager that you really don't mesh well with. Every time I ask her a question she makes me feel like a complete idiot, and that I'm incapable of doing anything right. Plus, one of my tasks at hand yesterday was quite horrible and took almost an hour to do...I will spare you the details because trust me, you really don't want to know!!

I'm so glad that I had today off! Justin and I got up and went and ate breakfast, and a few hours later I was back in the bed asleep again! My body requires so much sleep that I promise you, I could never get enough!! We have a pot roast and potatoes in the crock pot that has been cooking all day and I'm really looking forward to a yummy dinner tonight!

In five days I will have a normal mouth again, with NO metal in it!! I am soooo excited, I wish I could put into words how excited I am! It will be interesting eating again without swallowing half the wax I keep in my mouth, and only taking three minutes to brush my teeth, rather than 10-15 minutes that it takes me now (removing and replacing rubberbands and wax...it's a long process!!).

Well, I hope you all had a great week and enjoyed your holiday weekend! Hopefully everyone was safe! I hope to hear some good news about a job this week so keep your fingers crossed! I promise I will post something if I hear anything!! As always, thanks for reading and I hope you all have a GREAT week!!

Another Week Has Begun

Mondays. I'll be honest...Monday has never been my favorite day of the week. Nothing is worse than waking up early after sleeping in all weekend, fighting the Monday morning traffic to work and then having the "case of the Mondays". But since I haven't been working these last few months, I don't so much mind Mondays anymore! It's so nice going to bed Sunday night knowing that I don't have to get up and fight off the "case of the Mondays" like I used to. Having said that, I would give anything at this point to have to wake up early and go to work on a Monday!!! It might take some adjusting and getting used to again, but I would gladly welcome the change.

My weekend was pretty uneventful....I worked Friday night, Saturday morning and then again on Sunday afternoon. I don't mind the job because it keeps me busy and gives me a little bit of money, and I really enjoy being out and interacting with people!! But I do miss knowing that I have at least two days out of the week where I can do whatever I want, and not have to worry about my work schedule. I'll be so glad to get back into the Monday through Friday, 8-5 routine!

I haven't heard from my recruiter since Friday, but I did get some promising news from him! The job that I am really hoping for has narrowed their decision down between me and one other person. So a 50/50 shot sounds pretty decent!! They wanted to take the weekend and possibly a few more days to think about it, but honestly, I was hoping they would have decided today, called with an offer and have me start working next Monday!! Wishful thinking, I know...but a girl can hope!!

I spent today cleaning out a closet. For some people, that may sound like a horrible way to spend a few hours, but not for me!! I'm totally in my element when I do things like that. I love to clean and organize things and I usually re-organize this particular closet every 6-9 months or so. I took three bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, went through a few scrap boxes (I have a LOT...I'm quite the sentimental pack-rat) and moved some things around so that there is much more room. You can actually walk in the closet now!!! Which is good considering it IS a walk-in closet!

A week from Friday (July 11) I get all of my metal and wiring out of my mouth from my jaw surgery, and I am sooooo excited! I cannot wait! I've gotten pretty used to it all being there, but I won't miss it when it's gone!! I'll try to post a before and after pic so you can kinda see what's been in my mouth for the past 2 months!!

Enough for now...I hope you all have a great week, and please continue to pray for my friend Nikki. Thanks for reading!!

For Those Who Pray...

I have a friend who now lives in Illinois, but grew up living next door to me. We became immediate friends when they moved from Kansas to the house beside us. The day we met, our moms were introducing themselves and we were being shy and hiding behind our moms. Naturally, a friendship was made. We became fast friends, riding bikes in the neighborhood, playing Barbies together, climbing on dirt and gravel piles, wondering through half-built houses in our fast-growing subdivision, hiking through the woods to what we all called "Death Valley", swimming in our pool (even when we weren't supposed to), picking on our little brothers and then deciding they were okay enough to play with....You know, all the typical things kids do when they're growing up. Not long after her family moved in, her dad passed away. Seeing as how my dad passed away when I was seven, I easily related to what she was going through, and have always hoped that in some way I was able to help her cope through the situation. A couple of years later, her family packed their belongings once more and headed North to Illinois where most of their family lived. It was extremely sad to lose my best friend and next door neighbor. The day they left, we took polaroids together...pictures that I still have and always will. Since she moved, we've seen each other once, but kept in touch in our younger days through many, many letters. The older we got, the more we lost touch. Somehow, she found my email address during college and our correspondence picked right back up. But unfortunately, we somehow managed to lose touch once again. Now in the days of modern technology (MySpace to be specific), she found me once again! I cannot tell you how happy I was, as I have thought about her and her family often over the years. We have since kept in touch with each other very well, but under somewhat different circumstances. You see, the email she wrote me "catching up" on her life over the last few years was not your typical email. She informed me that over the last year, she has been battling a rare form of cancer. Cancer. My 26 year old friend is battling cancer. Does that strike you as heartbreaking as it did me? Her rare type of cancer is called "non-gestational choriocarcinoma". It began in June 2007 as a blood clot in her left jugular led doctors to a tumor that had been growing in her chest, right above her heart. They also found some smaller tumors in her lungs. She has had numerous surgeries and chemo treatments since then, and is constantly in and out of the hospital. At the same time she has continued school, and has recently started planning her wedding for next year. Her last "chemo camp", as she calls it, was over the last few weeks, and she was able to go home over the weekend. She had a check up Tuesday with her doc, and received some extremely upsetting and disappointing news. Her tumor marker has actually gone up since it was last checked BEFORE she went into the hospital for her chemo treatment. They expected the number to be non-existent, so you can imagine how hard this news was to hear. She has another check-up next week that will tell her a little more, and hopefully she will get an explanation on what's going on. I cannot even begin to imagine how tough this journey has been for her. I don't think anyone really can unless you've been there before. I am asking for your prayers for Nikki. She has a beautiful life that needs to be lived, and that can still be accomplished. Please pray for Nikki to be strong and to think positive. You can imagine that she has moments where she gets down and discouraged...I honestly don't know how she's handled it so positively thus far. I can't say that I would have handled it the same way she has, although I like to hope and think that I would. Please pray for her doctors, her family and friends. She needs all the prayer we can give her. She has a blog that she updates us on, and I don't think that she would mind me posting her link on my blog. You can read more about her journey, and she loves getting words of encouragement! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time...I know that Nikki would appreciate them more than you could ever know.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nicholewilliams

Learning Life's Little Lessons

Today has been such a better day than yesterday was. I have been going through this depression phase due to not having a job, and it started to finally look up for me! I had an interview this morning that I think went really well!! I am really looking forward to hearing some feedback because if I were to get this position, I would be sooo happy! I really like the company and the position, and it would give me an opportunity for growth within the company, which is really important to me.

When I got home after the interview I got a phone call from one of my other recruiter's who had set me up on another interview tomorrow afternoon!! I have done some research on the company and it sounds really interesting. I am very excited to go interview and learn more about the position and the company.

I have learned some important things over the last 24 hours or so. I have learned that no matter how bad things get, no matter how low I feel, I should never question the existence of God and my faith in Him. Sometimes that is really hard to do when you've done nothing but prayed so hard for things, and then feeling like those prayers are never even heard. That is how I've been feeling lately, and it was a nice change yesterday to feel like some of those prayers had finally been heard, and better yet, answered. I know that God has His own way of doing things, and I should not question that. It's not my place to question Him and His reasonings. Ugh, but again, sometimes that is much easier said than done. But I am learning, and the best that I can do is to learn from my mistakes and move forward. So this is me.....learning and moving forward!

The Time Has Come!

I have been meaning to start this blog for some time now, but for some reason I just haven't gotten around to it. I have actually been blogging on my MySpace account for some time now, but I also wanted something else out there for everyone to see, not just MySpace members! So here it is.....FINALLY!

Life as I know it right now is not so good. Things have been pretty rough for me for the last couple of months, starting on March 31 when I had my last day at an amazing job that I loved. Unfortunately, the company was going through some major lay-offs, and as I was the newest one in my department, it was my job that was eliminated. Originally I thought that I could potentially come out better from all of it, but now I'm starting to wonder why in the world I ever thought such a thing!! April was a busy month...my best friend got married, I had a minor surgical procedure done, did some traveling with my husband and friends and also went to UA's A-Day game. Then the first of May rolled around and I had my 3rd major jaw surgery. I've had TMJ for well over 10 years now and hopefully after this surgery it will all be over!! I was wired shut for a few weeks and I still have some wiring and metal throughout my mouth, but that will all come out on July 11!! I am so excited!

So needless to say my job search was somewhat delayed. And now, it has just completely stalled. I have been feeling extremely down and depressed, and my lack of a job was beginning to create some financial trouble with my husband, Justin, and I. Things like that can really start to take a toll on your emotions, and trust me, mine were feeling it full force!!

But, today...things have started to look up. I met with a second recruiter on Friday and was so happy to hear from her today b/c she got me an interview set up tomorrow morning at 11:00. I am sooooo happy and extremely excited about the position and the company. I hope this is the turning point that I needed and the faintest of light at the end of this long tunnel. I am putting my complete trust in God at this point, and I hope He is leading me in the right direction. Prayers are always welcome :)

I will update soon, hopefully with some good news!!