Gettin' Ready for H-town

We leave Monday to head to Houston. This is when they will begin to truly test to see if I am a candidate for surgery. Please begin to pray now for the trip. That the Lord will go before us and provide the docs with exceptional wisdom and humility. Also, that insurance will approve the visit. They were trying to deny the claim last week since I've already had this monitoring done three times. The catch is that 1.) there are better and completely different machines in Houston, and 2.) this is to seriously consider surgery (which the docs have not considered the last three times I was hospitalized in the Big D). However, since I'm still having up to five seizures a day, on medication, they feel this has to be the next option. I am supposed to be there from 4-5 days.

We think we are going to drive down on Monday night and stay in a hotel. Then, we check in to the hospital early Tuesday morning. B will probably just sleep at the hospital the entire time I'm there. I hate for him to have to do that, though. His back is still killing him and all they have is a chair that folds into a "bed." You can only imagine how comfortable that will be on his poor back. However, they say that they want you to have someone in the room with you at all times. I think it's a bit excessive since I'm home all day by myself and they will have video cameras on me constantly in the hospital.

I want B to be able to work during the day. So, I don't anticipate him being up there at all during the day. For those of you in H-town, come see me! I'll look quite funny with all of the EEG leeds. So, don't be too frightened when you walk in the room.

Also, if any of you know secrets to save on parking down there, spread the word! It seems like it is going to be super expensive. The max they will charge you per day is $10. However, if B gets there in the evening, spends the night, and leaves the next morning, that counts as two days. So, $20 to park overnight. Yikes!!! If he tries to come back and visit at any point during the day, that would be another chunk of change. Let us know your secrets on how to save on parking!!!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Again, they are:
*God would go before us on the trip
*Docs would have wisdom & humility
*Affordable parking
*Fruitful work time for B
*They will actually find the point of origin of the seizures (this is still a big mystery & a huge factor in whether or not surgery can be performed)
*Healing for B's back

Heaven has a New Angel!

Mrs. Mary Ellen Hall got to meet her Savior face to face today.


What joy she is experiencing!!



On the other hand, those of us here are grieving the loss of such a beautiful woman. Congressman Hall was able to hold her hand as she reached out to take her Savior's hand this morning. He and Mary Ellen were married for 64 years.

Mary Ellen Hall

Please be in prayer for Congressman Hall and his family as they grieve the loss of such a beautiful woman.

If the Hall's have touched your lives in any way, please show them your love and support, whether through a card, flowers, or your presence at the visitation or funeral.

Can we get an, "Amen?!" Praise the Lord!

We've been calling the Mayo Clinic each day to see if there are openings any sooner than November 3rd. You have all been petitioning the Lord on our behalf to get a sooner appt. He has answered YOUR prayers today! When I called this morning, they had an opening, much sooner, October 10th (they tell us to plan to stay 5-7 days)!! Thank you, Jesus! Praise YOU, Lord!!!

My cousin, George, has signed to play ball with Kansas State. They are playing in Aggieland on October 11th (the day after my appt.) and he is a starter. Our entire family has been so excited about this game and getting to see him play, especially on Kyle Field!! So, right now that is the downer. We are so proud of the man he's become and want to support him on such an awesome day!

I can keep calling Mayo to see if we can get the date changed even sooner! So, I'll keep annoying the sweet ladies there!! I hope I get to meet them while there! Thank you all for your prayers!! He has heard you!!!

FIVE Years

Wow! Has it really been five years? Today is our Fifth Anniversary!!

Many days, it is hard to believe it's been that long because we have had so much fun that it has flown!! There are other times that we look at all that has occurred in the last five years and are wowed that God could cram it all in to such a short amount of time!!

What can happen in five years?

• Get Married!!
• 
• Honeymoon in St. Lucia
• Move into OUR apartment
• Start a new job the week after returning from our honeymoon
• Start begging hubby to adopt
• College Roomie got married
• 
• Bought our first house
• 
• Amazed that I was blessed to marry such an amazing man
• Get diagnosed with Autoimmune Thyroid stuff
• Get a new puppy, Tucker
• 
• Get another new puppy, Hank
• 
• 
• Lost our first puppy, Tucker
• 
• Went to Graceland
• 
• Got pregnant
• Lost Baby Noah at nine weeks
• In awe of the man God has blessed me with...
• The Lord leading B to the pursuit of Dental School
• 
• Start praying for hubby's heart to change for adoption
• Sell First home
• Move to Dallas
• 
• Each of us start new jobs
• B goes back to school
• Fall deeper in love with hubby
• Hubby says, "yes, God has called us to adopt, but internationally."
• Begin the process of adopting our little Korean angel
• Find lots of mold in the house we were leasing; therefore, move to the next house
• Start running into walls, constantly dizzy, nauseated, etc.
• Placed on the waiting list for our little Korean angel
• Have I mentioned how much I love this man?
• Start seeing multiple physicians to get diagnosis
• Cut Hair for "Locks of Love"
• 
• 
• Say, "yes," to a waiting child in Korea
• 
• Another family said, "yes," faster
• Cancer diagnosis
• Get scared to death that I will lose this amazing man God has placed in my life
• Lots of prayer
• Move into current home
• 
• Chemo
• 
• Two friends came to know Jesus through B's blog
• Very pregnant friend does Leukemia Lymphoma Society Run in B's honor
• 
• The Lord healed B's cancer
• 
• How could I not be crazy in love with this man?
• See more docs still trying to figure out my episodes of dizziness, nausea, etc.
• Go on Short Term Disability (having up to 25 episodes per day)
• See more docs
• Manager diagnoses me with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
• Husband continues to wow me with his love and support
• He's still Cancer FREE!! Thank you, Jesus!!
• Aggie friend leaves to serve in Iraq
• 
• Granny takes her Savior's hand as B and I held her hand and sang to her
• 
• Went to Indy 500 for B's Dad's 60th
• 
• See more docs
• Tell adoption agency about B's cancer
• Have to wait five years from last cancer treatment to get back on Korean waiting list
• B starts new job with Northwestern
• 
• B wins Rookie of the Year Award
• 
• Get new puppy, Rudder
• 
• Go to Aggieland-this is the spot where he proposed
• 
• He's still cancer FREE!!
• I'm crazy in love with this man!
• Go to New York to celebrate 4th Anniversary
• 
• Go on Disability again (still having around 25 episodes each day)
• Enter a National study for POTS
• 
• Symptoms get worse
• Get out of National study
• Got to see snow in Canada
• 
• He is such an amazing husband!
• Rushed into ER from Primary Care doc's office
• Diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus
• Home from the hospital for a week
• Rushed back in to hospital (having "episodes" every 15 minutes)
• Diagnosed with temporal lobe seizures
• 
• No more driving until seizure free for six months
• Friend arrives home safely from Iraq to a grateful community, wife, & daughter!
• 
  • 
• B's brother survives a full code after surgery and is still with us today
• 
• Placed in hospital three more times trying to stop seizures, to no avail
• Losing so much hair, I just cut it off
• 
• Went to Houston to see Epilepsy specialist-got to spend time with our precious friends
• 
• Doc says I must have part of my brain removed to get rid of seizures
• Went to Milwaukee for B's Annual Meeting
• 
• Got to see Reba in concert while there
• 
• 
• Rockwall hosts Tx Young Republican Convention
• 
• 
• Get appt. with Mayo clinic
• Truly see what the Lord means that "two become one."
• 
• Celebrate five years of marriage to a man only God could have designed so perfectly for me!! Wow!!
• 
• Finally, though it seems these last five years have been crazy, with many ups and downs, I believe we have truly come to understand what it means to, "have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish 'til death do us part!!"

I can't wait to spend the next 92 years with you!!
I Love You, B, my Prince!!