Cardboard Testimonies

This is an awesome video!!! It is kind of long, but well worth watching!!!!

Where does the time go?

I know I have not posted in awhile and I really don't know what I have been doing???? Where does the time go???? Well, this is what I can remember that has happened since last post.

Hurricane Gustav:

Marcus and I were going to evacuate, then we were going to stay, then I decide to evacuate by myself (with my sister and her husband) because we had hotel rooms that we could not cancel. Marcus could not come because he had to work Tuesday morning. So, Zoe and I left for Round Rock at 5:30 am Monday morning (Zoe slept the entire time). This was the first trip with Zoe on a long distance car ride and hotel stay and I can say that she was really good. I have family in Round Rock so we went to their house when we got there and Zoe was able to play with their Labs, along with the many other types of dogs there. I think there were a total of 8 dogs and 1 cat at their house plus people (good thing they have a big house)!!!! Tuesday was Zoe's 3rd birthday (I know those of you that don't have animals or like animals think I am weird, but oh well) so we went to a nice dog park in the area and to Petsmart afterwards to get a treat. You also have to realize I don't have a child, so I guess that is why I do this with Zoe. Then back home Wednesday morning. I did get a souvenir to remember Gustav by on the way home....a huge crack in my windshield of my car!!!! I called for someone to fix it and the guy said that it was too bad to fix, so I guess I have to get use to it.

Canoe Trip:

This past Saturday I went on a canoe trip with Marcus's family. Here are some pictures from that trip. We had a great time!!!!Someone (I won't mention any names) forgot to pack our lunch and all we had was bread and Pringles...so we had chip sandwiches!!!! Take one piece of bread, pile on whatever flavor Pringles you want, then top it with another piece of bread...chip sandwich, very nutritious!
Now Ike:

Thankfully it is looking better for us, but I am never completely comfortable until it gets closer. I don't want to pack everything back up and leave. I would most likely be driving by myself again, which is not fun, because Marcus might stay and work at the hospital. If this does happen please pray that I get to feeling better because I am only going on 4 hours of sleep right now. I started getting sick last night and was not able to sleep. I am also working 9 hour days and I can't miss work, so hopefully I get better.

Infertility Update:

Because of all these Hurricanes and some other things going on, the surgery might get put off a little longer than we want, but we have to just keep moving in the direction God is leading us and have patience.

Linus is her hero!

I figured it was time to show off our quirky dog and her "security blanket"!!! We have bought her many different types of toys, but the blanket remains top on her list. She now has a total of three blankets, but the pink one is her favorite. She follows us around the house dragging this blanket behind her. Anytime she gets really excited she runs to find her blanket and will bring it to you to play with.

Step One: Moving Forward

We went and saw Dr. L on Monday, August 18th, and I can say that it was a good appointment. Since Dr. L is so "important" he has a group of doctors that he calls his fellows and we see a fellow first, then we get to talk to Dr. L. I think these fellows are doing a type of residency under Dr. L. I have learned the routine of these appointments since we have been so many times, so as soon as one of his fellows came in I made sure I ask all my questions (Dr. L is very quick and to the point when he comes in). I was able to get my questions asked and get some comforting words about the outcome of the surgery. The surgery will come sooner than we expected. We are planning on it happening within the next month if everything works out. This is the first of many important steps that we will have to take along this journey. It is kind of exciting, but also very scary that everything is starting to happen. We really need good results from this surgery to be able to move forward with the next step, so this is a very important step of our journey. When we find out when the surgery will be I will let you know. Until then please keep praying for our little miracle and our strength to endure this journey.

I know I have not given out any of the details of our specific situation, because they are very personal to us. I will probably never post details of the surgery or any other procedure that we will have. I started this blog because we need your prayers for comfort, strength, patience, acceptance, endurance and joy. We are truly blessed to have such great families and church friends that have helped us make it through each step of this journey, thanks for your many prayers!

"Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith." Unknown

Waiting is HARD

Update on the infertility side of things:
There are several doctor appointments that we have scheduled and are just waiting until the appointment day comes around. On Monday one of those long and anticipated appointments came around. We went and talked with a new doctor (I will call him Dr. B) in the Clearlake area and at this appointment we were able to get another doctor's point of view on where we stand and what we will have to do. I can say that I was hoping that we would be able to change to Dr. B for our main doctor, but that wasn't the case.

We both really liked him alot and respected his evaluations. It was kind of funny, as soon as he walks in he starts with Nederland jokes, which catches me off guard. Then he finds out that a Port Neches girl married a Nederland guy and even more jokes start. Dr. B was from Port Arthur!!! We went to him because we were strongly encouraged to at least go and talk with this "great" doctor that graduated med school from Harvard and did his residency at Duke, so he came with great credentials. He was very easy to talk to and ask questions, which I have found can be difficult when dealing with specialized "experts". The good news about this appointment was I was able to get some of my questions answered and have a clearer idea on some things that we have been told.

The bad news, because of our rare situation, there will have to be a very laborious and extensive surgery required for us to have a baby. Dr. B doesn't do this surgery and pretty much told us that he could try another surgery but he would just be taking our money from us because it wouldn't work. Wow, he has morals and was very honest with us. There are only a handful of doctors in the Nation that do this surgery. On the bright side, one of the doctors that we have been seeing for months does this surgery (I will call him Dr. L) and is the pioneer at this surgery. The other doctors in the nation that do this surgery were taught by Dr. L. So we are going to the best doctor in the nation for our specific situation!!! I am sure you can imagine how Dr. L acts though....he knows he is the best in the nation and can be very hard to talk to, ask questions and even get an appointment to see him. He is one of the reason why this journey has taken so long.

On next Monday we are going to talk with Dr. L again and get some test results back and more details to the surgery. I don't want to put Dr. L down in any way because I am in awe when I think about the medical advances that he has made in infertility. It is amazing what doctors know these days and I am thankful for this. There is always a possibility that this surgery will not help us in our journey and our next journey will begin with our journey to adopt, but I am not ready to give up hope just yet. I still believe that a miracle can happen.

I get daily devotional email every day and this was part of one of them: "On the surface of your grief, it feels like you're pleading with God, raising your voice in order to get his attention. But he's long been aware of your need. Before your heart has a chance to break, his has already gone out to you. Before your tears have begun their bitter journey, he has wept over you. Though you may not notice him, he's already there. Sitting right beside you. Giving you all you need." This helps me to focus on, God is in control, He knows my every need even before I know there is a need there and He is there comforting me along this journey.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Corinthians 4:17-18

All Clear

I don't have that much time to type everything that is going on in my life right now, so I figured I would let y'all know the results from the mole I had removed. It came back all clear!!!! I wasn't too worried, but there is always that small part of me that gets a little worried every time I have to have something removed. Just keeping you up to date on the small things and when I have more time I will update on the big things that are going on.