Wonderful & Wordy Wednesday

Wednesdays have never been my favorite day ~ I guess that's why it's so lovingly called Hump Day...so close to Friday and yet so very far away =( But today was a pretty good Wednesday as far as Wednesdays go!

Miss Annie was happy to see her rehab family today and got the wonderful news that she is going to be making her television debut on Monday morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am such a proud Mommy! Great Day Houston is going to be interviewing Canine Health Institute and our very own Miss Annie is going to be a success story =) Can't think of a better success story myself ~ she's our very own little miracle pup! AND, I know...GET EXCITED...THERE'S MORE...she is doing SO WELL that she is getting to cut her rehab sessions down to only twice a week instead of three!!! In the words of a good ole Texas Aggie ~ WHOOOOOOOP!

We took a family walk tonight...ok, so only down the block to get the mail, but the pups were excited! George was thrilled to get out and take a walk with Mommy and Daddy (and Sissy I suppose)! I made chicken and spaghetti, which is the pups very favorite, since they get boiled chicken EVERY TIME I make it! I just can't resist those cute puppy dog faces =)

Probably my favorite part of Wednesdays is So You Think You Can Dance ~ I don't like Thursday's show because it's always sad =( We loved tonight's show and especially loved Brandon and Kayla's performances! It's so hard to pick favorites now because they are all such fabulous dancers! I just want to squeeze Evan he's so cute and fun! He has one of the best personalities of all the dancers and makes me smile every time he performs. I am SO NOT looking forward to tomorrow night when two more have to go home =( Just in case you missed it and even if you didn't (because they are worth rewatching), we, well more I =), decided to post a couple of our favorites for you to enjoy!

Well, I suppose that is enough random musings for tonight! Enjoy the videos!

A Saltimbanco Saturday :)

Let me just start with this..."If you haven't yet seen a Cirque du Soleil show, PLEASE GO!!!" Our very first Cirque experience was this past Valentine's Day. The four of us* went to see "O" while we were in Vegas and it was SOOOOOO amazing! We vowed if we were ever given a chance to see another show, we were going, no questions asked!

So, when Saltimbanco came to Houston, we bought tickets immediately. Now, I have to say, Saltimbanco was much different than "O" and we were I think all expecting something a little different! This is not to discredit the amazing acts and talented performers, we were just a bit surprised at how different the two shows were. Anyway, to describe a Cirque show would require words that I do not know :) It is truly something you have to see to believe! Hence, the big PLEASE GO!!! above :)

I have to say that of the entire show, my favorite parts were the pole climbers and the trapeze acts ~ the amount of trust that those people have with one another is from some other world! On a number of occasions, you would think the audible gasps from the crowd would have sucked all the air from the Toyota Center! Obviously it didn't since I'm still breathing :) but you get the point!

Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside, though for the artists safety, I COMPLETELY understand! Here are a couple from before we went in! We had a great time and can't wait for our next Cirque show :) If Jaime and I could ever get the boys to take us to NYC, I bet we could see a great one :) Hint, hint Kevin and James!!!

*For all future posts, when I say the four of us, just know I am referring to James and Jaime! The four of us are a pack all our own ~ the greatest best friends ever and a part of our family forevermore!

Fireproof ~ Part 2

Just got back from the Christian Bookstore with The Love Dare :) As if I wasn't already excited about the book, it was on sale AND I got the Casting Crowns cd for $5.00! Go me!!!

Here is a link to one of my very favorite Casting Crowns, which just so happens to be on this cd :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Yw6KqJ34Q

Fireproof

As you already know from previous posts, we had a fun-filled lake weekend recently. What I didn't mention is that of all the things I successfully packed, I FORGOT MY BOOKS!!!!!!! Thankfully while we were out gathering a few necessities on Thursday evening, Jaime mentioned books and we realized I had nothing to read while relaxing on the lake! Obviously this just WAS NOT an option so we made a trip to good old faithful Wally World. Whoosh ~ crisis averted!

Well, I picked up two books (just in case) :) "Take Two", by Karen Kingsbury, whom Jaime and I have fallen in love with ~ her characters are so wonderful and as corny as this is, you start to love them as if they are real! Proof she is a fantastic author. *If you are interested in her books, there are several series leading up to the Above the Line series, which contains "Take Two". This may seem like a strange disclaimer, but Jaime and I sort of went backwards because we didn't research all of her series ahead of time ~ oops :)*

The second book was "Fireproof", which is also a movie. James and Jaime have seen the movie, as have many other people I know, and while I have heard the acting is subpar, I've also been told the message is well worth it. We still haven't watched the movie, but it is without a doubt on the list for this weekend!

I started reading "Fireproof" on Tuesday evening and finished it last night. I'm not even sure how to put into words the truth behind this book. Whether your marriage is great, good, bad or indifferent, the things you could learn from this book are endless. I don't want to give away too much of the storyline for those of you who may not have read/watched it yet, but the bottom line is that marriages are hard and require work every single day, even more so when you don't feel like it matters.

How often do we forget the little things for our spouses or pass blame for being annoyed? Kevin and I have just passed the four-year mark and despite the good and bad times, I love him desperately and know that God made us for each other even before we were born ~ it's a pretty amazing thought if you sit and ponder than for a second... So after I finished the book last night, I wondered if "The Love Dare" is a real book or was it just made up for the storyline. I researched that question this morning and will be making a trip to Lifeway today to pick up "The Love Dare"!

I am super excited about reading the daily challenge of how to make your spouse feel more special and more loved ~ cause it truly is the little things that matter! I can't wait to see how our marriage changes in the next 40 days :)

http://www.blogger.com/www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/26851243#26851243

Bunches of Birthdays!

Am I the only one who seems to have birthdays (and a couple of anniversaries) all fall into one month??? I was thinking about this today as I sent out birthday cards (a little belated but we shall ignore that part) :)

So just for the sake of getting it all out there...here we go!

Happy Birthday to...Mimi, Papa, Daddy, Aiden, Chris, Brooke and Vicki!

Happy Anniversary to...Amy & Kelton and Us!

Ok well, that about does it as far as I know and if I forgot anyone, just blame it on the fact that I'm getting older and losing my mind! Ok at 26 that might be pushing it, but either way, if I forgot you, I'm very, very sorry!

Also, just to get it out of the way for August...

Happy Birthday to...James, Logan, Leslie, Amy and Alice!

See what I mean??? What is so important about the months of October and November that would generate so many birthdays??????? BTW, that was rhetorical so I don't really want anyone to answer that (if by some chance you do know) :)

Lovin' the Lake!

We are back from our weekend on the lake :( Note the sad face ~ I could stay on the lake forever! So relaxing :) I am bruised, sunburned and have raw elbows, but the weekend was so much fun, I'll take it (well, I would rather not have the EXTREMELY painful elbows but I'll settle)!

Friday we rented a pontoon boat and went tubing ~ my very first tubing experience! While none of us were sure this was going to be up my ally, I loved it! The only downfall, the bruises and raw elbows mentioned above! After a long day of tubing and riding around, we took all 4 dogs on their first boat ride!!! 3 Dachshunds and 1 Pomeranian ~ I'm sure we were a sight to see! All in all, the dogs seemed to love it ~ George especially ~ his fur was definitely blowing in the wind :)

Saturday afternoon we rented a ski boat and TRIED to waterski ~ TRIED being the key word! Certainly must be an art to that activity, one none of us have yet developed :) We had fun trying though! Next time we will have to take an experienced skier to give us a little more instruction...one that hopefully includes actually getting up on the skis!

It was such a fun and relaxing weekend, nothing quite like relaxing on the lake and forgetting all your worries! Water, boats, great food, board games, 4 wonderful dogs and the best friends in the world :) What more could one ask for! Can't wait to do it again :)

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!!

Please Pray for Rain ~ Wildfire Burning!

There is currently a wildfire burning in my hometown. Jasper and Newton county fire departments, along with Texas Forest Service are fighting to save acres and homes. Please pray for the safety of the firefighters, peace for the residents, and rain for all involved!

Below are a few pictures taken earlier this afternoon by Mike Lout.

One of THOSE Days...

Ok, so today was one of THOSE days...

Don't you ever wish you could just go to back to bed and start over?! That was me today... I woke up later than I should have ~ stupid snooze button ~ and was rushing to get Annie to rehab. Of course, I was lazy last night and didn't want to stop for gas...paid for that one this morning! Annie cried when I dropped her off and while she is a dog, it is still heartbreaking for me as her Mommy. Work was work ~ a little confused by the 199 deduction ~ for those of you who are not tax geeks, just know it was confusing ;) The boat we had reserved for our lake trip this weekend was trashed out by the last renters and we are now struggling to find a replacement last minute. Since Kevin is still out of town, I was on drop-off and pick-up duty. The rehab report today was less than stellar (did I just use that word??). Her rehab family reported that Annie wasn't trying as hard today and seemed very depressed...though I did receive an abundance of kisses when I came to pick her up. We get home, she and George eat, and no sooner have I moved her from the kitchen to the couch than she throws every last morsel back up :( Poor Jaime was on the phone while all this was going on! So after the massive clean-up, I decide we will go sit in bed with the hopes that Annie will just rest and thus, feel better soon! So of course, now she wants to play ~ why oh why??? And then...the SCARY part...she screams for no apparent reason! Of course, with her history, I go into panic mode and call Jaime who sensibly tells me to take her over to our beloved Eva! Eva is one of Annie's rehab specialists and thankfully lives a block away! Thank you Lord!!! Eva assesses Annie for at least 45 minutes and makes a call to Dr. Brode to verify whether this is an ER trip or not. Luckily, we decide that Annie is going to be ok for now and maybe is just regaining sensation :) or having serious tummy ache issues :( So we are now back at home ~ George is being a great big brother and sleeping in bed with Sissy! He was very excited to see her, which is not all that common as of late :) Jealousy and sibling rivalry ~ not just for human children!

Annie is in for another rehab day tomorrow, potentially with the addition of x-rays and an MRI just to double check everything back related. Kevin should be here in approximately 2 1/2 hours and tomorrow is our 4 year wedding anniversary, so there are a few silver linings to this insane day!

So now all that being said about this being one of THOSE days, I will remind myself of Psalm 118:24 ~ "This is the day that the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be GLAD in it." Hard today to rejoice and not cry, which I already have on several occasions, but I will try! Plus, all things considered, it could be worse! So I will REJOICE to the best of my ability!

The Much Anticipated Videos are Here!

It's here!!! The walking video is finally here! I was so excited when Kevin called Monday evening after picking Annie up from rehab and told me they were able to put the videos on a cd ~ absolute proof that prayer works and that God is still in the miracle making business :)

Approximately nine weeks ago, on April 25th to be exact, our miniature dachshund Annie suffered a ruptured disc. The technical term for her injury is canine intervertebral disc disease. Due to their genetic makeup and elongated spines, dachshunds are extremely susceptible to this disease and have a 10-12 times higher rate of occurrence than any other breed. Approximately, 85% of dogs with IVDD are between 3 and 8 years of age (Annie will be 4 in September).

Of course, when we brought Annie into our family, these facts were not something that we thought of ~ it truly never entered into our realm of thought. She was so precious with those sad brown eyes she has mastered to perfection, that there was no way we weren't going to take her home with us. Even now, with all that has happened, we would never, ever change a thing! She is our sweet baby girl and has more love to give than you can possibly imagine!

So on that dreadful day, which I will never forget as long as I live, Jaime and I rushed Annie to the emergency vet clinic in Katy ~ hoping for the best but fully knowing from the screams coming from my baby that this was indeed very, very bad. James and Kevin met us there as they were out running errands. Annie was given a high dose of pain meds and off we went to College Station for emergency surgery. I have to commend Kevin for making EXCELLENT time! The Lord paved the way for us and with flashers going, we made it in record time!

Without too many boring details, Annie came out of surgery around midnight with a 50% change of ever walking again. Annie stayed two full weeks at Texas A&M and was spoiled beyond belief by her wonderful resident, Jennifer. Unfortunately, upon her being released by the neurosurgeon, Annie was still completely paralyzed in her back end and thus, the odds of improvement after such a period of time, were very, very slim. We were all prepared to go back in four weeks and have her fitted for a cart to help her have some mobility.

Here is the good part...GOD HAD OTHER PLANS! I was blessed to find the most amazing rehab clinic, Canine Health Institute, for Annie and she is currently going 3 days a week. At first we were only doing e-stem therapy, but have now graduated to acupuncture and hydrotherapy which you are about to witness with your very own eyes!

To those who have been praying and still are praying, for our baby girl, I can never ever thank you enough! Here is proof that the time spent on your knees was heard by our Mighty God! Please continue to keep Annie in your prayers! We love and appreciate each and every one of you!!!

The Beginning of our Rehab Journey!

First Day of Rehab - May 11th

Graduation to the Underwater Treadmill!

Hydrotherapy - June 26th

Walking on Dry Land! Go Miss Annie Go!

Walking - July 6th

Happy July 4th!

Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th! Kevin and I drove back to our hometowns early Saturday morning, well Kevin drove ~ the pups and I slept :) but that's a technicality! It was a certainly a short trip but long overdue and tons of fun! Enjoy the pics :)

Blogging...

Hmmm, so many of you will likely find this funny, especially those of you who created your blogs with such ease!!! Silly me, I sort of thought this would be a click, find cute background, and poof - blog created :) Little did I know, I would be terrible at this! So for the mean time, please ignore my "under construction" blog. I promise to keep trying!