Saturday, September 22, 2007

A nice cool day...



Today was beautiful day for flying...today the Lord blessed us with a cool day. The average temperature would range from 110 F to 120 F from 10:00 AM to about 4:00 PM. However this past week it has been nice and it has only been around 100 F to 110. I know this might be funny to you and you might think that I am talking madness but please understand that 10 degrees DOES make a difference. I praise God that I can give him the glory even though it is hot. His grace does abound...by the way, I looked at the temperature for LA and it said it was 62 F...i think i would be freezing!!! I hope that your weather there is not as bad as mine. Take care and as we are always told, "Drink water!"

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Update

Baby Andrew is doing well he was discharged home last week with parents Paul and Shannon.

I'm awake @ 3:49 pm which is my 3:49 am when I work but I can't sleep...uuuuuugh!!!

On a brighter note though my studly little muffin man should be home in about 43 days not that I'm counting or anything. Gosh I just can't wait to get a hug...

When was last time you went 7 months without a hug from your love? Trust me this feels like forever. He sounds ready to come home, I spoke with him a few days ago and he is just as ready for a hug as I am.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

It was a day for laughing and for crying...

Crying...

Today I heard news of a good friend from work that made tears swell up in my eyes. The news was of a co-worker Shannon who recently left on maternity leave to deliver she and her husband's first born, a son they would name Andrew. I remember she liked the name because people could call him Drew or Andy or Andrew (I vividly remember this conversation all of two weeks ago). Well, she was a week overdue so they decided to induce. Bring on the Pitocin... right Ruby... the delivery process was going smoothly until she got to the point where she was trying to push the babies head out he turned and his head became stuck. They tried vaccumm extraction and then moved on to metal forceps. When the forceps alone did not work they tried forceps with nurses physically on top of her pushing on her abdomen tring to get the baby out.
Three deep cuts to Shannon and three hematomas with blood coming out of Andrews head later the baby was delivered. 8lbs 3oz 21 3/4" long. The baby coded on delivery was taken immediately to the NICU. Intubated and on a respirator. The prognosis was poor but the next 24 hrs would be critical.
Currently the baby is doing much better. He's extubated now. Breathing on his own (lungs are the last system to develop in utero). Peeing which means his kidneys are functioning. The baby is even drinking from a bottle. However the baby is showing signs of brain damage on the EEG. The plan is to wait and see if when the hematomas and the swelling go down if the intracranial pressure resolves. Lord willing at that point brain wave activity will stabilize and Andrew will be okay. Shannon has asked for everyone to be in prayer for her baby so I thought I would share the new with her family members in Christ who read this blog.
The whole situation made me think and be thankful for all of my friends who are new mothers and for the gift of life to their children. Praise God from whom these little blessings flow. I stopped where I was in the middle of the chaos of the nursing station and prayed for Sabrina Hannah Barrett today. Life is a precious gift granted only by God's grace.

Laughing...
I don't think anyone would call Ele's and my relationship the normal way to go about things. Fall in love, get engaged, plan a wedding, word of deployment, postpone wedding, get deployed, replan wedding, await arrival home with much anticipation. I have to just laugh sometimes. We're doing everything with such inginuity. I love that my husband-to-be wants to be as helpful as possible even from Iraq after long 12 hour days at least five or six days a week. I am thankful that God has grown us closer together through this time in our relationship. It would be easy to grow apart through this time of separation but were learning to lean upon one another more than ever before.
Our current project is our wedding registry. I went this past Saturday with mom to register and then e-mailed Ele a list of honeydoos to look at on things I was unsure of and wanted his opinion on. Things as simple as a shower curtain. It would be nice to have his opinion. I don't want to pick out anything too feminine, my man is a manly man, but I want it to have style. Knives, I know nothing about them but Ele who loves to cook is so particular about them. A knife set was definately on Ele's honeydo list.
My birthday was a week ago my sweetman tried for two hours after to work to call but the phone lines were down. I received an e-card the next day explaining the situation and few e-hugs and e-kisses to go with it. Heard from him a few days later when he had access to a phone. I cherish our phone calls. One week and two days later after being lost in the mail my birthday present arrived. An outfit picked out by my sweetie from White House/Black Market a dress complete with earings and a clutch. I'll have to post pictures. I never knew an outfit, a package, a phone call or even an e-mail could mean so much. I praise God for this trial.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

So bring your cameras!

These are pictures of our wedding site. Heather and I enjoyed the beautiful, calming and intimate ambiance that Rancho Capistrano offers. The Lord displays the glory of his splendor quite well here. You cannot help but be swept away by his creativity, his grace, and his majesty. Pictures captures the essence of the scene as best as it could with the purpose of giving one the opportunity to share in the joy of what the beholder sees. With the help of these pictures, I humbly do the same. Though I am not the originator of these pictures, please, enjoy the pictures. I hope that this gives you a slight glimpse of what Heather and I was able to see. So please, bring you cameras. Enjoy what December 15th can entail for all of us. Celebrate the goodness of God by creating many memories, reminding us all of tGod's grace through scenery, family, and friends. However, of all the pictures you will take, I must admit and be honest. The best and most beautiful picture you will take will be of my darling bride to be...if you do not believe me, try it when the day comes. I am convinced that once you see the pictures, you will be in awe of the beauty that God has instilled in his creation, my soon to be wife, Heather.

This is the sign to the entrance...

This is the front of the church where the ceremnoy will take place...

This is the fountain in the spanish courtyard where the reception will be held...

This is the gazebo extending out to the middle of the lake...this would be a nice location for the wedding ceremony but it is quite small. One would definitely have trouble fitting 200 people...

This is a view of the trail that leads up to the spanish courtyard...

So, are you bringing your camera? I hope so, Heather and I will!