Daily Thoughts

MOVED

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Hey! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I just wanted to bring to your attention that I have moved my blog to angelaromack.blogspot.com. I changed locations for a few reasons:

1) Justin kept bugging me about it.

2) My name has been Angela Romack for almost 1 1/2 years.

3) Because I can.

I understand that you might be disappointed that I have not posted anything in 4 months. Fear not, I have returned...so go check out my blog! I'll be posting more regularly.

So...we're cool right?

What's Up

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Yes I know that my blog has been lacking for a while. Now that the Fall semester has started I hope to get on top of things and post more regularly. At least school will force me not to ignore the computer once I get home. :)

For now I will give you an update with the going-ons of my life...

~As you know, Justin and I went to Austin not too long ago for our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary. We had a blast! There is so much to do there and we couldn't even do everything we wanted. Don't worry, I will do a couple posts on the trip soon. I don't care if it is "old news".

~In the last couple of months I have made some MAJOR decisions regarding my education. I am transferring from SFA to Thomas Edison State College. This seemed like the best decision in order for me to complete my degree in a timely manner. I will give you more details in the next week or so...just please pray for me as I make this big transition.

~This last week has been full of moving furniture, dusting, and other home repairs. We are trying to make the place more "home-y" since we are staying here for a while longer.

~I've been sick lately. I originally thought it was from the above dust--and dog fur! Nope. I just have a virus or something. I am feeling better now, but I think Justin might be getting it.

~This Friday Justin and I will be going to Dallas for his much delayed eye appointment. We are also going to see his PawPaw to get our teeth cleaned. (did I mention I'm scared of going to the dentist?!)

You should now be mostly updated. I'll be posting again soon...

The Dreaded Task

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Is it just me or does this title sound like a chapter out of an adventure novel? "The Dreaded Task." If your answer is "yes", then good! Adventure novels always have the most dramatic titles to further illustrate how important the topic is AND the topic I will be typing about is very important.

Now you smarties out there might notice that I have a picture of groceries in the upper left hand corner of this post. You might think that you have me all figured out. That my "dreaded task" is grocery shopping. Aha! You do not have me all figured out so now you are forced to read on.

So I don't have a problem with grocery shopping. In fact, if given a list I LOVE to grocery shop! The cart traffic and screaming children really don't bother me. The free samples are a plus. And I don't mind going around in circles just to find one.stupid.tub.of.ricotta cheese!

Cooking isn't too big of a deal to me either. Although I admit that I usually avoid cooking for people other than my husband at all costs, I will cook for you if you give me constructive criticism only. Wait. Scratch that. I don't think I can handle any kind of criticism in that area yet. Let's just say that I will cook for you if you are willing to eat.

The only chore I dread more than dusting and fixing the sofa's slipcover is MEAL PLANNING. I want to be so organized and have things planned so well that I don't waste a freezer full of food. And to me, that is the hardest thing ever. I'm not creative enough to come up with fresh, new ideas for meals. I'm not disciplined enough to stick with the plans and use the ingredients. And I'm not talented enough to create my own meals off of the hodgepodge of ingredients and leftovers I have after going off the meal plan.

Today is grocery shopping day. Which means I should already have a grocery list planned out. And I don't. Because I hate it. Too bad we have to eat at some point.

Is there a specific chore that you dread the most?

Got any tips for meal planning?

Do you like to eat?

Bookworm

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:50:00 +0000

I remember the moment everything seemed to "click" when I first started reading. I would read every single sign to my mom when we drove down Timberland Drive. I'm sure it was annoying. Especially when I exclaimed, "Mom! That food place is Whatta-Burger not Water-Burger!" I read everything aloud. Once my older cousin, Justina, said, "Would you read in your head for once!"

My parents had a lot of books for us kids to read. And I really am greatful to them for that. I've always wanted to do the same for my children. When I was in middle school I started collecting children's books so that I could one day give them to my kids. Every time there was a Book Fair I'd buy one children's book.

Here are some of my childhood books. I don't have them, but I plan to one day!

[It's Not Easy Being A Bunny-Part of the PJ Funny Bunny Series]

[Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss]

[The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room]

[There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss]

And let me tell you--nothing beats a good children's book! The gorgeous pictures, funny characters, and lessons taught are priceless. I read my fair share of "adult books", but I still enjoy reading short stories.

So I love to read. That is one reason why I've chosen to teach general education. I think it would be very rewarding to witness that turning point for a child. They come into your class not knowing how to read and leave reading all the posters and things on your walls. I know it may not be just like that. One can dream though! No matter what grade I get, I do hope to show them that reading is fun.

Take a walk down memory lane with me...

What was your favorite children's book?

My Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:54:00 +0000

I have always enjoyed the "My Friday" posts over on the Todd Blog. How else can a girl find out what The Wrights are up to? Call? Email? Visit? Surely not...

Once a week you are guaranteed to find a post that's not about music, chicken sandwiches, or cool movies. And I like it! Some might find it stalker-ish, but I like to read about what people are up to. How was your day like? I don't want crazy details or anything...but there is something to say about how a person spends their free time. Anyway, that is why I like "My Friday" AND that is why I have decided to take Todd up on the My Friday Movement. That and I was put on the spot when Justin was talking to him on the phone.

Let me preface this by saying that my Fridays aren't full of free time. Friday is actually the busiest day in the radiology department. Therefore, I usually get home later than 5pm with not much time to have a whole list of cool things accomplished like sitting on my porcelain throne, a trip to the zoo, or a long drive back to Lufkin. So this shall be short and choppy...

I woke up later than I wanted to today. 8:50am to be exact. I showered, got dressed, took the dogs out, and sped off to work around 10:20am. (making sure to kiss my husband before I left...I think)

Work was slower than usual today, but still busy with PetCTs and all. I basically sat around listening to opera music, answered phone calls, listened to a lot of complaining, filled out paperwork, and surfed the internet all day. Oh, I had creamy chicken noodle soup for lunch and I have never noticed how disgusting it looks when it falls out of the can. Gross.

I got home around 5:30pm to a husband and two dogs that needed to go "busy". Wait, that sounds all wrong...Justin didn't need to go "busy", just the dogs. So we took them out, fed them, and planned our trip to Wal-Mart. At this point I was not in a good mood at all. I do.not.like. Wal-Mart after a long day of opera music. We bought big blinds to replace the ones on the patio door and a shower curtain liner. Big spendas!

After that we went to Taco Bueno. That is Justin's compromise with me. Because I love me some Taco Bell, but for some reason he disagrees with me.

We came home and ate our Bueno. We tidied the house up a bit. Then I freaked out because Mandi was playing with a baby lizard. I DO NOT LIKE LIZARDS! She killed it after ripping its' tail off. (which was still wiggling)

Drill Bit Taylor was the movie of the night! I liked it. I really wanted to see a drama tonight, but we were limited to Red Box picks only. :( The movie was slow at times...but I love watching any movie so it was fun!

And that was MY Friday!

TGIF. And now go watch some Boy Meets World for me!

The Tale of the Tail Light

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:56:00 +0000

It all began a couple of years ago with a dumpster. I backed into it. Yes, it was a careless, turned wreckless, and finally hopeless event. Oh yeah, it was in broad daylight and I wasn't intoxicated. The driver's tail light was smashed! And so I patched it up the way my momma taught me--red tape.

Inspection time came and I went to the most reliable and yet not-so-thorough place in Lufkin to get the job done. It passed! And the next year it passed again!

This year was different though. It did not pass. And it has gone unfixed.

Until I got a ticket. Justin decided to then promptly order a brand new tail light. We waited and waited and waited. We also found out that DHL no longer delivers to this area. In fact, it was shipped from Illinois, to Waco, TX to San Antonio, TX to Ohio to Dallas, TX....and TODAY WE GOT IT!

[Justin fixed it up]

[Yes, after a hot 30 minutes, we had conquered the tail light]

It all began with and dumpster...and today it ended with one!! And now to get that side mirror fixed.....

August 8th Or Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:29:00 +0000

Just 13 more days until our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary! I am so excited and can't even begin to explain all that I have learned this past year. Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events (did anyone like that movie?) I will be working all-stinkin'-day on the 4th. My co-worker scheduled to be off that day not long after our wedding. I will now give you a moment to boo and hiss at the fact that I will be working on a very important day to be off...

But that is not why I am typing this post. Well, it kind of is, but not really. Justin recently received a phone call announcing that he needs to be in Austin for a technology evaluation the Friday after our anniversary. Therefore we are now celebrating on the weekend after our anniversary in Austin, TX!!!

I have NEVER been to Austin--never, ever. So I am very excited that we get to go on a non-doctor, non-gig related trip to the state capitol. Although technically it is still a trip we have to make because of the technology evaluation, but that will only take up a small amount of time and the rest is ours to spend however we want! NOW, I'm getting to the point of this post...

Kalena, a friend of ours, had a great blog series on Austin in which she talked about some cool spots they visited and why they liked them.

I need your help too. I have researched like crazy. Now answer me this...

Have you been to Austin?

If we had to see one thing while in Austin, what would you recommend?

Any other interesting or out of the ordinary spots we should visit?

Do you know where to get some good eats?

I Must Be...Bored-Out-Of-My-Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:44:00 +0000

6 Random Things About Me...

one. I am horrible at remembering lyrics. Instead, I make up my own.

two. Once I went to the WRONG family reunion. Yeah, a family reunion with total strangers. And while there, my "cousin" tried the following pick-up line on me: "Hey, do you wanna go walk in the graveyard?"

three. I.LOVE.TOMATOES. Spaghetti sauce. Pizza Sauce. Salsa. But I don't like tomato soup.

four. I hate wearing socks when I don't have to. I like for my feet to breathe.

five. I do not like to write, but I think I'm good at it.

six. Movies are a BIG DEAL to me. I don't like to miss previews. I hate pausing and stopping in the middle. And my favorite part of a movie is the very beginning when they show the production company in that far out, movie-like, now-is-the-beginning sort of way.

And because I care for my readers...a little bonus:

seven. Below is my favorite commercial of all time!

Welcome to Hadley

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Today I received everything I needed to begin my Introduction to Braille class. And I just turned in my first assignment!

I am enrolled at Hadley School for the Blind. They offer a lot of programs to the blind, visually impaired, family members, and professionals. We obviously decided against Justin teaching me Braille. SFA didn't work out either. I am very happy with Hadley though and the best part is that they offer their services for free to me because I am a spouse!

Even though it is sad, frustrating, and confusing to us that Justin's vision has changed so much that I have to learn Braille, I am very thankful that there are resources out there for me to take advantage of.

Okay, okay, some may argue that I technically don't have to learn Braille due to current technology, but check out the benefits:

1) I can share in some of the massive Braille labeling projects around the house--pantry items, cooking instructions, DVDs, CDs, appliances, medicine, etc. It isn't fair for Justin to have to do ALL of it!

2) Board games. We love to play games. If I learn Braille I can help make it to where Justin can enjoy them again.

3) I will be able to communicate with Justin using a written form. Reminders on the fridge, greeting cards, love notes...you know, all those little things.

4) Learning Braille might prepare me for our future family. It is a possibility that our children will be blind so why not prepare for it? If we have a child who is blind it would be nice to have both a father and mother who know Braille. Things like checking homework would be difficult if I didn't know Braille.

So there you have it. Those are some of the reasons I am learning Braille. And believe me, I will be learning for a long time because it looks HARD. The first lesson was the history of Braille and I peeked at the next lesson....yeesh. It is titled "Reading Braille". Wait, aren't we going a little fast here?

Friday: 5/30

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:27:00 +0000

Thank you for your prayers! Justin's eye pressure was an 8--that is great for his eye. Dr. J said that everything looked good structurally. No detached retina...everything is holding up. :) Unfortunately because Justin's situation is so advanced the doctor doesn't know why Justin's vision is getting darker. He doesn't know what Justin is supposed to be seeing considering he thought there was a huge chance Justin wouldn't see anything once the patch was removed. All Dr. J could say was that everything looked good. That being said....Justin doesn't have to go back for 4 weeks. Four. For. Fo. And that is definitely a good thing! Again, thank you for your prayers.

Another Friday Appointment

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:45:00 +0000

Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know that Justin has an appointment today in Dallas. After you read here about his surgery, Justin's vision started to get darker and darker each day. As you know he didn't have an appointment last week so today we get to find out how his eye is doing structurally and hopefully the reason his vision is getting worse.

I have to stay in Nacogdoches today, so I might get to update you before I get off of work. Otherwise, we have guests tonight so it may be Saturday before either one of us updates you. Please pray with me for Justin today.

And Now I'm Hungry for Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:27:00 +0000

Last week was the first week in a long time that Justin did not have an appointment in Dallas. So it was labeled as our "catch-up" week. While Justin was unable to do much I did my best to stay on top of the housework, but when his second surgery came around everything kind of went downhill. We had a lot of laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dish washing, grocery buying, and organizing to do! At the same time we wanted to relax so we kind of spread things out over the week. (yes, the dreadful mistake of spreading things out so much that when you complete your list of to-do's you see that the first things you've done need to be re-done)

This past Saturday was Philip and Maegan's wedding! It was so beautiful and perfect. And not to mention kind of deja vu-ish considering that is where Justin and I were married almost a year ago. We can't wait for the Melton's to get back to Nacogdoches.....but I know they can wait.

Memorial Day was a "knock-the-rest-of-the-cleaning-out-in-one-day" day, but we really didn't. I had no idea that Larry had this much fur on him!

On Memorial Day I was also able to find one of my favorite types of computer games. I'm not really sure what the type is called. I like to consider this "type" closely related to Sims...so I guess you would call it a simulator game?? I used to play a Sponge Bob game where you had to fulfill the crabby patty orders. I've always enjoyed Diner Dash. This game is called Carrie the Caregiver. Yeah, it sounded dumb when Justin and I saw the commercial on TV...but I had to look it up! I love it! This game definitely should be labeled as girlie. If you don't mind that then go play the free trial. After my free trial is over I will be playing Cake Mania. And then I'll play Delicious. I think these games have topped Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego....but that could be taking it too far.

Yesterday Justin and I were able to see Caris Jinkins! That was fun. She is adorable! Maybe Jinx will put pictures up on his blog as soon as he is able to.

That was my week!

Brought to You By: The Number 5

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:10:00 +0000

I feel the love! These 3 fabulous individuals have tagged me: David Runnels , Susie Moore, and Artie Anderson. David said that I should play along so I'm not on his bad list or so that I can stay on his good list....or something to that effect. Either way I am super stoked to be tagged! Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 5 YEARS AGO:
1. Suffering from a bad breakup with a guy. (...awkward...)
2. Looking for a summer job so that I could save some last minute money for college.
3. Gearing up for VBS at FUMC Lufkin where Justin and I would start hanging out together.
4. Squeezing in every opportunity to hang out with Diane Williams (now Sizemore) before she would leave for college.
5. Planning "Human Videos" with Amanda Cheavens (now Murley) for her church.

FIVE THINGS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST TODAY?
1. Vacuum the entire apartment. (my favorite chore...really.)
2. Laundry (yeah, like that will get done)
3. Walk the dogs.
4. Hang out with Justin and his sister.
5. Pay bills.

FIVE SNACKS YOU ENJOY?:
1. Chips and HOT Salsa
2. Popsicles (the kind you buy in a liquid pouch)
3. Sour Skittles
4. Wheat Thins and Laughing Cow Cheese (Low Fat Swiss)
5. Tomatoes

FIVE THINGS YOU WOULD DO IF YOU WERE A BILLIONAIRE:
1. Donate to various charities.
2. Tithe
3. Pay off debt!
4. Move out of this apartment!
5. Save for our future.

FIVE OF YOU BAD HABITS?:
1. I leave my shoes everywhere.
2. I don't call my friends/family enough.
3. Procrastination mega overload.
4. I don't hang up the clothes in a timely manner.(meaning they sit in the dryer or basket for a long long long time)
5. Every meal I will make a mess in some way....just watch.

FIVE PLACES WHERE YOU'VE LIVED:
1. Lufkin, TX (Central area)
2. Spring, TX (the big move for my family)
3. Lufkin, TX (more in the Lufkin area)
4. Lufkin, TX (back in the Central area)
5. Nacogdoches, TX (dorms, then aparment by myself, then apartment with my husband now)

FIVE JOBS YOU'VE HAD:
1. Cashier at Eckerd/CVS
2. Christian Life Center FUMC Lufkin
3. ETI Telemarketer (when it was called ETI)
4. IHOP Waitress
5. Radiologist's Assistant (now)

TAG YOU'RE IT!:
1. Maegan MELTON: She is such a fun person to hang out with. She is staying in Nacogdoches with her BRAND NEW husband, Philip. I hear we have more in common than we realize. AND I think she will have a lot to blog about in the near future!

2. Kalena Hanke: I secretly read her blog and I think she is a really really funny person with a beautiful heart.

3. Rhonda Romack: Duh. She's a Romack...need I say more? Oh, and I think she needs to find a little bit of time to blog something! I enjoy reading her blog.

4. Abigail: I secretly read her blog too. She is one of the two people who helped me get the wonderful job I have now. AND SHE BLOGS OFTEN!

5. Amanda Murley: She is my best friend who I miss a lot! And she needs to blog....even if it is a MySpace blog.

A Super Target Date

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:07:00 +0000

Just in case you don't already know, Justin posted a very detailed update on his surgery....click here to see it!

Last Friday Justin and I went on a Super Target date. I love that man!

[Justin slurps down a White Cherry Icee]

We went there to shop for Mother's Day, but were too distracted by things our mothers would not want...so we went to the snack bar instead. So this is what a Super Target dates looks like:

1. POPCORN

[Justin eating the "small" bag of popcorn...I'd hate to see the large.]

2. A GOOD DRINK

[Justin drinking our refilled icee.]

3. CHEESY SMILES

[Justin's cheesy smile.]

[And of course my cheesy smile.]

Page a Prayer for Justin

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:25:00 +0000

Justin and I ate dinner with my parents tonight in Lufkin. (Cheddars if you must know) While we were there my mom gave us a pager. Her church (FUMC Lufkin) has a Pager Prayer ministry which means when someone prays for you they dial your pager number and you will be notified (and encouraged) that someone just prayed for you.

It was very nice of my mom to think about giving us one. (but moms are nice that way, right?) So I wanted to extend the offer to you. If you are praying for Justin and want to let him know that someone just prayed for him just follow these simple steps:

1) Dial this Pager Prayer number: 1-888-210-1545.

2) After you hear the beeps, press "1"

3) Then, just hang up.

4) Your Pager Prayer is on its way! We will receive a message that says "New Prayer", but we won't know who did it.

Of course, if you want to pray for us and not use the Pager Prayer then that is ok too. I'm not trying to make this a contest to see how many times the pager will go off. But either way...PLEASE PRAY! We are getting up early tomorrow morning to drive to Dallas. We have to be there at 9:30 and his surgery starts at 10:30. (and those people are the most punctual people I know!)

I'll let you guys know what is going on. Justin will probably have me twittering on his new high-tech phone. Go until then....Goodbye!

Friday: 5/9

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Justin was going to update everyone on last Friday's appointment over on his blog, but he now says that I "need all the posts I can get". We all know this isn't true. None-the-less I will give you guys an update...

As I said on my last "Friday Appointment" post we were going into this appointment with two possibilities in mind 1) there would be nothing else the doctors could do for Justin, or 2) they would be able to do surgery on him and fix his ciliary body. Of course, Justin was really hoping that they would be able to do another surgery.

After the doctor examined him, he told us that Justin's retina had partially detached. Think of it as an envelope. You know when the middle starts to bubble up, but the sides are still stuck down? That is how Justin's retina is right now--or at least when the doctor checked it. We don't know how long it was detached for because this past Friday was the first time the doctor has been able to see all the way to the back of his eye since the air bubble is almost gone.

As for the whole ciliary body surgery: there is NO way in heck that the doctors will touch it. Justin's doctor does want to go back in his eye, clear the scar tissue that is on top and behind the retina, re-attach the retina, inject silicone oil, and give him more steroids. Sounds like a lot doesn't it? It is. They are going to destroy the retina in order to repair it.

Justin had the choice of whether he wanted another surgery or not. He said yes. In fact, it is scheduled for this Thursday. If Justin doesn't get the surgery his retina will fully detach and without a retina you go blind.

The doctor said that because Justin is a rare case they have been very nervous every time they have gone into his eye. They described all of his surgeries as a "heroic cause" because it seems that there is a lot going against him. When the doctors look at the big picture they see that Justin wasn't suppose to have vision after the age of 10. He's 23! So I guess they kind of feel like they're skating on ice. Well, his doctor said that this upcoming surgery is very heroic because there is a large possibility that it won't work. That means that there is a large possibility that Justin will never see again.

Well we weren't sure what kind of vision the doctors were actually trying to save. Light perception only? Color and shapes? The good news is that if this surgery works they believe that Justin could go back to seeing things the way he was in December....which was GREAT! Also, the silicone oil bends light differently than the water that is normally in your eye, so if Justin does get to see again, the oil will actually magnify things so that he can see them even better.

There is a lot of uncertainty on our part as well as the medical staff's. We know that this is a huge opportunity for God to take something that so many see as impossible and turn it into something that is possible. We also know that this is an opportunity for God to use this as a tool to refine us so that we are more like His image...even though it may hurt.

Please pray for Justin, his mom, the doctors, and myself this Thursday. His surgery is at 10:30. I'll most likely let you know how everything goes via Justin's twitter.

The Nerd In Me

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:05:00 +0000

A long long time ago when I had all the time in the world I absolutely loved watching the Weather Channel. Tonight the wind has been picking up, there's lightning, and a lot of thunder. I decided to go check out the weather on ktre.com. And to my surprise:

They are doing a LIVE feed of the weatherman sitting on his laptop checking out the weather. I love this for so many reasons!! 1) I obviously enjoy hearing the "behind the scenes" of our local news station, 2) I like to hear what's going on now just in case there is something like a tornado, 3)you never know when something cool will happen like a man emailing the weatherman telling him that his cow just flew away or something.

Unfortunately I must peel myself away from it and go back to schoolwork. But I can't promise you that I won't go back on ktre.com when I finish....if I every finish.

Be Prepared

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:35:00 +0000

Dark all day. The wind is blowing hard.

Do you think Mandi knows something we don't?

[A view from the guest bathroom door. Mandi is in the bathtub!]

[A closeup of Mandi in the tub.]

Or maybe she is just bored because we've neglected her all week.

And yes, those are drums in our guest bathroom.

Friday: 5/2

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Hey, I'm actually typing a post about Friday on Friday! I was unable to go with Justin to his appointment today. This always frustrates me because I want so badly to be where he is! I want to be by his side if he receives bad news or if he has some big decisions to make right there on the spot. I would gladly pick everything up and drive him anywhere if he needed to go, so it bothers me when I can't because we need me to be here at work sometimes. That's how I feel today.

Here is how today's appointment went...

They always call Justin into the office twice--once to dilate his eyes, check his eye pressure, ask how much light he can see, or if he can see anything from a distance AND the second time to see the doctor. He went in the first time and they could get a pressure reading on him. This is bad because it means the pressure is so low the device can't detect it. Oh, and the device they use isn't that little puff of air they shoot in your eye when you go to get an eye exam...they use this thing that resembles a digital thermometer and they actually press up against his eye! Not only was his eye pressure undetectable, but he was unable to see the guy waving his hand in front of him. Last week he could see the guy waving his hand. We knew something was going on though because Justin had been experiencing some weird light flashes and the light he could see had all-of-a-sudden gotten dimmer. He seriously thought his retina had detached since the doctor was so surprised last week that it hadn't.

When he saw the doctor, he was told that his retina was still intact!! That is great news. The doctor was sure that the retina had detached before he looked in his eye. The retina not detaching is definitely God's doing! We are encouraged by this.

Now the low eye pressure was very concerning. They sent Justin to the lab for an ultrasound of his eye. The technician was able to feel how soft his eye was which is scary. You see, when your eye pressure gets lower your eye gets softer. This is how we know that Justin's eye pressure is SO much lower without actually being able to get the reading. The ultrasound just proved that the retina was not detached.

The doctor said the reason for the low eye pressure could be because there is also scar tissue on Justin's ciliary body which is the part in his eye that makes aqueous humor. The scar tissue could be causing the ciliary body to not make the aqueous humor which means the eye pressure will remain low. If the aqueous humor gets so low, and the eye pressure gets so low, Justin will go blind. The doctor said that he does not know how to do surgery on the ciliary body....afterall, retinas are his specialty. The retina doctor will talk with his colleagues and Justin's glaucoma doctor to see if they know of anything that can be done. We will find out next Friday when we go back.

I saw on the internet that there are such things as surgeries on the ciliary body so that is a little encouraging to know that surgeons can get back there. Of course we still don't know if anything can be done. This is an entirely new chapter in the problems of Justin's eye.

For now we have to wait which is hard. Harder for Justin than for me, of course. Every little change in his vision frightens us. We think: "Surely the retina is detached now!" Then we have to deal with the possibilities of that and all those questions of uncertainty that come flooding in. And then the next day his vision has changed in a way that leads us to believe that no the retina has not detached. Every week is sort of a roller coaster. We have our good days where it is easy for us to trust in God and see beyond what so many other people are seeing as hopeless. (it is hard for me to believe, but there are so many people who see blind people as worthless) Then there are bad days where we have doubts and the negativity seems to consume us. Thank goodness that there are so many more good days than bad! Justin has the best attitude ever and I have a large amount of respect for him because of that.

Oh! Another good thing the doctor told Justin was that the head positionings are not as important anymore. That means he can sleep on his right side too if he wants. :) He is still supposed to take it easy though, which isn't too hard for him considering he gets so tired so quickly now because he was in bed for so long.

Okay...I think that is it. I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for us.

School is Mean+Summer Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:06:00 +0000

I'm getting so close. I have less than 30 hours of school left until I graduate! Right now though, I am stuck. (or I at least feel that way) I took all of my core classes as soon as I could (stupid idea) and now all I have left are communication courses. That's good in a way because I hate math. It is mostly bad though because due to the lack of teachers, most of the classes I need are only offered once and are all at the same time. None of the classes are 8am. I was told that I am a "untraditional" student and "traditional" students don't like 8am classes so they were trying not to offer those as much. Work is important, so this means I now have to go to school part time. Which only lengthens the time I am working on this dang degree. And therefore delays when I can go back to school to get certified in education.

All of this frustrates me so much! I know what I want to do (teach the little ones) and because I didn't come to that conclusion a couple of years ago, I am forced to go what feels like around the world just to get a certification that I could have worked for during these last four years I've been in college. Again, I feel stuck

So this semester is wrapping up. Last Thursday was Horrible Thursday (class registration), tomorrow is Tired Thursday (end-of-the-semester school work), and next Thursday is Celebration Thursday (spring semester is officially over!!).

Although I don't like looking forward to the Fall semester and all that is involved in making sense of the jumble of classes I've taken so far...I am looking forward to the summer! (who doesn't though)

Summer Goals....

Justin and I both thought that it would be best that I learn braille in the near future. Mainly so I can share the job of labeling kitchen appliances and pantry items. I will also be able to type notes to Justin if I need to. Plus I think it will be fun to learn something new, and it will give me the chance to see some of what Justin goes through on a daily basis. I'm either going to take a class at SFA during Summer I (if time and money allows) or the master himself will teach me! (uh, you know I meant Justin right?) I'm not sure how this is going to go because it seems rather confusing now. I'm really not sure if I'll ever be able to read braille by touch. Either way, I will dust off Justin's braille typewriter and start with sentences like, "The cat sat. The fat cat sat. The fat cat sat on the mat." At the end of the summer I will be the braille queen!!

Last Friday I bought a beginner Pilates DVD. Yeah, that intermediate one I started out on was tough. So hopefully I'll make a habit of doing pilates....by the end of the summer I will be ready to run marathons in my head!

I am planning on reading the rest of the Harry Potter series that I started last summer. After the wedding planning went into full gear I had little time to read Harry Potter.

I love watching movies so I to watch lots of movies this summer. Maybe Justin and I can watch a movie a week. Perhaps he would want to watch the Harry Potter movies once I finish a book...maybe??? We'll see.

Maegan and Philip are getting married this summer!! Yay! I will be in their wedding too. :)

I can't wait to have more time to hang out with friends and invite them over to our place.

So even though things might be tough now and tougher this summer....I have all those things to look forward to as well!

Friday: 4/25

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:15:00 +0000

The three of us (Justin, his mom, and myself) left early Friday morning for another appointment in Dallas. I'm starting to enjoy this little trip because it gives a chance for the three of us to talk about things that matter to us. I also hate the trip because it is usually an emotional and stressful day for us.

It seems like every Friday we find out another piece to the puzzle that is Justin's eye condition. We don't know the whole picture. We don't know what kind of vision the doctor is actually trying to save at this point. And up until yesterday we didn't know of some more dangers the doctor has been worrying about.

After the doctor looked at Justin's eye he literally breathed a sigh of relief. That was weird for us because we didn't know that there could be anything threatening until after the gas bubble absorbs. Evidently there has been a chance that the scar tissue could grow back "aggressively" and pull his retina loose even with the air bubble there. Well, that was news for us.

The GOOD NEWS is that everything is structurally sound in Justin's eye. The retina is attached where it is supposed to be. The bubble is slowly shrinking, and the steroids are sitting properly. All of this surprised the doctor. He really thought that he would look into Justin's eye and see a retina floating around. And then we would have to schedule another surgery.

It is scary for me to think that we didn't even know that was a possibility. We knew the scar tissue would grow back, but no way did we know that it could this soon. His doctor is the best around. He has been caring for Justin's eye since Justin was a young child. I think he is trying to protect us by not telling us his thoughts all at once. His facial expressions don't line up with what he is saying a lot, so I know he is being more optimistic with us than he thinks he should be. It would be nice if he would just put everything all on the table for us, but I don't think he wants to upset the three of us. And because Justin's eye is a rarity, I don't think he actually knows what is really going to happen.

So everything in his eye is looking good. No scar tissue is growing back as far as we can tell. Justin's eye pressure was down again, but not zero so that is good. He has to wear a bracelet that warns others that he has a gas bubble and can't go sky diving or whatever. That broke and he wasn't given another one so he is happy about that.

THE BEST news for Justin was that he could go to church and school!! (as long as he is on his side every other time) This week is "Dead Week" so Justin can go just in time for the final exam reviews. He is very very happy to be allowed to do little activities. We scheduled a not-so-early appointment for next Friday. I'll keep ya posted!!

Friday: 4/18

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I wasn't able to go with Justin to his appointment this past Friday, so this post probably won't be as detailed as the last ones...

Everything seems to be holding up in his eye. There is still no infection. The gas bubble is shrinking, and the steroids are slooooowly dissolving.

Great news! Justin's eye pressure was up by 2 points which is awesome. The steroids are making it to the back of his eye and might actually be doing their job. :)

After much pleading on Justin's part (just kidding...maybe), the doctor said that it would be ok for him to go back to minimal activity soon. That means he won't be able to run around all day long, but he can get out and do things as long as he stays on his side at home. Some of you might get to see Justin!

We still won't have any idea of how Justin's vision will be any time soon. I'll let you know of any updates on Friday.

Last Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:17:00 +0000

I promise I'm not neglecting my blog!

It's just days like yesterday that leave very little room to post...go to school, go to work, stay at work until close to 6pm while the doctors are in a meeting so I could be there just in case something happens...at this point I was SO SO SO grateful for the tasty lasagna Sam and Christina McFarland (small group friends) brought over not only because I found out that Justin does eat lasagna, but also because he would have starved without it. I, afterall, had a Voodoo and Ghost lecture to attend and one should not be late to a Voodoo lecture! (more on that at a later date) So I went home, dished out the lasagna, took the dogs out, begged with my husband to lay down and not help me, and off to the Voodoo I went!

But now...now I am sitting in my dark, quiet workplace listening to the melodius Pavarotti (that's what one of the doctor's picked out). So I suppose now is a better time than ever to update those of you who have not heard from us on Justin's eye appointment last Friday.

Justin does not have an infection! Infection was one of the many risks involved with his operation that could have lead to blindness. The doctor was happy to report that he was infection free. :)

So far everything that was put in place during the surgery is holding up well. Gas bubble--check! Steroids--check, check! Due to the gas bubble, the doctor can't see to the back of Justin's eye enough to tell us if things are actually helping. We must wait until the gas bubble fully absorbs into Justin's eye before we see how much the surgery actually helped or what harm the surgery caused.

Justin's doctor is still trying to be optimistic, but he informed us that there is a possibility that when the gas bubble does absorb the eye won't be able to support itself. What does that mean? It is possible that Justin would need two more surgeries to fix things.

For right now though, we are just waiting to see what happens. It could be weeks before we know what his vision will be like. Justin is hoping that the doctor will let him go easier on the positioning once he sees him this coming Friday.

We'll let you know what happens on Friday. Thank you for your prayers. We really do appreciate it.

And now I must say...

THAT I AM SO EXCITED THAT TODAY IS MY EARLY DAY! I can spend more time with Justin and get rid of the big black cloud hanging over my head that is my school work.

A Long Due Update

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:14:00 +0000

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!! I told Justin that I would post an update as to how his surgery went. His surgery was last Thursday so I'm a little late. For those of you who do not know that Justin had a surgery, read his latest post so you can see why he had a surgery. Everything kind of happened all at once so please don't be upset if this is your first time to hear about it.

I'm going to try my best to explain everything so those of you who have not spoken with us will know what is going on. And maybe this will clarify some things if some of you who have spoken with us are confused.

First of all...Justin is doing well. He was in an intense amount of pain for most of Thursday, but now he is only dealing with a small amount of discomfort. Justin is having to stay on his left side for 3-4 weeks so that the gas bubble they put in his eye presses against the part of his eye they did surgery on. We thought he would be having to lay on his stomach like the last time he had retina surgery, but this surgery was evidently different. At first he was relieved that he didn't have to stay on his stomach...now he knows that it stinks to stay in one position all the time not matter the position! The gas bubble is blocking his vision so he can't see anything. Every now and then he can see a bit of shadow or faint light, but for the most part he doesn't see at all. Of course, that is to be expected considering he just had surgery and there are steroids and a gas bubble floating in his eye.

Findings...The doctor was hoping to find a microscopic tear in Justin's retina. I know that sounds weird that they were hoping for that, but at least it is mendable. Instead, he found scar tissue growing both behind and over Justin's retina. You could tell by the look on the doctor's face that this was bad news. The problem with scar tissue is that you can remove it, but it will just keep growing back. The other problem with this particular scar tissue is that it is pulling on the retina and could one day (if it is continually pulling) lead to a retinal detachment. So, the doctor lasered off as much as he could. There were parts that just would have made things worse if he had removed it. The good news is that they found that and fixed as much as they could. If they had not opted to do surgery it could have been very bad. The doctors injected steroids and placed crystal steroids in his eye to raise the eye pressure (which should result in better vision) and to slow the growth of scar tissue.

And that is where we stand. Justin has an appointment this Friday and we are praying that his eye pressure is higher. We don't know the "big plan" the doctors have for him from this point on. Or if there is one. We are just waiting to see what his eye pressure is on Friday, what his vision will be like once the gas bubble evaporates, and how fast the scar tissue grows back.

Justin is not only the funniest person I know, but he is also the bravest person I know. Before the surgery he was calm and at peace with the unknown because he knew that whatever would happen was in God's will. I wasn't the person getting operated on and I did not have that kind of peace about me! Although I believed that God was in control, I was not calm. Justin has always been the one to have hope for the future and move on. Nothing has gotten in his way. He has complete trust in God. This is one of the many reasons I respect and admire that man. If only everyone could be like Justin. I love you Justin!!

Your Blog Makes Me Laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:40:00 +0000

I enjoy reading blogs and I read a lot of them. Quite often someone will have a post that makes me laugh...and laugh....and laugh. Here are some videos that I've watched throughout my blog reading that I couldn't just pass by and watch only once. (I promise that none of them are of a cat sleeping on a televsion...although I think those videos are cute)

Keep in mind that this might be a repeat if you read the same blogs I do. If not....enjoy!

Stolen from Daniel's Blog

Stolen from Todd's Blog

Stolen from Robert Conn's Blog

Stolen from Todd's Blog