Eating Good in the Neighborhood

Today was a great day even though it was FREEZING! Chris and I slept in until the early afternoon. (Ahh, the many advantages of not having children). Then Chris and his friend James decided to go for a run. And by run, I mean 8 MILES! James is training for a mini marathon, and Chris had a wild hair and decided to run with him. After their run, they met me at the gym and then we all went to Panera and consumed massive amounts of calories.




After coming back home and resting for awhile, we then went to dinner at Applebee's with our usual group. We are so blessed to have such a good group of friends. Over the past four years, this group has become family.

Girls Day

Despite the ugly weather today, us girls decided to make ourselves beautiful. At least our toes anyway. And of course, a girl is never too young to be pampered, as evidenced by my two year old niece.

Dinner with Friends

So tonight we went out to dinner at Bravo's with some friends. Kara and I work together in the hospital and our husbands seem to get along well too. As well as they are newlyweds, which in and of itself is quite defining. Kara got married about one year before we did. So I can turn to her for advice, or to voice my frustrations, (I love you Chris)! Of all our friends, Nick and Kara are kind of where we are in our lives. Starting careers, having a mortgage, and adjusting to each other's personalities and quirks. Marriage is the hardest thing I've ever done, so it's nice to be around someone who understands. Anyway dinner was delicious, and then we went to a little cafe for an open house of wine and dessert. The treats were scrumptious, however I somehow ended up with a scarf that I didn't really want. Seriously who sells scarves at a chocolate cafe?

Blessed

So Baylor was pretty sick over Valentine's weekend, and she wasn't getting better by Monday. So we made an appointment at the clinic on Tuesday. Deep in my gut, I felt like we would be given bad news, and so Chris took the day off work to be with me, (and hopefully keep me from complete hysteria). Dr. Campbell took Baylor into the exam room, and when he came back, the news was not good. The cancer was back. Four months ago, we did the surgery to remove the tumor from her colon, and it was already back. I immediately started crying. Chris put on a brave face and asked what our options were. Dr. Campbell said that another surgery really wasn't an option. Baylor had already had her colon resected once and she didn't have much more colon to work with. He stated that he could scope her and restage the cancer, but that would not change the outcome. I was devastated, I didn't feel like we were doing enough. What if what Dr. Campbell felt wasn't a tumor but a stricture that had developed as a result of scar tissue? After discussing our options, we decided that Baylor would be sedated, and get a complete bowel cleansing, and stay the night. Dr. Campbell said that she was horribly impacted due to the fact that the tumor prevents her colon from emptying. This would buy us a little time with the Bear, hopefully quality time. And then we made the decision that the next sign of impaction, we would put her down. So we left Baylor and went home with broken hearts. Later that afternoon, Dr. Campbell called Chris. He said that once Baylor was sedated, he was able to do a more thorough exam, and he didn't feel what he had felt before. So he went ahead and got some abdominal xrays and did an abdominal ultrasound. On ultrasound he was also able to see that she had a pocket of fluid around her original suture site. He drained that fluid and was also able to dilate her colon 1mm. And yes it was not a stricture, but cancer. Of course we were certainly grateful that we were able to have peace of mind that everything had been done, and that it truly was cancer. So Chris asked Dr. Campbell how much money he needed to bring to pay for all those procedures. Dr. Campbell said, "Don't worry about that. I did that on my own. You guys are good people and deserve it." Chris couldn't even finish the conversation he was so overwhelmed with emotion. And when he told me, I began sobbing. It amazes that despite all the negativity in the world, true kindness exists. Dr. Campbell didn't have to do that, but he did. And he didn't just give us the Bear back for a little while, he gave us peace of mind. And you can't put a price on that. When she dies, I will know in my heart that we did everything. And I can live with that. As for now, I will live with an old gray Bear, for as long as she is able. And for the rest of our lives, we will never forget the kindness that Dr. Campbell bestowed upon us. Just imagine, if we all practiced random acts of kindess, what a wonderful world this would be!

Six Months Married

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Well, it's hard to believe that we have been married for half a year. Where did all the time go? It seems like only yesterday that I was putting on my wedding dress waiting to meet my husband at the end of the aisle. It was the best day of my life, and I would do it all over again. As I post this, tears are streaming down my face, because I realize how truly blessed I am. Of all the people in the whole world, we found each other. Certainly marriage is not only rainbows, the rain does fall. But now I have somebody to offer me an umbrella.

"Cannot be parted nor swept away
From one another once you are Agreed
That life is only life Forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar."
Robert Frost

Valentine's Day

Well, Cupid certainly struck us this Valentine's Day. We woke up to a very sick Bear. And because she is the love of our lives, this was certainly not how we planned to spend the day. It is hard to even imagine our lives without the Bear. But she is getting older, even with the surgery she still struggles. I know that there will come a time when she won't be with us anymore, but I can guarantee that I will never be ready. Why is it that animals give us so much in such a short time when it takes humans an entire lifetime? Anyway, we took Baylor to the vet and she recieved a lovely Valentine suprise - an enema! Not what she wanted either. Luckily she was sedated and so she didn't feel that violated. So with the Bear sleeping soundly, Chris and I managed to go out to dinner to the Macaroni Grill. It was delicious. Chris loved his gift, a massage. (Hopefully that will help his back). He gave me roses and a candle. (I love candles, however I do have to be careful because with all my candles, I could light the house on fire)! So after dinner we just came back home to be with the Bear. And we all watched a movie together. Not necessarily romantic, but certainly our lives.

Remembering Dallas

Last Friday, my dad's dog and best friend passed away. She was his constant companion. Wherever he would go, Dallas would follow. She went to work with him every single day and she slept beside him every night. For 14 years, she gave him pure laughter and loyal love. Tonight we went out to dinner to toast to her memory. She was a sweetheart.