Flowers

I consider myself a pretty lucky person.

I have a great job that I enjoy. I am in relatively good health, and getting better every day. I have a handful of really fabulous friends, and my entire family is truly wonderful. I am blessed to be Madelyn's step-mother and so proud that I get the privilege of being a part of her life. And have you seen how precious and adorable my niece, Mia, is?!

And it doesn't stop there. Because as if that all wasn't enough, I get to be married to a man who loves and adores me, in spite of my quirks and annoyances, and often because of them. I am so grateful for my husband. I can't even begin to put into words the feelings of knowing that someone will so unconditionally love you, and always be there - through the good and the bad. Trey has certainly proven that over and over again in the past year and half (not that it needed proving).

Well, today, he showed yet again just how much he loves me. Saying I love you is never difficult for us - we say it all the time. But today, Trey let his actions speak louder than words. Today, I received at work a beautiful bouquet of a dozen long stem red roses, delivered to my office. You should have seen the smile across my face. I was so surprised and completely touched. And the card simply read... "To my sweetheart, I was thinking about you and thought you would enjoy these. I love you."

Now the thing that makes this gesture so funny and ironic is that Trey and I have had a couple of conversations about flowers. I've always said I don't understand the point of sending flowers - they just die in a few days and it's such a waste of money. And I do truly believe this... to a degree. Then in a conversation about flowers, I said to Trey - what girl doesn't like to get flowers. I know - talk about mixed messages. But as just another reminder that Trey is so right for me - he read me loud and clear and completely understood me... I don't want flowers on Valentine's Day when your "supposed" to send them, or our anniversary, when one would "expect" them. It means so much more when it's a random day - a meaningless, yet now meaningful moment. And that's why receiving these gorgeous flowers today meant the world to me - because it was just his way of expressing how much he loves me on just another day - on every day!

I promise to post a picture next week - they're still at the office for a few more days of enjoyment there before I bring them home.

HO, HO, HO!

We celebrated Christmas in our usual, Jew fashion... food and movies!!!

Last year started the Gourley-Glazer tradition of IHOP for breakfast / brunch, followed by going to a movie. It's what Jews do best on this holiday! And what else is there to do anyway - everything is closed. So, we got up leisurely on Thursday morning, showered, and met the Glazer bunch at IHOP.









It was CROWDED!! Luckily we didn't have too much of a wait, but the place was packed. (I don't understand - isn't Christmas supposed to be a stay at home with the family holiday?) They were so busy that our waiter ended up being the manager. He was quite a character - very odd, but nice and attentive. So we got our tummy's nice and full and then headed to the movie theater to see Marley and Me.












Again... it was packed. I guess everyone woke up early, opened their presents, had their family time, and had enough! The movie was really cute, happy and sad, and sweet. A good choice for a family flick.

Once the movie was over, April and I were in dire need of a Starbucks fix. And since they seem to be the only one's open besides Ihop, movies theaters, and chinese restaurants, we headed to our local Starbucks. Oh no - they were closed! Okay, not a problem. There is another one up the street... Closed. This is not a good thing! Okay, one more try. There is another one just a few blocks away... We could see the building... I don't know - they don't look open... It's dark inside... But there are cars in the parking lot... But there is a Panda Express so the cars could be for there... Wait a minute... Did you just see someone walk out of the Starbucks... YES - I think so... Hey that guy has a Starbucks cup... Pull in, Pull in!! Just in the nick of time - it was 3:15 and they were closing at 4:00 (what's the big deal anyway - it's just Christmas!) But we made it, and we were oh so happy!!! But bummer... across the street we hoped to see Walmart open - no such luck.

So next up, we headed home to do what... watch more movies! This time, on our big flatscreen TV (details to come in my upcoming Black Friday blog). We rented movies the day before, and finally saw the Dark Knight. I thought it was really good, Trey wasn't so impressed. It was really nice to relax, and do basically nothing. We cooked dinner, stayed in the whole night, and just hung out. Such a good way to spend the day... before it was back to the real world.

Way to go April

I know I am way behind in my blogging. April has been done with the Fall semester for weeks now, and all of the great information she got from those classes has been emptied from her brain and replaced with cheesy romance novels and mindless reading (okay not really cheesy romance, but teeny vampire stories [hello - Twilight] - yes). So even though I'm overdue, I have to take a moment to say WAY TO GO!

Yet another semester behind her, and yet another PERFECT 4.0 GPA!!! You have to know April to really appreciate this. First of all, she works her butt off to stay on top on her classes, tests, grades, etc. She gets super stressed out about it all, and just when she thinks - screw it, a B isn't so bad - she throws herself back into mode and pushed to the A. Anyway, I'm so proud of her (I know... I sound like I'm her mother), but I am. And I'm so happy that her hard work paid off.

Wow, these last 2 years have flown by, and this time next year, she will have walked "the walk", and have her hard earned diploma to show for it all! The downside... I think she may try to move out!! So sad...

a brief update... with a promise for more

Well, well, well... look who's back! I know you all think I've fallen off the face of the planet. And rightfully so. I was starting to wonder myself. Things have been really crazy with the holidays, trips to see family, work, and life. I know - what kind of excuse is that? But as my mom famously likes to say - it is what it is. So I know I have tons to catch up on. Since my last post, I've had a birthday (one more year in my twenties!), we celebrated Thanksgiving (my absolute favorite holiday and a blog topic all of it's own still to come), survived Black Friday (and we have pictures to prove we were there!), visited Blanco (twice), celebrated Hanukkah and Christmas, celebrated Mia's 2nd birthday (that kid is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!)... phew, I'm exhausted just trying to remember it all!

Well, there have been lots of things happening, but I can't get all in to one update. So I'll start with some of the biggies, and then I PROMISE, I will update with the latest happenings and goings.

Medical Updates:
- Mom is doing much better. You know that she had gallbladder surgery a while back. While she has some adjusting to do, she is feeling much better and is getting used to what her stomach can and can't handle. This wasn't, however, the end of her problems. She's continued to have tests after tests to no avail. Just before Thanksgiving, I flew into Houston to take her to the latest and greatest one - an endoscope sort of, but more in depth than the typical one. They put her out, stick a scope to look all through her insides to determine where bleeding is coming from and what needs to be done to fix it. This, mind you, is after the camera test (she swallowed a pill that is a camera that is supposed to travel throughout her insides taking video feed - creepy and amazing at the same time). Well anyway, after the camera test (which is supposed to be the end all to getting answers, and the endoscope (even more so the end all to getting answers), the doctor call me in to say that they didn't find anything that seemed to be a problem. Well this sounds like good news, and in a way it is, but in a big way it also was not. She is so tired of just not knowing what is going on and what she needs to do to be better. So she talked with her primary doctor (the one that did this last test is a rare specialist who she didn't particularly care for, but is one of very few in all of Houston that performs this test), and it was determined that since everything that is of real concern has been ruled out, she needs to wait it out and should get better with some time. I suppose this is good news - meaning that it's nothing serious enough to identify and need a remedy, but it's also a bit scary. So now we're waiting, and hoping for a little bit of time to do the trick.+
- I continue to do really well with my Lupus diagnosis. We've still had some ups and downs, and I've had to go back up slightly on the Prednisone, but still at a manageable, relatively small dose. I've been feeling pretty consistently well, and again am grateful to have great doctors, and phenomenal family and friends who check in on me, support me, and are constant rocks in an uncertain world. But, you know how I like to rock the boat, and these last few months were no exception. I went for my annual woman checkup at the end of October, and my test results returned some abnormality. Not very uncommon, and something I've had before. It just requires a minor in office procedure to determine if the abnormality is precancerous or of no concern, and my doctor expected a completely insignificant result. Unfortunately, the biopsy resulted in a little more concern than expected, and I had to have a second procedure done, just after Thanksgiving. Again, in office, and still very minor. All in all it took less than an hour. It's called a L.E.E.P procedure, and reading about it online was very interesting. It's actually a procedure that produces and electrical shock through your body that causes the cells to burst, and the doctor cuts a small portion of the uterus where the abnormal cells lie to get out any precancer cells. It's not even painful, but there was a very strange sensation from the electricity that goes through your body. Anyway, the biopsy results came back normal, showing that she got all of the problem cells out before they became a problem - yay! So that was my latest and greatest - I wouldn't even call a scare, but more of a nuisance. April was fantastic - taking me to my appt, and even going in with me so that another set of ears could take in what the doctor had to say (I'm so bad about remembering that stuff!) and that wasn't easy, but she toughed it out for me!!

So, all in all, we're all hanging in just fine and are happy to have made it to another New Year, though we sometimes wondered if we would. Hope everyone has had a wonderful, peaceful, happy holiday (whatever you celebrate), and have an even better New Year!

MIA

A few weeks ago mom took Mia to a great park in Houston to take some pictures. We now have a new photographer in the family - she did such a great job, and just like the Princess she is, Mia posed and smiled and "cheesed" like a pro! Here are a few of my favorites, but when I say there are a TON to chose from, I'm not kidding. Friday I'm going to print some and get a great collage frame to put up in the hallway with my favs.

Happy (almost) Birthday to ME

Let me tell you why I have such an amazing husband.

This weekend, while Trey was doing what he does best, I did what I do best.... For those of you who know us, you probably already know what those two things are. For Trey, it means a few trips to Home Depot and building something. For me, it means shopping.

So while Trey was working extremely hard on a project building new stairs for a client, making some extra money for our family, I was out spending it! Now I have to say that I think “spending” tends to come in waves. At least it does for me. I can go a very good while not really spending leisure money. Of course, there’s always groceries and necessities, but I’m talking about the extras. That being said, I also have to point out that when I shop for things like clothes, shoes, etc., I can get quite a bit for half the cost of one of Trey’s leisure spends. (He’ll be the first to admit that he tends to go for the big ticket items – it’s just in his nature – he doesn’t know how to do things small!) Well, I have to admit that lately my shopping has been a bit of a too regular habit. In my defense (and much to my pleasure), a great deal of it has been more of necessity and not so much want. As I’ve been working towards losing the weight that I gained in the last year, I’ve found a need for new clothes. And luckily, there have been some great deals to be had out there. But just as Trey knows only big ticket items, I seem to only know big quantity. And so back to my point that, at least for me, spending and shopping seems to go in waves and I’ve been on a pretty big wave this last month.

So all weekend, Trey was working. And today, among errands, April and I found our way to the mall. We’ve both been “needing” (and by needing I mean wanting) a good new handbag. Well of course, we found just what we were looking for. After much debating (and I am talking MUCH debating), we both decided to make the purchase. Immediately (before we were even out of the parking lot), we were discussing, debating, and deciding. Not with much luck either. As soon as one of would talk the other or ourself into taking it back, we’d starting talking the other or ourself into keeping it. We both went back and forth at least 6 times. Once we got home, we put all of our stuff in our new bags and looked at them again… still can’t decide. So I’ve now decided to talk to Trey about it and see what he thinks, but by the time he calls that he’s on his way home (all done with his job!), I’ve pretty much decided that I need to take it back. So Trey is telling me about his project, and the money he made, and I said – Good, because I was bad! He warily asks me what I mean by bad. I told him about the handbag, and that I shouldn’t have spent the money and I think I’m going to take it back. And his response – Happy Birthday Baby – you’re keeping the handbag!

So to my wonderful husband, who knows me so well, thank you… For your heart of gold, your unconditional love, and for letting me pick out my own birthday present (even though we both know I’d already gotten my birthday present)!!

Happy Anniversary

Last week was a very special occasion... on Thursday Trey and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Wow - I can't believe it's been 3 years already. Time really does fly by. We celebrated in our usual fashion. Good Food and Good Company. We went for a really nice dinner (and it was DELICIOUS!!) and spent our time just talking and enjoying each other's company.

It amazes me how much has happened in 3 years, and how the place we are at in our lives is just how I pictured and also not at the same time. We've been through a great deal together and more and more, I am so grateful to have such a supportive, wonderful, loving husband. To think, this time 3 years ago I never would have foreseen the past year of medical saga I've gone through. And although I NEVER would have doubted Trey would be there every step of the way, I don't think I ever imagined the way in which he'd be there for me. He seems to find just the right balance of creating dependence and independence. I know I can lean on him and he'll be there, and I know he'll do anything for me. But at the same time, I can be my own person and find my own strength too.

There are so many things I love about Trey... One of the things that is best about him is how diverse it is. I realize that may sound really silly, but bear with me. The thing about Trey is that he stays interesting. I think this is because he is an expert at covering all sides.

I love the way he takes on projects with such zest and eagerness. And yet it's also what wears me out since I have to hear every detail of every project even though most of what he is saying makes no sense and has no meaning for me.

I love his complete meticulousness. (I know this needs no elaboration since you know Trey too!) He is the only other person in this world who keeps a closet the way I do. He measures everything to the exact right spot, and when he does something it is to perfection. Sometimes this means it takes longer than I'd like, but he always gets it done right! I love the way everything has a place with him. I just wish that the place wasn't sitting on the floor in the middle of the room or on the counter out in the open! But marriage is about compromise, right?!

And I even love the way he teases me (though sometimes I wish he'd move on!!).

I love the way he regards "my" family as his own (as I do "his" is mine!). I love the wonderful father he is to Madelyn. I love the amount of respect he has for those who earn it. He doesn't give his respect easily, but once he does, you know it is meaningful.

And Trey can make me laugh like no one else can. Sometime I'm laughing because he's funny, and sometimes I'm laughing at him because he thinks he's funny. But regardless, we laugh. And that is so important.

So 3 years later, I'm reminded how lucky I am. I'm married to the person that is as perfect for me as can be. He understands me, and tolerates me, and loves me unconditionally. And what more could I ask for?!