I turned 30 in Las Vegas!

November is always one of my favorite months, and this year was no exception. The last week was a fun-filled, whirlwind, blast!

We started by celebrating my 30th birthday in style... Vegas style! Trey and I had never been, and I was so excited that we took the plunge and went on this trip. Mom, Lene and Michael all went with us, and we had such an amazing time. Saturday night (my actual birthday), we went to see the Beatles Love Cirque show. It was really good - not great, and by no means bad. We walked up and down the strip, in and out of all of the casinos, stopping at the Black Jack tables along the way. There was good food (and some not so good food - a gross asian noodle place, a mediocre birthday dinner), good (FREE) drinks, and mostly great company and tons of fun. Oh, and lots of gambling. Although none of us came back winners, we had a great time and I couldn't have asked for anything more. Well, maybe for Trey and Michael to not have gotten sinus infections while we there, and for a smoke free casino, but hey - beggars can't be choosers. I was so sad on Tuesday, when our trip was over. But I was super happy because it meant that it was almost time for Thanksgiving...

Wednesday was prep day, and Thursday was my most favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite because we all cook together, hang out, eat great food, laugh and relax. And then April, mom, and I kick off our black friday extravaganza. This year was again no exception - Thanksgiving was super, we got some great family pics taken, food was awesome, and family and friends were all in tow. Again, I couldn't have asked for anything more... well except for me to not be sick. I seem to have come down with a cold or something like it as soon as we got home from Vegas. Go figure.

So now it's back to the real world. Bummer. I have a crazy, hectic 2 weeks of work ahead of me, and then I start my new job! I know you know nothing about this, but that will have to wait for another post.

Four Years Down, Many Many More to Go!

Last weekend, Trey and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. It happen to also coincide with one our greatest friend's wedding (Mazel Tov to Stacy and Jason!) so we decided to make a weekend out of the wedding, stay at the hotel, and celebrate our anniversary. It was wonderful!

On Friday after work we went straight to the hotel and checked in, changed clothes, relaxed for a few minutes and then went to dinner. We've had a gift certificate to this great place in the Bishop Arts district that was given to me by my friend, Mark (like 2 years ago), and we'd never made it there to use it. So I thought, what a perfect time to go. I made a reservation and we went for a very nice, super yummy dinner.

I should back up to tell you about Trey's poison ivy. A few weeks ago, he and Michael went to Greene Family Camp with the temple brotherhood to do a mitzvah day clean up. They ended up clearing a ton of brush on the camp grounds. Well, a week later, Trey and Michael both have a red, itchy patch on their arms. I told Trey it looked like some for of poison ivy. He said - no, you don't get poison ivy that much after exposure. So on Friday Michael had an appt with the dermatologist, and I told Trey he should make an appt with the dr. He wanted to wait until after Michael went and just see what his dr. said first. (Note to readers: my response was - I'm pretty sure whatever it is, they will give a prescription for, and you are going to have to go to get it. And note the point that this is Friday, so we will then have the weekend to wait to see a dr. Sorry Treybaby - but you know when it comes to doctors and medical stuff, I am right!). So sure enough, Trey calls me around lunch time - Michael went to the dr., it's poison ivy, they gave him a shot. Now, being the wonderful wife that I am, I said - let me call Dr. Cook (Note to readers: Dr. Cook is our primary dr who I love. He always gets me in, his office is quick and good, and he is just generally great! It also helps that he loves me - and every time Trey or I go, he asks about how I am feeling and tells us how he talks about me all the time and uses my file for training with his interns and new staff.) So I called, and not only did they get Trey in for an appt that afternoon (amazing!), but he actually saw the doctor and not a nurse or NP. Dr. Cook gave Trey 2 prescriptions - one for prednisone which tends to wake you up, and one for something else that tends to make you drowsy. Both should be taken with food.

So now we are back at dinner... Trey takes his medicine, and we finish enjoying dinner. (By the way - Hattie's: delish!! Everything was awesome and it was great.) As we are leaving dinner, there are a ton of cute shops in the area so we wander into a few as we head back towards the car. (Again note: in one of the shops I find a ceramic pen holder / mug that says "my spreadsheets kick ass". I had to have it and it looks great on my desk.) By the time we get to the car, Trey is starting to feel a little sleepy, and starting to act a little off. So we head back to the hotel and I keep asking if he is okay. We get into the hotel, he sits in the chair for a minute, and BOOM - he is OUT! So I got ready for bed, and then woke him up and told him to get ready. Now, I had brought with us 2 wine glasses and a bottle of wine from home to celebrate with. The glasses were on the table with the wine chilling, and the next thing I know Trey is standing there looking towards them, and then just knocks his hand into both of them, shattering both into pieces. He was just so out of it from that medicine. Needless to say - I didn't want him to clean it up, so I took care of it while he got ready for bed and then he was out again. It was so funny!!

The next day was Stacy's wedding, so we slept in a little, and then I went to get my nails done while Trey went to watch the Texas game. We had a late lunch, and just hung out for the afternoon. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to spend time with all of our friends. It was the perfect cap to our anniversary weekend.

Here are few pics from the weekend...


In the hotel lobby before heading to Hattie's for our anniversary dinner.


Trey opening his surprise anniversary present - Bevo cuff links! He loved them, and was totally surprised. I was equally as happy when I went and bought my Keurig for my anniversary present.



At Stacy's wedding - don't we make a great couple!

Happy anniversary baby - I love you!!!!!

The Biggest Loser

I've watched The Biggest Loser on and off in past seasons. For some reason it just never made it into my regular scheduled programming. But this season, I actually started watching at the beginning and I've been totally addicted. It's so motivating and inspiring to see the change in these people.

Two things that bug me about the show... 1. When did Jillian and Bob become therapists in addition to trainers?? 2. Could they be more obvious and cheesy about the sponsors of the week? I mean, I get it - there are sponsors that want to see their product and have everyone talking about it, but really?! It's so staged and I just don't remember it being this bad in past seasons.

Okay, so now that that is off my chest, I can say that I really do think the show is awesome, and it makes me want to make an even bigger change in my habits. I really wish I could afford to take a month off of work and workout as much as they do, with a trainer, and have all of my meals made for me or at least all of the ingredients provided and the tips for cooking that they get. I keep thinking - man, if I could go to the ranch for a few weeks, I could totally shave off 20 lbs and be right where I want to be!

But I can't... so here I am wondering, how much of it is realistic for me to really do? I know 2 things.
1. I've come a good way from where I started - changing many of my eating habits with weight watchers (even though I'm not counting points anymore - and maybe I need to again), I've changed lots of my habits and am overall much more aware of what I am eating and how much. Now the trick is to go from being AWARE that I am eating to crap, to just not doing it! And also consistency in going to the gym and getting the exercise I so desperately needed.
2. I still have further to go. I am not willing to give it all up - I want to enjoy my food, and there are things that I like that I know are not good for me. But I do think in moderation that is ok. The trick is making sure that it is moderation. I do like working out, and most of the time, I am motivated to go. But am I going often enough and doing enough when I am there? And there are definitely still times when I just don't want to go.

So now I am trying to finding my balance - I guess that's what it is all about, right?

I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's true... the moment you all have been waiting for... I'M BACK!!! Now, we'll see how long I stay for. I'm really trying, but it is tough. The thing that I have the hardest time with is once it's been a little while since I've had time to post, I feel like there is so much to cover and I want to get to it all. I hate to leave anything out. So I wait until I have time to really post a lot of things, and then the list just gets longer of what I need to post about, and so I wait longer, and you get the cycle.

So here is my almost new year resolution - I am going to try really, really hard to keep my blog more updated, even if it means I don't cover it all.

But in the past 2 months since I last posted, there are a few big things I need to cover, so here is a preview list of things to come...
**Trey and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! We had an awesome weekend together and can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Here's to 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x infinity more! XOXO
**Madelyn is a superstar (what else is new?!)... I need to tell you about the song she wrote (and sang to us), her grades and how hard she is working at school, and of course little fun antidotes of her charming personality. Oh, and wait till you see the pictures that her could be professional photographer Aunt April took - they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (great photographer, super subject)!
**I still have braces... but they aren't so bad anymore. And I have a cool little feature to show you - stay tuned.
**In 10 days (yes - that's only TEN DAYS!!!!!) we are headed to VEGAS, BABY!!!! Oh, and I'll be 30 years old. I am so excited, I can't stand it. My stomach gets into knots when I think about it - I remember feeling like it was so far away, and in only 1 more day, we are down to single digit countdown.
**Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I can't wait - it's my absolute favorite holiday. And this year, like in so many past, I have so much to be thankful for. Although I am not cool enough to blog about a different reason / person each day, I will make the time to blog about the people / things as a whole. And to be sure to tell everyone that I love, just why I do. So be on the lookout.
**We made (a few) trips to Houston in the past few months where I got to spend some time with my adorable niece, Mia. And this last trip, I finally got to see my bf - the hot tamale - Aurelia. It was so great to just relax and spend some time with family and friends.

Okay, that's all I can think of for now. Stay tuned, and I'll update you on all of these are more!

Happy 33rd Birthday Trey!!!

Today is Trey's birthday! It's an exciting and special day. Today, since it's all about Trey, it gives me an opportunity to reflect on this wonderful person that is my husband. Although I know it every day (well - okay - most days), today especially I am reminded of how lucky I am to have married such a loving, amazing, supportive man. He is truly my soul mate - the perfect compliment and match to me, and I am so thankful to have him.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I know I am being a big baby. I know it could be so worse. I know I am a very fortunate person. I know I truly have little to complain about.

BUT...

This really sucks! I hate having braces. And I do know it will get easier, I will get used to it, and it's not THAT bad. But it feels like it is that bad and I won't ever get used to it. My mouth is so sore, that I don't even want to talk. And you all know how bad it must be for me to not want to talk. I have sores all inside my mouth, my lips are so dry they are cracking, and it really hurts!

I hate having braces!!

I can now officially be known as...

Sarah Braceface Gourley
Metal Mouth
Rarah Braceface

Yes, it is true - I now officially have a full mouth of braces. This morning I went for my 8:15 am appointment and didn't leave there until after 11:00. It was an interesting experience. The braces themselves weren't so bad, but the apparatus they used to hold my mouth open was brutal. It makes it where you can't really swallow and when you do, it rubs against the insides of your mouth - not comfortable. The worst part was the sounds. Everything sounds so much worse than it is, but you can't help but tense up at the sounds of the machines, and the look of pliers going in and out of your mouth. Oh, and the light gun that dries the glue - that is a freaky thing to see coming at you. The worst part was the little rounded saw that he uses to shave off little bits of my enamel to allow for room for my teeth to shift. The good thing is that this alleviates the need to have any teeth pulled; the bad news is it sounds and feels like a blade going between my teeth and into my gums. And when it's all done, I have a mouth full of blood to show for it all! It was gross and very freaky and he'll be doing that for at least the next few appointments - oh boy!

Thank goodness for April, who woke up early to go with me. She sat through the whole appointment with me, telling me how great I was doing. It might sound silly, but when it comes to this kind of thing, I feel like a little kid that needs the comforting, and it was so great that she was there. Plus, then it meant we got pictures - because even though this is really not something I need a visual of, I know I'll be glad to have the pics.

I am sore, and excited, and broke! And as much as it stinks right now, I am very happy to finally be getting this done.

Here are few pics of the morning...


This is the mold of my teeth, and my smile BEFORE!


Dr. Jeff using the light gun that dries the glue - that thing is weird!


This thing is the WORST! It holds your mouth open for the entire time so they can do get into your mouth without problems, but you can't swallow and it hurts!


All done!!! Can you see how crooked the wire is? That is how crooked my teeth are. But not for long!!!!!

Summer's over, and it was a busy one!

I guess summer is now officially over. Madelyn went back to school this past Wednesday, Jackie and Dani went back to school this past Monday, and holy cow - it's September in 3 days! Where did the time go? It was a fun and crazy summer with lot's going on. Obviously you know all about Madelyn going to camp. In addition to that Trey and I each got a week off with her. She was all set to go to Grammy camp for a week in August, but unfortunately Grammy had a crazy accident and had to have surgery instead. It's a long, odd story, but the outcome is that she is recovering just fine and will be okay. The short version... while working on the ranch with Grandad with some some cows, one of the cows kicked a steel pipe that they were working with and it swung up and hit in her the face. Talk about "the perfect storm". It was a total fluke accident, but it hit her just right where it resulted in several fractures in her face. She had to have surgery to repair, and poor Grammy - her entire side of her face was literally black and blue. But like I said, she is doing sooo much better now, and with some more rest and a little TLC, she is going to be her normal self again. Thank goodness!!!! So anyway, instead of Grammy camp, Madelyn got a week of a little bit of this and a little bit of that. She spent a few mornings with the big girls - Jackie and Dani. They were absolute angels stepping in to keep her for us. April covered an afternoon after school and a day she didn't have school, and Trey and I took a few half days to balance the rest. It was CRAZY, but it all worked out just fine.

After that week, we headed to San Antonio for a little family vacation with my mom, Allan, Megan, Mia, Mara, Jacob, and us. It was tons of fun! We got to see Aunt Jo and had really yummy grilled hamburgers and hotdogs (thanks Marty) and swim. That was the highlight of the weekend!!! But we also went to the wax museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, took a boat tour of the riverwalk, went to the Natural Bridge Caverns (very cool - and a good walking workout), and ate a ton of good food. It was so much fun, and so sad that when it was over, basically so was our summer. So that's all kept us pretty busy.

Unfortunately, the summer didn't end on the brightest note for me. I've been feeling great, with no active Lupus flare ups for several months now, and at the beginning of the summer, my Dr. and I discussed working on lowering and getting of some of my meds. We decided to wait until the end of the summer because being in the sun has caused flare ups for me in the past. So here I was thinking we were being so smart and strategic about it all. So about 6 weeks ago, I had another appt and we decided to get it going. I went off 2 of my meds, and started to taper down the Prednisone (steroid) from the 5 mg I was taking daily. The plan was to reduce by 1 mg each month. Very slow. Well, I went to 4 mg with no problem. Then I went to 3 mg and a week into it, my chest started to hurt. I am so disappointed and frustrated. I have now been back at 5 mg for a week, but since I didn't go back up to a big dose, I am still feeling bad. In the past, when I've had a flare up, it's taken a little while with big doses (40 - 60 mg) to get me feeling better, then we drop down. But I really didn't and don't want to go back up to that kind of a dose. So I am happy that we are trying a mild increase to a small dose to take care of it, and I expect that it means it will take me a little while to be feeling better - since it's such a small dose still, I am not going to all of a sudden be feeling better like before. But I just want to be feeling okay, and I really want to be off this darn medicine. I know that the small dose that I am on - even at 5 mg - is really not that bad, but I just want OFF. Oh well - it is what it is, right?

So the really great news is that we've decided to do something big for my 30th birthday this year. I am so excited I can barely stand it!!!! Trey and I, with my mom, Lene and Michael, are going to Las Vegas for 4 days for my birthday!!!!!! We leave on Saturday (my bday) 11/21 and come back Tuesday night. Then we have Thanksgiving that Thursday, which is my absolute favorite holiday. It is going to be so awesome!!!!! So the countdown has begun and right now we are at 84 days! It seems so far away, but I know it will go by so fast. Vegas Baby!!!

Well I think that is it. You are all caught up now.

Madelyn got back from camp, and just as the pictures seemed, she had an awesome time! We all missed her so much, and she missed everyone too. But she has such a great, fun, rewarding experience that it is soooo worth it! She's already ready to go back next year, and for longer!

So while she was there she did some incredible stuff... there was swimming every day, a huge rope swing, a gigantic slip n slide that was part of the July 4th carnival, cooking (she learned how to make pita over a fire, and chocolate balls), lots of good food, lots of great friends, and tons of adventures. She was so busy having fun, that she didn't even read her mail!!! Yes - after we all worried and fretted about making sure she got tons of mail - emails, letters, card, packages, etc. - she didn't even read any of it. I was laughing so hard, when as I was unpacking her, I came across of her mail in a huge pile, practically untouched. Anything that was mailed to her (cards, letters) WASN'T EVEN OPENED!!! She opened packages and took all the goodies out, but really didn't even know who sent her what because she didn't open the notes that went with them!! I'm telling you that kid cracks me up!

After a few leisurely days back at home with Daddy and Rarah, Madelyn is now with her mom and stepdad for a few weeks. We were so sad for her to go, and so was she, but she is also so excited to spend some time with her other side of the family too.

So I guess it's back to the real world for me... no more vacations for a little bit, and Monday I am back at work for the first full week I'll be working in over a month. What a bummer!!!

T minus 24 hours!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. This time tomorrow, we'll be pulling through the gates at GFC to pick up the princess and my big girls too!!! It's very bitter sweet... I am so ready to see Madelyn and hear all about her camp adventures, the friends she made, and the fun things they did. I am so ready to give her a big hug and kiss and squeeze her tight. But I am also sad that her first summer at sleep-away camp is already over too. It went by really fast, and really slow at the same time. I just hope she can remember all of it so she can tell us EVERYTHING! I wish I could go back to camp...

I have to give another shout out to the friends that were at camp while Madelyn was there. They made it bearable for us back home. The daily doses and updated on how much fun she was having was both a relief and a joy to each day. It's been super difficult these past few days with no one there to send me texts, emails, and pictures! Next year, we'll have to coordinate their staffing time so that they aren't all there at the same time! Hello - priorities!!!

This morning was a little difficult. My routine for the past 9 days has been:
1. arrive at work
2. skim for important emails, skip all the others and come back to later
3. get on GFC site, look for pictures
4. email Madelyn

No #4. today. So sad. I didn't really know what to do - it felt so weird to not email her. So I started to email her anyway, but then I thought - well that's just ridiculous, she won't even get it!

Last night I made a big Welcome Home poster for Madelyn, and tonight I'm going to get some balloons to hang with it for when she gets home. I remember my mom used to always pick me up from the bus drop off (I took the bus home with all of my friends) with balloons, signs and presents. It was like it was my birthday! Spoiled, I know... but I guess the tradition must continue.

Well, I guess I better get some work done since today is my Friday!

And by the way... if I hear one more thing about Michael Jackson, I am going to scream. Enough already - let's talk about some real news!!!!!

Camp ROCKS

Well, 4 complete days of camp have come and gone, and my spies have given daily reports that Madelyn is all smiles and having an awesome time at camp. It's such a relief. It's harder than I thought with her being there (for me - not her!). It's not that I don't get to see her - I'm used to that - but I find myself constantly worrying about her. Is she having fun, is she getting along with her new friends, does she have enough clothes, enough panties, is she getting enough to eat, enough rest, enough water, is she homesick, blah, blah, blah - you get the picture. It's been a HUGE relief to have some friends there staffing this week (what a great coincidence that they are there the same week as Mads - that was a great surprise), and to hear little updates on how she's doing. Not just that she's doing well, but I've gotten specifics on some of the things they are doing, and some things she said...

For example: I asked Aimee to tell her that at the rate she was going, she better make sure she sends her clothes to laundry. (On day 2, I'd seen pics of her in 4 different outfits!! And when we packed her I packed her 11 outfits for 10 days and told her she didn't have to do laundry if she didn't want to). So now I've been panicking, think OMG - she's not going to send her clothes to get washed because "Rarah said I didn't have to", and then she's going to get to day 6 or 7 and not have any clean clothes! So I was going to go buy a few more outfits and get them in the mail real quick. And then I thought - no, she'll figure it out. She's a big girl, and at the end of the day if she has to wear some dirty clothes it's not the end of the world. Now you all know 1. this is a kid who wants to change if she gets the slightest amount of dirt or stain on her shirt, and 2. the thought of her having to wear dirty clothes both grosses me out and makes me feel just awful! So anyway, I asked Aimee to tell her to be sure to send laundry. I get a message from Barrett the next day, along with my "daily dose" that Madelyn is doing great and having fun, she says... "She said she thought she would be ok with her clothes, but will need to wash her underwear". I just laughed. That's my kiddo!

So in all of the pictures we've seen, Madelyn seems to be having the time of her life. PHEW! I really thought she would, but you just never know. She's so independent, strong willed, and fun, and so I really did think camp would be nothing but wonderful for her. It's just so nice that this experience is transpiring as we'd hoped. Again, a huge thanks to our friends who helped make this decision. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. But Trey and I discussed it a ton, and talked to several people with more experience in this area, and ultimately, I am so glad we made the decision to send her to Greene.

Madelyn's having a BLAST at camp!

I'm back at work today and it has been incredibly hard to concentrate and get anything done. Here are few of the thoughts that have run through my head today...

• 7:00 am - I hope Madelyn had a good night last night
• 7:05 am - Wonder what they will do today
• 7:10 am - I can't wait to get to work and see if they posted pictures
• 7:12 am - Okay stop thinking about camp, and get ready for work. Yuck - have to go back to work
• 7:20 am - No - you can't check pictures yet. You have to get to work first. That's the deal
• 8:05 am - This traffic sucks... I wish I was at camp instead of heading to work
• 8:50 am - Okay, at work - have a lot to get done today
• 8:51 am - Okay, first I'll see if there are pictures posted, then I'll get work done
• 8:55 am - What? No pictures?? Yeez... what a bummer
• 8:59 am - Maybe if I email her, THEN I can focus on getting some work done
• 9:10 am - Still no pictures
• 9:12 am - Still no pictures
• 9:20 am - Still no pictures
• 9:30 am - Still no pictures
• 9:40 am - Okay, this is ridiculous! I thought they posted pictures during the night
• 9:50 am - Hello - get some work done
• 10:00 am - I hope Madelyn ate a good breakfast. Wonder what they are doing now. Wonder what she's wearing and if she dirt on it and has changed clothes yet.
• 10:15 am - Still no pictures
• 10:20 am - Still no pictures
• 10:21 am - text from April "Pictures are loaded!" - What, I just checked...
• 10:25 am - There she is!! Yay, she's having a great time I can tell
• 10:30 - Okay, maybe now I can focus on work

Imagine all of this repeating throughout the day. With a few hours of actual work thrown in there, but not much. It's been so hard to get anything productive done!!

Then I got a call from Barrett and Aimee, who are at camp this week. They went by to see Madelyn and check on her, and were calling with a report. It put the biggest smile on my face to hear that she is loving camp and having a blast!! Madelyn thought it was so cool that they know me, and when Aimee asked her what she should tell me was her favorite part of camp so far, she said, "EVERYTHING! My bunk is wonderful!". She also said to tell me that she got just a little homesick for a minute, but she got over it fast. How cute is that! When Barrett told her that we went to camp together when we were her age, she just couldn't believe it!

So then, a few minutes ago I got a message from Oren, who is also at Greene this week. He checked on Mads and said she was having a blast and it was so great to see her running around mad with all of her new friends.

WOW. We are so lucky to have such awesome friends, and great spies!! I'm so grateful for them and the knowledge that our princess is having so much fun!

Our baby is growing up!

Well, we got Madelyn all dropped off and settled in at Greene Family Camp this morning. It was a wildly successful event.


Getting ready to leave the house this morning... GFC bound!


But before we left, April had a little surprise for Madelyn... a new bunkbed charm for her charm bracelet! Madelyn loved it so much, she asked April to get it put on her bracelet and mail it to camp!!

We made it in great time - thankfully since she was so excited and ready to be there.

On our way to camp... are we there yet?!

Pulling into camp... the excitement was boiling over!

We got her through check-in and to her bunk in quick time, and we even got to say hello to Loui - the camp director who has been around since before I was at Greene, and was very helpful in our decision making for Madelyn to go to camp. She was unpacked and all settled, and within minutes, fast friends! Dena, who we met last weekend at the pool party, is in Madelyn's bunk and we are so happy about that - they immediately hit it off last weekend, and today were instantly by each other's side.

At her cabin - all ready to meet her bunkmates!

Getting all settled in - she could have cared less where I put her stuff - she just wanted to get her camp experience started!

So after we got her bed made, clothes unpacked and cubbies filled, we headed to Kibbutz to see Dani and Jackie. At first I was worried because there was no one around, but as we were getting ready to head back down to main camp, they came walking up. Dani ran straight to Madelyn - she was so happy to see her and so excited that she is finally at camp. Jackie wasn't far behind and we got to chat for a minute and get a few pics in before we got kicked off of Kibbutz.

So excited to see her big cousins!

It all brought back incredible memories of my days at Greene. I'm so thrilled that Madelyn gets to experience this. I just know that it will be such a rewarding, growing, phenomenal time for her.

So as the day has progressed, it hasn't been easy. Nerves are on overdrive, and we're all so anxious about Madelyn being away. It was especially hard for Trey come 6:30, as I know it was for Jennifer too. This is the first time to not talk to Madelyn for a day, let alone 10! We all know that Madelyn is going to do great, have a wonderful time, and learn so much. But the question is... will we survive?!?! I know that we will, but in the meantime, Trey and I are learning how to be sooo happy, and sooo sad at the same time. All the way home I was worried that I forgot to pack something, or tell her something. I know she's fine, but I can't help it.

I hope that Madelyn found the surprises I left under her pillow from Daddy and Rarah, and one from Bubbe. I know she'll have tons of mail every day - there is already 7 emails waiting to be printed for tomorrow's mail call. I just hope she has enough time to read them all. I can't wait to hear from her, but I also hope she doesn't get too worried or consumed with trying to write everyone. Just one letter to let us know she's doing as well as we know she will, and that's all I need.

So that's all for now. Enjoy the pics of camp dropoff!

One last pic... as we were leaving (she couldn't get rid of us fast enough!), Madelyn was already hanging with her new friends!

Follow me to GFC...

T minus 6 hours...

Tomorrow morning Madelyn is headed to Greene Family Camp for her first summer sleep-away camp experience. I am SUPER excited, and really nervous too. I've gone through her packing list 3 or 4 times tonight, counted her outfits, panties, socks, checked for sunblock, waterbottle, stationary with labels and stamps, toothbrush, hairbrush, and bedding galore. I recounted her outfits and panties - for fear that she'll run out. And just as I always did when I went to camp, she has more than enough to get her through (of course I went over the suggested quantities just a little).

Madelyn is incredibly excited, and I am so glad that she is still looking so forward to it. I just know she'll have such an awesome time and I think this will be an amazing experience for her - both for the fun, and for the learning experiences too.

Well, it's really late, and I'm exhausted so I'll post on how the drop off goes. Don't forget to write her - email me if you need the email login or address info.

Wow - these last few days have been busy...

We had an awesome Father's Day weekend! Grammy and Grandad came to Dallas for a visit, and they brought with them Bijou (Grammy's maltese puppy), and Flora (Grandad's newest find... a fawn - baby deer - that they are bottle feeding). It was tons of fun. We relaxed around the house, went bowling, grilled steaks for dinner, and just enjoyed everyone being together. Unfortunately, back to Blanco they went Sunday morning...

Sunday evening Trey, Madelyn, and I went to a pool party for all of the GFC Campers from Dallas that are Madelyn's age and going to camp for the first time together. Trey and I got an email from one of the parents that they were organized a little pool party to get all the kids together before camp so they would make some friends and know some other kids before they got there. I was so excited at this that I cried. Yes, I know... really, cried?! But it was one of my biggest fears that Madelyn wouldn't know any other kids, and this just made that one step so much better. She hit it off right away with one of the other girls, and of course the boys. I'm so hoping that they'll be in the same cabin (the girl only of course!) and that this experience will give her some friends in Dallas that she can get together with and spend time with when she is here.

So here we are on Wednesday - hump day. Madelyn and I have had 2 days of vacation so far, and they have been F-U-N! On Monday we had some chores to take care of - the A/C people came out for summer time checkup, and we had our quarterly pest control maintenance completed too. Both appts. were scheduled for 9:00 am and both were here and working by then! Madelyn woke up lazily - watched a movie while I did some cleaning, and then we had lunch at home. Ashley came over for lunch and then we took Madelyn to the roller rink for some roller skating. She tried out roller blades for the first time and she did great! There were lots of falls (she has a huge bruise on her elbow - yikes!), but she was really awesome. She'd just get right back up and tell us "I'm fine, I'm fine", with a roll of the eyes that said - back off, you're embarrassing me! After roller skating, we headed to Target to attempt to get the rest of the camp list taken care of. Notice I said attempt. We weren't very successful, and my patience was just about out, so we called it quits on that for the day. Ash headed home and April and I took Madelyn for some fro yo... for those of you not cool enough - that is frozen yogurt. There is this great place that opened not too far from the house. You fill your own cup (there are about 10 flavors to chose from) and then you put on your own toppings. There candy toppings and fruit. The catch is, you pay by the ounce. We've been frequenting this place, and let me tell you, as hard as I try I don't have it down to a science yet. It costs me almost $5 every time we go, and I keep trying to keep it down, but before you know it, you've filled to the top! DANGEROUS!!!! So then we went home, and cooked dinner, and chilled a little with daddy.

Yesterday we went to the gym in the morning, followed by lunch at Freebirds with April, and then off to do more camp shopping. This time we hit Khol's, and JACKPOT! We got almost everything that remained on the list. YIPPEE!!! I was so excited and it was relatively cheap too. So from there we headed to Leenie's for some pool time. Madelyn was so great helping me get sunblock on my back. We swam for a bit, played a few games in the pool, and then headed home. Last night we got Madelyn's stuff for camp all labeled, and mostly packed up. It's getting close, and she is so excited! Yesterday, Rarah got into a little trouble too. We got a letter from Jackie at camp (it was written to Trey, Madelyn and I), and ooops... I shred it before Trey got to read it! YIKES. He was so NOT happy with me. I was cleaning up, and wasn't even thinking. I tried to regurgitate what it said to him... camp is fun, it's really hot, blah blah blah... It didn't work! He wasn't having any of it. So I had to send an emergency email to Jackie last night for help to redeem me!

This morning I had an orthodontist appt for a second opinion on the process I'll need for my braces. I got mostly the same prognosis - 2 years and $6000!!! But this dr. said I'll need teeth pulled to make room and the other one didn't say anything about that! So now I don't know what to do. I left a message for the first dr. to see if he thinks I need teeth pulled and just didn't say, or what. I guess depending on what he says, I'll go for a 3rd opinion - a tie breaker maybe???!!!!! Oy vey! All I can say is, to anyone out there with young kids, when they start to fight you on getting braces when they are young, you send them to me and I'll set them straight. This is for the birds.

Well, today we are off to have lunch with daddy and go to the Children's Museum and IMAX. Tonight we're picking up Madelyn's cousin, Hollie, for a sleepover and day of fun with us tomorrow! Hopefully it will provide a much needed break for her mom and dad (they just had twins!), and give Madelyn and Hollie some good play time. Oh yeah, and a little break time for me too!!!!

So that's it for now. More to come soon.

Madelyn has new cousins

It's been a long, exciting, exhausting week for the Studdard (and extended) family.  For those of you who have been following, Stephanie (Madelyn's Aunt) had her twins Wednesday morning.  It's been a long journey to get there, and now the real journey begins.  Brooke was born with very little complication, but did have Pneumonia and has had to spend a few days in NICU.  She is doing well, and they will hopefully get to take her home soon.  Kamryn, who was diagnosed early on with CDH, has also been in the NICU.  And tonight, amazingly enough, they were able to perform surgery.  This came upon much sooner than expected, and we just heard that it went extremely well.  That is all I am going to say on the details, as I don't know enough and certainly can't explain it.  You can follow their blog, though, through the link on the lower right of mine.  

What I can tell you is that these are amazing people, with extraordinary determination.  I am so fortunate to be linked to them - through Madelyn, and through choice.  I've felt so connected to their story and everything they are going through, as I know so many of you are through your constant inquires to me.  I'm just so grateful to be a part of it all.  Kamryn, and all of the family, still has a long road ahead of her / them, but they are all so positive and strong, and are getting through it all so wonderfully.  Here's to continued happiness, success, and great health to them all!

Sunday, oh Sunday...

The countdown has begun...  One more week of work and then I am on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N with my princess!  I have to start thinking of some low key fun things we can do.  Any suggestions??  And if anyone wants to contribute to the "entertain a 7 1/2 year old in 95 degree weather" fund that would be great too!!!  I'm just so excited to see her and spend some good time together.

Today I start counting points again, so wish me luck.  I've been continuing to think of weight watchers when I eat, but I have not been actually writing down everything I eat and counting the points for the past probably 6 weeks.  It started with being out of town and losing track one week and I just never got back to my spreadsheet.  So today I get back on the strict wagon.  I have I think 6 - 10 more pounds I'd like to lose (so long as it drops from the right area - my tummy).  I definitely hit a plateau a little while back, so now I have to really watch it, and I'm trying to change up my workouts a bit too.

Today the girls went off to camp, their last year at Greene as campers.  It's so exciting and so sad at the same time.  This summer they are on Kibbutz - it's much like a Kibbutz in Israel where they as a group do all of their own living work such as cleaning, cooking, taking care of their environment (there is a garden and a mini zoo that they tend to), etc.  It's great work and TONS of fun thrown in there too.  When I went to Kibbutz 15 years ago, the girls were only 6 months old and they took me to camp.  WOW - it's been 15 years.  I think of them as babies taking me to my last year at camp as campers, and ironically there last year at camp as campers is Madelyn's first year.  The cycle is so cool and exciting.  I'm still a nervous wreck about Madelyn being away at camp for 10 days, but I just know she is going to have such a blast.  I'd bet money that when we pick her up she says she's not ready to go home yet!

Ok - well it's Sunday afternoon and I have to go get some productive things done.  Anyone know where I can find the motivation to be productive, because I sure don't have it!!!

This morning started out much like most Saturdays...  the alarm went off way to early, but I got my lazy butt out of bed anyway, and headed to step class.  As usual, it rocked.  I'm always so happy when I go - especially to this one because the energy is amazing, the instructor rocks, and by the time we are done I am dripping in sweat - I think it's a great workout.  

This afternoon will entail some errands (mostly returning some things - good!) and some much needed, overdue pampering in the form of a manicure and pedicure.  I feel so guilty indulging myself while Trey is working his tail off, but what's a girl to do?!  Speaking of Trey - he has been working so hard.  Last weekend and this morning he spent building a pergola for a friend of work.  A very nice job for him indeed.  Luckily April's friend Mike was available and wanting to earn some extra $$ and Trey had some help.  It made the job go much smoother and quicker, and I think Trey really liked having some company too.  They got along great and Trey was super impressed with Mike, so that's great.  He came home for a quick swaparoo of tools and off to grab a quick lunch with Mike before they move on to the next job.  It's crazy how busy Trey has been.  He's really enjoying it, but it's also exhausting and I worry that he'll just plain wear himself out.  And I've had to be on him about making sure he stops to eat lunch, and to wear sunscreen (which I am positive he is not today!).  But he's a grown man so all I can do is be a nagging wife, and leave it up to him.  Now, are you ready for this...  they went to Whataburger for lunch, because... Mike has NEVER been to a Whataburger!!!!  Hello???!!!!  What's the matter with him?  He's from Louisiana, but still!

Well, I guess that is it for now.  Off I go.  

My mom

So here I am, sitting at the computer just killing a little time, and I decided to catch up on some blogging - both doing and reading.  I was trying to think of what to blog about, so I started instead with reading my friends that I hadn't caught up on in a few days.  So I go to my mom's blog - I can always count on her to have a new entry! and  I find an entry that just blows me away and nearly brings me to tears.  You see, I know what a wonderful, amazing person, mother and friend she is.  I've had the absolute joy and luck to have known this for a longer time than anyone else, and to have experienced it firsthand my entire life.  I know how she always manages to have the right answer, or can make you laugh when you need it most, give you a shoulder to cry on when that's what you need instead, and somehow just generally has it all figured out.  But no one else knows this quite like I do.  And so when I read her latest post - "What goes around comes around", it made me smile because it's just one example and one way for everyone else to see the rock that she is.  I am so proud of her, and I know that my Meemaw is too.  Here is her post...

Hi All,
I came in this morning and quickly checked a few blogs that I had not read in a few days. One was Lisa Bearnson's blog. This is the post that I copied from hers...

Hey Everyone!I recently found out about a terrific scrapbooking gal who desperately needs our love, support and prayers. Barb Larsen is from Montana and has been sick for months with lots of testing going on. They finally found a tumor the size of a baseball in her spleen. This is a very rare kind of cancer and she has been in a lot of pain.This is a photo of Barb (on the right) with my pal, Lori Chadwick. (Would not let me copy the pictures. See Lisa's Bearnson's blog)

The hospitals in Montana have told her this is to big for them and they are transferring her to Houston, Texas. Even with all of this going on, she has been working on the farm and continuing her work with her 4H girls. She was even painting the animal pens at the state fair with her girls last week. When asked why she would possibly do this, she said it was the best way to ignore the pain because it would be a long time before she would get to work with her girls again. She loves scrapbooking and is very dedicated to it. She even teaches her 4H girls and they make albums together.

Let's all send Barb a card and a note of support to let her know we are thinking of her. She leaves for Texas on June 15 but her family will forward the cards to her.
Her information is:
Barb Larsen
Box 116
Galata, MT 59444

When you send a card, just leave your name, hometown and state on this blog. I will be gone for the next week on vacation but when I return (Friday June 19th) I will randomly select two people who have sent a card. Here's the fun part. I will send a box ofscrapbooking goodies to each of the winners! So--don't delay. Send your card to Barb today. It will surely put a big smile on her face to know people all over the world are thinking of her.

I just knew after reading that I wanted to offer to do whatever I might be able to while Barb was here in Houston. I can't imagine how scary to be sick and so far away from home and friends and family. I have always maintained that are scrappers are the best of the best and we never meet strangers. While we might be a bit strange we don't know what a stranger is. I immediately sent Lisa a comment to her post offering mine and Kim's (don't ya love how I speak for her) help in anyway. I heard from Lori Chadwick in minutes and you could just hear relief in the tone that someone would care about her friend and help her out. I can't tell you the feeling I had that I had made such a difference with what I think is just a small offer of not much. I just felt this pull, a desire to want to go visit, meet these people, maybe offer a bit of comfort. In emailing back and forth I have to say I am really looking forward to meeting Barb and her husband Joe. They sound like fine people. Lori and Barb met through scrapping (there is that bond again) and on a Bazzill bus tour as a matter of fact. Same one I will be taking in August at CE. Small world don't you think.

I ask that all you that read this keep Barb in your prayers and send her a card.

It makes me so proud to think of her opening her heart to be a friend to this total stranger, and hopefully making this experience a little less scary.

I love you mom!

I survived my 2nd Cycling Class

As hard as I tried to be working late...  we got home from work in time for me to make it to my 2nd cycling class.  I'm not going to lie - a very big part of me did NOT want to go.  But I've committed to doing it at least 4 times before I decide if I like it or not and want to continue.  I will tell you, I do not like it.  But I do feel like it's a great workout.  And it was much easier this time.  I took Alex's advice and focused on pulling my legs in instead of pushing out.  This might sound silly, but it really helped.  Last time, especially when we were up out of the saddle, I found that I was struggling to keep my knees from locking.  But this time I focused on pulling in and it was much easier to control the motion.  So all in all, I really enjoyed it - even though it was hard, and I felt like I pushed myself better than last time and still made it the entire hour!

Jennifer texted us that Madelyn got to be the star of the Sea Lion show at the San Diego Zoo today!!!  She got to hug and get a kiss from the sea lion - she was SUPER excited.  And the rest of the day people were recognizing her all over the zoo and telling her how great she did.  I can just imagine the expression on her face and the sassiness she's swinging now.

Ok, well... I made dinner for Trey and I and finished cleaning up the kitchen, and now I am off to try out my new shower head - YIPPEE!!!  Our shower head has been having this awful loud ringing noise coming from it for - oh - probably a month now.  And neither Trey or I thought - hey, why don't we just go buy a new one.  Can you believe that - how silly to have not thought of it sooner.  So when Trey said he was going to get a new one, I thought - jeez... novel concept!  Then I started thinking about it and we've had that one since living Austin - that's over 5 years and 4 moves.

Oh yeah - one more thing... I know many of you have been reading Stephanie's blog - Kamryn Hope's Blog - through mine (Stephanie is Madelyn's aunt / Jennifer's sister).  Well today she was admitted to the hospital to start the adventure of waiting for her twins - Kamryn and Brooke - to arrive.  You can read all about CDH from her blog and the journey they are beginning.  We're thinking good, happy, healthy thoughts for her and their entire family!