You know it is time to clean out your closet when...

The entire shelf pulls out of the wall!!

It was bound to happen - I have a million clothes and shoes stacked up to the ceiling. But sorting through my closet wasn't something that I wanted to do after a weekend of cleaning and organizing!!

I piled my clothes on the bed and went through my shoes. The 2 bags on the floor are full of shoes that are on their way to Goodwill. (Along with 4 bags of clothes that have been in my car trunk for months now!!)

Gilbert is going to be so happy with his new project when he gets home from work today!!

Medical Update

Last Wednesday Gilbert went to the cardiologist to have his stress test, ultrasound and heart monitor. He did pretty well during the stress test - they cranked it up and he didn't pass out! He goes back this Wednesday to go over the results.

His blood work keeps coming back pretty normal. His red blood count is still a bit high - but nothing to be alarmed about. They want him to come back in a month and have another blood test.

He has been on anxiety medication and that has helped tremendiously. He is still not feeling 100%, but is feeling much, much better!! The neurologist called on Friday and switched up his meds. We are not sure that we like the new medicine that they put him on, but are still giving it some time before asking to switch back to the old or try something else.

This weekend was pretty uneventful. Gilbert and I worked to get the house ready for the Cissell's visit. They will be arriving on Thursday morning and I can't wait!! I even went out and bought some toys so that Sophie could have some fun things to play with at my house!! I just hope that the sun actually comes out and stays out while they are visiting!

Something New

They say that you should learn something new every day.
Today I went to see my wonderful masseuse Negeen. Besides regular massage, Negeen does pre-pregnancy massage, baby massage and is certified as a Medusa. One of the things that she is working on is putting together a post-pregnancy package - not just for massage, but for support during the first few months after the baby is born.
She shared with me that Native Americans would take care of a woman 40 days after she had a baby. They would bring over meals, clean, take care of the baby - anything they could to support the Mom. The tribe came together to help the new parent deal with the physical and emotional. How amazing is that?
That is my new fact for the day. And it also means that I will be leaning on my "tribe" the first 40 days after I have a little one:)

Moonshine

I have been craving my favorite restaurant for months now. Gilbert finally broke down last night and took me to Moonshine. I have satisfied my stuffed trout craving - for a little while!

We took the "kids" to the groomers on Tuesday. Here they are showing off their snazzy haircuts and new accessory! Red is all the rage, you know!

Best Buddies

Vino en la Caja

I thought I would try some of the wine in a box that Target sells. I must say that I was impressed. The small box that I got was only $10 and is equivalent to 2 bottles of wine. It also keeps for 4 week in the refrigerator. Check it out next time you visit Target!

Lazy Monday & Medical Update

Working from home is great - but take a look at the rest of my family while I am hard at work!

Ricco wouldn't stay still, but here he is waiting to go outside. Roxie is watching her Dad nap.

Gilbert went to the Doctor today and they really didn't have anything to tell us - as his symptoms are really all over the place. She ordered some more blood work to check some things that the hospital didn't and said that the process could take some time and we go from specialist to specialist to rule things out. Tomorrow we are going to the neurologist and on Thursday to the cardiologist. We might move on to see an Ear, Nose and Throat if neither of the other 2 yield results.

I know that we have a lot of people praying for Gilbert - and that gives us both some peace. He is spending the afternoon resting - which is exactly what he needs. We will keep you updated as we visit more doctors throughout the week. Thank you for your kind words and support....

And the Green Grass Grows All Around, All Around

Yesterday after Gilbert got off work we went to World Market so I could get some chairs to put on our front porch. I really wanted the Adirondack chairs, but after Gilbert saw the price, he suddenly thought they were really ugly and wouldn't go with the house! We continued to look around and found some beach chairs that were nice enough to go on the front porch - complete with a drink holder. Gilbert picked the red canvas and I have to say that it looks good against our yellow house. After church we took some pictures and the light was just right to give it a neat effect. You can see that the crazy rain in Texas has really helped our lawn. I don't think I have ever seen grass this green in Texas in the month of July!

Real Life ER

For those of you that don't know, Gilbert has not been feeling well since March. He has been experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath - and just feels like he is always in a daze. He hasn't felt "normal" in a very long time. He has been to the doctor twice and she has done his blood work and told him that everything was normal. So I made him an appointment for this Monday to see a different doctor that would try more options that just drawing his blood. Gilbert has been very anxious about how he has felt - and just wants to know what is wrong with him so that he can be "fixed".
Last night around 10:30PM, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. I then decided that we needed to go to the ER. You don't mess around with chest pain! We went to the South Austin ER and luckily it was a quiet night and we got into a room within 10 minutes. Gilbert and I were both a ball of nerves - I am not as strong emotionally as I thought I was!! They took his blood, did an EKG and CAT scan. The worst part was just sitting there waiting for the results. All of his tests came back normal - which in a way is a relief, but it still doesn't tell us why he is not feeling well. We are still going to the doctor on Monday and the ER doctor recommended that we go and see a neurologist.
I have to say that for all the flack South Austin hospital gets, we were very impressed with the staff and especially the ER doctor. He admitted that he wasn't an expert and that he had looked at everything major and Gilbert needed to see a specialist. He really took his time with us - answering all of our questions and listening to how Gilbert was feeling. What I thought was nice is that he got down on his knees so that he could be right at Gilbert's level and look him in the eye. I don't think I have ever seen a doctor do that!
I feel confident that the doctors in Austin will get to the bottom of what is happening with Gilbert. He just wants to get back to enjoying life! Keep him in your prayers this week....

Sophia Grace Cissell's Birthday

I can't believe that Sophia is going to be 1 on July 11th! Since the family was all together, we decided to have a "Princess Party" for her. Present at the Sunday morning brunch (complete with a castle cake) were: Amy, Cory and Sophia, Mom and Dad, me and Gilbert, Grammie and Grandpop, Uncle Ken and Aunt Cheryl, Uncle George, Funny Great-Uncle George and Great-Aunt Ruth, Mom's cousins Bill and Barbara, Suzie and JD, and Steve and Jen. We had a full Villa for sure!

Sophia loaded up on some new toys - as people stuck with the Princess theme. When she got a doll, she actually hugged and patted it. She is one amazing little girl!!

Sophia even had her own cake, although she didn't seem to thrilled to be eating it!!

Steve's Wedding

Gilbert and I were so happy to finally be in Orlando. Being a morning person, I just couldn't sleep in - even though we probably only got about 3 hours of sleep! We started the morning off by going to the pool with Amy, Cory and Sophia. We were staying at The Boardwalk - on Disney property. True to its name, it looked just like the Boardwalk in Ocean City. Everyone had a great time in the pool and the guys and Amy rode down the big slide.

We then got ready for Steve and Jen's wedding. Steve had asked that Amy and I escort Grammie and Grandpop. Steve was an usher at both Amy's and my wedding - and wanted to keep it in the family. I thought it was a great idea, plus it meant that we got to sit in the 2nd row at the church - close to the action!!! The reception was at the dance club on the Boardwalk and Disney. The food was amazing and so was the music. We had fun hanging out and Gilbert and I showed everyone how people in Texas dance to country music!

One Thousand and One Reasons Why I Won't Fly American Airlines Ever Again!

I very rarely fly American Airlines - as they have ruined or misplaced my luggage multiple times. I used to think that I had bad airport karma, until I realized that I never had any problems with other airlines. This past weekend I was reminded again why I should never fly American.
We actually departed from Austin close to on time. But we circled Dallas for close to an hour due to "weather". A quick 30 minute flight turned into close to 2 hours. Once we got to Dallas we went to our gate - only to find out that our flight had been cancelled. I called Customer Service and they couldn't get me on another flight until Saturday night - which would defeat the purpose in even going. So I asked if they could get me back to Austin - they could not. They also couldn't guarantee me any money back if I didn't make it to Orlando. WHAT??!??
They soon announced that there was another flight going to Orlando, so Gilbert took off running to that gate to put us on the stand-by list. We were the last two passengers to board the flight, which left super late. We were just happy to be on. We got into our hotel room close to 4AM. It took us 12 hours to fly from Austin to Orlando. I think we could have driven there in 18!!!
Our return flight was supposed to leave Sunday evening. Sunny skies in Orlando and weather was okay in Dallas. But our flight got cancelled once again. I called Customer Service and they put us on an early morning flight for Monday. So we paid for a hotel room and kept our fingers crossed that the weather behaved.
Our flight from Orlando to Dallas was perfect on Monday morning - we were so surprised that it left on time. We were also surprised when we got to Dallas and saw that our connection was on time. And that is where our luck ended. We boarded the plane and once everyone was on, they announced that the crew was not on the plane and we were just going to sit at the gate and wait for them. We waited for close to 45 minutes for them. Then a part needed to be replaced. It was replaced - but then had to be tested. The mechanic brought the wrong item to test with, and it took him another 30 minutes to get the right tool. All the while, dark clouds began to roll into Dallas. By the time they got the plane fixed, it was raining - and we all knew what would happen next. The ramp was shut down due to lightening - or so they said. Other aircraft were taking off behind us. Interesting. Then the pilot came on and said that the other pilots were taking their chances by flying. Last time I heard, the pilots could only take off once air traffic control told them to. So that meant that they were lying to us - and just didn't want to take off. We sat for another 2 and a half hours. I really thought I was going crazy.
We finally got into Austin after 3PM on Monday - after we were supposed to arrive at 8:15PM Sunday night. Gilbert missed most of the day at work (of which he will not get paid for), we had to pay for a hotel, had to pay extra for parking and another visit from the pet sitter. I plan on writing a letter to American, but don't expect a response from them. They made it very obvious that they do not care about the customer.
I don't care if American is $100 cheaper - I will never fly them again!!