God's blessings everyday...

Well it's been a few days since I (Tina) posted and I have had a lot of progress in my therapies since being here in TIRR. Yesterday we had a family conference…which (like I said earlier if you know anything about my job)…was just like an ARD meeting…basically the gist of what we talked about was the progress that I had made so far in my therapies and what goals that they have for me…which eventually is for me to fully walk again and be able to be back to being a mom, wife, and go back to my job and be fully functional. They all said that I have made great progress so far. The speech pathologist even made comments about how someone who filled in for her one day said that I could do some of the tasks better than she could. That made me feel good, that at the least cognitively, I am still all there…whatever that really means J They also mentioned that they are tentatively looking at a discharge date of April 16th, of course all depending on my progress. And then maybe putting me into what they call a post acute therapy setting…where it is a more residential looking setting and not so hospital like. Where I would be able to come and go as I please during the day, but I would have to stay there at night. Basically, it would be like living in my own dorm room, as well as getting therapy during the day, instead of driving for outpatient therapy every day. All these things depend on my progress here and what I look like when they are ready to discharge me.

At this point, I just want what God’s will is for us…yes I want to be home already, but at the same time…I want to be able to take care of my family in the way that God would have me take care of them.

They also approved a day pass for me to go to Katie’s birthday party. Which I was so excited about! I can’t believe she is already turning one! Over the past few weeks she has gotten so big and has developed such a personality. She is getting so big right before my eyes…before I know it, she’ll be walking…she is definitely getting there.

In both physical and occupational therapy I feel like I have made so much progress in just the week and a half that I have been here. I know that Aaron has seen the little baby steps…that even though they seem little to the world out there and if I were from the outside looking in…I would probably think that they were just tiny steps, but from the inside looking out…they are HUGE steps. When I first got here…the occupational therapist had me dress myself without any help…after I finished I was so exhausted. She even had to help me put my shoes on towards the end because I was so tired. I felt like I had just sprinted five miles. I thought to myself…is it going to be like this everyday, just getting dressed? I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if I had to do anything else. Wow, I would have never thought it took this much effort, just to get dressed. But thank God that everyday since then I have improved and it has gotten much easier. My strength and endurance have enhanced and I have improved on learning how to dress myself. The neuropsychologist here mentioned that a friend of hers that is a Physical Therapist said that for everyday that you are in the hospital and aren’t moving it takes 7 days to regain the strength back for that one day. Which if that were accurate…it would take me 63 days to regain all of my strength back to where I was before. But God has helped me regain so much in so little time. I can use my left hand and lift it well now, and over the past few days I have been able to move my left leg little by little and the physical therapist has had me walking and standing on it…of course with her help and the use of some really neat assistive devices. I am able to walk from point A to point B. At first I was really slow, but now it seems like I could just get up and go on my own; even though at this point I know that without her assistance or the use of these neat little techniques and devices…I wouldn’t be able to, but I know soon that I will be walking independently…it just takes time. God has definitely shown me how I need to know my limits of how much I can do…and can’t do. He has also taught me to be obedient to my therapists…so when they say stop or do this or that…I MUST listen…and for some of you who know me well…you know that I can be stubborn and determined to be independent and do things on my own…which I think has gotten me this far in life (of course with God’s help). I know that this experience is only helping me and making me stronger. I also feel like this is humbling me, that way my children will also have a good role model for a mom and Aaron will have a wife that is obedient and submits to him as Christ submitted himself to the church.

Also, when I first arrived here at TIRR…I was totally dependent on having someone help transfer me from my bed to the wheelchair and to standing and sitting in the bathroom (which may be too much info for some of you), but right now this is my reality…a humbling one at that. Since being here, I have learned to stand on my own and position myself to transfer myself into my wheelchair and I have learned to be able to stand on my own and help stand and sit with minimal assistance in the bathroom. Which I know that for this probably sounds like no big deal, but if you really think about how many times a day you stand up and down to move around and do things…it is a HUGE deal. Even the little things like if you just need a pen across the room on the table…you’ve got to move over there to get it. Throughout this whole process I have to thank Aaron for being such a trooper and sacrificing himself to help me. He has sacrificed so much sleep and even in the times that he was so exhausted and tired and I just needed him to get one more thing for me…whether it was to rub my feet or get me fresh ice water…he was willing to do it. Aaron has been the epitome of sacrifice for me over the past three weeks and even in those moments where we were both so exhausted and tired…he continued to ask me “is there anything else you need?” and I have thought to myself…LORD I don’t deserve such a wonderful man, but God knew even before I was formed in my mother’s womb. Who he would choose to marry me…and he perfectly chose Aaron to balance me out.

Aaron seems to have learned so much about how to help me including different techniques and ways to assist me. He has even gone to several of my therapy sessions with me to learn what things they have been doing with me and what types of things I can do at home to help me strengthen myself when I leave here. I just wish he didn’t have to go back to work on Monday. I will definitely miss him when he goes back.

Before I finish up this blog for today…I wanted to say that since I am feeling much better (comparably to after surgery in the hospital)…I am welcoming visitors up here at TIRR (www.tirr.org) if you would like to come visit.

Please call Aaron at 281-923-6524 to set up a time and day. Know that I am in therapy pretty much all throughout the day (M-F) until about 4 p.m. So early evenings or weekends would be best…visiting hours are until 9 p.m.

p.s. Please keep my family in your prayers. We just found out this past Monday that my maternal grandmother passed away.

Humbled and Honored...

Recently I was honored by a friend who purchased tickets before Christmas for me and a few other mighty women of God to attend a Christian Concert with Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton, and Christy Nockels...needless to say it was an awesome evening. We had dinner and fun girl time, but the best part of the night was how God showed off (of course not in a pompous manner, but in a humbling way for me)...my Daddy God is always there...just with the perfect timing.

That was an incredible evening. Just having Israel and New Breed at the concert felt like home, (if you are reading this blog and don't know already...Israel is a worship leader at Lakewood Church...where Aaron and I called our church home for six years..until recently) it felt like I was worshiping back at Lakewood. Then came "The song" Christy Nockels recently wrote a new single that will hit stores in June 2009. If you were to have listened to the song that night...if you knew us...and all that was going on...you would have thought it was written for Aaron and me. The lyrics say this...

"With You...I can go anywhere...I can do anything...because You are the song I breathe...with You..I can go anywhere...I can do anything... because You are the song I breathe... and with You...You are the air I breathe... because You are my everything and I am an offering...I may live and I may die either way You are glorified...bless the day I give my life away...so let my life light up like the city lights...let it burn for You in the darkest night Lord..Let my life light up like the city lights...let it burn for You in the darkest night...oooohh..and in you...I can begin again..I am part of a bigger plan...because You are the great I AM...and in You...your life is in my veins and you've broken all my chains because You are the God who reigns...I may live and I may die either way you are glorified...bless the day I give my life away...So let my life light up like the city lights and let it burn for You in the darkest night Lord...let my life light up like the city lights... let it burn for You in the darkest night...my life will shine on earth and my Father will be praised...my light will shine on earth and my Father with be praised...let my life light up like the city lights...and let it burn for You in the darkest night...and let my life light up like the city lights...and let it burn for You in the darkest night LORD...and let my life light up like the city lights and let it burn for You in the darkest night and my light will shine on earth for You."

God has reminded us day in and day out throughout this entire process...through the words, texts, emails, letters, blog comments, songs and just through His word that this has been to glorify my Father. I (Tina) want to be exactly what those words spoke in that song...I want my life to light up like the city lights in the darkest night and whether I live or die I want my Daddy to be glorified...I want my light to shine on earth for Him! Both Aaron and I are so humbled and honored to be used by our Father in this way...just to glorify Him. I am grateful and honored to be in this place...but as humans we do question things...and I have to ask myself the question..."why use us God?" At the end of the day however we always come back to..."Not our will, but Your will be done Father" and end up feeling humbled and honored to be used in this way.

-- Tina

THE PROGRESS...

Today was day two of therapy at TIRR. Last night I got more sleep here than I have in the past two weeks...of course that is all due to medications, surgery, people just checking up on me and making sure I was getting the best care in ICU and on the regular floor at St. Luke's. My care on the ICU units was phenomenal; however, if you understand ICU it is intensive care...meaning people are checking your blood pressure, drawing blood, or taking you to some MRI, CT scan or poking you with a needle for blood cultures almost every single moment you are there. It was intense to say the least and physically exhausting. So all that to say...I had such a restful night and it made my day, which was full of intense therapy, go well.

I am currently in individual Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Physical Therapy. As the week progresses next week I will be a part of other therapies, but those will definitely be group based. They sound like some really neat things...one will be a pool/water therapy group. I am totally pumped about that. Another group that they mentioned was a "cognitive group" (not really sure what that means, but she did mention that there are a range of cognitive skills in the group), another group that was mentioned was a group on people re-learning to use their hands. As time goes on, I will tell you more about the details.

For all of my co-workers and those that actually understand what Aaron and I do for a living.... This experience has given me a whole new perspective on our careers and what we can do to improve ourselves, not only as clinicians, but as parents, and being on the "other side as the patient/client". It helped me not only be sympathetic, but of course be empathetic as well. God has been faithful to show me the areas of my career that I need improvement in. Being compassionate and being passionate for what I do, are two of the things that need to be added to my evaluation performance (are you taking notes Janet...she is my supervisor for those of you who don't know). The best supervisor you could ever have too!

For those of you at my job...you guys will get a laugh out of this. Like I said earlier I am now in OT, PT, and Speech and eventually they will do cognitive testing. Of course they have to give me initial evaluations ...well they are going to eventually have to give me neuropsych tests...which they of course tried to already ask me questions about the WISC and were thinking of using the WJ and of course I had to be honest, confess, and say I knew a little something about the tests....just a LITTLE something. LOL.

I wanted to just add and give God some glory in this BLOG...I have had a phenomenal nurse here named Rosa who is a strong Christian and has been encouraging my heart to continue to strive and work hard. She has been so so sweet. Oh how good God is... all the time. Today I had the opportunity to pray with one of the nurse's assistants about her relationship with a guy that she has been with on and off for the past twenty or so years...she truly wants a stable guy and marriage. It was so humbling to be able to pray for her; she said "I really didn't know how to pray for that...thanks. " P.S. I used both of my hands to type this blog and i am making great progress on using my left hand and making leaps and bounds being able to use my left side of my body...not quite standing on my left leg, but I know that God will make it come soon...I am working really hard.

- Tina

Battleground Number Two...and Beyond

It has obviously been a few days since I (TINA) blogged. I really can't imagine why it has been so many days:) LOL (I kinda chuckle to myself as I type this)..not that I have been through anything major (just a minor brain procedure this weekend and seemingly near death experience LOL :)

like I said earlier BUT GOD... the night my temp was so high and my vitals signs so low I thought to myself I'm not going to make it (I am just being real here) and I am not going to raise my Katie or be there for Aaron as his wife. But then GOD reminded me, "Tina, I already told you this is exactly how you would feel... but I will rescue you... because people are praying for you." oh yeah that's right...you told me that already.

I (Aaron) am typing now (Tina was ready for bed).

Update...Tina has been stable for about 4 days now and about 2 days ago Tina started moving her entire left arm. Another Miracle! After doing some research and talking to several doctors at Saint Lukes we decided to apply at TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research www.tirr.org) here in the med center. We were told by many that we may not get in at all and if we did that it might take awhile....BUT God....We were accepted and transfered to the facility within 48 hours. Another Miracle! We arrived here Wednesday night. This place is ranked as #4 in the nation for physical rehab and people come here from all over the world (Tina's roomate is a missionary from Thailand who suffered a stroke and flew across the world to come here). We both are doing great and are so, so thankful to God for this trial (I know this may sound strange, but if you could see through our eyes at all the awesome miracles that God is working through this you would understand). Interestingly enough many of the miracles are not even the physical miracles that you might expect...many of them are the individual lives that are being transformed through this (as I type this my eyes are filled with tears of joy). I love my Lord so, so much :)

From money, VISA cards, meal delivery, car rides, babysitting, groceries, flowers, hats, scarves, balloons, cards, emails, voicemails, texts, parking passes, support from our bosses and co-workers and family and friends and church, bringing our Katie to see us, encouragement, sharing our testimony with others, washing our clothes, buying personal items at the store... and the countless hours you have spent in prayer for us we want to say THANK YOU and may God return these blessings back to you 1000 fold. We are so grateful for all of you and we love you.

Stay posted for more testimonies of God's amazing grace....

p.s. Please pray and thank God in advance that Mary (Tina's roommate) will make a better than full recovery and that He will impart to her His strength and hope so that she may continue to serve Him on the mission field.

Humbly,

Aaron and Tina

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 (Relying on God...)

Have you ever read these scripture verses before? If not, take a minute and go and read them now. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%201:3-11&version=31


Basically Paul (an apostle of Jesus) is talking about how he was suffering and how through this suffering he learned to comfort others who were also suffering because he had been comforted by God (spiritual empathy). He also commented that he learned not to rely on himself but on God and was thankful for all of his friends prayers because he knew that lots of people would rejoice and thank God when he survived his trial.

That is exactly how we have felt over the past several days (read Tina's blog entitled 'Excited about all that God has in store' dated 3/1/09 which references this).

Here is an abbreviated version of what has been going on... Tina was stable and was released from ICU last Friday 3/6/09 and went to the Neuro floor, once there she started having back and stomach pains, her temperature sky rocketed to 103.3, her blood pressure dropped to 75/48, her heart rate was in the high 120's and she became non-responsive (kept on repeating "Katie, Katie, Katiebug..."). The nurses were having a hard time finding a vein and so both of her arms are covered with bruises and red marks. She was taken back to the ICU and was eventually stabilized (Miracle of God) and is doing much better now (the nurses here in ICU are fantastic!). When she is released from ICU (very soon) she will enter intensive in-patient rehabilitation and gain strength back in her left arm and left leg. She is now currently able to move all of her left fingers and is able to push some with her left leg...Another Miracle of God!

Tina and I have (like Paul) felt completely overwhelmed and exhausted over the past few days. BUT GOD...has given us His peace, His strength and His hope. We are not superhuman...but we do serve a SUPERNATURAL GOD who has and will continue to deliver us. We thank each of you who is praying for us because we know that this battle is already won in Jesus name and that many will continue to give thanks and praise God Almighty for the awesome things he has done through all of this. Ultimately we thank God not for what he can do for us but for who He is....our Lord and Master.

Totally and completely surrendered and in love with Jesus,


Aaron and Tina

Modern Day Miracle

"Babe, you just witnessed a modern day miracle." These were the 1st words Tina spoke to me when I saw her in recovery after her surgery yesterday. I don't have any words to describe all the flood of emotions that rushed over me at that moment. I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so in love with Tina, my beautiful wife. Her courage, faith, and optimism humble me. Tina is impacting so many people everywhere she goes (lots of people up here at the hospital) because of her pure, childlike faith and the love of God which pours out of her to those around her.

Things that were miraculous...
1) Tina's attitude- Dr. Comair commented after surgery that "she is an amazing lady." Those of you who know Tina are not surprised by this...she is an amazing example of Jesus :)
2) Dr. Comair said that all of the tumor was removed.
3) She wasn't able to move her left hand after surgery but after much effort was able to. She is having some difficulty now...but is still trying :)

Things to pray for:
1) Tina has had several new seizures after surgery. Dr. said this was not an unusual side effect after this operation and that she should be doing much better soon.
2) Tina is unable to move her left leg or foot. Dr said this was not an unusual side effect and that she should re-gain this within a week.

Overall yesterday was an exhausting and overwhelming day in many ways... But GOD. I wonder to myself..."How could anyone do this.... without GOD." We are still confident that God has Tina in the palm on His right hand and has already won this battle for us. God has given us His peace that she will fully recover. We are planning on going dancing this weekend :)

Tina and I rested today (Wednesday).... loving on each other and our God who brought us through this.

We thank you for your continued prayers and support. If you would like to visit please call Corie (713-775-3082) or Linda (713- 315-7761) 1ST before coming for a possible visit. They will arrange visits for Thursday or later depending on how Tina is doing.

We love you all,

Aaron, Tina, and Katie

p.s. Tina wanted me to ask all of you if you have anything that we can pray for you about to please share it with us (on the blog if you feel comfortable or with us via text).

The Battlefield...spiritually, mentally, and physically

Okay so imagine (you can close your eyes if you want to...but then you might not be able to read this... :) You are recruited for an army...maybe it is the U.S. Military, the great Philistine army, or maybe you are David...just a boy and an army of one (as in the story of David and Goliath...if you haven't read the story in the bible you should sometime...it's great). So when you are recruited in an army...you have to go through bootcamp...if you've ever seen the movie (or if you haven't)...G.I. Jane is what I think of... you go through a series of taxing events...



You wake up at 4 a.m. to someone giving you commands, demands, and telling you to push soldier...keep going...run...keep going...faster... (then God says to you "you can do it! "It gives you a little boost in your spirit. ) It's 8 a.m. chow time... you eat for literally a few minutes wishing that you could have a little more time, but it is not allowed. (Then, God gives you a rest and even though it was momentary...it seems as though you rested for hours ) 8:15 a.m. Then you are back to trekking up and down stairs, mountain sides...imagine the up hills and down hills...you really are beginning to get exhausted physically and mentally. (Then God gives you His words...I will be made strong in your weakness) It is now 2 p.m. You have been through obstacle course through obstacle course through obstacle course...and you haven't eaten...they finally say...okay chow time...you then literally have to run and eat...your spirit, your mind, and your body just want to collapse and say "I can't do this anymore" (but then God...He says to you I have your back, I'll give you the renewal and refreshment you need...just place your trust in Me...I am here to make your yoke easy and your burden light) This gives you the energy you need and you keep going...



They tell you faster soldier...your team is counting on you...you remember God's telling you He's got your back and it seems like He is literally and physically pulling you along. It's 6 p.m. you have been going since 4 a.m. Then they sit you in this room that is so cozy and warm, you want to snuggle up in a blanket by the fire and fall asleep to the crackling of fire...but at the same time they ask you to write a story about the Advantages and Disadvantages of Warfare in a foreign country. You can't believe that they are asking this of you...your entire self...everything in you wants to sleep, but you know that they are testing everything that you have in you (then God reminds you...you can chew on a piece of bread that you saved from earlier to keep you awake and He tells you to remember to share with your friend next to you) You finally finish thinking...they feed you a little...then you think you are going to bed. But no it's 10 p.m. and you have to go out with your team as one and hold up a boat straight up in the air until someone quits. Your mind says no... BUT God shows up and pulls your entire team through...you then finally, finally get to go to bed. You get in bed...you are ever so grateful for rest and sleep. You then sleep and are renewed to go back for Day 2.



Being human, you think how much more of this can I take. God says to you...I have already won the victory...my Son paid the price...it is done!



Well to be honest with you, I hope that this picture can convey the message to you what our past few weeks have looked like...and know that it was only BOOT CAMP! Today, we enter the real battlefield...but know that God has already reminded us of our VICTORY. We don't know what that process looks like, but we know that the battle has ALREADY been Won...not by us...but by our God who is always faithful and MIGHTY TO SAVE!



We love each and every one of you sincerely. We appreciate your encouragement, prayers, support, and love....We are both now on the battlefield, prepared for battle, and at the moment we need your prayers more than anything. We both will need our rest tonight and we will welcome visitors on Wednesday.

In Christ,

Aaron, Tina and Katie

Excited about all that God has in store

Well I am back and excited about today and all that it has in store for us! As I mentioned in our profile, we are part of a newly planted church and this morning will be our second pre-service. I can't wait to take Anna (my wonderful mother-in-law)...I just know she is going to love it! We are excited about serving today and we pray that we can touch others lives...even simply just by our smiles and physical presence. I (Tina) say that to say in a round about way...please continue to pray for our physical strength.

Speaking of strength...these next words have been a source of strength to us...

We feel led to share words of wisdom that have been spoken to us through friends...I hope that we are able to convey the heart of the message as well and as clear as the Holy Spirit has spoken it to our spirits through our beloved friends...

These scriptures come from 2 Corinthians 1: 8-11 and then 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 (New Living Translation)...You'll have to work with me here...since the order of the scriptures are reversed, but there is a purpose to it. I was first given the first verses (8-11) by a friend and then later that morning it was impressed upon my heart to read from the beginning of the 2 Corinthians chapter...and this is what was left imprinted in me...

If you see anything added to the scripture (in red) I added it to help me personalize to our situation at this moment. When my friend shared these scriptures with me and I thought of where we were at in this moment of our life...I was without words and couldn't really believe that these exact words existed in the bible. Only for the fact...that it seemed like God had just written them for us in that exact moment. So please allow us to share with you... I'll quote the scripture and my red comments and then speak my heart on what I felt the Holy Spirit was speaking to me.

..."8 I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves (Aaron and me), but on God who can raise the dead. 10 And He did deliver us from mortal danger (my surgery). And we (Aaron and me) are confident that He will continue to deliver us. 11 He will rescue us (Aaron and me) because you (family, friends, and those reading our blog) are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers (those who are praying for us) for our safety have been answered. "

Here is my heart and how I soaked in all of these words in my own way...(as I shared with Aaron and some friends and now you...). And to be totally frank with you...these words grieved both of our hearts...we shed tears (just being real), but in the end we had total peace because God had already spoken to us that "I am healed." Now what that process looks like...only God knows.

When I read the words "we were crushed and completely overwhelmed...and we expected to die and thought we would never live through it...I had to pause a moment and soak that in. God was telling me, that this is exactly how I will feel in the time to come. I thought to myself...wow Lord...that is how I will feel...that left me with tears and literally feeling overwhelmed, BUT then I continued to read (after I put myself together...LOL) and it says "but we learned to not rely on ourselves but on GOD" and he delivered us from mortal danger. In my mind, mortals meaning (the neurosurgeons and their team at St. Luke's) and danger meaning (my actual surgery). (Surgery can be dangerous you know...LOL...but we know that I am in the hands of the GREAT PHYSICIAN). As I continued to read, God brought back to mind the words he spoke over us "you are healed"... and that gave me a supernatural peace in my spirit as I read the rest of the verses. As I read, "we are confident that He will continue to deliver us and rescue us because YOU are praying for us" and the rest of the verse "many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered"... the words that resonated in my spirit were humbling... We are healed and we will be safe in times of danger BECAUSE of YOU who are praying for us. We want to thank you and we are honored to have all of you praying for us...know that God hears your prayers and will give them back to you in abundance.

The next scriptures...

"3 All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. 6 So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. "

These words spoke to my heart in a way like never before....so I ask if you have any prayer requests we would be humbled and honored if you would share them with us so we can pray for you!

WE LOVE YOU... it is definitely time for a mental rest break...so until next time.

Blessings in Capacity Overflow...

Wow...there has been so much that I wanted to say over the past several days and it has been on my heart to blog everyday, but it seems like there has been something that has not allowed me (whether that is because our internet for some strange reason started acting up, our computer being loopy... and I thought I was the one on meds :) LOL! , time in general...we have been cRaZy busy this week...or just...honestly I didn't have the physical or mental strength to write this blog). In any case...God had a purpose and a reason for the timing of this specific entry.

Where do I begin...ah yes..."My Grace is sufficient for you and my strength is made perfect in your weakness. I perfect all that concerns you." Those words from my God have been life-sustaining for us this week (I share all this with you...for you to know that anything on here has been read by my beloved Aaron...he dots all the "I's" and crosses all the "T's" on this blog...so know when you read these words they are from the both us). God's words have given us such strength emotionally, mentally, and physically. To be truly honest with you...this week physically and mentally for both of us has been a struggle...BUT GOD... anytime it seemed as those we just couldn't make it one more step or moment this week...God carried us through. Both Aaron and I are in amazement of how God sustains us...since we're human we of course question life and ask ourselves...how are we even making it through today...yesterday...these past several days...and then God takes over and fills our spirits with peace and strength in every way possible. And throughout the day, everyday this week He has blessed us with little surprises, blessings if you will...that just get us through that next difficult moment and give us the boost we need to make it through the day! That is where you as family, friends, and all who are reading this come in...you all have been the thread that God has used to keep us sewn together. We are in such amazement of everything that God has used to bless us...it has literally humbled us and brought us to our knees. Tears have come and gone this week...but know that they have been tears of pure joy and "awe"ness of God's life-sustaining power.

We Love you All...again we can't say enough...we humbly thank you for everything you have done for us.

The beginning...

Photobucket Album

Here's some recent pics of our family. I hope that you enjoy them.

Well I suppose it is finally time I post on our blog. So here I (Tina) begin (again ;) )...

What a blessing these past couple of weeks have been. I have been "secretly" living my stay at home mom dream and on top of that I get paid for it!!! LOL (laughing out loud)! Just want to give a "thank you" to Jerry at Dr. Lemming's office for making that happen :) That's the best part for me. Some of you may or may not know...Aaron and I have been trying faithfully to discipline ourselves financially to pay off our debt (most of our debt consists of mainly Sallie Mae school loans). It has been so heavy on my heart to stay home with Katherine, but in the "natural" our situation financially seems that it will be awhile for that to come to pass.

BUT God...He works in ways we can never fathom or faintly understand. God has such a bigger picture of what is to come. Like a friend of mine said...we only see a "piece of our quilt"...God sees the entire masterpiece...and I know that it is beautifully woven.

I have been able to stay at home with Katie these past couple of weeks because of what they have finally diagnosed as a malignant brain tumor (that has probably been growing for quite some time....maybe ten years?). Did I mention that I am loving being able to stay at home and love on my little girl and husband...and all because of a brain tumor! Some moments I feel a little guilty because I am now being paid to stay home and love on my family... but I always smile and thank God for my little guilty pleasure (I am smiling from ear to ear as I write this...so don't think I feel too guiltly for being home. LOL.)

On Tuesday, February 2, 2009 at 2:30 a.m. ish Aaron woke up to what was finally decided as me having a seizure. (The Tuesday before I had a brief seizure during the time we typically get up and dressed for work, but we hadn't understood that it was a seizure at that time. Aaron mentioned I was acting confused, kind of in a stupor, slurring my words and just acting funny, but I quickly (within a few minutes) began acting normally and we went on about our day. I didn't have any other symptoms so we dismissed it and went on. The following Monday (Februrary 1st) I wasn't feeling up to par at work. I had shortness of breath, feeling a bit dizzy and nauseated...so I decided that I would make an appointment with my G.P., Dr. Lemming (who always gets me in quickly and calls back the same day!) the next day. Well I didn't make it to the next day...I had "the seizure" that next morning.

Aaron called my next door neighbors to watch Katherine and they took me off in an ambulance to the hospital. I was at the hospital for three days. They conducted CAT scans, Chest X-Rays, MRI's, blood work, etc. (My G.P. later told me that they actually tested me for drugs. LOL! Which I thought was hilarious.) to figure out what had caused the seizure(s).

Long story short...they say it's a brain tumor that they think is an astrocytoma (there are different grades of these things, but I won't bore you with details because truthfully they are just giving their best clinical judgement and can't tell us 100% what exactly the type of tumor it is until a pathology report comes back) . Here is a website that gives you a short and sweet version... http://www.sleh.com/sleh/Section004/index.cfm?pagename=Brain%20Cancer&PageMD=CANCER.

Since being home (February 6th) Aaron and I have consulted and had three neurosurgeon opinions from the best of the best in this country. Praise God we live in Houston where people come from all over the nations to find the best medical care. A couple of days ago, we decided on a neurosurgeon with God's guidance and help, Youssef Comair, M.D. and his team at St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital in the medical center. We are at total peace with our final decision and are excited that we have some closure on a surgery date and pre-op procedures.

The following are what is coming up for us...

February 23 (Monday)- A.M. --pre-op blood work, etc.

P.M.-- 1 p.m. Functional MRI

March 2 (Monday) -- 6 P.M. --Stealth MRI (don't really know what all this is, but I am just giving you what I know. LOL!) They do shave my little punkin head at this appointment (the gist...the tumor is in the right top front half of my brain) not sure how much...hopefully not too much! I do love my hair :)

March 3 (Tuesday)-- 6 A.M. --Check-in for surgery

8 A.M. --Surgery is underway...pray for my team, including the neurosurgeon, nurse practitioner, anesthesiologist, etc. They say it could take up to 8 hours. We'll see. Oh did I mention the awesome, really cool part for me...is that I actually get to be awake during the surgery! They get to ask me questions and make sure that I can move my legs, etc. Just think...I can say that I have been awake while someone actually picked my brain. LOL.

We do want everyone to know that we have a lot of confidence in our team at St. Lukes (we think they are the best!)... BUT our ultimate faith and trust is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the great Physician and Healer and although we don't know exactly what this process "looks like" we KNOW that He has already completely healed me (spiritually, emotionally and physically) :)

So this is where we are at in our life...at this moment. (Did you know...This took a lot of brain power to remember and type all this (the medication they give you for this stuff...can make you a little loopy).

God is so sovereign and faithful...He has given us so much strength through all of this. Yes, I am human and have gone through a grieving process and a reality check of what this all looks like from maybe your perspective looking from the outside in...but know that my GOD has given US the grace in this situation from the inside looking out. Sometimes things from the outside looking in can appear completely overwhelming because God hasn't given us the grace to go through those situations, but know that those going through them...He has given the grace to make it through.

So this is my tidbit from my corner of the world today...our blog will continue to be updated so that all of you are informed of what is going on. This seems like one of the most practical ways we can keep everyone in the loop...without being overwhelmed with phone calls, texts, emails, etc. We pray that this helps keep you in the loop, but please if you feel the need to talk to us please call.

Lastly, Aaron and I want to thank everyone who has kept us in your constant prayers, thoughts, prayer chains, etc. We are truly blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives! Thank you again for everything you have done to support us...even the practical things. We love you and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers as well.