-blah- (warning: this is a terrible post that should not even be allowed to be posted, but here it is.)

I always post on Monday mornings, but I did not feel like posting this morning so I didn't. I don't really feel like posting now, but I am tired of studying. Nothing too exciting happened over the weekend. The yard sale was not a success, sadly, but there is a consignment store in Tuscaloosa that is going to take my jeans and purses. At least my closet is organized. Yesterday after church Paul, Chris and I went to see the new Batman movie. Paul had already seen it, but we had not. It was very scary. Good, but scary. I have studied all day. I didn't even take a break to watch The Price is Right. Maybe that is why I am in a bad mood.

Update on Brooks: He can now get out of the crate before I can get to the front door to leave. I still put him in the crate when I leave to maintain routinization. He stares out the window as I drive away. Sigh. He doesn't know why we still use the crate because he knows he has outsmarted us, and I am not sure why we use the crate either. He has not damaged anything, so it doesn't really matter.

My mom received some much-needed good news. Her port was replaced today so they can begin the stem cell harvest tomorrow. It will take at least two days, but hopefully no more than that. Then they can come home for a few days before beginning the second round of treatment. Praise God that everything is on schedule!

My pregnant friend Beth (I will only be able to call her that for a little bit longer) went to the doctor today, and Baby Olivia seems to be doing great and she will be making her big debut in about four weeks! How exciting!!!

I probably won't post again for a while because of my tests, and Sunday is our two year anniversary. I don't have anything planned, so I must work on that sometime this week in between school stuff. Last year I made Chris a video from movie maker. I scanned all of our old pictures from high school and made movie of "Chris & Amanda." It was very nice. I am not sure if I will be able to top that. I also got Chris a really cool watch. Hmmm.

i said hey

My To-Do List

• Laundry
• Flash Cards
• Quizzes
• Go to the bank
• Post Office
• Yard Sale Stuff
• Make reservations for the beach

My vertigo is better. I still get dizzy when I stand up fast or bend over, but I am much better.

I have to finish pricing stuff for the yard sale. I decided to wait until Chris left because he overprices everything. After work he is going on a fishing trip so he will miss out on all of the yard sale festivities, but he did help me set some stuff out last night.

I have made so many flash cards this week, and I don't even think flash cards help. I made a B on my marketing test that I took a few weeks ago. YAY! I am going to try to get caught up on some quizzes tonight. Nine more days of online classes! Then a beach trip!

My parents and I talked a few days ago, and we decided that I am going to take classes at UAB this fall and graduate in December. My mom wants my dad to stay with her while she completes her treatments. I will visit them on weekends and when I get breaks from class. Her body is responding really well to the treatments. We are thankful for that. The goal is for her to be in remission by Christmas.

I am going to meet with a lady in Tuscaloosa next week about volunteering. I will get school credit for it, and it is in a field that I am interested in perusing. I am very excited. More to come on that later...

Enough procrastination. I am going to start working on my to-do list now.

Confidential to Grams from Brooks

veritgo

Doesn't that sound like a great name for a roller coaster?

I have vertigo. This is the third time in my life it has happened. The first time was two years ago on Memorial Day weekend, and I woke up and got out of bed and ran into the wall because it "moved". I went to an after-hours clinic and was diagnosed with a UTI. Weird, but after a day or two the dizziness went away. I didn't dwell on it because we were in the process of moving and getting ready for the wedding. I had no idea that I was misdiagnosed.

The second time it happened (March 2007, I think) I woke up and I couldn't even pick my foot up to get in the shower. I told Chris that it was probably a UTI because I was dizzy like before. He sighed at my ignorance and told me that UTIs don't cause dizziness like that. My boss was not happy when I called in and told him I was too dizzy to come to work. I went to my PCP and she diagnosed me with vertigo. Vertigo can be caused from sinus drainage, but it is when those fluid sacs in the ear canal are off-balance. (That is such a good explanation, I know. Chris, leave a comment of what vertigo really is.) It just happens, and it can't be prevented. My doctor diagnosed me by making me lay down on the exam table, with my head hanging upside down, then she made me sit up fast. I thought I was going to vomit on her. My pupils did not adjust properly, and that is how she knew. What a terrible test for dizzy people. I asked if I could have surgery to make it go away (it really is that bad). Nope, it will get better, there is really nothing that will help. (WHAT?!?!) She prescribed some medication and suggested some exercises to help. Chris had to drive me to work for two weeks. My pupils stayed dilated for a while and I felt like I was going to fall out of my office chair.

I hoped that I would never have another vertigo experience, but here I am again. Saturday I felt like I had water in my left ear, but I had not been swimming. I was a little sick at my stomach, but I didn't really think anything about it. Yesterday we went to church and my ear was still bothering me, nothing serious. Yesterday afternoon Chris and I were sitting at the kitchen table studying and I said, "Chris, I think I am going to fall out of my chair!" I didn't fall. After whining about it for a while, he checked my pupils and said, "It's just your vertigo." I said, "What do you mean, it's just my vertigo??? I am too dizzy to walk!" He gave me some medicine and I went to bed. I am still dizzy this morning. I feel like I have way-too-tight earplugs in my ears and like I have been on a boat for a week and like I rode a bad carnival ride, all at the same time. I have to be careful when I sit or stand. Brooks looks at me like I am crazy as I shuffle through the house. I am going to make flash cards since I can't drive or do anything else productive around the house. Chris will have to wash clothes since I can't operate heavy machinery.

(a little) homesick

Yesterday I went to Curry, by myself. I went to see the Durham fam to take Baylee her gift. We got her some iTune gift cards. I think she was happy. I still can't believe she is a teenager. She is taller than me. Zac is getting big too. It hurts my heart a little that they are growing so fast, but it is also neat to see how big and smart they are! I love the Durhams and I miss them terribly.

I went to my parents' house after I left the Durhams. It was weird because no one was there. I got my TV to put in our bedroom and some other stuff for the yard sale. I went to the garden to get some "real" tomatoes. By this time it was about 97 degrees and I thought I was going to melt. I wanted to jump in the pool, but I was going to meet Beth. I made pictures of Mom and Dad's dogs. Sunny was scared of the camera, but Tip loved the attention.

Beth sent me a txt while I was on my way to Jasper. She had just read my blog and wanted to tell me she had taken the day off. We met at Subway to eat lunch and I got to see Olivia's nursery! The pictures on her myspace page don't even closely depict how beautiful her room is! I also got to see all of the stuff she got at the baby shower. I got to see her 4D video and pics. That was pretty much the coolest thing. We had a great time. I was glad we got to spend the afternoon together.

I was a little bit homesick when I left. It was weird because I have never really felt that way, but it hit me hard while I was driving home. I never thought I would be homesick for Walker County, but it happened. Weird. I think it is the familiarity and the comfort of knowing everyone at church and knowing every person that I see in the grocery store and living five minutes away from friends and family. I am not sure if that is it exactly, I am just guessing. I don't really know if anyone else would even understand, maybe Chris feels this way sometimes. I have also found since my mom got sick that I want to be around people that I have known for a long time, people that know me really well. I know we only live an hour and a half away, but sometimes I think, "Wow, we live an hour and a half away!" I am sure the feeling of homesickness will pass, or at least lessen, with time.

slow down brain!

I know I haven't posted much lately, and the last few times I have posted my writing has been sporadic and a little boring. I have not been sleeping well the past few weeks. My eating habits are not that great either. Stress is finally catching up with me. My mind is constantly spinning, out of control. I have been busy, but I still feel like I am lacking a sense of accomplishment. I keep feeling uneasy, like I have forgotten something important. I have so many interesting topics that I could write about, but I can't seem to focus long enough for the thoughts to escape my mind. I guess the random thoughts can just swirl around up there somewhere and eventually it will all come flying out. I am certain.

I am proud to say that this week I have cleaned out every drawer, closet, and storage container in the Shubert house. Brittney and I are having a yard sale next weekend. Poor med student families gotta eat :D I managed to fill four Rubbermaid totes full of clothes, and somehow our walk-in closet and the other large closet in Chris's office is still full of clothes! I have no idea where all of this stuff came from! My organization skills are improving with much effort. My New Year's resolution was to be more organized. Six months later, I am making a little bit of progress. I pulled a muscle in my back during all of this rearranging and organizing. Chris is not allowed to be present for the yard sale. He never wants to get rid of ANYTHING! As soon as I put something in a box, he takes it out and yells something like, "I still use that!" or "I've had this forever, I can't get rid of it now!" It is mentally draining. I did manage to get rid of his black Nike high-top basketball shoes. (Is that not the funniest thing you have heard all week?) He has fought to keep them the past two times I have cleaned out the closet, but this time they are out of here! It has been YEARS since Chris played basketball. Oh Chris. I also got rid of his Abercrombie shirts. He is too old and married to wear A&F stuff in my opinion. He kept a duffel bag of mine that I used one time. He said he might need it. Another annoying habit, he thinks we should sell each item that once belonged to him for at least twenty dollars. Yeah, okay Chris.

I started my marketing paper today. It is not due until July 31. It only has to be two pages, so I should be finished sometime this weekend. Chris has been helping me with finance. He makes it seem so easy, which is a little frustrating. I am trying to not be the biggest procrastinator ever. I'll let you know later how that turns out.

Lots of things coming up in my life. Besides the yard sale and paper, I have finals, our two-year anniversary, a beach trip, a trip back to Arkansas, online fall classes, clothes shopping, and a few other minuscule things. I also need to get my hair cut and colored.

Tomorrow I am going to Jasper to get a few things from my parents' house. I am going to meet up with the Durhams so I can give Baylee her birthday gift. She will be THIRTEEN (but in my mind I think she will always be four). I wish I had time to lay out at the pool. If I am going to wish, I wish that Chris and I had a pool. I have a few quizzes to get out of the way so I might be able to have a little fun this weekend. I feel like this post should have a picture or something cool, but my coolness is running low since it is the end of the week.

My mom's treatments are making progress. She will finish her first round of chemo Saturday and next week they begin the stem cell harvesting. Everything seems to be moving right along. It is such a relief that every day she is closer to remission!

Here is a verse that has been on my mind lately:

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

HAIRBRUSH EXPERIENCE OF BETH MOORE AT THE AIRPORT

For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters. This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego. I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man. I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. 'Oh, no, God, please, no.' I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, 'Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!' There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, 'Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.' Then I heard it...'I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.' The words were so clear, my heart leap into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, 'God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man' Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. 'That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.' I looked up at God and quipped, 'I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?' God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: 'I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.' (2 Timothy 3:17) I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, 'Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?' He looked back at me and said, 'What did you say?' 'May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?' To which he responded in volume ten, 'Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that.' At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out , 'SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?' At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, 'If you really want to.' Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, 'Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush.' 'I have one in my bag,' he responded. I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure t hat I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's. I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, 'Sir, do you know my Jesus?' He said, 'Yes, I do' Well, that figures, I thought. He explained, 'I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior.' He said, 'You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.' Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, 'That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?' I said, 'Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!' And we got to share. I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need! I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way . . all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me. John 1:14 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth' Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, 'Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!'

My friend Denise and her family recently moved to Arizona to be missionaries. She sends email updates to everyone "back home" and this story was included in her most recent update. I thought it applied to some things in my life and wanted to share it.

rearranged

Tonight we got home from my test and decided to rearrange some furniture. The guest room (Paul & Brooks' room) is starting to look like a guest room. We flipped our bedroom furniture, too. I finally talked Chris into putting a t.v. in our room. I will post pictures when (if) I finish. Brooks was a little nervous because we moved his bed, but I think he will adjust. Tomorrow we are going to work on our living room layout. It has bugged me since we moved in (two years ago) and I guess we are finally motivated to do something about it. I am also going through clothes and closets because Brittney and I are going to have a yard sale in a few weeks.

Chris helped Paul move this weekend. Yesterday they put two recliners in the back of Paul's truck and sat in them while I drove the truck across the parking lot. I made a picture because it was very Walker County-ish.

Yesterday I went to Sips n Strokes with Beth and some people from her church. I am so glad she invited me! It was a lot of fun. That is a real page from a hymn book on our paintings! How cool is that? I wasn't happy with the way my painting turned out, but when I got home and looked at it again it turned out to be kinda pretty. Chris loves it. I put some more pictures on myspace from our fun day. After Sips n Strokes we ate at The Cheesecake Factory.

I went to church today for the first time in a while. It was great to see everyone. Paul came to church with us. We had a class lunch after, so we participated in some good fellowship. Chris and Paul went to finish moving stuff while I went to UAB to take my test. I missed Beth & Olivia's baby shower because of my stinkin' test. I hope she got lots of great stuff!

I will be going back to Little Rock soon, but I am not sure when.

busy friday

It was the first time I left the house all week. I was a little bit out of my element because I had to get up early, fix my hair, and wear shoes. I have been at home studying all week.

I ended up riding to UAB with Chris because I had things to do there. I was early for my appointments, so I walked Chris to work. He has a HUGE office. Someone likes him a lot to give him such a nice office. After that, I went to meet with one of my sociology professors about a course I am going to try to take this fall, if everything works out. More to come on that later.
Then I went to meet with my finance professor...it went much better than expected. He was very nice and seems to think I will pass the class. I also explained to him that I am a business minor and I really want to get my credit and get out of that class. I think he understood. (My advisor emailed me and told me I only have to make a D in finance. D's are not ideal, but if I can make a D and not have to take it over, that would be totally fine with me. I can always re-take it if/when I decide about grad school.)
Chris was supposed to be finished with work around lunch time, but he wasn't. I went to the bank, Chick-fil-A, Babies R Us, and Old Navy. I have never been in a Babies R Us in my life. I was very overwhelmed with all of the baby things. Do little people really need that much stuff? I was amazed. I stood in the front of the store for a few minutes, looking around and trying to decide where to go. I found what I wanted to get for Baby Olivia and checked out. I still can't believe how much baby stuff there was, all in one store... I went to Old Navy for some therapeutic shopping. The fitting-room guy was like" You haven't been in here in forever!" I bought a cute top and several sundresses. I love dresses in the summer, especially when it is four hundred degrees in Alabama. I made my way back to UAB and studied for about an hour, and then I went and got Chris. We stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home. Did you know that Wal-Mart is changing its logo to Walmart? Here is an article on the marketing scheme behind that. Wal-Mart/Walmart drives me a little bit crazy. We were gone about eight hours total, and I was concerned about Brooks being home alone that long. We walked in the house. Brooks had been a good boy! I could not even tell he had been out of the crate! I was so proud. My eBay comforter FINALLY arrived. It is so beautiful. We unloaded all of our stuff, and Britt and Brittney called and said they were at La Fiesta, the Mexican restaurant down the road from our neighborhood. We decided to go eat with them. There was a rodeo in Brookwood. We talked about going to see what all of that was about, but opted to come back to our house and play cards. I wrapped some presents. Chris has been asleep on the couch for a while now.

Tomorrow will be a fun day. I am going to Sips n Strokes with Beth and some people from her church. Chris is helping Paul move. Then more studying. Sunday afternoon I have a marketing test, but we are going to church Sunday morning.

Here is a funny article about procrastination for my fellow lazy friends out there. Now quit wasting time on the internet and enjoy your weekend!

for chris

Today Brooks and I went to Jasper to help my parents pack and get everything in order. They are leaving for Little Rock in the morning. I will probably head that way sometime next week. We had a nice visit. My mom will not be able to see Brooks for a few months because of the chemo. Brooks was a happy dog because he got to ride in the car and he got to see my parents.

When we got home around 7:30, Chris was already asleep on the couch. He saved someone's life yesterday at the hospital. I don't think I am allowed to talk about it, just know that my husband is super-cool. We also got his grades for year one of med school today. Chris doesn't ever want me to talk about that either. He did REALLY REALLY REALLY good. Like better than about 83% of the class, or something like that. But I am not supposed to talk about it. I have already said too much. Chris gets a little nervous when I blog about him. He is kind of a private person. I have to brag a little, especially since he said my previous post about the laundry was mean. (The truth hurts sometimes.) I think that Chris Shubert is one of the most brilliant people I know. Even though he sometimes has trouble finding the mustard in the fridge or matching his socks with his pants. More about Chris, he is learning how to tie suture knots. (I am sure this is not at all close to being correct and I am sure that Chris will leave a looonngg comment correcting me, so please check back to get the proper medical terminology.) At home he practices tying knots with dental floss because dental floss is kinda like the stuff they sew people up with in surgery??? He used all of the floss that we had in the bathroom. I have some hidden in my purse, and that won't be safe for long. There is a lab at UAB that he can practice in. From the way he described it, it sounds sort of like Grey's Anatomy with the boxes and the laproscopic handle things. I hope he doesn't mind that I just posted all of this information for anyone in the world to read. I am really glad that his career is going somewhere, because mine is nose-diving before it takes off. He has a presentation tomorrow. I picked out his clothes and I ironed them.
(And for those of you that are wondering, I did not burn Chris's clothes in the yard. Only because he saved someone's life.)

And now for a random list of a few things that remind me of my sweet husband:
ducks
jeeps
sushi
boats
AC/DC
picnics
blueish greenish scrubs
coffee in extreme amounts
yellow puppies
the Bible in our living room
police cars
the beach
cammo
football season
giant books
mailboxes
George Straight
UAB
comic books

I LOVE YOU, CHRIS SHUBERT!

let him eat cake!

waiting on permission to eat his cupcake

Finance test numero dos is over. I am not even sure how that went. I think I did a little bit better on this test than the last, but who knows? My teacher is giving the option to take a cumulative final and let it count twice, so I could drop my lowest grade. Chris said that optional cumulative finance tests are way hard, but if I am going to have a D in there I might as well give it a try, right? I had three online quizzes to take when I got home from taking my test.

Before I did that, I made lunch and baked Brooksie's birthday cupcakes. He thought they were absolutely wonderful! I let them cool on the stove top, and he would sniff the air every time he walked by. After I finished my quizzes, Brooks and I went to help Chris put together our new patio set. My parents got it for us in March or April, but we haven't had time to put it together. Imagine that. Brooks thought the giant box that the patio set came in looked like a good place for him to sit, so he did.

Tomorrow I have to clean house. What a mess! Chris informed me today that he doesn't think it should be his responsibility to do the laundry. I informed Chris that he should not be surprised if he comes home from work tomorrow to find all of his clothes burning in the yard. This was after I asked him (nicely) to put away the clothes that I already washed. I almost always do all the laundry-sort, stain treatment, dry, iron, put away, AND I even lay out his clothes for him most days. ARRRGGHH! In other news, the guest room should be sort-of finished this week, so I will post pictures. The eBay lady that I bought my quilt from emailed me that it shipped it last week, but the package came back to her. I emailed her and told her that I get mail every day to that address and I buy stuff from eBay all the time. I hope she is not ripping me off. She is new to eBay, so I will give her the benefit of the doubt. For a few more days.

When we left this morning to go take my test, Chris put Brooks in the crate and then secured the crate with cable ties. "He won't eat my blinds now!" Chris said. When we pulled into the driveway this afternoon I said to Chris, "You owe me sushi if Brooks is out of the crate." Chris said, "Deal. There is NO WAY Brooks got out of the crate with cable ties on it." Brooks happily greeted us at the back door. Chris owes me sushi. Brooks did not eat our house while we were gone today. YAY for that! His nose is so red from hitting the crate door. It is really sad. Chris and I made another deal. We are going to try to leave Brooks in the house (not in the crate) and if he messes anything up, I have to pay for it. I will be home all week, so I am not sure when this will go into effect. This afternoon I opened the blinds in Chris's office. I think Brooks chewed them because he was trying to open them to see outside. He sat in there for a while, just looking out the window. I know, I could be a dog whisperer.

9 seconds

That is how long it takes for Brooks to escape the crate. We got home yesterday and Brooks was out again. He was home alone for four or five hours. He did not mess up anything. I was very proud. I guessed that he got out right after I left, but Chris thought it took him an hour or two. We set up the camera and acted like we were leaving (we sat outside in our lawn chairs) and put Brooks in the crate. We were only outside for ten minutes and I went to the front door and looked in the house and Brooks was standing in the hallway. Here is Houdini in action:



Today we went to the grocery store, and Brooks was out again when we got home. He ate some of the wood blinds in Chris's office. Chris was not happy. I laughed, but I probably shouldn't have. Chris went and closed the door on the crate and pulled as hard as he could and then he tried shaking it open, but it didn't work. So we have seen Brooks escape the crate but we are still not sure how he does it. I think we are going to buy a new crate next week. If we don't buy a crate, then we will probably have to buy new furniture or laptops or shoes.

Happy Birthday Brooks!

Actually his birthday was July 2, but I just got home and told him happy birthday. I did not get him a gift, but I do plan to make dog-friendly cupcakes this weekend. He is two years old. Even crazier than dog birthdays, we also celebrate his adoption day in August. Go ahead and make fun. I just can't stop the ridiculous-ness when it comes to Brooks.

Side note: He managed to escape the crate every day this week. It is only because he missed me. He is much better now that I am home. Chris is still concerned about the welfare of our couch, and carpet, and pretty much anything outside the crate, even though no damage has been done (yet). I am going to video Brooks while we are gone one day this week to try and catch him in the act. I will post the video if we succeed.

We met with my mom's doctor in Little Rock today. He was ready to begin treatment today, but the myeloma in her bone marrow biopsy was at a low enough number that we had the option to come home for a week and begin treatment next week. We decided to come home today and give our minds a break from hospitals and testing and everything else. She will have her central line placed next Friday (July 11) and begin chemo the next day. We met with the doctor and nurses for several hours today. My mom's myeloma doctor is quite a character. He is a Dr. MD (MD, PhD, haha). He came into the room wearing jeans, a tight black t-shirt, brown motorcycle boots, and a big chain necklace. He is a fifty/sixty-something year old tiny German man. He has a pretty good sense of humor, too. He made fun of my Alabama accent and teased us about being Southern Baptists. Dr. Barlogie understands myeloma better than anyone else in the WORLD and I think it is so great that he is my mom's doctor. The nursing and administrative staff at the clinic is great. Everyone is sooo nice. When we made the decision to come home for a few days, we went back to the apartment, threw some of our stuff in the car and started driving. We got to my parents' house around 11 or so. I was too excited to see Chris so I drove from Jasper to Tuscaloosa after that (and after I photocopied all of Mom's test results so that Dr. Shubert can approve). Chris did a really good job of explaining the disease to me, so I was not shocked or surprised by anything that we found out. I even read one of Dr. Barlogie's presentations on the internet before the visit, and he was very impressed that I took the time to read and understand it. (Thank you again, husband.) We were surprised to find out how long the treatments will take. We were told to plan on staying in Little Rock three weeks out of every month, for at least five months, and possibly a year. She was also asked to participate in a clinical trial and has to make a decision about that. I am glad we got to come home, because now we have to make even longer-term arrangements. (Yeah, I don't think "longer-term" is a word either, but you know what I mean.) I am not sure if I will go back next week with my parents. I am going to meet with my advisor next week and try to work around everything for fall. I have a lot of other details about the clinic appointment today, but I am not going to post until I go over everything with Chris. If you want to know more about myeloma or how the visit went just email me. Or email me if this post doesn't make any sense, I just realized it is 2:30 am. I am going to sleep in my own bed now! More tomorrow...