Exciting things...

(This is my current desktop background...just wanted to share)

Good things have been planned this week...

My dad will hopefully be here Sunday for a few days...

My sister is visiting next week for several days...

I get to see Misty next Saturday, and her soon-to-be-here little one, Gatlyn Don...

I've made plans to have a weekly dinner/girl time with my friend Gina...

Mike and I are back in our regular routine at church and God is doing some awesome things...

Exciting things are happening for the Bryants!!

Andrea's visit

My friend Andrea came to visit on her U.S. tour!! She is from Colombia and was an exchange student my senior year. We became good friends through our Spanish 4 class and I even got to visit her in Colombia before I started college. She went back to Andrews to visit and I'm so glad she was able to come to South Texas before she headed back to Colombia!!

When we picked her up in San Antonio, we stopped by the RiverWalk for dinner...she LOVED the RiverWalk and it was so fun to get to share that with someone! The RiverWalk is very special to Mike and I...it is where he proposed!!



We took her to see the Texas coast on Sunday...it was such a beautiful day. The weather was PERFECT!!! We some things in Corpus we'd never seen so now we know where they are!!

Chili's was her last stop for American cuisine!! I enjoyed getting to see her and catch up. Even though I feel we've keep in contact pretty well, it was nice to see her in person and be able to catch up. She's starting her residency as a dr. so she'll be super busy. I'm glad I got to see Dr. Andrea!! She is so dear to my heart and I'm glad Mike got to meet her and spend time with her. Hopefully we'll see each other again some day...

Monday--we're home!!

I am glad to say that I'm typing this from HOME!!  The dr. came in yesterday morning and said Mike was doing great and there wasn't anything keeping him in the hospital so we started the discharge process and got out of there after lunch.  We considered stopping along the way and spending the night but Mike was feeling pretty good so we came all the way home.  There was one stretch of highway that was pretty bumpy and rough on Mike but other than that, it was a good drive home. 

Mike will have to go back in 2 weeks for a follow up appointment to have staples removed and have a tube removed from his stomach.  The tube is not hooked up to anything but the dr. said it would be best to leave it in until his follow up...it will heal better.  

Well, I'm still a bit tired so I'm going to rest.  I'm staying home with Mike today and tomorrow. 

Friday update

Today has already been full of progress.  Mike is dining on full liquids (broccoli and cheese soup, pudding, ice cream, etc) for lunch and should get to have solids for dinner.  He was a little disappointed at lunch though...they accidentally brought him a tray with blackened catfish and macaroni and cheese!  

He also suffered a great loss...they took away his morphine button!  He will be using pain pills now to manage his pain.  He said he can feel more pain but it is not too bad. Monday is the projected go-home day but we'll see.  The doctors are very pleased with how he is recovering! 

We have been enjoying our time here as much as possible.  Mike's daytime nurse for every day except yesterday has been awesome! She has the most awesome Brazilian accent and is very personable.  We had a visit today from the parents of some FBC Beeville members that we've gotten to know.  Pat's parents live in Grand Prairie and said they'd come visit us since we are so far from family and from Beeville.  We appreciate their visit!

Angela has been such a blessing this week!  During Mike's hospital stay in August/September when they were draining his cysts, Angela was in Lubbock with her little brother who had a bad case of double pneumonia.  She has been up here pretty much every night after work.  She brought me some home-made food yesterday--including black eyed peas--so don't worry Nana!  I got my peas on New Year's Day!  She and I are going to grab a bite to eat tonight at a neat place down the street.  Mike has been very good about me getting out of the hospital every once in a while.  

Hope you all had a good New Year's Eve and day...New Year's day was exactly 6 years since Mike and I had our first date!!  I'm glad we got to spend the entire day together!! :)