Well, the time has finally come for us to know for sure if Mike will be a full-time youth pastor...

...with an almost unanimous vote, Mike was hired as the new youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Beeville!! We had such a great weekend and met some wonderful people. Although we are always sad about leaving our friends and family in West Texas, we are super excited about this part of our journey!

Mike's first official day will be October 16 (my birthday!) so we will be leaving Midland Monday, October 13...that gives us 3 full weeks here to say goodbye! We are moving out of our apartment this weekend and will be staying with our AMAZING friends, the Swanson family until we leave on the 13th. We have SO much to do this week to get out of our apartment but are hoping to have a little free time once October starts.

We are getting close to knowing where we'll live and I'll share that once it is more official. We REALLY want to have TONS of visitors so PLEASE let us know if you want to come visit!! We have a spare room and would love to see ya!

On a "how's Mike" note, he is doing so well in regards to his pancreas! He hasn't had any problems and will go back October 2 for his stint to be removed and for them to check out his pancreas. Unfortunately, he did get sick with bronchitis last week and was sick this weekend...but he did great speaking with everyone and sharing his testimony in church! He's been to the doctor and is on his way to being better!

So, I'm sitting here waiting on Mike to pick me up...I never thought this week would end!! It's about time! We are headed to Beeville for things to become official...the church will vote Sunday morning on hiring Mike so when we head home, we'll know if we are moving in a few weeks.

We'll be doing several things while we are there...looking at a possible rent house to live in until we can buy our FIRST HOUSE and meeting with a potential future employer for me!! YEA!

It is so crazy how things get built up in our heads...we are filled with anticipation, aren't we? When I read Molly's blog, she reminds me of the anticipation of getting married. MAN! That was such a great time of anticipation! and Kate...she was getting ready to make a move across town for the 1st time in 8 years! I haven't lived in one place much longer than 8 months since I moved out of my dad's house! lol...

There is always anticipation in our lives and I think that's good. I think our lives should change and things should be different but if you aren't able to enjoy your life the way it is...to be content...you shouldn't anticipate something new happening! Have a great weekend!

Well, I'm sure you all thought I'd already forgotten about my blog! Since that seems to happen once things settle...but, things aren't quite settled!

Mike is feeling REALLY WELL and will be venturing to work tomorrow. We are finally sleeping through the night...the first few nights home were rough! I know you are all about Beeville so here's the latest!

We are headed back this weekend (September 20 and 21) for the official "in-view-of-a-call." For those non-Baptists (or Baptist that don't know this lingo), this will be where the church votes on hiring Mike. They will have a meet and greet time on Saturday for the church members to come meet us. On Sunday, Mike will give his testimony during the morning service. Following the service, the church will vote and we will know before we leave church Sunday morning! We are so excited!!

I have a lead on a job but won't say much until I know more. I'm hoping to have an "unofficial" interview this weekend. We'll see!

Just a quick post to let you all know that we are back!!

West Texas here we come!!!

Mike is in the process of being discharged!! We changed our flight to an earlier flight we we'll be home by the time everyone gets off work!

Thank you all for keeping up with us during all of this! He'll have to come back in 3-4 weeks to have the stint they did get inserted taken out but other than that, he is doing great!!

See you all soon!

Also...below is the verse of the day waiting in my email inbox...God continues to be good to us even in situations that may not seem good. We are thankful for every situation God brings us through!

"The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. " Lamentations 3:25

Well, we ended up staying over the weekend so they could monitor Mike a little more...he finally got to eat solid food!!! YEA!! The dr. said his CAT Scan showed the cyst has drained A LOT and he wanted to give the cyst more time to drain. He should be removing the cathedars before we head home which is a HUGE blessing!! Neither of us were excited about having to take care of them!!

My sister came to visit this weekend!!! We didn't have much time together but the time we did have was much needed! We spent time playing cards and beating Mike! lol...fun stuff... Mike couldn't let me take a pic without "waving" to everyone!

As everyone would guess, Mike has been doing his card tricks for all the nurses!! After several days of doing them in his room, we were passing the nurse's desk when a past nurse that didn't get to see the tricks said she heard he did card tricks!! Of course, that opened the door for him to do a few!! They were AMAZED! At one point, he had 4 nurses watching a a doctor watched from far away...his nurse ended up taking his vitals while we were standing there! :) He was pretty pooped after standing for a while to do the card tricks though. That was after we went downstairs to play cards at an open sitting area!

We hope to hear from Dr. T soon! We know everything is looking good...just not sure if they are good enough to get discharged today!

Oh!! AMAZING news on Ryan...he got moved to a regular bed (I think on Friday) and was told he'd get to go home sooner than expected! I don't know any details...with Angela and I both at hospitals, we've been communicating as much as possible through texts but it is tough! PRAISE GOD that Ryan is doing well!!!!

In case you forgot what we looked like...here we are!! Now, keep in mind that we've been away from home 15 days as of today and at the hospital/hospital hotel for 10 of those days!!

It was brought to my attention yesterday that I should explain the cathedars that were inserted into Mike's abdomen. They are not the same cathedars they use for bladder purposes. I took a few pictures to show everyone what they look like. If you have a weak stomach...you may not want to look!! I'll put them at the bottom of the posting.

Good news!! Mike should be getting discharged either today or tomorrow!! We'll spend a night the day he is discharged and then fly home the next day!! He is about to have another CAT Scan done to see how much the cyst has decreased since the cathedars were inserted. Also, Dr. T tried to do a scope to see if his pancreas was damaged and needed to be operated on...things were still too tight with the cyst in there for him to see the pancreas. We will have to come back in 3-6 weeks to have the cathedars removed and he will look at the pancreas then. By that point, the cyst should be drained. Good news though...Dr. T said the fluid that is draining does not look like it is coming from the pancreas which is a good thing!!! If it was coming from the pancreas, that would cause them to have to take out part of the pancreas.

I won't be able to post again today unless we find something out before 4:00 (when the computer lab closes) and it is closed tomorrow so hopefully I'll be posting from Dallas Love Field next!!!

These are the cathedars. This is where they are inserted.

Hello everyone! Mike left about 10 minutes ago (1:20) to have the cathedar inserted into the cyst. There is a 50/50 chance this will work and we have spoken with a surgeon that specializes in the pancreas, should they need to do surgery. He was very good at answering all of our questions...and believe me, we always have a lot!! It shouldn't take very long to put in the cathedar and they should know by this evening if the cathedar is working. That is about all I know for now!!

Well...I don't have bad news but I don't have good news either!

The lining of the cyst was too thick for the stint to be inserted so they are having to look at Plan B. Mike was admitted to the hospital this afternoon and they will do a CAT Scan either tonight or tomorrow. At that point, our doctor, a surgeon, and a radiologist will examine the CAT Scan and determine if inserting a cathedar (spelling??) would be the best route or surgery. Hopefully they will insert a cathedar to drain the cyst. This will take 3-4 days for the cyst to drain during which Mike will be in the hospital. If they decide that draining it surgically is the best way, he will be in the hospital for at least 1 week. The route will be determined in the morning.

Looks like Dallas gets to see us a little longer!!

WOW! What a crazy 10 1/2 days we've had!! Just to catch everyone up and clarify a few things...

Beeville
Mike and I traveled to Beeville on Friday for him to lead a back-to-school event for the youth. The weekend went REALLY well and we got to meet a lot of the youth and their parents. We felt so welcomed and "at-home." We looked at a few housing options and found a really cute house that is in our budget! We got a call from Nikki (the unofficial committee leader) on Wednesday night saying the committee met and are recommending that the church hire Mike as the new youth pastor. For those of you not familiar with the way Baptists do things, the search committee will present Mike to the church (so yes, one more trip there!) and the church will most likely have a chance to ask Mike questions and then vote on whether or not to hire him. We do not know any details yet on when we will travel back to Beeville.

Surgery
We then traveled to Dallas and met with the doctor performing the surgery. The doctor shared that things were a bit different than we thought. They would be putting in two stints like we anticipated but they would have to examine his pancreas and see what was causing the cysts. If it was a certain thing, they would have to remove part of his pancreas. Of course we both panicked since we have heard bad things about having your pancreas removed but Dr. Tarnasky did say that since Mike was already diabetic, there wouldn't be as many problems as with someone who isn't diabetic. He has his procedure on Thursday morning but they were only able to insert one stint in the section of the cyst that affects his bile duct. They were not able to get to the section that is affecting his stomach. That is why he is having a second procedure on Tuesday. They will use different scopes and equipment to access that section and insert the stint. Also, this is the area that they will use to look at his pancreas so we don't know what the status is on that yet. There is a chance that they won't be able to insert the second stint. At that point, there are a few options but they both have factors of time and higher chance of infection. One option is inserting a cathedar (no idea how to spell!) to drain the cyst and the other is surgery. One of Dr. Tarnasky's associates does the type of procedure that Mike will have on Tuesday and will assist him.

Well, I think that sums it all up!! :) We have had a pretty good weekend here in Dallas. We decided to stay rather than traveling several more times! We have had lots of quality time together!! Also, My dad is in Dallas right now so we are able to visit with him and that has been nice.

Ryan Kennedy
Please continue to keep Angela (my best friend) and her family in your prayers. Her 19 year old brother Ryan continues to be on a ventilator and in ICU in Lubbock for double pneumonia. Angela and I have been in contact at least once a day and she said yesterday was a little better than the past few days. He was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after being found unconcious in his apartment. He had been diagnosed with bronchitis the day before but once at the hospital, was diagnosed with double-pneumonia! He has woken up a few times but has not been coherent. He is fighting right now and needs our prayers!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We are praying that we are able to go home on Wednesday!!

Post Surgery

Hey everyone this is Christy and Cymbre is having internet issues but wanted to give you an update on Mike. Just a quick note to let you know that Mike's surgery went well but they could only insert one stint. They will have to go back in on Tuesday with different equipment to insert the other stint. They are going to stay in Dallas until then and they aren't sure yet if he will have to remove part of Mike's pancreas. She'll try to keep ya'll updated and thanks for the prayers!!

Pre-Surgery, Post Dr. visist

We met with the doctor today and there are a few things we weren't expecting. Once they begin the procedure tomorrow, they will look to see what is causing the cysts. It is filled with fluid from the pancreas but they do not know how or why the fluid is filling the cysts. There are a few possibilities and I don't know how to explain them. But, if the cause is one option, they will have to remove a portion of his pancreas or the cysts will continue to return. Dr. Tarnasky said the removal will not be as serious as it could be since Mike is already diabetic. If they find that this is necessary, they will wake him up and we will discuss options. He indicated that the removal surgery could happen quickly. The recovery is one week. I'm not sure if that is one week in the hospital or just one week out of work, in bed, etc. If the removal is not necessary, they will insert a stent. Dr. Tarnasky said they will keep him in the hospital overnight to make sure the procedure does not cause pancreatitis. Thankfully, we are currently staying in the hospital hotel so I will be able to stay in our room and still be close.

Also, PLEASE keep my dearest friend Angela and her family in your prayers...her little (19 year old) brother was rushed to the hospital in Lubbock about an hour ago with double pneumonia!! He was not concious when he was taken to the hospital and I know her family would appreciate ALL prayers!!!!! Thank you all so much!!!

Mike is in his MRI right now so I don't have much time! The hospital doesn't have wireless so we can't use our laptop...BUMMER!! The hospital does have a library/computer lab area that I can use but it is only open from 9-4:30!!

The trip has been a good one so far! Monday and Tuesday were really nice and we both kind of forgot that the medical portion of our trip was coming up! I had a GREAT time with Angela...we hadn't gotten to spend time together in a while so it was very refreshing. Plus, I got to see her new apartment and it is so cute!! She has THE BEST tub...so you know I took a bath!!

We are staying at the hospital hotel and it was nice to wake up and walk through the hospital to radiology this morning rather than having to fight traffic, park, etc. It will be really nice in the morning!! We are meeting with the doctor this morning at 10:30 and the surgery will be in the morning at 8...we have to be there at 6 though!!

Tonight should be a good one...my mom and Mike's dad and Linda are all coming in this afternoon. We'll have some time to spend together before the surgery. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!!

This weekend has been super busy but we feel it went so well!! We spent the weekend in Beeville and Mike put together a Back-to-School Bash for the youth and it went REALLY well! We got a chance to hang out with the youth and get to know several of them...that was GREAT!! There are a lot of band kids so I'm down with that! :)

Mike led the introduction to Sunday school and I think he did a great job! We met a lot of parents on Sunday morning and they all had positive things to say about Saturday night.

We were able to look at houses on Saturday morning and found one we REALLY like!! I'm not going to include details in case things don't work out...but we hope they do! We should hear this week if Mike will be going back in-view-of-a-call.

Please keep us in your prayers...we'll be flying to Dallas tomorrow and spending a few days relaxing (and visiting friends and family) before his surgery on Thursday. I'll keep you updated!

I heart my sister!

I really do...some people may wonder at times since we do "fight" more than we should but it is the way we operate. Although I'm sure my mom is tired of it after 25 years! Christy and I have always had a unique and special relationship. We truly are each other's best friends. She is the first person I want to call to share news, good or bad, with (other than Mike of course)!

With all the talk of moving, I have to begin to prepare myself...to leave her again...and it KILLS me!! We have this thing where I ALWAYS try to talk her into moving where we move. I hate not having her around know I'm going to miss out on things in her life by not being here. She and I always had each other growing up. We lived together until Mike and I got married...we never lived apart. WOW! That sure changed! But, she has always been great about coming to visit...I pray that never changes.

I love how I can call Christy and use 2 words from a song and she can give me the title and artist! I love that she understands me when I'm laughing so hard, I can barely breathe and yet still try to talk! (When I was little and had a cute but bad speech impediment, Christy used to translate for my parents!) I love that I can call and tell her a movie is coming out and she gets just as excited as I do! I love that we have the same taste in music!! I just love her!!

My failed root canal...

Well, I attempted to have a root canal yesterday!! My stubborn tooth decided it didn't want to part ways! lol... The dentist couldn't numb my nerve enough and said he is only allowed to use so much numbing stuff, SO I have an appointment with a dentist that specializes in root canals! At least I'm not in major pain!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

That is the phrase you see when first entering our apartment. Mike and I took a small trip for our anniversary...we like to get something on our trips to remember that time in our lives. Since we really didn't know what the gift for a 4th anniversary would be (paper? aluminum? silver? lol) we decided on a wooden sign. This sign symbolizes so much for us.

I find it so rejuvinating to look back at our 4 years as a married couple. We have had so many opportunities to praise God for all He has done. Others do not always understand why we continue to follow God and take steps that are out of our comfort zone. Throughout our adventures, there is one thing that has remained...God is faithful! GOD IS FAITHFUL! I love that MY GOD IS FAITHFUL!!

Praise God, for HE is faithful!

We are getting so anxious for the end of the month! We will be traveling to Beeville AND Mike will be having surgery. Our trip to Beeville will give us a chance to do something we've wanted to do our entire relationship...walk on the beach together!! Mike has never seen the ocean or beach and we plan to go South on Sunday night...

Of course I have the whole trip planned in my head, but making it a reality is so different! I did some researching today because I know some beaches and areas are better than others...especially in South Texas!! I know that no matter the outcome of my planning, we will enjoy our time together and cherish this "first" in our lives! I'll probably be calling Angela soon...her family vacations there a lot and she can probably give me some good insight! Hopefully we'll take some pictures for everyone to see!

Nothing to do on a Friday night??

Come check out Glovebox--THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY--at Sedona Grill on Wadley (and Garfield)!

Mike's dad's band will be playing at Sedona Grill...we are going on Friday night around 9...come join us...and if you let us know you are coming...we'll save some seats!!

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Wagner

A good friend of mine is about to "take the plunge." Miss Kimberly Rogers will only be Miss Rogers for one more week! WOW!!! I can't believe it's time for her to get married! I remember when she was in middle school and we chatted about life, boys, and everything in between. We wanted to know who God had for us...and now we've found them! I pray that God blesses their marriage and the life they will officially begin next week. I absolutely LOVED being a true newlywed (we are almost out of that official stage!!) and I know she is going to LOVE it!!

Congratulations Kimberly and Chris!!

May you always remember why you fell in love!!