Unconditional Bonds

As summer came to an end this past weekend, we were fortunate enough to spend it with dear friends, who are more family than friends to us. All Friday, Kevin looked at me as though I had lost my mind, as I raced through the house cleaning and making sure things were "perfect". Little did he know that we had friends arriving that evening that we had not seen in years and that they would be spending the entire weekend with our family! For over a month, I had spent time "scheming" with our Glenda and Rob Kiser as well as Kris Valencia on their trip to Macon. For those of you that are not sure of these friends - we were all close to inseparable in Germany. We have seen Kris since our PCS from Germany in 2006, but not The Kiser Family.

Friday afternoon, our doorbell rang and for once I refused to open the door. Instead, I continued sitting in the living room, reading a book I was reviewing for Family Of a Vet, Inc. Kevin, not very happily, went to the door and peeked outside, then slowly looked at me, quite pissy and said "I'm not opening the damn door. You get up and do it". With an irritated look, I simply told him he was there, so go ahead and open the door. With frustration because he had no idea who was on the other side, he opened the door and ended up with the biggest smile on his face as he realized that Kris Valencia was at our house. The look on his face brought a smile to mine!

As we all hung out in the kitchen, making dinner, Kevin decided to pick up my phone when a text alert rang. For those of you that know Kevin, this NEVER happens! He honestly never messes with my phone. However, of all days - this is the one he decided to check it out. When he saw Glenda's name he instantly assumed that they were coming out as well. Now, if you know me - you know I suck at lying and even though  said "no" the answer was written all over my face. In that one moment, I wanted to cry because of month of planning was reveled instead of being a surprise arrival. Yet, to see the look in his eyes made things okay. He was truly excited to see Rob and the family. He looked like a little kid.

We spent the rest of the evening catching up with Kris and laughing until around 9:30 when I received the text that the Kiser's were right around the corner. Without hesitation, Kevin and Kris decided to go outside to "smoke". We were all standing outside as a truck slowly approached out house and whipped into the driveway - parking incredibly crooked and making it hard for anyone on the passenger side to get out. Full of enthusiasm, Robert hopped out of the drivers seat and him and Kevin were guy hugging.

From there, the kids all rambunctiously headed into the house and upstairs. It was like they had never been apart. Nicholas was the only "new" one to the group since Germany. All of the adults migrated to the backyard, where we stayed until after three in the morning, catching up and laughing. I took quite a few pictures that I sadly lost Saturday morning when I attempted to update my cell phone.

Me and Glenda

On Saturday morning, we started preparing for more people to arrive at our house that evening for our small Housewarming gathering. To all that made it out, thank you so much! We had a fabulous time with all that showed: My cousin Courtney with her husband Nick and their son, Eli; Aunt Denise (who I have not seen in so many years! What a blessing to hug her and see her!), Aunt Susan, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sarah Norris with her husband Chad, and children Matthew and Kaylin (Chandler Norris - we missed you!!!), and Kev's last surprise visitor and our friends, Jason Brentzel with his wife, Heather and their kids, Hayden and Logan. To say everyone had a great time together, would be an understatement. We all enjoyed hanging out, laughing, chatting, and eating! The men of course ended up migrating to the backyard drinking a few beers and the ladies stayed inside, sipping on cocktails, while the children played. To all that came, thank you so much for leaving us with such an enjoyable evening! It was wonderful seeing each of you and we cannot wait to do it again!

Kris, Jason, Rob, and Kev

Sarah, Kaylin, and Chad (being silly)

Heather and me

Me and Glenda

Jason, Kev, and Susan

Nate, Naisha, Hayden, Nic & Bre

The Adults - Taken by a child

Me and Aunt Susan

Bre and Naisha helping set up

Adults

*If you read our blog posts by email updates, please go to http://www.biddlebuzz.com/2012/09/unconditional-bonds.html to watch the 3 videos below.* No we do not normally let our children do what they are doing in the videos, it was only fun for this one night. Yes, the middle video is Glenda. She had to be a kid just once ! lol

Sunday was spent being lazy. We said our goodbyes to Kris as he headed back to Florida. We cleaned up for a bit and then ate dinner together at our house. Schnitzel, potato salad, pasta salad, and I cannot remember what else! It was quite tasty and enjoyable. We all called it a night fairly early compared to the two previous late nights. Our kids had school the following morning and the Kiser's would be beginning their six hour journey back home.

Glenda and I saw this at Publix and she immediately said it was perfect for Kevin. 

The kids licking cake mix out of the mixing bowl

Silly kids - posing after licking the bowl clean. We were just missing Naisha in this photo.

The little monsters decorating cake balls

Me and Glenda. I love this pic!

Glenda making her yummy schnitzel

Love the look, babe! Kev and Rob

Riley decided to steal Rob from Glenda last weekend!

On Monday morning, we all woke up around 7ish to get ready for the day. Kev and I wok the kids and got them all ready for school as the Kiser's started gathering their belongings and preparing for their trip home. The kids of course didn't want to go to school that day, Nic being the only one who ended up not going due to being a bit sick. Kevin took the girls to school and the rest of us met him at Waffle House for breakfast, where we stayed for well over an hour - prolonging the dreaded goodbyes and hugs. 

In life, it is rare that we fall into relationships that leave us with unconditional bonds. It is even more rare that these bonds tie two couples together.

The one thing we learned over the weekend is that no matter the amount of time that goes by, when friendships truly exist, distance will never be an obstacle. Nerves may have been in existence as the time approaches to see people after so many years, but the truth in relationships shines through the moment you see someone and the moment you are all engaging in hugs. Everything seems to fall right back into place and you feel comfort of being surrounded by people you realize you would be lost without. Until next time Rob, Glenda, Nate and Naisha, we love each of you and are so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for being friends/family that is a rare thing in life. We cannot wait for our next weekend together!

And more than anything, Welcome Home, Rob! Robert returned from Afghanistan the week before they made the trip to our house! Not only was this past weekend to celebrate our new home and being back in Georgia, but also to celebrate Robert's homecoming!

Movie-Bumming Kind of Weekend

Lauren came into to town this past weekend!!!!!!!!!

On Friday, around lunchtime, I picked up one of my closest friends, Lauren from the airport and our weekend was started! We spent Friday evening looking at houses in the El Paso area, then headed home to get ready for a girls night out. We spent the evening out with Tasha and watching the newest Planet of the Apes movie that just came out. It was so much better than any of us expected. Following that, we all headed back to our house and crashed out for the night. Tasha has been staying with us as she waits to deploy sometime next week.

On Saturday we pretty much bummed it around the house and out in El Paso for a bit. We headed to the mall in search for Lauren a new hair straightener and some slippers (cute pink pig ones!), then we caught a matinee movie, The Change Up. Following the movie we decided to donate blood for a free movie pass and because it holds a special place with me after last year. United Blood had a donation bus in front of the theater. Let's just say that was not the best idea over the weekend! A little more than half way through, Lauren started to feel incredibly sick. Luckily she never passed out or anything. However, I did great through the donation and wonderful for the first almost fifteen minutes. Then out of nowhere, it all hit me and I started to slip in and out before finally fainting two times. No one understood why it took that long to hit me and were concerned with my medical issues. As you can see, that was by far the worst idea on my part! We did get to use our free movie passes that night and saw Friends with Benefits... not a good movie. We were let down after hearing from others how great and funny the movie was supposed to be. The Change Up, on the other hand, was awesome and very funny! It is a must see for most people. However, if you are easily offended with bad language, stay away from this one! Lauren and I witnessed an elderly woman that was by herself leave within the first ten minutes due to the vulgar language! Now, you can't say I didn't warn you! We were amazed that parents actually allowed their children to see this movie...with them!!!! It really made me question parenting styles. We loved the movie and spent a lot of time laughing!

Then came Sunday.... oh, how it came just a little too soon! The weekend seemed to fly by, but it was a much needed one for the both of us. I was sad to see Lauren leave, but am excited that we are planning another weekend fairly soon, for her to come back out!

Thank you Lauren for flying out here and spending the weekend with me! It was great to see you and I already miss you tons! Love you girl!

Crazy girl... Right before our movie!

Hanging out in the garage with Lauren and Tasha

Continuing to Pray for Scarlette

   I am writing tonight to ask everyone to say a prayer for a friend of mines baby. Kayla and I attended high school together, and though we were never close in school, I follow her blog daily. She is an amazing and strong woman with a lot of motivation and faith behind her. She is happily married with a baby that she delivered over 100 days ago. If I have not yet told you about Kayla and Jeff’s baby, you may find it funny that I mention the days. See, Scarlette was born as a micro-preemie. She was over 100 days early. During this week, Kayla will pass by her actual due date. The only problem…. Scarlette is still in NICU. She was born weighing a little over one pound. As of right now, this precious baby weighs over 4.2 lbs! Can we say absolutely amazing! She has the strength of her mother and surprises us daily. Though none of us have had the privilege of meeting this miracle, she has stolen and captured the hearts of many. When Kayla posts daily, whether it be on her progress or days of hardships, I cry. I cry for the good news and I shed many tears over the worrisome news. I pray daily and frequently. This fighter that Kayla has had the pleasure of bringing into the world and knowing deserves so much more in life and I have no doubts, she will get it. Scarlette is here for a reason. Kayla has been by her side throughout it all and loving her with every passing moment. When Kayla hurts, we all hurt. When she is overfilled with joy, we are on the outside rejoicing with her. Scarlette is currently having more issues within the intestinal area. She is up for another GI appointment and a possible transfer to a Children’s Hospital in Atlanta for another surgery. Please everyone, pray! This little girl and her family need it. To hear more of Scarlett’s adventures and Kayla’s thoughts, please check out her blog. On the right hand side of my blog, you will find a list of the blogs we follow. Click on the link that is titled Kayla Aimee: Only Slightly Neurotic. On her main page you will be able to read her thoughts, fears, and joys throughout this experience. In the upper left hand area you will see a link that reads Daily Scarlette. If you click on that, it will lead you to her daily updates. Read this and you will be able to take it all in from her point of view.

I know as a mother to two preemies, I cannot even begin to fathom what she is going through. My heart aches for her to see her baby going through this. Breanna was our preemie that went through so much, which we are blessed to have. After all, she is our little miracle. Not everyone knows the story on Breanna. Long story short, we had to fight to get Bre here, and even after my emergency c-section, it was a roller coaster with her. I went into labor at 20 weeks and for almost 15 weeks I spent more time admitted in the hospital than I did at home. The hospital had become my new, temporary home during this time. I was on full bed rest and pumped full of medication to stop and control the labor. It was so rough. At 22 weeks I was told the goal was to make it to 27 weeks in order for my daughter to survive. At 34 weeks I was rushed to L&D because my daughter’s heart had stopped beating. They pushed sugar cubes and juice through me trying to make her move and start pumping again. An amniocentesis was performed the following morning so that NICU could be on standby and better prepared for her. The doctors had already informed us that within 24 hours our baby would be here. None of us knew what to expect. I was overcome with worry and fear unlike any other time in my life. They tried to induce me, but my body went into full blown labor too quickly. This and everything else forced Breanna’s heart to stop again as it has multiple times over a 24 hour period. This time around we had no choice other than the c-section be performed immediately. When Bre was born it took more time than usual for her to breathe and start crying on her own. Kevin held her briefly, and then she was taken from us and placed in NICU. Luckily, the next day she was able to be in my room for short intervals at a time before they took her again. She had problems maintaining her body temperature.  Breanna was born at 5 lbs even and we took her home at 4.7 lbs. It took my daughter about two months before she even looked like a newborn. Preemie clothes and diapers swallowed her tiny little body! At a couple months old, the trouble began. She quit breathing and we spent over a week at Egleston. It is a children’s hospital outside of Atlanta. She had to undergo more testing than a child should ever face. They had IV’s coming out of her feet and head. I could barely pick her up when she cried because of the wires, IV’s and everything that was wrapped around her. My daughter was diagnosed with acid reflux and apnea. The reflux would burn so bad that as a baby, she didn’t know what to do. So, she would just quit breathing. In return this led to apnea. She was placed on an apnea monitor for months. I can’t even begin to recall the countless nights the machine would go off and I would sit on pillows and blankets, on top of this machine, trying to just make it stop. I would cry nonstop and I would question “why me?” “Why my baby?” I was 18 at this time and terrified. The first few years, and even moments today, have been critical with close calls for Breanna. After being told my daughter would never make it, she is an honor roll student (straight A’s as of today’s date), active child, who suffers with Severe/Chronic asthma. I always carry inhalers, when we travel her nebulizer goes with us, she is on medications to help maintain and stabilize her lungs and breathing. But, she is here and more than the doctors expected her to be. The reason I am sharing is not because I know what Kayla is going through. Because I don’t. My story is different from hers. I am sharing because there is a reason to never lose hope and faith. There is a reason to always pray and to pray with your whole heart.

To the moms and dads that are blessed and lucky enough to have healthy pregnancies, babies, and kids; quit taking advantage of that. Cherish every moment. We never know what is in store for tomorrow. I don’t think I have had a peaceful night’s sleep since I became pregnant with Breanna and had so many life threatening issues. When she coughs wrong, I worry. Hold your kids tight and let them know you love them. Reach out to someone that may just need that shoulder or the simple “I am praying…”  As the days go by, please keep Kayla, Jeff, and baby Scarlette in your thoughts and prayers. I know I do and I will continue to everyday. I look forward to the day when I hear they are bringing that sweet baby home! It will come. Kayla’s attitude towards everything can really open your eyes. She isn’t worried about a date or even an idea of when as long as eventually she can bring her baby home. Hold on to your faith Kayla! I know I am!