The Weekend Update

My 'highschool' long time buddies: Deawn, Heather, Linnea, Holly, Me, Melissa, and Thea. The only girl missing is Maria who now lives in VA beach. Eveyone else besides me are in the metroplex. We had a wonderful time anticipating the arrival of Holly's little girl. We will always be friends and seem to just pick back up where we left off every time! We all went to different colleges except Holly and I at ACU and Heather and Deawn at TCU. We used to have a camping trip every year post highschool but when we got married and especially started families, just not as easy to do. We still have a holiday party every year and I am able to see everyone just about every time I come in town and have fun play dates and dinner and such. There are also about five or six guys from our little group too and the majority of them are still in that area too with the exception of two but they still occassionally make the Christmas Party. We all got really close during Young Life our sophomore year of Highschool. Holly is now the director in Arlington! Our leaders Bob and Debi still come to our party every year and various showers. We have been through a lot together and these people are very close to my heart.

I also was able to enjoy a lovely dinner with my old college roomie Jodi and her husband Mike, also very much a part of our fun college days! Man, seeing people you don't get to real often just makes you miss them even more.... like a big tease!

The eyes: third week seems to be a charm! I woke up seeing great today! Road signs and all! Every day is getting better. Looking at the computer however is the worst thing and brings the fuzziness back. That being said I am signing off.

Linnea's Birthday

Today is my oldest, not by years of her age but by years of our friendship, friend's birthday! I posted this picture back in the summer but this is the only recent one I have that is digital. I will change that this weekend. Linnea is the one in black with her babies, Parker and Holly is holding Drake. My friend Linnea and I met each other in first grade and have grown into women together! Our birthdays are almost exactly a week a part so we spent many years celebrating together. We live in different towns now, both married with two children, and still carry a bond that will never be broken. So glad you entered this world sweet girl and blessed to have you as a friend. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Be patient....Be patient Don't be in such a hurry.....
Amy Dickey (Smith) used to sing this song to me often when we lived together- in fact she taught it to me. Okay .........Okay!!!!!!!!!!!! God is teaching me and I am now forced to be. Today is the best day I have had yet. I had an appt. today and they are healing! There are a few dry spots on my eyes right in the line of vision which have been obstructing my view and adding a nice little glare to everything. I am legal to drive now but not for long distances b/c of the number of times and amount of drops I have to use in my eyes which is crutial to healing. So.....my sweet parents who came in Friday will be assisting me in my track to Arlington this weekend. The original plan was they were coming to help with my children while I attneded Defensive Driving Saturday and then would take Ty back with them for the week and I would meet up with them Thursday. Well........... My dad is leaving Tomorrow and my mother will be staying to make the drive with me Friday since Trent gets back late Wednesday and then leaves again on Sunday. I don't want to completely miss seeing Trent so I will at least get a day with him.

Speaking of ole Trent, I didn't mention our little Valentine date last week! In the midst of losing Grandmother, he still made my birthday and Valentine's Day special. He let me sleep in on my birthday and completely took care of the kids and then took us all out for a fun Sushi lunch, its my favorite. Well sort of.......... I am not a REAL sushi eater because I only eat rolls and seaweed salad. Its so much better than it sounds. Wednesday, one of the sweet girls from his women's team came and kept the kids while we went to eat and to the movie. I was still having a little trouble seeing the huge screen at that point but had no trouble seeing the blood and gore of Smokin Aces. Don't waste your money. Still.........it was nice to laugh about it and enjoy a night out on the town with such a hottie. So fun that I get to call him my husband! Man, I sure miss him! He is in San Diego with the men's team for the first tournament of the season. I would say lucky dog, but he is experiencing cold wet weather while its 72 and beautiful here! Well, almost beautiful, of course there is always this fun wind we get from Jan-March every year. Oh the joy, and soon we will enjoy the dust along with that wind and the rain of mud! Its a small price to pay for the awesome dry heat and actual enjoyable spring and summers we have. .... at least that is what I keep telling myself :)

Well the screen is a little too bright for my eyes and still VERY fuzzy to read so this will be a quick update. I am closing my eyes as I am typing so it might be filled with errors! This is a very slow frustrating process. I hope I can say I am glad soon. I have had to really learn to be ptient and to depend on others which has been very hard for me to do. I had an appt. today and they took out my contact bandagees. My left eye is progressing faster than my right. I can see very clearly for about thirty seconds after putting my re-wetting drops in and I do that every half hour. I still cannot drive for another week which ahs put a real damper on some plans. .

A lot of other sad things happene this week too. Sunday evennng Trent's grandmother passed away. She had been doing bad for the past week but had really started to go down hill over this past year. The funeral was yestreday and it was harder than we all thought it would be. Trenat and I had a lot of discussion last night about that and how death is still just so beyond comprehension. I hope I don't have to live woithougt him. Gerandmother was so blessed and blessed everyone she knew as well. Trent was SO blessed to have her all this time. I lost my paternal Grandmother whome I was very close to in sixth grade and my maternal a few years ago, however she had been ill for a long time and never met my husband or children. I sort of took Grandmother as my own. We used to have Thursday night dates with her every week when we moved here. We would take her out to Acuff steak house, meet at the DQ in Idalou for a coke, and out to eat numerous times. I sure will miss her but am so happy for her for where she gets t ob e now.

I also sturned 33 on Tuesday, not my favorite birthday but it was still good. My MIL is one of the neatsset people I know and how blessed am I to have such a wonderful relationshipe with her. With all she is going through, dealing with het passing of her mother, seh still got me and my BIL a cake for our birthdays and gifts that Tuesday evening after the visitation!!! There are so many ways that I want to be like her but her loving caring giving spirit is just incredible.

Well if there is anyone out there who has had PRK, please let me know how your recovery went. The doctor seai everything is looking good and normal but it could be 6-7 weeks from surgery before I am totoally 'normal'. I knew it would be long but I thought it would be SO much better by now. I want to wear my glasses so bad but they don't make a difference now b/c of thesc cells forming on my eyese which is part o fhealing.


Thank you for your prayers.

Tomorrow "I will See the light"

Many people have been asking me the difference in PRK vs. LASIK. I found an article:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/prk.htm

This article explains it well and have copy/pasted it below. I am sure my parents will be the most interested in this information since of course they are the most concerned. Everyone else can just ignore if they choose, however I find it very interesting. Beware that it is sort of lengthy but just takes a minute to read. There is an animation you can click on to see how it works.

Again, I would GREATLY appreciate your prayers. I have butterflies in my tummy and have all day. I feel good about my decision to have it done but am nervous about the recovery. I know God will see me through it and I am praying for peace and a good night's sleep. The only thing I am looking forward to during recovery is the fact that I HAVE TO REST! That just doesn't happen real often for me so I am looking forward to the forced sleep :)


It may be hard to believe these days, when everything is "LASIK this" and "LASIK that," but PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) used to be the most common refractive surgery procedure. Both are grouped under the umbrella "laser eye surgery," but each is a little different when it comes to advantages and disadvantages. LASIK patients have less discomfort and obtain good vision more quickly (with PRK improvement is gradual and over a few days or even months), but many surgeons prefer PRK for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas.
PRK was invented in the early '80s. The first FDA approval of a laser for PRK was in 1995, but the procedure was practiced in other countries for years. In fact, many Americans had the surgery done in Canada before it was available in the U.S.

PRK is performed with an excimer laser, which uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the surface of the cornea in order to reshape it. When you reshape the cornea in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before.

Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from PRK. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism, by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

Before Surgery
If you are considering PRK, your first step is to choose a surgeon. [Read our article on how to choose a surgeon for advice on this subject.]
Your doctor will examine your eyes to determine exactly what kind of vision correction you need and how much laser ablation is needed. A corneal topographer will be used; this is an instrument that photographs your eye and creates a kind of "map" of your cornea. No one has a perfectly rounded cornea, and the topographer will display the corneal irregularities and the actual steepness or flatness that the surgeon must address.

During Surgery
PRK is an ambulatory procedure; you walk into the surgery center, have PRK, and walk out again. In fact, the actual surgery usually takes less than a minute, and you're awake the whole time. Occasionally, the doctor will give a mild oral sedative beforehand.
Most people don't feel pain during PRK. Your eyes are first anesthetized with special drops. The doctor will have you lie down, then make sure your eye is positioned directly under the laser. (One eye is operated on at a time.) A kind of retainer is placed over your eye to keep your eyelids open — normally, this is not uncomfortable. It has a suction ring that keeps your eye pressurized and immobile.

The doctor uses a computer to adjust the laser for your particular prescription. You will be asked to look at a target light for a short time while he or she watches your eye through a microscope to make sure it remains in the correct position while the laser sends pulses of light to your cornea that painlessly remove the tissue. It's important to keep your gaze fixated on that target light in order to get the best results.

The laser machine will make a steady clicking sound while the laser pulses are happening, and you may smell a faintly acrid odor during the tissue removal. Don't worry, that's normal.
The higher your prescription, the more time the surgery will take.

The doctor may prescribe medication for any postoperative pain, but many people feel no more than mild discomfort or "scratchiness" afterward.

The surgeon has full control of the laser and can turn it off at any time. After the procedure is finished, you will rest for a little while. If you're having both eyes done the same day, the surgeon will probably do the other eye after a short period of time. Many people choose to have their second eye done a week later.
After PRK

As with any kind of eye surgery, it's important that you follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. Get proper rest, fill and use any necessary prescriptions, and call your doctor immediately if you suspect a problem. What occurs after the surgery can affect your vision just as much as the surgery itself.

Immediately after PRK, the doctor will have you rest for a bit, then you can go home (someone else must drive). At home, you should relax for at least a few hours.
You may be able to go to work the next day, but many doctors advise a couple of days of rest instead. They also recommend no strenuous exercise for up to a week, since this can traumatize the eye and affect healing.

Avoid rubbing your eye . In fact, you will be examined just about every day to make sure the epithelium is healing properly. You will probably wear a special "bandage" contact lens, use antibiotic drops for a few days, and apply anti-inflammatory drops for several weeks.

My Ground Hog Day

- Woke up to snow covered ground, and icey roads. Roads were fine by noon but there is still some snow in our yard.

-Took my kids to my sweet friend April's house at 8:30, in their pajamas and a blanket. Whew! A cold day to be getting out so early!

- Went to my pre-op appt. for FIFTEEN more tests on my eyes. They are SUPER thourough!
I am scheduled for PRK a week from today at 10:30 in the morning. I would appreciate some prayers. This is very similar to LASIK but instead of creating a flap with the laser, it reshapes the cornea. Same outcome but I do not have enough tissue to do LASIK. The bad news is, I will not be seeing great at first, in fact it will be quite blurry for at least three days! I did not realize how much you cannot do after surgery. My MIL will be taking the kids for the day of surgery and Trent will be home all weekend to take care of me. They want me sleeping and putting drops in almost constantly until that Tuesday! The other bad thing is there is usually more discomfort than with LASIK but should be better by that Tuesday. I am just glad to finally be getting it over with. I have been in glasses for almost four months now.

-Had lunch at April's and a nice visit to finally do some catching up.

-The rest of the day was quite a challenge with my three year old and girl is sick and clingy. They both have runny noses but girl has had fever on and off. She is now sleeping pleasantly with the help of some Benedryl :)

-Watched one of my favorite teeny bopper movies, "Ten Things I Hate About You."

-Watched another Heath Ledger, "A Knight's Tale."

-Been dreaming about a house we found that we love and just praying that it all works out. I know God will put us where he wants us but it fits our needs perfectly and is actually the right price and I hope that its His will for us to be there. If not, I hope that the looking period is not too long and that the selling time is even shorter. I would appreciate prayers about that as well.

-Finally going to bed to snuggle with my little man because his dad is off recruiting.

Hope everyone had a nice winter day! Hope the Ground Hog is NOT right!!!