My, how time flies!

Where has this week gone??? Is this a cruel joke from my good friend TIME b/c I wrote a nasty post about him this last week? I am begging you, Time, please slow down a little bit…I can barely keep up with you!

So, last Friday was my good old 31st birthday party. If I had TIME to turn on the news I would have known that the bottom of the sky was going to fall out and flood warnings and severe weather was on its way. Because of the torrential down pours we went to El Patio and then next door to a little bar called The Tipsy Clover. I was feeling way too old to be hanging out with all of those “youngsters!” However, I met a fellow “birthday person” born on the same day 4 YEARS AFTER ME and none of them could believe I was 31!! What a compliment (or maybe they just had too much to drink)! Actually, I met several people that couldn’t believe I was turning 31…come on people…it’s not THAT old! We had a blast with all of our closest friends…but, the best was my best friend driving in all the way from her little town with my favorite cake in the whole entire world! Thanks, Lizard…you really are the best!!!

Saturday morning came quick…and with it came the hustle and bustle of preparing for the NFL Draft. This day ranks at the top of “best days” in Brandon’s life…and lucky for all of us it occurs once a year! Friends and neighbors gathered in our living room to enjoy smoked sausage, pork chops, salsa and watch B and his buddies play the most ridiculous made up game involving draft picks and cold beverages…TIME hasn’t forced them to grow up at all!!! The only question I still have about the draft…what NFL team was lucky enough to get Graham Harrell?

Saturday’s lazy resting in front of ESPN made getting up at 6am on Sunday a little easier. We made it to the march in our pink and green and had 26 friends and family members walking for Team Chunky Monkey. It’s hard to explain why March for Babies is such an emotional day for us. When the March for Babies Houston organizer approached me personally to tell me what an unbelievable job our team had done this year I wanted to cry. When a stranger stopped Brandon to tell him she liked the name of our team…and asked him why we were there marching…he wanted to cry. When they announced the start of the race and then said, “Go, Team Chunky Monkey” as we passed through the start line…I wanted to cry. I am proud to walk in memory of Bennett and all of the other NICU angels that have gone before us. Every step of that 5 mile walk made me proud and I know Bennett was proud of us for making such a big difference. Thank you all so much for your generous contributions and making the effort to make such a big difference…we did it! As of today we have raised over $6000 and company matching hasn’t even been calculated yet!

Because TIME had been flying by and we had so much going on I hadn’t seen the news in days…until CNN on Sunday. Hello, Swine Flu!!!

Really, the name itself sounds like a joke. This is no joke! For the mother of a preemie and one living with cystic fibrosis…I take the breakout of any illness very seriously! So, we are on lockdown in our house. In our county they have 30 suspected cases of swine flu and one confirmed case in a teenage girl. We had been looking forward to taking Ellie to the annual fundraiser at the Houston Zoo, however my pediatrician told me to take Ellie out of gymnastics b/c of the regular flu…so, I am pretty sure he wouldn’t be okay with her going to the very public zoo with kids everywhere. So, our poor baby has been in the house and will remain in the house until the “all clear” is given. This may mean no trip to Arizona (and wouldn’t you know we have nonrefundable tickets!!!). However…peace of mind is priceless!

The beginning of the week brought more torrential down pours and some very serious flooding in our area. Monday we had several tornado warnings and wind comparable to that we experienced with Hurricane Ike (not literal wind speed, but it sounded the same)…very scary! So, not only are we on lockdown…we literally couldn’t leave the house!

Basically, we have spent the remainder of the week taking walks, cooking homemade meals together and making new outfits. I truly cherish every single minute with Ellie, because it’s evident that TIME is going to continue to fly by!

Blessings,
Angie