Angels Everywhere

I think there are angels everywhere. I think God sends us angels when we need them. I am not talking about angels in Heaven but, instead, angels on earth. The last 2 months have been very, very rough for me. There are times when I felt like nothing was ever going to get better, times when I did not know what to do next, times when I felt like I had nowhere to turn. At those low points, God has sent me angels. A few of my angels...

Stacy...just last night I was on surfing the web feeling very low. The day had been terrible and once again, I let Satan get to me and my emotions. Just then a message popped up from Stacy. She told me God put me on her mind today and that she is praying for me. My angel...of course I cried but after that I felt a little lighter and my heart did not feel as heavy. Thank you for being my angel, Stacy. I love you!

Mom...My Mom has been my angel so many times I cannot even count. Recently, her love, prayers and support has gotten me through some rough times. She will be with me for three days after my surgery providing support in that manner as well. Thank you for being my angel, Mom. I love you!

Those are just 2 examples of the angels that have entered my life. Of course there have been many more, My Grandma, the women from SS, etc.

When things get tough remember that you have angels too. You may not see them or hear from them but they are there.

Also, remember to be an angel to someone else. When you know someone is going through a tough time reach out to them. Reach out to others you care for, you never know what is going on in their lives.

I searched for some quotes on angels and found the following. They don't have a specific author listed but I got them at http://www.dltk-bible.com/angels/angel_quotes.htm.

"An angel is someone who raises your spirits! A TRUE FRIEND"

"An angel is someone you feel like you've known forever, even though you've just met."

"An angel is someone you're always happy to bump into."

"An angel's art is his heart."

"Angels are always memorable because they never forget what really matters."

"Angels are bright lights in the midst of our lives."

"Angels encourage everyone in the right direction...up."

"Angels have a hidden agenda....LOVE."

"Angels may not come when you call them, but they'll always be there when you need them."

"Angels walk softly and carry a big presence."

"Anyone can be an angel... to you."

"Anyone who helps you grow is an angel."

"You don't have to die to become an angel."

The Angels
May angels rest beside your door,
May you hear their voices sing.
May you feel their loving care for you,
May you hear their peace bells ring.
May angels always care for you,
And not let you trip and fall,
May they bear you up on angel's wings,
May they keep you standing tall.
May they whisper wisdom in your ear,
May they touch you when you need,
May they remove from you each trace of fear,
May they keep you from feeling greed.
May they fill you with their presence,
May they show you love untold,
May they always stand beside you And make you ever bold.
May they teach you what you need to know About life here and here-after.
May they fill you always with their love And give you the gift of laughter

We need prayer

I have hesitated to write this here, not sure why but I decided to do it regardless of my thoughts not to. Dustin and I are having a lot of problems right now. I am praying we can get through this rough patch but I really just don't know. I feel sick about what is going on and I have even thought about canceling my surgery but I know I need to have it. I don't know what to do anymore. Please pray for both of us.

Did you see it?

My ticker at the bottom of the page? Did you see that is says 7 days until my surgery? One week from this moment, if everything goes according to planned, I will be ending my third hour of surgery. I cannot believe it is so close! Remember when you were a child...you would get really excited about Christmas weeks before Christmas was actually here? I feel the same way...I am so excited I can barely sleep! One of the secretaries I work with asked if I was ready. Of course, I told her how excited I am. She told me I have a twinkle in my eyes. Oh I cannot wait!

My New Phone

It might be pathetic when a blogger turns to talking about her new phone but hey, I am in love with my new phone so I wanted to share. This is in no way a plug for Verizon or LG. :)

I got the EnV2 on Wednesday and I can barely make myself put it down! In case you don't know what it looks like, here is a picture.

I know, I know, it is beautiful! What a piece of craftsmanship! ;)

So in honor of the new phone, who I just might name (seriously, hey I am 32 have no kids and I kiss my dog on the mouth, I can name my phone!), I will be having Tales of the New Phone throughout the next few days...or maybe longer.

The count down has now really started!

Today I had my pre-op appointment at the hospital where I am having my surgery. I have never been to this hospital so I was a little nervous. I did not even know where the hospital was so that made me a little more nervous. I made it in about 1 hour which I did not think was bad. I got to the hospital at around 12:30 which was a half an hour early. I had brought a book so I sat there and read. At 12:40 I decided to go in so I could go to the bathroom before my appointment. While I was washing my hands I looked in the mirror to see a horrible rash on my chest! It was all red and splotchy. It was also on my arms. I was so nervous that for some reason they would think it was a rash I have had and it would keep me from having surgery. I went, did paperwork and about 15 minutes later was taken in to meet with my nurses. There was a male and female nurse. The male nurse took my blood pressure and blood, the female went over all the paperwork with me and gave me directions. The first thing the male nurse asked is if I was Stephanie Roach the surgeon. There is an orthopedic surgeon in Ithaca named Stephanie Roach. She also recently started working in the area I am from. I have been asked before, more seriously if I was her. I just say I wish. Anyway...I said I wish. He said no, I knew you weren't here before I even saw you because she would not need to have the same surgery you are having. I laughed and laughed then said...well, I have never met her but now I know one thing about what she looks like. Anyway...my blood pressure was 150/100. Now I have high blood pressure but it has never been this high. When I went to my regular Dr. last week it was 126/82. I told him I was really nervous. He said the other nurse would check it at the end of my appointment. So went the rest of the appointment...history of surgeries, medication I am on, instructions, health problems, allergies, etc. It was not a bad appointment at all. We laughed and joked. I was so sure my blood pressure would be great at the end but guess what...it was 147/96! I cannot believe it was so high! I was afraid that the high blood pressure would keep me from having surgery. The nurse said there was a cutoff but not to worry because she would make sure we got it below the cut off. She checked the cutoff and PTL my blood pressure was below that. So...pending a pregnancy test (which I am 99.9999999% sure will be negative) and me getting better (which I am) and not getting sick again I am set to go. 12 days and counting!

Appointment #2 and misc. surgery stuff

I just realized that I have not posted about appointment #2. This was the appointment with my plastic surgeon (that sounds so weird, me, have a plastic surgeon). It was nothing like I anticipated. It was about an hour long. For the most part we went over a ton of paperwork. He did all the orders for the hospital including meds to give me before and after surgery. We talked about what pain killers I have taken before and got a prescription for fill prior to the surgery. We also talked about instructions prior to and after the surgery. The first week after my surgery I have a lot of appointments. Surgery is Monday the 15. My first appointment will be on Tuesday the 16. At this appointment the ace bandage will be taken off me. The plastic surgeon will put a bra on me. I will need to wear that 24/7 except for when I am showering for quite a while. I will have another appointment on Friday the 19 and yet another one on Tuesday the 23. I am glad I have so many because it will help set my mind at ease. After that I will have one a week for 2-3 weeks, a 3 month, 6 month and 1 year. The one thing that happened at my appointment was him asking me what method I wanted him to use. There is a lollipop (Le Jour) incision and an anchor incision. He gave me the pros and cons for both and left it up to me. I told him I would call and let him know. I think I have decided on the anchor method. This is traditional, more incisions but it seems he has done more of these and I am more comfortable with thsi method. It also seems to have the less "bad" effects. I will be calling Monday or Tuesday to let him know.

I have purchased my pillows for my recovery. I got a wedge and 2 firm king size pillows (I cannot believe the price of king pillowcases. Thank goodness I got them on sale). I also bought 2 body pillows for our bed upstairs and might use them in recovery. Also, Dustin's mom bought me a "husband". At least that is what we called them. I cannot believe how much money I spend on pillows but if it helps make me comfortable it will be worth it.

As my surgery comes closer and closer please pray for a few things.

1. That my anxiety will be little.
2. That I continue not to smoke...it is so hard when I am nervous or anxious
3. That I will be prepared for Christmas and with meals
4. That my stress will be controlled
5. That I feel better, both my illness and my allergies

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.