….well, it actully began yesterday while I was “working” from home. I will continue to finish most of the Thanksgiving cooking today and go to bed really late!

However, I must save energy for the Black Friday shop-a-thon with my partners in crime, Jenn and Jaque.

Stay tuned for pics. Until then, enjoy a little Thanksgiving ditty.

Man…a lot can change in a week! Thursday evening my uncle was rushed to the hospital via ambulance due to agonizing pain. The doctors decided that the pain was caused by his body not being completely healed when they took out the catheter. They inserted a new one and gave him lots of pain meds. He’s doing much better now.

While he was in the hospital and recovering, Ryan and I got to spend some time with G-man! We had so much fun together. He got to visit our house for the first time and play with our puppies. We went to Chuck E Cheese, Red Lobster for lunch, and to see the new movie Bolt. The funniest part was on Saturday. I was explaining to G-man about what the day was going to look like and that he needed to make good choices so we could go to the movie.

He stopped, looked up at me, and in his most serious voice said, “Brooke, I always make good choices when I’m with you.” I died laughing. It’s the truth. He does make good choices and behave when he’s with us. Ryan had a fun time playing with a boy (all of other kiddos in our lives are girls). At the end of the weekend, my aunt said to G-man, “Did you have fun at Camp O’Toole?” You bet he did, and so did we. It was great to spend time with my cousin and let him get to know us better. What a special time for us. God definitely uses the bad for good!

Jaque, Ryan, and I all came down with a stomach virus Monday night. We’re all still feeling pretty lousy. I’m waiting to see the good come from that (other than loosing 2 pounds in one day)!

My uncle’s surgery went really well last Friday. They were able to spare both nerve bundles when they removed his prostate and the cancer. Ryan and I had a really great time visiting with him on Sunday. It was the most we have ever really had him talk with us, and it was great to see a different side of him (even if it was induced by pain killers)!

The best news of all came yesterday. Here’s what my aunt sent in her update email last night:

“Last night M. had trouble sleeping because some of his tubing was not functioning properly, so this morning we got an emergency appointment to see Dr. BT.  The tubing issue was quickly corrected and he is still on target to have everything removed on Thursday morning.  The six incisions in M.’s abdomen are also healing well.  We were surprised when Dr. BT told us he had just received M.’s pathology results.

The test showed that the cancer was confined to the prostate and had not breached the capsule and spread through the body.  It was much closer to the edge than they had thought but still contained.  This was the best possible outcome for the surgery.  YOUR PRAYERS AND OUR PRAYERS CONTINUE TO BE ANSWERED!!!

Dr. BT says M. will continue to be tested every three months for two years and annually after that to ensure that no trace amounts occur elsewhere in M.’s body  We are so grateful for the wall of prayers and hourly support you have provided.

We still have a long road over the next few months as M. heals, and we pray all functions hopefully return to normal.  We certainly know how blessed we are and we PRAISE GOD for His work in our lives.  How appropriate that Thanksgiving is upon us!”

Thank you guys for praying. Miracles happen!

When Ryan talked to Brendon about taking Simone, Brendon mentioned that his mom was trying to get rid of her puppy. She got a miniature beagle puppy a few months ago and decided that this puppy was just too much to handle. She has been in the process of trying to find him a home. Brendon worked it out with everyone and said he could take Simone if we would take the puppy.

And so, Charlie#2 entered our lives (his name was Charlie, but we had to change it). He has been fitting right in with the puppies, and they are so stinking cute together.

As promised, here’s some pictures of our Halloween season.

These pictures were taken at the field trip to the pumpkin patch.

We had another party at our house this year to celebrate Halloween.

This was taken at a dinner at Jon and Jenn’s. Look at how seriously she’s rocking out! Can you tell we love Rock Band!

And finally…”Treat or Treat, Smell my Feet…..!”

Tuesday evening Zoe and Simone got into a really bad fight. They have fought before in the past, but this one was really bad. Ryan and I had a hard time breaking it up. Out of fear that they would mortally wound each other in the future, we decided that we needed to find another home for Simone.

Out of our pack of dogs, Simone is the one we have the least amount of connection to. We even call her FOITO (first one in the oven). You know, if the world was coming to an end and we had to eat the dogs to live. Luckily we were able to find her a great home with her Uncle Brendon! They had a special bond together when he lived with us.

It wasn’t until it hit me that she was going to be leaving last night that I got really sad. Even though she’s not my favorite and is quite often a pain in the ass, she is still one of my kids. I don’t think I would have been able to bear it if she had gone to someone that I didn’t know for sure would take good care of her. I will miss my sweet girl. She was so scared when we rescued her. Now she is social and doesn’t fear people like she did before. So I’m sad about her leaving, but I know that I can visit her and that she is getting really spoiled.

There was a twist involved with Brendon taking Simone since he’s living in the same house with his mom right now. Stay tuned tomorrow for the scoop. If you already know, don’t ruin the surprise!

I often forget to update everyone on what’s going on in different areas of my life. So, I sit here tired, blessed, hopeful, drained, excited, and loved. Let me spill my guts.

We had a wonderful Halloween. It all started with a field trip to the pumpkin patch with the kindergarten class I taught, a Halloween party at our house, a Halloween dinner with friends, and trick or treating as a big group! I’ll post some of my favorite pictures later in the week. We are tired from all the activity, but I’m so excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas!

As for my job/job prospects, Bossman did not lose our only client. The air show is coming up this weekend, and these people have been a huge pain in the butt. I’ve had to actually do work! LOL! I’m so thankful that I’m almost done dealing with them. I did not get the long term substitute position at the other McKinney school. At that point, there were already laid off Dallas ISD teachers in the running for the position. I am going to take an ESL supplemental test in the middle of January. This will hopefully increase my chances of getting a job this spring. I’m still subbing for the kindergarten team and Jenn as needed. That perfect position is out there for me, and I’m patiently waiting for God’s timing.

On the home front, Ashley has returned home from Canada permanently. She and Josh have gotten a little love nest, and will be moving out this month. Josh has lived with us the longest out of anyone coming in at just over three years. I wish I could say that he will be missed. LOL! Jon, Jaque, and Jordan have joined our clan over the past month. Ryan and I have loved having them at the house, and we feel very blessed to spend this period of our lives together.  I have laughed a lot, and love building my relationship with my sister. It’s also fun to spoil my little punkin, who just loves his Aunt Brooke! My cup runneth over!

On a more serious note, I mentioned a while back that my uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They found three lumps and decided that surgery was necessary. He will have surgery this Friday. Please pray for the surgeon that will be operating, that all traces of cancer will be removed, and that his recovery will be quick. Friends of mine and Ryan also experienced a huge life change this weekend. The recovery will be long and require strength and patience beyond what a person could endure without God. Please pray for strength, peace, and endurance for our friends. Pray that Ryan and I can be God’s hands to minster healing in ways that only God knows that they need.