Lunch before Departure!

Yesterday we spent most of the morning packing our suitcase so we would be ready to leave when the time came. Around lunch time we headed out to eat and made our way to In-N-Out Burger! If you have ever lived in California or even just visited I'm sure you probably heard of In-n-Out. It is a famous fast food burger place in CA. It is a basic burger joint serving only burgers and fries. Tim asks me each time I am out here, "Have you eaten at In-N-Out yet?" If you are from California (Tim is) and you now go there to visit you HAVE to go to In-N-Out to eat! Anyways, each time he asks I tell him no. Burgers and fries isn't something I normally eat often. So I decided since this is my third trip out here and now my last day we will go there for lunch. When we arrived there wasn't a parking spot to be found! The parking lot was at least four times the size of the facility and yet still not a parking spot anywhere! The drive through was wrapped totally around the building through the parking lot and even out onto the main road! Cars were parked in every parking spot and even along side of every curb! And this was even after the lunch rush! Totally crazy!! Once we snaked into a parking spot and made our way inside of course they were busy with customers standing everywhere. We finally made our way to order and once done the cashier handed me my receipt and said you are number 44. While she was telling me I was number 44 the guy beside me was holding a ticket & food and yelled out number 14 your order is ready! I thought to myself, you have got to be kidding me!! Number 14 and I am number 44!! Of course there was not a seat to be found so you have to find someone who is almost done eating and kinda stand around so you can grab their table as soon as they stand to leave! Though they are this crowded and people are waiting everywhere there is no one angry or upset rather they are all just hanging around waiting for their food or eating and enjoying their food. Well we waited about 25 minutes for food. How was it? It was pretty good. The fries, which they use fresh potatoes and cut into fries, were really good. The price was really good as well! They are definitely cheaper than most places (McDonald's, Chick Fila, etc.) on everything. Overall we enjoyed our lunch but more enjoyable was just the experience.

Day 9 - Departure Day (Actually Night!)

Today is the day!!! We leave!!!
Though our time here was great... we are so ready to get home!!! We will just hang out today around town probably at the library for most of the day. Then between 3:00 - 4:00 we will return the rental car to Hertz. This time we do not have a ride back to the airport because Mrs. Arlene & Jack left to go out of town for a few days. So, I will have someone at Hertz take us to the train station where we will ride a couple of different trains in order to get to the San Francisco airport. We will get off of the Caltrain at the Milbrae stop and then get onto a Bart Lightrail which is faster than the Caltrain. We take that one to the airport which I think takes about 2 minutes. Our flight is not until 9:30 so we will have plenty of time waiting around before departure time. I just want to make sure I am there early so there are no problems!! Although I can only try to avoid problems on my end!! I sure hope that there are no problems this trip on United's part!!!

Please pray for us to have a smooth uneventful trip home!!! It will be a long night! We arrive in Raleigh tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM.

Day 8 - Post-op Appointment

Redwood City - Progress made!! Hooray!!
Ok... my task is now mostly completed in Redwood City! What was my task? Well, do you recall our last visit here in April I had received a totally bogus parking ticket in Redwood City? I had went the very next morning to the Redwood City Police Dept. armed with parking citation, parking receipts, and several pictures on my cell phone regarding this! I spoke with a very nice officer and explained the situation and showed him all the evidence proving this was totally a mistaken ticket that was given to me. After hearing and seeing everything he agreed it was clearly a mistake and that I had done absolutely nothing incorrect rather the meter had just malfunctioned. He said do not worry at all about the ticket that he would get with the officer who wrote it and have it taken care of! I left with no worries and returned home and that was that... So I thought!! All was good (so I thought) until one day in June I received a letter from Hertz Rental Car stating that they were charging me $30.00 on my credit card for receiving a ticket in there car in April!! Ok... thankfully I had saved the officer's card so I immediately contacted him. I asked him to please look into why this hadn't been taken care of and have that officer take care of it! I also told him I would be back in the area in late July and that I would come there to assure all has been taken care of and to also obtain a written letter to Hertz explaining the situation so that they would credit me the $30.00 they charged my credit card. So... on Monday & Tuesday I went to the police station but was unable to see this specific officer. Today I was able to see and speak with him. He went and pulled my info. & my ticket and when he returned to me he was most apologetic in the fact that this officer still has not taken care of my ticket!! He assured me he was personally going to take care of it all today and would call me later to let me know of what he had done. Later he called me and said everything was done. He read the letter he had typed to Hertz and said he even called them and explained everything. He said the only next step was that this officer had to sign everything and it would be complete. Unfortunately this officer is out until Tuesday!! He has promised me that he personally will take it to him and have him sign the papers and complete everything himself!! I certainly hope this happens this time!! I would hate to find out months later that I still have an outstanding ticket out here!! Anyways, on to more important matters...

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Miata's Post-op Appointment

We arrived at Dr. Brent's office and like always he had many other patients there he was seeing. You think I would be used to it by now but I'm not. It still amazes me to see all these little ones with the exact condition who are also in the process of having an ear created for them due to this birth defect! Anyways, they removed Miata's bandages and then the stitches. When we showed her what it looked like in the mirror she asked... What are those black things hanging from my ears!?! I explained to her that while Dr. Brent did the surgery he also pierced her ears!! She didn't really believe it/understand it. She kept saying... but what are those black things!?! Once we were able to get her to understand that he truly did pierce her ears and those black things were the stitch thread he used she was the happiest little one ever!!! She couldn't believe that she had pierced ears!! The first thing she asked was can I get real earrings now? I told her of course she could as soon as we returned home but that she couldn't actually wear them for about 2 more weeks until her ears have healed more. She didn't mind a bit! She was just so happy with her new ear and that she actually had two pierced ears now!! That of course was the extra step I mentioned Dr. Brent performing during surgery. I had no idea they were able to do this!! When the nurse was giving Miata her "sleepy medicine" she asked me if I wanted this done while she was in surgery! I just looked at her a minute then said, "You mean he can actually do this for her now!?!" She said of course he can, he does this to many of his female patients! I had no idea but of course I said YES! The nurse explained that he liked to do it to assure it was done properly and this is the perfect time... while they are asleep! Anyways, I chose not to tell her rather wait and let it be a total surprise once the bandages were removed. Well, that it was... a total surprise which she was most very pleased with! Her expressions were most amusing! Dr. Brent just laughed and laughed at her! He thinks she is the funniest little character as it is and then to see her reactions to this was hilarious!!

Oh yea... If you look at her left ear you can see where he pulled that ear closer to the head.

So all is well for now we just have to wait and let the ear/ears heal. Next, in September, we will be traveling to Virginia for Dr. Kesser to perform the surgery which will open the ear for her to be able to HEAR from it!!!

Day 6 & 7 - Busy Days

Redwood City Update - I again did NOT make the needed progress today (or yesterday) in Redwood City so I will update on that task hopefully tomorrow if it is accomplished!

As for the past two days... I have been very busy working on helping Mary with all the needed documents/paperwork so that she can legally obtain her car! Quick story about her car... Someone Mrs. Arlene knows sold Mary her old car (1995 Infinity G20) that she hasn't driven in quite some time for $50.00. She gave her a copy of the title and the keys. Mary had the car towed to a mechanic for repairs so that it would run again so Mary would be able to drive it. The repairs were completed last week and Mary also had the smog test done but unfortunately when Mary tried to get the title transferred and obtain a new registration and a new license plate in her name she was unable. Of course they would not take a copy of the car title but the individual didn't know where the original title was and thought they would take a copy. Poor Mary was suppose to have had this car and driving it by last Friday but has yet been able to. Anyways, Mrs. Arlene, Mary, and Vickie (the original owner of the car) have went around & around with the paper work issues and now Vickie, who is a single mother and works many hours & runs a lot with her teenage son, was most frustrated with this whole ordeal and was to the point of "I can't do anything else!" Well as the days have passed I have been taking Mary to work at 11:00 PM & picking her up at 7:00 AM so that she would NOT have to walk an hour each way. I have watched hers, Mrs. Arlene's, & Vickie's frustration in this entire car situation so I finally just had to step in! Yesterday I took Mary into Redwood City (where I am suppose to be taking care of my own issues there!) to the DMV office. Once our number was called I talked with someone about this situation and asked what exactly needed to be done. I was able to get the paperwork started so a new title could be issued and was able to obtain the needed documents for Vickie & Mary to sign showing the sale of the vehicle to Mary for $50.00. Unfortunately the title (copy we had) showed there was a lien on the vehicle. Of course there really wasn't because the car was paid for many years ago but this copy of the original title showed the credit union as a lien holder from where they originally purchase the car back in 1995. So the DMV lady gave me a form that had to be completed and notarized by that credit union stating that the original loan had been satisfied (paid in full.) So now my task was to get all these documents signed by Vickie as well as signed and notarized by that credit union. The issue... Vickie does not want any part of this anymore & I am no one in regards to walking into this credit union to ask them for this document to be completed. Well at the end of the day I told Mary all we can do at this point is pray about it and not to stress anymore. If it is the Lord's will everything will work out. If it isn't there is a reason but I will do all I can to help. It was evening and Mary was exhausted due to having extremely very little sleep, working all night, & running around all day. I told Mary to go to bed and get some sleep and after Miata had dinner I would go to Vickie's house.

At Vickie's house... when Vickie came to the door I explained who I was and the look of anger immediately came over her along with tears. She said, "I can not do this anymore! I can't deal with this!" I apologized but told her I was truly there to help & explained all I had done earlier that day. She was still not happy! I apologized again and told her all I was trying to do is complete all the paper work for everyone so this whole issue would be complete and everyone could put it behind them. She said, "If all she had to do was sign papers then she would do it." Then I told her that is why I am here. I have done everything and all she had to do was sign. She was relieved and happily signed all the documents I gave her. I explained the issue of the credit union but told her I would go tomorrow and take care of that as well, just hopefully they would allow me to. Well, after she signed we talked about Miata and her son and before I knew it 45 minutes had passed. Miata & I left there and returned to the house. Mary was awake, she said she couldn't sleep for wondering what was happening. When I told her everything was signed she couldn't believe it!! She kept asking how did you do it?? Vickie was so upset and unwilling?? She was amazed. I said don't worry all that was now complete but we still have the issue of the credit union. Well, a couple of hours later I took Mary to work and told her in the morning I will go to the credit union and hopefully have this last step completed.

This morning... I went to the credit union and spoke with a manager and explained what I needed. As to be expected she asked... "And who are you and why are you here instead of Vickie, and do you have an account?" I explained I was a friend trying to get this document for Vickie because she is unable to take off work to do so herself (this is what she told me was the biggest issue.) She said this is very unusual and we do not ever do anything like this! But after talking with her for a while longer she was willing to do this for me if she could call Vickie and verify all that I have told her. I said certainly you may and provided Vickie's cell number. She asked me to please wait in the lobby for a couple of minutes which turned into about 45+ minutes. Although she did pop in a couple of times to let me know she was still working on it. Then her boss came out, introduced himself to me and said this was most unusual but they were working on it and he would notarize it as soon as it was ready for notarization! Finally I had it in hand and thanked them both many times for their help and willingness to do this for me!! If I couldn't have obtained this I truly do not know if Mary would have ever gotten this car and she had already put all her money into the maintenance on getting it ready! Praise the Lord for His hand in this!! Well I left so happy to be able to call Mary and let her know I was on my way to get her so we could return to Redwood City to the DMV for completion of this car issue!! She was overflowing with happiness!!! She was in such disbelief and kept telling me I was truly a gift from God. I said certainly I wasn't just a tool of His! She kept saying His timing is perfect! If you were not here at this exact time, I would never have gotten this car!!!

Back to the DMV... We returned to the DMV, took a number, & again waited. We waited for over an hour. Our number was called so we proceeded to the agent (a different one from yesterday.) She reviewed the documents and there were a couple of issues we had but thankfully we were able to work them out and I was able to complete the process and with Mary next to me was able to hand her the new license plates (CA has two) and registration for HER car! I also explained she would receive a new title in about 4 weeks that will now be in HER name. From there I made Mary take me to where she obtained her insurance for this car to assure that all was properly done and completly in order for her to drive it! Next I took her to get her car!! She was/is the happiest lady right now!! And I too am so happy that she now has HER much needed car!!! So, she is now ready to tackle life even more!!! Those in her path... Watch Out!!

Tomorrow... MIATA'S POST-OP APPT.

Day 5 - Redwood City

Today we went to Redwood City for a purpose that I will explain tomorrow since I was unable to accomplish that task today!

Mary came along with us for the day. I was able to take her to the mechanic that is working on her car for her to talk with him about picking up the car soon. Remember when I was here before I was teaching her to drive!?! Well once I left she paid someone to continue teaching her and now she has obtained her license and also purchased a car! She is most amazing! She has overcome and accomplished so much in the two years she's been here in America!! She is 50 years old and has boldly tackled life and done what she needs to do to move forward! ***If you haven't read my prior posts about her you should!! She had endured so much but has not let that defeat her!!*** She has completed her CNA course and landed a pretty good part time job but has been unable to get a better job due to not having a car. It is required that she have a car for almost all job openings here. Well she now has saved her money, purchased a car, had that car repaired, obtained insurance, and is now just waiting on picking up the car so she can continue to tackle life. I actually took her to a facility today where they interviewed her for the second time for possible employment. Upon completion she informed me that she will get this job (and also keep her part time job!) as soon as she obtains her car, which should be sometime this week! There is no way I can even begin to explain everything about Mary!! All I can truly say is that she is incredible!!! She is also learning QuickBooks so that she can one day go back to the profession of accounting which is what she did in Kenya.

Anyways, we ate lunch and then Mary took the train back home to rest (she works from 11:00 PM - 7:00 AM.) I took Miata to see Toy Story 3 and Ramona & Beezus. She really enjoyed the day at the movies! An extreme rarity for us!!!

Day 4 - Sunday / Church

Today Miata and I attended church with Mary. If you recall... when we were here last time we attended Mary's church and really enjoyed it, especially seeing the mix of people from every ethnic background all coming together for the same purpose, to worship God! It was a very good sermon and part of it was on Christians and how we dress, especially when attending church. He addressed the issue of modesty and how we should guard ourselves against dressing as the world dresses. And though television/Hollywood tries to teach our young teens it is appropriate to dress one way we must instill in them that isn't and that we should always dress as though we are walking arm in arm with Jesus. He asked... if we were going to visit with Jesus what would we wear? He also talked about dress in church. That you should dress appropriately and though everyone may not wear the most dressed up clothing, which is ok, they should always dress in a way that would not be distracting to others. Especially the woman and what they wear; it should be modest/appropriate and not distracting to men sitting around you. We need to be respectful to everyone who is around us and not be a stumbling block to them because of what we are wearing. I will admit it is nice to be able to come here to Palo Alto and though I do not bring our church clothes with us we can still attend church and feel comfortable about it! I had on khaki pants and a shirt and Miata the same. There is such a mix of people and they wear everything from African style clothes, to Asian style, to jeans, shorts, etc. and they do not look tacky just more casual which of course fits more into the lifestyle here (& most places today.) Many walk to church, ride bicycles, come by bus, etc. and then afterwards they spend their time around the cities in the same clothes before going back to church. I know this can be such a touchy issue but I have to admit sometimes it is nice to be comfortable and here you can certainly attend and feel that way!

Anyways after church Mary, Miata, & myself went to Chipolte for lunch. It is like Moe's Southwest Grill and it was good! The rest of the day we just relaxed, played ping pong (one of Miata's favorite things to do here), worked a 500 piece puzzle and walked to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather out here.

Oh yea... I almost forgot to mention that on Thursday when we go for Miata's post-op appointment Dr. Brent will remove Miata's bandages for good! They will stay off unlike the past surgeries when he had to re wrap her with new bandages. She is very happy about this! Especially since this time both of her ears are wrapped! That makes it more difficult for her to hear!! Also... even more importantly when Dr. Brent performed the operation on her this time he also performed one extra step!! I'm not sure how she will like what he did but we will soon find out (on Thursday) when he removes her bandages!!

Day 3 - Toothless Morning!

After getting ready this morning, Mrs. Arlene and I were in the kitchen talking and along comes Miata and she held out her hand and said, "Here Mom!" She had pulled her tooth out. Here is a quick recap of her teeth lately... The day before we left to come here I was driving through the bank and from behind me Miata says, "Mom, here you go!" I turned to look and she was handing me a tooth and had blood in her mouth. I tried to quickly take the tooth and give her a napkin for her mouth! And then, just the week before she did the same thing at our home. She comes out from the bathroom with a rag in her mouth and handed me a tooth! So, today I told her... enough! If you keep pulling all your teeth out you are not going to be able to eat! lol She didn't believe me. Anyways, she did have three loose teeth but they certainly didn't seem loose enough to come out! So she has pulled three of her teeth in less than two weeks. I am sure soon she will be pulling her other front tooth since it is next in line. I have never before seen a child that enjoys pulling their own teeth! Only Miata!

Back to our day... Most of today we just hung out around town. First we spent about 2 1/2 hours at the library where I posted on the blog all that took place yesterday, Miata read many books, and we spent more time together on the computer where she played many games and checked out many kid websites. Then I took Miata to one (of probably 100's) of the local Chinese restaurants for lunch. She loved the food! Next we went to Target because I needed to purchase a couple of items that I forgot to bring. Then we made our way to Trader Joe's (grocery store) to purchase many items for tonight's dinner. Then we went back to the house.

Later in the evening we went to Jennie's (& family) home for dinner. Jennie is Jack & Arlene's daughter. We had a very nice dinner which I learned that Jennie had planned and prepared especially for her parents because it was their 49th wedding anniversary. Actually their anniversary day was on Thursday!! The day of our crazy traveling to come here!! Ok... now I felt really bad!! I apologized for inconveniencing them so much the entire day on their 49th wedding anniversary! They could have had a nice dinner together on that day yet they ended up coming to the SF airport to get Miata & I! Anyways, of course they said there was no apology necessary that they were happy to come get us but of course I still felt awful about it!

Well we enjoyed our time visiting Jennie & family and later went back to the house and then to bed! Miata is still doing great with absolutely no pain or issues what so ever!

Day 2 - Surgery Day!

We started our day early again, about 5:15 to assure us plenty of time to get to El Camino Hospital early so we could meet with Dr. Brent. We arrived before 6:30, checked in, and made our way to the waiting area. Shortly after Dr. Brent came in, sat with us, evaluated Miata's ear, and explained in detail what he would be doing today in surgery. Then he spent a few extra minutes just having fun with her. He commented that over the years he has performed about 2000 surgeries and couldn't possibly remember each patient but there are those certain little patients (characters as he calls thems!) that he couldn't possibly forget and that Miata with her bubbly spirit is definitely one of them! Anyways, after Dr. Brent headed to his first surgery it was about 7:30 which was time for Hertz to open. Remember I was suppose to obtain the rental car as soon as they opened! So I called and explained the change in my schedule and that we had to be here at the surgery center before they opened. I told them exactly where we were and that we now wouldn't need the car until after her recovery. I then asked if they had a driver that could pick us up and bring us to the office to obtain the car. They said sure it wouldn't be a problem to just call when we were ready.

Ok... next we just hung out in the waiting area while Dr. Brent operated on his first patient which was a little Indian boy (Middle East.) Finally it was time so we made our way back to where they prepared Miata for surgery. Sadly she forgot to bring her bunny that always goes with her into surgery. Happily the nurse brought her a bag full of tiny little animals for her to choose one. She chose a tiny little pink bunny. After all was done it was time for her to take the "happy drink!" Shortly after she went into lala land. For the next 20 minutes or so she babbled very slurringly and made little sense in anything she said. She was able to make the nurse understand she wanted the animal bag again to look through. The nurse was happy to bring it to her. She fumbled around through it barely able to keep her eyes open or even able to properly pick up and hold the little animals. Finally she had them all over the bed but she was pretty out of it! Within minutes they rolled her back to surgery. I proceeded back to the waiting room until the surgery was complete which was a bit shy of three hours. Dr. Brent then came and sat down with me, showed me pictures of what her ear now looked like, and said everything went great and again there were no problems during surgery (like always, praise the Lord.) When he stood to leave, behind him was a very large painting on the wall. I had seen it the past two times we have been here for surgery but never thought anything about it. Well, he proceeded to tell me that his wife had painted that picture while she was still in high school! Remember... they are now 70ish. In the bottom right corner of the painting was, Belinda Price 1959. This of course was before she was married to Dr. Brent which is why the last name isn't Brent (or I would have definitely questioned it the 1st time I saw it!) Anyways, everyone here at the surgery center loves Dr. Brent!! They have all commented on what a wonderful and sweet gentleman/doctor he is! Personally I think anyone who has ever met him has that exact opinion! I personally have never met anyone like him! He is very unique and is a blessing to everyone that has been fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him!

Back to Miata... next I made my way to her bedside where she was still asleep. Normally she is waking up by the time I get to her. This time she did not! She actually slept for an additional hour! She was really in lala land! Maybe they gave her a double dose of anesthesia during surgery! Or maybe she was still exhausted from the loooong day yesterday! Anyways, as soon as she awoke the first thing she said is may I please have a Popsicle!?! The last thing she said to the nurse before drifting off to lala land, "as soon as I am done I can get a Popsicle, right?" The nurse said of course you can! And so she did but not just one but three! After those three Popsicles her throat felt much better (from the anesthesia.) Anyways, now that she was awake it was time to call Hertz and so I did. Oh but wait... remember the little tiny pink bunny she chose before surgery? Well of course Dr. Brent again worked on the bunny's ear (even this teeny tiny little bunny!) So it also came out with it's bandage around it's ear!! Once Miata saw this she laughed!! She thought it was funny and said she didn't think about him doing this to the tiny little bunny! It was really cute, just had to be there to see her expression!

Ok... The saga continues...
Once on the phone with Hertz they now were telling me that they didn't realize I was actually in Mountain View City and that they couldn't send a driver that far to come get me (which is only 15 minutes away!) I explained that when I called at 7:00 this morning I specifically told them my location and the actual street address and that they told me it was NOT a problem at all! Well they apologized but said they couldn't send a driver for us but told me to please hold while they called Mountain View Hertz. Ok... they came back on the line and said someone from there would pick us up within 15-20 minutes. It was a bit longer than 20 minutes but they did arrive and all was well. Next we returned to the office for me to obtain a car. Once there the gentleman began the process but the lady next to him saw that our reservation was with the other Hertz facility and said I am sorry but we do not have any extra cars we can rent to you because we have all of ours reserved! I said "you are kidding, right!?!" She apologized again and then called the other Hertz facility. Some time later the driver then transported us to that Hertz facility! Thankfully as soon as we walked in the door the lady looked at us and said, "Oh, I remember you guys from before!" On our last trip here we went to return our rental car and this same lady was most interested in what had happened to Miata and why she had that huge bandage on her ear. So we ended up talking for quite some time about Miata's surgery. She was so amazed at what was being done to Miata's ear and in knowing/learning about this incredible doctor, Dr. Brent, who lives right here in her area! Anyways, what a blessing that she was there and remembered us! Although I'm sure it wasn't too hard! How often would a Caucasian woman with a Chinese daughter who is wearing a huge bandage on her head come walking through the door!?! lol Well, she first asked about Miata and about this surgery. After that I briefly explained our troubles in trying to obtain this rental car (since 3:00 & it was now almost 6:00 closing time for them.) She felt so bad and was kind enough to give me an upgraded car which is much much nicer than what I would have gotten. Of course I was most appreciative! Finally we were in our rental car and on our way to the house. Once there we ate dinner and just talked with Arlene, Jack, & Mary until bedtime.

Miata is doing great and has absolutely NO pain! She hasn't had even one dose of Tylenol, not even directly after surgery! That is unbelievable! How he can cut/take part of her good ear cartilage from behind that ear and then also do much work on her new ear which again results in many stitches but this time in both ears and yet her not have ANY pain what so ever just doesn't make sense but is wonderful!! Anyways, we finally went to bed a little after 10:00 PM. Miata wasn't tired earlier due to all the sleep in the hospital!

Thank you all again for your prayers for Miata and her surgery!!!

Oh My!!! What a Day!!!

OK! After 19 1/2 hours after the start of our day (which began @ 2:30 am) we finally landed in San Francisco! Are you ready for an unbelievable story!?! Hang on here we go...

Our flight from Raleigh to Chicago went smoothly. After that, not so smooth! Once in Chicago we had about an hour before boarding our next plane so I took Miata to McDonald's for a biscuit & drink then we made our way to our next gate. When the time came, we boarded with no problems. Once everyone was on board we waited to taxi away from the gate. It was rather warm in the plane. For some strange reason we were not moving rather still waiting, by now the plane was much warmer; Hot! It felt to be at least 100 degrees! Obviously something was wrong with the air! Finally the captain announced that there was an issue with the air and the mechanics were working on the problem so we could get the temp. in the cabin to 72 degrees shortly. So we all just had to sit and wait in this extremely HOT plane! Over an hour later the captain announced the air was fixed and it would start cooling quickly, by now everyone was miserably HOT! It was over an hour later but we were now taxiing away from the gate. Upon leaving the gate the captain announced that we were number 45 on the flight deck for departure! So we would taxi a few feet and wait! Taxi a few more feet and wait! This went on for over another hour! Finally over 2 1/2 hours later (from original depart time) we were getting closer to take off as the captain announced we were now number 12 in line for take off! **Although during the last 1/2 hour of inching our way to begin takeoff the plane was getting HOT again!** After several more minutes of waiting the captain came back on the intercom and announced, "Because of mechanical issues we have to return to the gate!! He said obviously there is still an issue with the air and as it still is not working correctly (yeah! everyone looked like wet pigs! lol) but there was also an issue with an oil leak in one of the engines and it would be safer just to return and have the mechanics work on the plane!

Ok... remember our crunch for time!?! Well of course it looked as if there was NO way we would get to SF in time for Miata's pre-op appointment! Though I wasn't suppose to... I had already been turning my phone on & off during taxi time so I could call Tim and have him contact Mrs. Arlene (who we stay with), the gentleman that was suppose to pick us up from the airport in SF, Hertz Rental Car, Dr. Brent's office, El Camino Surgery Center, etc. to inform them of our very lengthy delay!! Poor Tim was having to change our pick up times, our rental car from one city to another, talk with Dr. Brent's office, and so on! Anyways, back at the gate everyone had to exit the plane. Once inside I spoke with a customer service rep. and explained our situation to see if we could possibly catch another flight (on any airline) quickly to maybe still make Miata's pre-op appointment, which the stewardess on board suggested I do. Unfortunately there was NO way they could get us another flight and said the quickest route to SF would be just to wait for our plane to be repaired. So we, along with hundreds of others from our plane, began to wait... by this time it was after 1:00! The game plan was they would work on the problems and would update us on status at 2:00. At 2:00 they told us they had fixed the problems but now they had to have the fuel truck come and refuel the plane! So, we waited longer!

Finally at about 3:10 we began to re-board the plane! Once Miata & I boarded and got seated we watched everyone else board and we waited. Well, everyone was finally aboard, seated, and it was about 3:30. The captain came on the intercom and announced we would be taxiing shortly and would have a very brief departure wait! Yeah, so we thought! Well we waited and waited some more! Finally the Captain came back on and said the delay was because they now had to restock the plane with water and other items before we could leave! So we waited even longer! Finally at 4:43 our wheels left the ground, yeah... even though we were 7 hours late! We were now airborne and our flight was cool, thank goodness, and it was running smoothly UNTIL about 3 hours into our flight our captain announced for everyone to please fasten their seatbelts! Next we made a very rapid descend! How far down we descended I don't know. It wasn't scary just different/interesting! Left everyone wondering, why!?! Well after several minutes the captain again came back on and explained there were pressure gauge malfunctions and that was the cause of the rapid descend!!

Ok... all was still alright and we were, after all, closer to SF than we had ever been, praise the Lord! We had about 1 hour left and were again flying smoothly. Prior to landing a stewardess came on the intercom and announced United's sincere apology for all the trouble everyone has experienced with this flight and for the lengthy delays in everyone's travel plans. She said United Airlines wanted to show their appreciation for all we had endured and gave us a website address to go to for the completion of needed information from each passenger in order to receive some type of gift from United for our much endured troubles! Anyways, at 5:37 SF time we landed at SF airport!! 7 hours 12 minutes late! By this time the gentleman that was suppose to pick us up had somewhere he had to be at this time and wasn't able to come get us! So Mrs. Arlene & Mr. Jack came to the airport to pick up Miata & I. But it was also too late to obtain my rental car because they closed at 6:00 and we couldn't get there by that time! So Tim called Hertz and again rescheduled for me to now pick up the car (but in a different city due to all the delays) as soon as they opened in the morning, which was 7:30 AM so that I could get Miata to El Camino Surgery Center on time. Well, shortly after that change I received a message from Dr. Brent's office that said I needed to be at the surgery center by 6:45 AM so that he could see her before he went into surgery with his first patient (our original time to be at the center was 9:00!) Ok... that is before Hertz opens!! So, now I have NO way to the surgery center!! Of course I had to now ask Mrs. Arlene if she or Jack could please take us in the morning at 6:15 so we could be there by 6:45, which I hated to do!! They were happy to do this for us but I felt just awful asking considering we had already inconvenienced them the entire day with all that had taken place with our flight!! This also means I have to call Hertz in the morning and change my rental car pickup plans once again! I will have to have them come to the surgery center after Miata's recovery and take us back to their office so that I can obtain a car!

Anyways, after we left the airport Mrs. Arlene & Mr. Jack took us to the Sizzler for dinner. We had a good meal and Miata ate very well, which I was pleased about since she couldn't eat again before surgery. After dinner we finally made it to the house about 8:00 PM. A few minutes after getting settled in, Dr. Brent called the house to check on us but more importantly check on his little "character" as he calls Miata! He is such a sweet doctor! He said don't worry about anything that he would just see us early in the morning and take care of what he needed to do at that time. Though we needed showers there was no time because it was now after 11:00 PM our time (NC time) and I needed to get Miata to bed!! I quickly washed her hair, although I didn't have the special bacteria shampoo I was suppose to wash it with! Dr. Brent said to just wash with regular shampoo and he would do what he needed to in the morning. Next we quickly brushed our teeth and washed our face (though the rest of us was definitely smelly!) and headed for the bed! It was now about 9:10 PM, which was 12:10 PM our time and we had been awake (with no sleep on the planes) since 2:30 AM!! We were exhausted but happy to be in San Francisco and finally going to sleep!!

Tomorrow has to be a better day!!

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good!! In all things He is good!! Regardless of stressful times in our lives we are to rely upon Him for He is in control! Over all, to look back at our day... It is pretty humorous!! When we feel out of control because we can't figure everything out to fit our time lines... He shows us how He can work it all out!

As for United Airlines... I was pleased that they gave us two meal vouchers while we waited for the plane to be repaired but we will see what gift they give for all the trouble and I will update once that happens! They actually had already emailed me before I even made it to Mrs. Arlene's house, that is a good sign.

Blog Background Issues!

I was notified by my blog template provider that they are making some changes and that I need to update or change my blog template (background) by FRIDAY!! Well lets see... it is 10:50 PM NOW... I am still NOT asleep... and I have to be awake at about 2:45 AM to get ready to travel! So, it's NOT going to happen anytime soon due to our traveling and tight schedule on Thursday and then surgery Friday morning! I tell you all that to explain this... you will see my blog go a bit crazy for the next few days... I have already lost half my template as of about 10:30 PM. Anyways my postings should be fine, just the look of my blog will be a bit crazy for a while!

Last Sugery in San Francisco!

Well it's that time again! We are completing our packing in preparation for our early start in the morning! We will leave about 3:45am and head to Raleigh to catch our 7:05 flight! Miata is ready to go! She is also a bit sad that this will be her last trip to SF and to see everyone especially Dr. Brent!

Miata was originally scheduled to have surgery on the 27th but due to the surgery center changing the days of the week that Dr. Brent is allowed to perform his surgeries caused them to have to reschedule Miata's surgery to an earlier date. Although that isn't really a big issue, it did cause us to have to change our flights and we are now a bit tighter on our timing to get to SF , obtain our rental car, and make it to Miata's pre-op appointment. Please pray that our flights have NO delays or problems because we don't have anytime to spare!! Here is our schedule...

• Depart Raleigh 7:05 AM
• Arrive Chicago 8:14 AM

• Depart Chicago 9:50 AM
• Arrive San Francisco 12:25 PM
• Get off plane, make my way out of airport, & find the individual picking us up.

• 45 minute drive to Redwood City for rental car
• Takes about 20-30 minutes to complete process
  

• 20-30 minutes to get to Dr. Brent's office.

• 3:30 Pre-op appt. with Dr. Brent

We should be alright as long as we have NO delays anywhere!

As for an update...
Miata has done very well since her last surgery! Her ear has continued to heal since that surgery with no problems! We are so very pleased with Dr. Brent and know (have known all along!) that he is THE BEST surgeon for this surgery! There is truly no one comparable! We followed others blogs as their child/children went through the same surgeries but using other doctors. The problems and issues that we saw these children experience after their surgeries is what lead us to the decision that we HAVE TO go to the VERY BEST which of course IS DR. BRENT!! After seeing these other families travel numerous times back (in between surgeries!) to see their surgeon for whatever reason (skin graft failure, skin shrinkage, infection, etc.) made us realize the amount they spent on the countless trips (airfare, hotel, meals, etc.) they could have went to the best doctor and had no issues! Anyways we are so very fortunate and blessed to first have the opportunity to meet this most humble, gentle, compassionate, and most importantly GIFTED doctor and second to have him perform these most delicate and detailed procedures on our daughter! There is no other that can compare! And most all those others learned from him!

Anyways, I will again post pictures and updates while we are in San Francisco if you would like to follow along. Your prayers for Miata's surgery to go smoothly and for her healing is much appreciated!!

Before & After Pics (thus far)

Below are pictures of Miata's ear before surgery and after each surgery thus far. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. The procedures and progress after each is amazing!





Miata's ear - Born with Microtia / Atresia











Stage 1 - About 1 mo. post-op











Stage 2 & 3 - About 2 mo. post-op