LOVE......the size of Texas!

This is going to be a long one folks, but there is just so much to tell!!!

This weekend I fell in love with so many things!

Big Lou’s where they serve pizza on trays large enough to be car hoods. Really, no kidding, these pizzas are huge which makes sense since they were featured on Man Vs Food show. And the people watching at this joint was really good!

Beef brisket and BBQ chicken and of course a gigantic “tea bucket” from Bill Miller BBQ. I had never had brisket before and it was sooo goood!

Salsarita’s Mexican - TASTY!!! And I thought our NC Mexican food was good..........

We did not meet a single person in SA, Texas that was rude or impolite. Seriously, I know we are in the South here in NC, but some of the people we met in TX could really give a few lessons to some folks here. Jeff and I looked at each other several times and said "Everyone is so nice here!" Yes, I know that not everyone is nice there, but we were really blessed that everyone at the airport, car rental agency, restaurant, etc. was just really nice! Even the lady at Wal-Mart was pleasant, what a change! haha 

Flying….but only with Dramamine, half full stomach, and no soda.

But most importantly I fell in love with a few special people we flew across the country to see. This trip was life changing. I am so so so thankful D wanted us to visit and I am so so so thankful that our new friends Briana, Noel, and Hunter were so accommodating and allowed us to stay in their home!

Ok....let's start from the beginning...

Friday morning we woke at 4:30am, showered, loaded our car and headed to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time.

We got our boarding passes and passed through security with no problem with plenty of time to spare. Our flight was supposed to leave at 7:15am......we did not board until 8:05....to say I was panicking was an understatement! Apparently there was a mechanical issue with the plane and they were waiting on the mechanic to come in so we could leave. Eventually the mechanic showed, he looked about 10 years old and was wearing a Mohawk toboggan. Not real impressed. But, he did was he needed to do and we finally boarded. That flight delay left us REALLY short to make our connecting flight in Charlotte! Ok, so picture this..... 2 relatively new flyer's that had to wait to retrieve their carry on cause the plane was so small, had 10 minutes to cross Charlotte airport, throw in the fact that when I rush I am even klutzier than usual, and you have a disaster! Those people moving sidewalks are ridiculous, I nearly busted my face on more than one of them. I felt like we were on an episode of the Amazing Race. I guess I looked pitiful enough cause when I asked a guy driving a cart if he would give us a lift, he kinda rolled his eyes but relented. We told him where we were going and he drove so fast that my hair was blowing in the wind! Oh, and for the record, we would have NEVER made it on time had it not been for that guy! We board with seconds to spare, buckled up and we were off! Thank GOD! I was so afraid we would miss our flight and in turn miss our apt at the agency but most importantly miss our Doc appointment with D. I didn't know at the time how important that appointment would be.....

We landed in SA 2.5 hours later and picked up our bags and rental car. And despite the fact that my pants leg got caught on the escalator, I did not fall or hurt myself. Surprisingly. Thank goodness for GPS! We quickly found our agency...

We arrived at the agency about 12:30pm and were greeted by the nice staff and followed Miriam into the room to meet D and her husband T. Finally!! I was able to hug this precious friend that I have been talking to daily. Finally I could see her sweet smile first hand! Oh, and her belly??? Um yes, it is beautiful. Miriam stayed in the room with us for just a few minutes before leaving us. We talked easily and laughed and it was so easy! And fun! Jeff and I talked later and we felt no awkwardness at all. God has blessed us so much and has been a part of this from the very beginning. I just can't believe this. Anyway......after the agency meeting the plan was to have lunch and then head to D's appointment. They offered to let us ride with them so that is just what we did. Bless her heart it was glucose test day and she had to drink that nasty fruit punch stuff, ugh. She took it like a champ though!

And that’s when the plan changed…..when we got there we went to the room with her and they checked her blood pressure, and it was really high! It has not been high during the entire pregnancy so we all kinda thought it was a fluke. It was really warm that day; she could have been excited/nervous about our visit, etc. But thankfully the doctor took it serious and she sent us all to the hospital!!!!!! Oh my gosh!! I was so worried for her! But she just took it in stride. We arrived at the hospital and went right up to labor and delivery where they had her changed, hooked up to a monitor, and resting in a bed in just a few minutes. We were able to hear Caleb's heart beat for a long time, what a beautiful, strong, sound that was. It struck the core of me. I am so in love.

Amazing hospital, nice docs, seriously great place! Oh, and they play a little nursery rhyme over the intercom every time a baby is born. Awwwww. Seriously??? Her BP was still really elevated when we got there but after about 30 min of her lying down, it went down…….the doc said she could have early signs of preeclampsia and she is now on strict bed rest until delivery! We were all floored! She was upset that our plans for the weekend were changing and the sight seeing was out of the question. We assured her that her health was priority one!

Ok, so I am going to stop here for a minute, publish this post, and start another in a few. So thankful the Doctor's took this seriously, D takes such good care of herself, her husband is doting and loving, and it really was a blessing in disguise because we were able to spend some major quality time together..........stay tuned for the next post to hear about the rest of our weekend. This was only the first 5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!