it's monday again. i made it. halle-freakin'-lujah.

jas's surgery went just fine. i think i mentioned that he hadn't been leaking for about a week prior to the surgery. on tuesday night, i told him that i didn't think he'd have the procedure. he told me that he hoped he did. i believe my exact words were, 'you mean, i've been praying for you to stop leaking this entire time and now you want me to pray that you'll leak again!?' his response was a simple, 'yes.' and so i prayed...for leaking.

on wednesday, we arrived at the hospital around 1pm for testing. at 3pm, dr. p. discussed the situation with us. he was adament about NOT doing the surgery and jas was just as adament about DOING it. as jas and dr. p. dished it back and forth to each other, i looked at the floor and willed myself to sink into the wall. dr. p. was being a bit rude and jas was giving it right back to him. i. could. have. died. both men, however, had valid points. dr. p. did not want to perform surgery because jas wasn't leaking. it would be hard for him, he argued, to successfully perform the procedure if he didn't have an exact visual to help him out. jas, on the other hand, argued that if dr. p. did nothing, he was sure to leak again. if, however, he at least attempted to patch the leak, he had more of a chance at being successful. in other words, he'll miss 100% of the shots he doesn't take.

jas won.

a little before 4pm, jas, his parents, and i said our good-byes. jas went towards the OR and the in-laws and i camped out in the waiting room. we had good conversation and good company as 3 guys from church also showed up. i ate 2 bags of chips and drank a huge coke that jerry (my father-in-law) got for me in the cafeteria. everyone else ordered up real food, but i told him to get me any junk food he could find. he did well at following orders!

two hours passed surprisingly fast and dr. p. and dr. g. (the ENT) met us in the consultation room. they were able to find a bit of a leak and used a "generous" supply of glue along a wide area in jas's brain. they were able to seal it and hopefully prevent any future leaks in that general viscinity. they also performed lipo again (3rd time for jas...i'm SO jealous!) and filled his entire right sinus cavity with fat. the lumbar drain was in place again and the ENT actually stitched the packing (which happened to be the finger of a surgical glove stuffed with cotten) into jas's nose. but while this surgery was successful, they told us that jas will most likely leak again. a combination of his previous surgeries and radiation treatments (which thins the lining of the brain), makes him a prime candidate for future leaks. we're holding our breaths and saying our prayers that the leaks happen much, much later rather than sooner.

the very next day, jas felt better. i believe he only took a few rounds of pain meds the first day. after that, he felt fine. he was released from the hospital on saturday, but can't return to work for 2 weeks. whew.

i just want to mention how incredibly fantastic the university where i work is. on thursday night, my mom called to tell me that i had a huge basket and box full of things for us waiting in the garage. she listed the items in the basket and i was completely and totally overwhelmed! not only did the folks in my office send us a 'basket of cheer,' others in departments across campus did to. the girls recieved hannah montana bookbags with crayons, coloring books, puzzles, stuffed animals, candy, cookies, pens, pencils, etc. packed into them. jas and i recieved at least 20 gift cards to resturants around town (i even scored a $50 macy's giftcard from our VP!), some cash, gas gift cards, visa gift cards, and tons of snack foods. accompanying the gift was the sweetest card signed by everyone who donated. it was truly touching. i am blessed to work with such awesome people!

alana is fine as well. she went to therapy and got her initial bandages off last friday. her finger looks fairly nasty, but of course, we ooh and ahh and tell her how great it looks. i'm not sure she's buying it. her finger is swollen and her nail is entirely black. my mom purchased her some pink surgical wrapping, so now she's fashionable instead of using the drab brown wrapping. a girl's gotta look good, right? alana goes back for another appointment on march 5 and then i'm assuming we'll hear when we can stop wrapping it for good.

i'm back to work now, but not loving it. i know it'll take me a week or so to get back in the swing of things. i have mid-terms this week too, which only adds to the stress. the only good thing coming from the stress is my desire to run. i started running again and running like no other. it's good to get that frustration and stress out every day. and while the running is helping, i think i need a serious break. i could definitely trade the treadmill in for a nice, quiet beach and a tall, stiff drink.