kylegilbert

I never would have guessed that I would say this, especially at this age, but I’m scheduled for L5/S1 back surgery on February 2nd. The procedure is called a discectomy, and it involves removing part of a herniated disc that is pressing on my spinal cord and causing pain down my right leg. If you’re into such things, you can click my MRI image above for an image with notes.

Fortunately, my mom and dad will be flying to Knoxville the night before to stay with us for a few days while I recuperate.

My neurosurgeon has given me an 80% chance of successful surgery, meaning that there is a 4 in 5 chance that the surgery will dissipate or resolve the pain I’m experiencing.

Honestly, I feel quite at peace about the whole thing and no real anxiety about the procedure, but your prayers are appreciated.

Tomorrow, January 9th, marks thirteen years of marriage between Keri and I.  It also marks nearly three months since these two little guys pictured above joined our family and turned our household of four into a party of six. They’re seriously cute when they’re not hungry.

Without question, these past few weeks have been some of the most challenging days of my life. The lack of sleep, the attempts at meeting the conflicting needs of both the older and younger kids, new and challenging work in the office, and major back pain that has forced me to give up sitting in a chair for more than a few minutes at a time.  It’s been exhausting and painful but also wonderful and delightful.  It’s been my biggest challenge as well as my greatest joy.

To my dearest wife, who puts up with my crazy mood swings, insatiable desire for neatness, and quickly graying hair: You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. What would I ever do without you? I’m a shell of a man without your love and friendship. Let’s run away together (in about five years).

Here’s to lucky number 13. Praying it’s the best year yet!

For over year now, I’ve been in a mentoring relationship with a young man named Anthony. What started out as a partnership through Kid’s Hope (a school-based ministry that meets one hour per week), has now also become an outside-school relationship through Big Brothers International.

Unlike some kids in these programs, when I first started meeting with Anthony, his parents were married, very supportive of his education, and very involved parents. Honestly, there were many times when I wondered in which particular way I would have a positive influence on him since he is already an exceptional student, is socially outgoing, and is very kind and considerate.

The term brother, is really quite fitting, since that is the type of relationship we have.* I am his buddy: a friend who’s there to hang out, play games, and have fun. But until last month, I truly couldn’t imagine the divine potential our relationship could have until Anthony’s mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

The photo above was taken on Christmas Day, after sharing a lunch together with Anthony and his dad.

So I write this post for those of you out there who would consider stepping out of your comfort zone to enter into a mentoring relationship. Even if you feel that your time is limited and you question what it is you have to offer, I would encourage you to take a leap of faith, and see what God has in store.

* But maybe not little, since he’s only eight years old and nearly as big as me.

Since I’ve pretty much phased out all my online portfolios, this blog serves as a place where I can send people who are looking to hire me to do freelance work. Since several of my favorite websites that I’ve done weren’t mentioned on this blog, I decided to add them here.

Each of the site designs below were built on top of the WordPress framework for easy updates. You can view each of the sites below by clicking on the image.

The Parson’s Table – Aledo, TX

FederalAppeals – Asheville, SC

A Touch of Vintage – Fort Worth, TX

AllStar Party – Fort Worth, TX

This video is brilliant. Really.

The world around us is enslaved in the daily grind – blind to their bondage and full of apathy. But some people, against all odds, throw off the yoke of oppression.

And so it begins with this young man.

This morning, my wife went in for her routine doctor’s appointment. The twins were at 35.5 weeks, just past the huge milestone of 35 weeks. When the doctor examined Keri, she found that she was already beginning to dilate, and Dr. Evitt was concerned that Keri’s water might break if we chanced waiting any longer before doing a C-section.

This fear was validated when she checked Keri again a few minutes later. She had already dilated several more centimeters and had moved into active labor. Today would be the delivery day for our identical twin boys.

About an hour later, after a quick setup, Keri and I were in the surgery room, and the doctor performed a C-section. Although both babies were entangled with the umbilical cords around their necks, they were both fine at birth other than lung issues because of their early delivery. They were born at 3:02 & 3:04 pm. The first baby weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz, and the second baby weighed 5 lbs, 7 oz.

From there, they took both babies back to the nursery to watch them. For a several hours it was totally up in the air as to whether or not they would need to be transferred to a hospital for care, but they gradually improved, and at 8:30 pm, they were brought back to our room for the first time.

As I write this, Keri and the twins are resting, and everyone is doing great.

Thank you for your prayers!

PS – Hopefully by this time tomorrow we will be completely settled on their names.