Sorry-Here is an update

Sorry for the long time lapse since last posting. It's been a little busy around here. I'll give more details and catch you up on what's going on throughout the week.

But just briefly: I finished IV abx April 15. Luckily, i have not had to go back on IVs since then. I am though currently taking oral Cipro antibiotic.

I finished up the spring semester with B's. I actually start summer semester classes today-Monday the 23rd. I had a two week break.

Last Wed i went to the beach with some family. I got back yesterday (Sunday). The weather was beautiful, but very hot Saturday; no rain (which was nice), so i was able to enjoy being outside for 5 days. Definitely a relaxing trip. And i think the beach air really perked me up and i felt so much better. I'm still on Cipro for another week, and still using oxygen, Xopenex nebulizer and oxygen at night. However, my oxygen saturations have been a good bit better and I've been able to decrease the amount of oxygen i wear at night. So praying that i feel great this summer, since i have an extremely heavy load of classes.

Our local CF Great Strides Walk went extremely well! I will post about that later.

Hopefully you haven't given up on me blogging :) I still read your blogs, but hopefully I'll be more consistent with updating and posting interesting, fun things that are going on with me :)

More updates to come!

CF Great Strides Walk Survery

Have you completed the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Great Strides Walk Survey?

You walked the walk, now talk the talk!

As a part of Team CF, your input is very important to the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tell them about your GREAT STRIDES experience by taking a brief survey.

It takes less than five minutes to complete the GREAT STRIDES survey. Your feedback helps us improve future events to better serve the CF community. I really want to encourage everyone who participated in a Great Strides Walk this year to complete this. So...take a few minutes right now to take this survey..... it is VERY SIMPLE, and literally, takes less than 5 minutes! Your feedback is important!!!

Also....as a huge advocate and volunteer with my local CF Foundation....I would love to hear your feedback as well on your local Great Strides Walk that you participated in. I would love to hear what activities you had, if any; what food was provided, if any. Did you have a team? What did you do to fundraise? to recruit team members? What works best for you? I find it beneficial knowing how other Great Strides Walks work in different parts of the country. It gives each of us ideas, that we may have never thought of. Or we might can help you come up with ideas for next year's Great Strides Walk. I love giving feedback, and helping wherever I can. Not only do I have my own team, but I've also worked on staff at our local CF Foundation and have experience "behind the scenes." I usually try to attend all of our chapter's walks if possible!! So feel free to share your experiences and feedback as comments to this post, or you can email me!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Brief Update

Just when you think your life has calmed down....it gets crazy again :) Sorry for no blog posts like I had intended to do during my 3.5 week break from school/classes. I was busy volunteering with our CFF Chapter, busy preparing for my walk team, babysitting like crazy and then just daily life stuff like sleeping and eating :) I volunteered at our last local CF Great Strides Walk on Sunday. It was a hot day...a fun day, but it flat wore me out.

We did get to go to the lake over Memorial Day Weekend. Despite rain off and on, we had a good time, and Monday ended up being a pretty good day....which included some tubing...in which I am still completely sore and back pain city. Oh well!

Anywho...classes for the summer semester started back last Wednesday. I have classes 4 days a week...which is a bummer. Usually you can schedule your lab and lecture class on the same day. However, they did not give us that option this semester. And since it is a shorter semester than the fall or spring, we have lab class 2 days a week, whereas during the other 2 semesters, it is only 1 day a week. So needless to say, I'm busy again and back into studying already. We have our 1st Microbiology Lecture Exam next Monday (a week from today). I have found that I don't like the Microscope very well in laboratory...not very talented at looking at things. Hopefully that will improve. In addition to my Microbiology classes, I have an online Developmental Psychology Course.

I am babysitting occasionally on Fridays and weekends...although it has slowed down a lot compared to when I was off from classes for a few weeks. I am teaching Vacation Bible School next week in the mornings...and then I will venture to classes shortly after the kids leave. Usually you have 2 Adults/teachers in each class. But due to limited volunteers, I am on the only adult/teacher for 6 lovely (hoping lovely) 1 year olds Monday-Wed, and 7 lovely 1 year olds Thursday and Friday. I will have 1 teenager helping me. So I have to prepare a lot more than I usually do this week. Usually I just kind of swing it...look at lesson plans, activities, etc., as we go throughout the day. Not this time. Most of the kids are 1 1/2 -2 yrs old, but not yet officially turned 2 yrs. I'm excited, but it will be a crazy week!!!

Ok..due to limited available blogging time and me really needing my sleep lately...that is about all I can share tonight....other than 2 more quick things!

First...if you don't follow me on facebook...then you haven't yet heard...I got accepted into Nursing School. So yes, lots of stuff to do for that this summer as well. Classes will start in August..but there will be lots of info sessions, meetings, and other stuff to complete this summer. Nevertheless, I am thrilled and so excited! Please pray that my body/health will cooperate throughout the nursing program!

And one more prayer request: I am still having issues with my Blood Pressure. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this or how much detail I have discussed? I went off the Norvasc, as apparently it was causing my body to retain fluid badly...and I mean seriously...I gained 7 lbs of fluid in my tummy and feet/ankles. It was awful. Upon determining that there was no more blood clots in my feet, the Norvasc was stopped, switched to HCTZ and Lasix for 3 days. I peed off the fluid eventually, but now the fluid is coming back into my tummy off and on. Last week, between Tuesday night and Wed night, I had gained another 4 lbs of fluid, but yet lost it at the end of the week...and the cycle continues. My BP has dropped somewhat, but I continue to have very high peaks (150s/100s) and on average, it is still running in the high 120s/mid 130s over 80s-90s, with the occasional peaks. Please pray that we can get this under control!

Off to bed and will hopefully post more soon. Sorry for the long post...but if I don't do it all at once, it won't get done.

CF Great Strides Walk

We had our local CF Great Strides Walk this past Saturday. The weather was beautiful and we had a great turnout. And more importantly, lots of money was raised to help find a cure for CF. My Miracles Team had a great time. Thank you to all who came out to the event and to those who supported CF via donations. My team did exceptional on the fundraising....and the fundraising is still going on. I originally set my team goal at $5,000. As the days and weeks passed, my team was doing so great, I increased my goal to $7,000. We have surpassed that. Our totals have not been added yet from what was turned in on walk day, but my guess is over $8,000....which is AWESOME. Go Team Miracles! I also exceeded my personal goal of $3,000 and are currently a little over $4,000....trying to reach $5,000!

I have a few extra Miracles Team t-shirts available if anyone is interested. Here are pictures. They are navy blue; Gildan Ultra Cotton/Pre-shrunk brand; Sizes available are: 3 Adult Smalls, 1 Adult Medium, and 1 Youth X-large. (The sizes run big....much bigger than in previous years. I usually wear an Adult Small, and actually wore a youth X-large this year instead). The t-shirts are $10 each (not including shipping). Let me know if you would like to purchase one. Your payment (with the exception of shipping costs) will be donated back to the CFF. Thanks!

I will post more pictures from the walk later this week!

Another Weekend-Wrap Up

Once again, I haven't had much time for blogging. Therefore, I'm doing a wrap-up post, updating from the last week or so.

This week was my spring break. I had 2 goals: catch-up/get ahead on my school work, and do some scrapbooking. Unfortunately, #2 goal didn't happen. The first goal was partly accomplished. This week flew by so quickly, and I wish I was so much more ahead in my school work/studying.

I did several CFF volunteer stuff this past week as well. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday involved meetings regarding CF Great Strides. Friday also included speaking at our Children's Hospital Child Life Services Retreat. Myself and our local CFF director presented at this retreat. Then afterwards, we met and discussed more on Great Strides. I also attended a bridal tea on Saturday, and babysat multiple times since last weekend. So all-in-all, it has been a busy last few weeks.

Time is definitely flying by, and the end of the semester is drawing near....which means one thing: I better get on a roll and study my heart out so I can do really well on the last few remaining exams. YIKES!

A Health Update: things have been going pretty well. This weekend hasn't been the best however. I'm really hoping I'm not getting sick. I'm only 2 weeks out from my TOBI, so my only option would be to start the inhaled Colistin. I'm going to give it a few more days and see how I feel. My back pain has been going back and forth. I also started exercising...YAY! I'm really trying my best to keep it up. I've also been making myself drink water, as I don't really put forth much effort to accomplish that on a daily basis. I know my body needs lots and lots of it, so I'm trying extra hard to drink 1 bottle per day (I use to drink 1 bottle per 2 weeks). I did get in some good sleep this week, which as helped my energy level some.

In other news...my curtains (valences) are finally up in my room!!! Also, the manufacturing company that makes the decorative stool I bought at Home Goods is willing to ship me one from their warehouse in California. She is charging me the same retail price plus shipping. I was surprised she offered that to me, since they are a wholesale company. She checked all the local stores and no one carried the product nor had ordered on the next shipping cycle. So I think I'm going to accept her offer! I will post a picture soon that shows the valences and everything together (my bed isn't made currently...lol).

This coming week includes a project due for my Nutrition Class, classes, another CF speech, another CFF meeting for Great Strides, an Auburn Singers Concert for my cousin, and 2 PT appointments for my back.

A few more things....today is Brandi's birthday....so head on over to her blog and give her some birthday love!

Have you voted for Jada Bug? Click here to vote! Only 8 days left! And you can vote once each day!

VOTE for CF!

I have a very special and close CF friend of mine who is currently waiting for a transplant. She is very sick and needs one soon! Toyota Racing's Sponsafy Your Ride Contest is currently under way! I'm not sure the exact details the winner received. However, the design that you are voting for will be applied to a 2 seater Nascar Show Car and the winner will also receive a trip package to see the Nascar Sprint Cup All-star Race! This would be huge for CF and Organ Donation....getting that awareness out and people recognizing JadaBug's Car...."Cure CF and Be An Organ Donor" for Jada!



Click here to Vote for JadaBug! There are 13 days left and you can vote every day! There are over 9,000 entries, so she really needs your votes! As always, thank you for your support!

Great Strides

I have posted the Great Strides Widget on the left of my website. I never removed the widget, but it has been updated and linked to my 2010 Great Strides Miracles Team. I know most of my followers are CFers or CF caregivers and form their own individual Great Strides Teams. If any of my followers do not have a direct connection to CF or are not dedicated to donating to a particular team, feel free to make a donation to my Miracles Team.

Great Strides is the CF Foundation's most successful fundraiser of the year. Great Strides Walks happen all over the country! We use these donations (and all donations from other events as well) to fund clinical trials and research to find a cure for CF. We have made so many advances over the last year towards finding that cure....and now are extremely close. But we cannot continue making these advancements without your help...physically and monetary. So I highly recommend making a donation to CF to help make this happen. All donations are tax deductible and you will have the wonderful feeling that you are truly making a difference in the lives of those with Cystic Fibrosis.

I have had a Great Strides team for many many years, and are very excited to see what 2010 has in store for our local Chapter walks. Clicking on the Great Strides widget to the right will take you directly to my Great Strides Home Page, where you can make a donation and/or sign up to participate in the walk-May 22nd for Birmingham, Alabama.

Thank you in advance for your support. And thank you to all of the CF families that have created a Great Strides Team....we really appreciate your effort and support.

Weekend Wrap-Up

WOW! It's been forever since I blogged (or at least it seems). I apologize for that....especially to my loyal followers! It has definitely been a hectic week, good and bad!

I finished up final exams on Wednesday this past week. Grades will be posted this Wednesday, the 16th. I don't have a very good feeling about it and don't know if it was even statistically possible to pass the class with a "C" average. I really don't want to have to take it again, but it is definitely looking that way :(

Work has been crazy, so I've been doing as much overtime as possible. I did work Saturday for 1/2 a day. I did manage to decorate my room! I am working on my Christmas cards and have plans on mailing in the next few days. Here is my little Christmas tree in my room:

My stomach is much better from the gallbladder surgery. It seems that all the fluid is gone, and the pain and soreness are much much better. I'm still adjusting to eating, and can only eat small proportions. I still have not gained any of my weight back and have actually lost another 2 pounds...but i have confidence it will come back eventually :)

I have had a pretty intense sinus infection and finally got some antibiotics for it this past Thursday. I ran a fever Friday night and felt pretty crappy, but have felt somewhat better this weekend. I missed out on my Christmas Sunday School Party Friday night, which i was pretty bummed about. But have had a few other fun things this weekend. Last night I attended a local concert put on by an alumni high school (very well known) men's chorus. They chose 2 charities that would benefit from their ticket sales. And CF was one of the charities picked due to certain relationships and connections with some of the members. They raised over $10,000 for EACH charity, which was AWESOME! And this particular Men's choir was the best I had ever heard. They were so nice and generous and glad they could support such a great cause.

We had a community CF Fundraiser Saturday a week ago (the 5th). It was an auction held at a local Starbucks. It was sort of a pre-fundraiser for our upcoming "Scrap for the Cure" event next Spring. We raised about $2600 from the auction, and Starbucks has a charity program where they are going to match that...AWESOME!!!

This upcoming week is busy with work, parties, and doctor's appointments. I have a transplant clinic appointment on Wednesday. I have a CFF luncheon on Thursday. I am supposed to have my surgery follow up appt on Tuesday, but are going to reschedule it. I can't miss that much time during work this week.

Last Sunday I went with a friend of mine to Sips N Strokes. Here is a picture of what I painted...it was pretty fun! I love attending these sessions...so much fun!

It's been very COLD and rainy (misty rain) pretty much all week. But tomorrow our high is supposed to be 69 degrees F...crazy Alabama weather! I hope all of you have had a great weekend. I think I am officially in the Christmas spirit!!!!

Shop with GoodShop!!!!

As you begin shopping for Christmas (and really, for any occasion you buy gifts for), remember to use GoodShop when shopping ONLINE! Goodshop partners with numerous popular online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Gap, Apple, and HUNDREDS MORE! These stores will donate a percentage of your purchase back to a charity when you use GoodShop.

To use, simply visit

wwww.goodsearch.com. In the charity box, enter "Cystic Fibrosis Foundation" and click "verify." Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will pop up and then you can begin to shop! You can link to the store of your choice and shop as usual.

GoodShop also recently launched a toolbar, in which you can download. By downloading this toolbar, every time you visit the website and make a purchase, it will automatically be credit to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!

At last but not least, if you use GoodShop.com when searching the Internet (just like you do when you use Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.), a penny is donated to a charity for every search. All you have to do is visit the website: www.goodsearch.com, enter "Cystic Fibrosis Foundation" in the charity box and begin your search like usual. This is such an easy way to raise some extra money without costing you anything!

And guess what??? So far, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has earned $12,100 using GoodShop!! WOW!!! So I encourage all of you online shoppers, to utilize this tool and help support the CF Foundation while shopping!

I'm Back

I got back from my trip late Sunday night!!! Today I volunteered and spoke at our annual Tee off for a Cure Golf Tournament for CF! It was a lot of fun and I will post more about that later! I can definitely feel the jet-lag today and are preparing for another MAJOR MAJOR anatomy lab practical on Wednesday, so will be busy with that, work and more babysitting until then!!! Hopefully on Thursday I can catch everyone up on some things!

The trip was great!! And thankfully, I actually felt REALLY good for it! YAY!!!

We had one of our CF adult patients at UAB get transplanted Sunday! As far as I know he is doing great, but please keep him in your prayers!

Also, I have an appointment this Thursday to check out that fluid around my liver!

Bronch

So yesterday I had a bronchoscopy (can't remember if I mentioned it on here or not). The procedure went pretty good for me. It always takes a LOT LOT to sedate me! And I usually sleep for 2 days straight. I did make myself get up this morning and go to work, which ended up being ok!! I still feel a little drugged though :) I did get sick in recovery yesterday, which was awful, but it went away pretty quickly!

So far, nothing has grown out of the bronch cultures, but it takes about 3-4 days to really know for sure. I did find out that my CT Scan showed some fluid (or as they called it "infusion" in my left lung (lobe). They haven't decided what they want to do about it yet. They don't think that it is causing any of my current symptoms, such as shortness of breath!

I finish my 3-weeks of IV abx Thursday. I finish my month on of TOBI tomorrow! The transplant team will be discussing my case at their weekly meeting tomorrow morning. I'm anxious to see what they say, hoping there will be some course of action to help me feel better. With the exception of no fevers, I really don't feel much better at all. And it is getting extremely frustrating! I had to miss an anatomy test last night because of my bronch!

I will update on what the transplant team decides on tomorrow, or as soon as I know!! Thanks for all of your prayers!

My grandfather is still hanging on by a thread. He is now (as of really Sunday) not responding to anything, and is basically in a coma. He doesn't recognize anybody, he is not speaking nor eating. I guess the Lord just hasn't decided yet on when to take him home. He doesn't look good, and his breathing is awful today! I'm praying he is not in any pain! The whole family situation with my step-grandmother is a little better. By no means, is there no disagreement, and frustration with her by everyone, but I think most of the family is at peace with the decisions, which is a blessing!

Week Wrap-Up

Wow...it has definitely been a crazy and hectic week....good things and bad things! I know I did a few posts earlier in the week, but am now just going to briefly wrap up the week!!!

As most of you know, Richard McCulley passed away Wednesday morning at 12:26am. He was 47 years old and had CF. However, cancer was what took him home to the Lord, and not his CF! Please continue to keep his wife Kori and their 2 boys in your prayers. Richard is no longer in any pain and is rejoicing with his Lord and Savior in Heaven. Brandi and I attended his visitation and funeral services Friday night and Saturday. It was very nice and very well attended! Kori seems to be doing pretty well. Thank you all for your support for them over these last few hard months. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the McCulley Trust Fund, which can be found on their blog (if you have access to it-the blog is set to private). If you do not have access, please let me know and I can get you more information!

We had a family friend pass away this past week as well, and another in the hospital with a shattered shoulder, and possible bone cancer!

I have not been feeling good this week, and really, it hasn't gotten much better. Although I've been very busy these last few days. You can read how my clinic appointment went on Wednesday, here. I did attend class Wed night after clinic (5:30-10pm). It was a LONG night, but glad I was able to make it through! And for those of you that had been reading my updates on my friend Tony, who was transplanted about 5 weeks ago, he is doing exceptionally AWESOME!!! I've seen him several times over the last few weeks at clinic and other places. He also spoke at Richard's funeral on Saturday, and did a great job! He is feeling so great and is happy to get back to daily life with his wife and son!!! God is definitely amazing!

Thursday, my friend Katy from Texas, and I were able to spend some time at our lake house. Although the weather wasn't too great towards the end of the day, we still had a great time. We were able to tube for a little while (which I was glad because I haven't "tubed" all summer). She stayed with me Wed night through Friday morning!

In addition to the funeral yesterday, we also had our annual CF gala! As you all know, I'm very involved with the CF Foundation and try to be at every event possible. So as soon as the funeral was over, I high-tailed it back to Birmingham and arrived to help with our gala about 5:00. It was a great night, and I think everyone had a great time. It was a crazy night as well, as we were short MANY volunteers. Due to the other 2 Alabama-CFF employees being out of town, I was really 2nd in charge of activities throughout the night and keeping everything in line. So I was basically running around like crazy with my head-cut off! But hey...I always enjoy doing it!!! I will post pictures and more info about the actual event later in the week. I didn't get to take a lot of pictures, since I didn't have the time, but I did take a few. I think we (myself, our CF chapter director and our Chairman of the board) left the venue about midnight. After getting home, unloading, and eating, I think I went to sleep about 2:30am! I slept til 1:00 this afternoon...YIKES!! That was definitely not planned, but I know I needed the sleep!

Tomorrow I start back work at Sweet Pea (my usual Fall/temporary job until December). I love this job and are excited to be going back. If you have never checked out our stationery products, I highly recommend it. We have some awesome designs!!! I love all of them (although they aren't the cheapest, they are extremely good quality and professional looking). I've been used to not working the entire summer, and I know it will take a little while to get adjusted to working again. I haven't decided on my hours yet, as it will still be part time (probably around 30 hrs) for right now! I need to have a little time to study for my classes too!!

Well, I think that's basically the week in review! I hope everyone has had a great week and weekend! I've got another busy week ahead of me, and are praying I start feeling better SOON!! I will probably make a call into my transplant coordinator tomorrow. I was supposed to call her Thursday, but wasn't able to!

R.I.P. Richard/Clinic Update

As Kori stated: Richard graced the gates of Heaven today at 12:26 A.M. Since I was at clinic early this A.M., I found out right away...around 7:00. Please keep Kori and the family in your prayers! Since Kori and Richard lived locally to me, I will be going to the funeral this Saturday and possibly visitation on Friday.

Clinic Update: Well, I managed to escape Club Med, but only slightly! I came home with inhaled TOBI and oral Cipro to try and knock this infection out! My PFT's were down about 7-8% (41/39); my WBC count was down to 2.3 (last time it was 5.8), my creatnine was high (1.4, and I usually run 0.8 or 0.9), and I have lost about 8 pounds...not good! So the culprit...some sort of infection. Hopefully these two strong abx will knock it out! If i'm not better by the 1st of next week, well, then you can probably finish that sentence! NO TIME TO GET SICK...work, class, TOO much to do and it's only been 1.5 months since my last admission!

It's been a LONG morning! I didn't get out of clinic until about 11:30. I'm now home..planning on taking a nap before class at 5:30 until 9:50. A friend of mine from Texas is staying with me tonight and tomorrow night. We have plans to go to the lake tomorrow, although my coordinator wants me resting ONLY and not tubing or water skiing. So we'll see. She didn't want me to go to class either, but tonight is our first lab class, and I really can't afford to miss it. If it wasn't the 1st class, I probably would opt to stay home! I'm supposed to start work back on Friday (more info in a post to come), but may postpone it til Monday due to being sick and the funeral/visitation for Richard. We have our annual CFF Gala Saturday night as well (which I know I will be out from about 4:30 to midnight volunteering).

CF Shirts For Sell

I have several t-shirts left over from my 2008 CF Great Strides Team! I really have no use for them, and they have just been hanging in my closet! So I thought I would try and sell them, in which 100% of the proceeds will go towards my 2009 CF Great Strides Miracles Team!

I have 4 SMALLS available for sell. I have included pictures of the shirts below. (I apologize for the wrinkles in the shirts). They are Gildan brand t-shirts, 100% cotton, and in a BEAUTIFUL Indigo Blue Color! I do realize there is a picture on the back, so let me give a brief explanation. Obviously, the middle person is me. The picture was actually taken in December of 2006...not my favorite picture :) The other two people (Adam on the right and Amy on the left), are CFers who have also had double lung transplants. They are really good friends of mine; we are all the same age and were a big support system for each other as we went through our transplants. We all 3 had our transplants within a year of each other, with me being the last. Adam had his transplant on Christmas Day of 2003! All 3 of us love our Lord and Savior and are walking testimonies to His wonderful and powerful Grace!!

Also, the design on the front as well as part of the back graphics were designed by my friend Shaun, who passed away this year. So this is very special to me!

And of course my favorite quote is on the back of the shirts! If you are interested in purchasing one, please leave a comment or send me an email. The shirts are $10!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Thanks to Livia's Mom for coming across this great website! I found it very interesting myself, and wanted to share it with you!

Clicks for Cystic Fibrosis

"Established in 2007, Clicks! for Cystic Fibrosis, and our parent company Clicks! for the Cause, Inc. were created with one goal in mind – to maximize donations for key charitable organizations and help save lives. Clicks! for Cystic Fibrosis has created an easy way for individuals to ensure their favorite charity receives a portion of the profit from their online purchases. We understand that many people want to donate more, but simply cannot afford to do so. However, by having a percentage of their online day-to-day purchases go through our website – they can donate effortlessly."

The Clicks! for Cystic Fibrosis toolbar gives you instant access to all of the great features of the Clicks! for Cystic Fibrosis website from anywhere you travel on the Internet. By installing their toolbar, it can automatically detect affiliate sites so you don't have to go to their site each time to make a purchase!

Some of their newest retail partners include: Old Navy and Amazon.com!

I encourage everyone to visit Clicks! for Cystic Fibrosis and have a look around. It's a great way to donate to the CF Foundation!

Auction for Kori

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this week! It's been a busy week (mostly filled with babysitting). I will post this weekend with an update! I'm babysitting again later this afternoon!

Most of you know Kori, whose husband Richard has CF and cancer! Her blog is set to private, so unfortunately, those that don't know her can't visit her blog! But just briefly:
Kori and Richard have been married 8 years and are parents of two boys. In April of 2008, Richard was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Sadly, he is close to losing his battle with this deadly disease. Kori's world is now full of hospice, lawyers and wills... and watching her beloved husband succumb to his illness. Yet despite these unimaginable horrors, Kori's faith and strength remain unbroken.

With mounting medical bills and soon-to-be-needed funeral costs, one thing Kori is in need of is money. Shannon, at welcometothenuthouse is going to be hosting an auction as a way to raise funds for our dear friend, Kori. The auction will take place via Shannon's blog on Tuesday, August 11th, for 24 hours. Absolutely 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go to the McCulley Family Trust.

And here's a little teaser of some of the items lined up for auction:

gift cards to Sephora, iTunes, Target, Barnes &Noble... just to name a few!
hand-made cards
hand-thrown pottery
a custom blog design from Krizzy Designs
scrapbook supplies
a hand-stamped necklace from Kristen's Custom Creations

Shannon is still taking donations, so if you'd like to donate an item please her know! Or if you know of an Etsy shop owner or other vendor who might be willing to donate, let her know and she will be glad to contact them about the auction.

Shannon and her blogger friends (and me) would love for everyone to blog or tweet about this auction for Kori! Get the word out to save the date!

I'm going to be on my cruise during this time, without Internet access...which i hate! If I was in town, I would definitely be bidding on some of the auction items! I hope some of you will think about participating and helping the McCulley's out! Thank you for your support!

Trip Canceled/Update

Well...so unfortunately, Brandi (who was going to San Fran) with me, got pretty sick over the last few days, and we had to cancel our trip to San Francisco for the CFRI Conference. She will probably be going in the hospital if not today, tomorrow. I'm so bummed...and was so excited about going!! But I didn't want to go alone, especially with no transportation and arriving at the city about midnight. UGH!!!!

So, I guess I will be hanging around then this week. I did have a dentist appointment today, and it went well..no cavities. I was actually a little worried because I don't do the best job of taking care of my teeth when I'm in the hospital. But everything looked ok, which I'm so thankful for!

I survived my 4 days of babysitting last week (Thurs, Friday, Sat, and Sunday). It was a long 4 days...3 different families; but it was good, and of course I always like earning money! I'm pretty sure I'm babysitting again tomorrow!

I have a hair cut appointment tomorrow as well, so I will post pictures when I get back. I'm just getting the usual cut and highlights. But my hair has gotten so long and I'm looking forward to getting a little chopped off :)

I still have my cruise to plan for which is August 8th-13th. But I actually think I've got everything for it, since I had planned for the San Francisco trip! Maybe I will go to the lake this weekend???

We had a CF fundraiser Saturday night with our local minor league baseball team. It went pretty good and I enjoyed visiting with other families, and watching the fireworks at the end of the game!! We have another event this weekend, and another one next Thursday that I am partly in charge of!

I'm feeling pretty good...back is better but still bothering me. And I'm still a little tired, but nothing major! I hope it continues for a good while!

I register for fall classes this weekend...yay!! And it's tax free weekend too, which I might just have to take advantage of =)

I hope everyone continues to have a good week. I'm lifting all of you up that are in need of prayers!!!! God Bless!

Thursday/School Update/Misc

I haven't really had much to blog about this week! But I thought I would give a brief run-down of a few things. Today I have my pre-nursing advising appointment at 2:30pm. I'm really excited. I made a tentative schedule yesterday of my classes and times. I found out that "inorganic chemistry" is the same thing as "Intro to Chemistry I", which I have already had. So...YAY (or I think YAY). I shouldn't have to take that! So that eliminates one of the sciences I thought I had to take! It is very hard to schedule more than 1 science at a time and it not overlap another science. But as long as there are still openings when I register August 1st, I think it will work out. My plan is to take Organic Chemistry (aka Intro to Chemistry II) and Human Anatomy this fall! Then in the spring I will take Microbiology, Human Physiology and possibly either Nutrition or Developmental Psychology. Then next summer I will take the final class: either Nutrition or Developmental Psychology or both...just depending on the schedules for the spring and when they are offered.

I heard back from my aunt today about me being hired again for the fall! (for those of you that don't know, my aunt is the office manager at Sweet Pea Designs, and I have worked as a "temp" the last two years [July/August-December] during their "Christmas season.") I have been counting on returning this year, but wasn't sure due to the economy, etc. But she assured me they are hiring and that I am already hired if I want to. I probably won't start until September though due to business being really SLOW! That's ok with me though! So I mapped out my 2 science classes where I can still work part-time (or about 30 hours). It will be busy, but good busy! So I'm hoping and praying that the classes/times that I need will still be open when it's time to register! I will update on that later on!

I got some good news yesterday!! The credit union that I send my car payments to is offering all of their customers the chance to skip one payment this summer (either June, July, or August). I know this sounds silly to be excited over...but right now with me not working, I have no income and are hurting for money! So I get to skip my August payment!! YAY! That leaves me a little extra money for my two trips coming up!

I went walking with my Mom after dinner last night! (not far...just down our street and back). It hurt my back pretty bad, but was tolerable. I wore my knee brace, and it seemed to do pretty good, as well as the broken foot. But it felt good to do it! I worked up a sweat and some shortness of breath (which is good). I really need to get some aerobic/cardio exercise in! I plan on walking again tonight. I've got to get in better shape for my upcoming trips or I'm going to be in deep trouble...physically :) In addition, my tummy has decide to "bloat up", get "big"... whatever you want to call it. It's HUGE and hard and stretching! And I think it's adding extra pain to my back and rib cage. I'm not sure what's causing it as my eating is about the same. I haven't had this issue in about at least 6 months. Right now my guess is it is from the Prednisone. I'm keeping a watch on it and hope it will level off. That's why I want to walk too...too hopefully help that. If it doesn't get better in a few days, then I will be making a call!

I am also meeting with our CFF director today to finalize our CF Bowl for Breath event coming up in August. I'm helping coordinate it with her...very excited! We had a wrap-up dinner/ celebration Tuesday night for one of our local CF walks. We had an ok turnout.

Our plumbing at the lake is not going to be fixed in time for this weekend.... bummer! But we do have a guy coming next Tuesday and are praying he can fix it. If so, then I am so at the lake every weekend possible!!! Brandi is having a 4th of July party Saturday night and we are going to hang out at the pool at her condo earlier in the day...so hopefully it will be a great day! She has a great view of our downtown fireworks from her condo!

Ok...so that was a long post...I hope I didn't bore you too bad :) I hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

Great Strides Walk Pics!!!

Here are some pictures from our Birmingham Great Strides Walk. This is the walk where I had my own team. I know some of you are confused and think I had a team for other walks...but I only had a team for this walk. I worked/volunteered at the others! And like I said...it was a rainy day, but a successful day!

Our Miracles Team!

"Jam" (yes, that's her name) warming everyone up with some 'crunk fitness'

One of the little boys on my team!

Another CF/transplanter with his wife!

This picture is just to show you the big pavilion we had and we fit about 300 people under it!

One of the families I babysit!

One of our CF/Transplant doctors and family!

Me with one of my former CF docs youngest child!

The Home Depot Kids Corner

The Cheerleaders made a sign!

Me Speaking

Our wet sign and wet tent!!

Part of my team eating...and a good shot of the back of our shirts!