Friday Fill-Ins

Finally....time to actually blog!!! May not last long, so figured I better take advantage of this time while I have it!! I haven't done Friday Fill-Ins in a long time!

If you are interested in participating in this fun, Friday, meme, click here!

1. I'm going to Nashville to visit a best friend in a couple of weeks. Finally a break that I've been needing and wanting to do. In addition, I've never been to Nashville, even though it's only about a 3 hour drive from where I live.

2. I'm not the type of person who usually enjoys adventure and daring.

3. Perhaps today you can make it a point to play with your pet! If you have a cat....have you tried the laser pointer? My cat loves it!.

4. I don't have much of a true adventurer’s spirit.

5. Compassion is an amazing gift. Always have compassion for others!

6. I keep on going no matter how difficult the task or challenge might be.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing nothing...watching TV...oh wait, I have to listen to at least 1 online school lecture; tomorrow my plans include studying for finals next week and listening to more online school lectures; and Sunday, I want to make it to church and accomplish even more studying....just a few more days!!

Do you Have Substance?

Sarah, over at Stand Tall Through Everything has given me a very honorable and sweet blog award. She has awarded me the “Blog With Substance” award. Thank you Sarah. You are an awesome person and have such a strong and positive attitude, despite life's challenges. I really admire your strength!






As part of my acceptance post, I’m supposed to sum up my blogging philosophy, experience, and motivation in 5 words. So here they are:

Awareness
Inspirational
Passion
Resourceful
Fun

Now I am going to give the “Blog With Substance” award to other blogs that I really like and enjoy reading. I find these blogs very informative and filled with "substance" (no matter what it is). The "authors" of these blogs are amazing. So it's definitely worth a visit!

Katelyn Elaine : I am so glad we "met" and quickly became blogger friends. She is always very encouraging and inspirational. Her blog is filled with all kinds of substance!!! Her life always sounds interesting and I really enjoy reading her blog!

Brandi at Every Breath I Take: Brandi and I are friends in real life as well as "blogger world." I love hanging out with her and she really puts an effort into making a difference in the CF Community. Her blog provides resourceful information, but I also really enjoy just reading about her "life." She always has a story to tell and loves to travel!

Michelle at A Cure 4 Lil' Chris: Michelle is an awesome Mom and documents pretty much everything on her blog (like a diary, but with pictures). Her kids are precious. Ever since her son was diagnosed with CF, she has become a huge advocate and is really involved in the CF Community. She loves interacting in the CF Community and Blogger World. Michelle will post informational and resourceful things on her blog, as well as fun things her two little kids are doing! Definitely stop by her blog!

Ronnie at Run, Sickboy, Run: Talk about substance, Ronnie has it all! From information and resourceful posts regarding CF, to stories about his daily life and newlywed life, his life experiences, and much more. Ronnie really tries to be a role model and motivator for those with CF or those families with CF. He has really taken a huge step and is now making a huge impact in the CF Community. But he also shares fun stories from his life that are non-CF related. Definitely give Ronnie a visit! His blog is FULL FULL of substance!

Thanks again Sarah for this blog award!

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!

Novartis CF Facebook/Twitter Resources

The CF Team at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is delighted to inform you that CFVoice has just joined the 300 million plus people on Facebook, where more than 45,000 are fans of CF-related pages. Novarits is proud to provide an online community for people living with cystic fibrosis. CFvoice is a place for motivation, inspiration and connection to the CF community.

Christopher Morgan, the fictional character from the Becoming Christopher and Christopher Chronicles films has joined Facebook and the 13 million people on Twitter. Christopher Morgan was created by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation as an educational resource for the cystic fibrosis community. His story is inspired by research and interviews with people with CF, their friends, healthcare providers and caregivers. Join today to start receiving CFChristopher's tweets and to become a fan on Facebook.

Check out the CFVoice Facebook fan page for great CF content. This gives the CF Community another CF resource to keep up-to-date on CF-related news. And plus, most of us are on Facebook anyways, so it will be very convenient.

Tuesday Tid-bits

Sorry for the lack of posting this past week. It's been very very busy. So once again, this is sort of a "catch-up" post.

*Tomorrow I have my follow-up transplant clinic appointment from being in the hospital. Hoping to get good results....really have no idea how things are going to turn out since I'm still fighting the pseudomonas.

*School is busy...I had a physiology lab exam last Thursday and an exam in my nutrition and health course today. It was pretty hard, so not sure how I did. I do feel pretty good about my lab exam though, but won't get my grade until this Thursday night.

*I had a great birthday weekend. I can't believe I'm 25 yrs old...yikes ;)
My parents took me out to dinner Friday night.....and I had some really really good food. My mom and I went to get some ice cream afterwards at Coldstone Creamery. Brandi and I ate lunch out on Sunday. We had a good time and she was sweet to treat me to some good Chinese food. Sunday night we did cake and ice cream at home. And the birthday celebration will continue this week as my parents will give me my gifts probably this weekend. So it's been a stretched-out birthday....kinda nice. My brother's birthday is the 19th!

*All of my wall art/hangings are finally up in my new room...yay!! The last thing to do is put up my valences on the windows. The scrapbook room is completely done...now if I can just get some time to actually scrapbook. Here are some pictures of it:

*It is freaking COLD COLD here, especially the last few days...and will continue throughout the week. Maybe some snow flurries this weekend???

*I have been given an opportunity to speak to a group of people about CF/transplant at UAB next week...very excited about that.

*I am hoping to make some progress on my Great Strides Team this weekend...as far as writing my letter, sending emails, etc. The walk will be here before I know it.

*I have been busy babysitting the last 2 weeks....4 jobs in 1.5 weeks...pretty good. Now, if I can just keep that up, i would be good. I'm hoping to get one or two Valentine's jobs this weekend, but I'm not entirely sure if it will happen or not.

*I can't believe Alli from The Batchelor TV Show chose her job over taking a risk and staying for Jake. I don't normally watch this show, but for some reason have been hooked to it this season. I'm rooting for Tinsley now :)

Well, I think that about wraps things up! I will post tomorrow with a clinic report. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Friday Fill-In

1. No, we will NOT upgrade the shipping at our cost (an inside joke at work).

2. Please don't paint at the old kitchen table.

3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: that looks nice and warm; too bad I don't like coffee or tea ;)

4. Everything is going to be okay.

5. I'll take the "C" average I got in anatomy...totally worth it and not upset about not making an "A" or "B" at all.

6. The recent news on Tiger Woods is very sad, his actions were very inappropriate and I can't believe some people chose him as one of the most outstanding athletes of the year (at least from my point of view).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a Christmas party involving good, yummy chili, ornament Dirty Santa and good fellowship with other godly women; tomorrow my plans include babysitting and more babysitting (and a few errands if time allows) and Sunday, I want to go to church and enjoy the last Sunday School before Christmas and the last one before our long time teachers retire; the day will probably involve a little bit of shopping if I have enough energy!

ROLL TIDE!!

YAY!!! The University of Alabama Football Team beat Florida in the SEC Championship yesterday!! It was such an awesome game and I am so proud of how they played!!! ROLL TIDE!! I don't think too many people expected them to win, and definitely not by as many points as they did! Last year, they lost to Florida in the SEC Championship!



Now we get to play Texas in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship! Bama is traveling to Pasadena!! It's been awhile since Alabama has competed for a National Title, let alone won the SEC Title!!! But I have confidence that they will do very well! GO BAMA!!!!

CFVoice.Com

I've never really known much about this website and have only visited it a few times. After receiving an email about all the resources that were available via CFvoice.com, I was amazed! I highly recommend giving CFvoice.com a visit. Many of you may already be familiar with the website. Parents...there are lots of resources for you as well. Visit the website and/or click on the links below for more information.

For the 6-8 age group: Educational CF games and cartoons include:

Team Zude & You

The Game Arcade

Color with Zude

Memory Game

Zude Toons
Germ Jumper Game

Ages 9-12 has a Wacky Workshop with different activities to teach children about CF!
Food for Fuel

Bacteria Blaster Game
Meds in Me

Up Down Sideways Puzzle
Amazing Airways Game

Tween Videos

The Game Arcade

Ages 13-17 section: It's all about U! has some very useful resources and tools for connecting with other CF patients!

Mentor U

Teen Podcasts

Teen Videos

Ages 18-24: Transitions :Listen, watch, and read tips about transition into an adult CF life!

Young Adult Videos

Young Adult Articles

Young Adult Podcasts

CF Recipes

Adults: Movin' ON: Stories of caregivers, marriage, and family planning with CF!

Adult Videos

Adult podcasts

Adult Articles

CF recipes

There is a Parents and Caregivers Section as well that seems very beneficial!

It includes CF recipes, podcasts, and articles. It also has videos of other CF families and their stories and experiences. Lots of fun and resourceful information!

The site also includes community features, a newsletter emailed quarterly you can subscribe too, personalized calenders, screen savers and wallpaper for your computer, and much more!

Halloween Friday Fill-In

Once again, here is today's Friday Fill-In! Click here if you are interested in participating!

1. It was a dark and stormy night, and i lay under the covers listening to the thunder, waiting to fall asleep.

2. Her schedule was packed, so I offered to take the books myself.

3. Rushing out, I left my cell phone at home...oops!

4. UH OH! ...I think I heard a howl!

5. Shhhh... I'm trying to listen to the gas stove to see if it still on.

6. TRICK OR TREAT; give me something good to eat!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to attending my cousin's senior AU Singers concert, tomorrow my plans include studying, visiting a friend in hospital, and handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters; and Sunday, I want to try once again to make it to church!

Pier 39 Sea Lions

While on my babysitting trip to San Jose/San Francisco, we went to the Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday. Within the area, we walked over to Pier 39 (one of the piers at the Fisherman's' Wharf). Pier 39 is famous for its sea lions (seals)!! And all I have to say, is that I was EXTREMELY entertained and fascinated by all the sea lions!!! We stood there forever just watching and laughing!!! Certainly an amazing thing to see!!! Here are some pictures and history/facts about Pier 39 and its sea lions.


The sea lions camped out in PIER 39's West Marina have been endearingly coined, "Sea Lebrities." The noisy (it was funny listening to them "bark" and make so many noises!) sea lions started arriving in herds/groups, taking over the docks in January 1990 shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. At first they numbered from 10-50, but due to a plentiful herring supply, available dock space and the marina’s protected environment, the population grew to more than 300 within a few months. Each winter, the population can increase up to 900 sea lions, most of which are male. The seals come and go as they please! During most of the year, there are at least 100-500 sea lions. The highest count is more than 1,000! During the summer months, there are times when no sea lions visit K-Dock (Pier 39). They migrate south to rookeries (birthing and breeding grounds) off of Southern California and Mexico. But in recent years a small group stays year-round at PIER 39's K-Dock.


These California sea lions use Pier 39 to "haul out" or come out of the water to rest. Biologists believe the sea lions stay at Pier 39 because there is plenty of food nearby, the docks are protected from storm waves and are easy to haul out on, and sea lion predators (great white sharks and orcas) do not come into the bay.


It is illegal to feed wild sea lions as well as other marine animals. These sea lions find their own food in the bay or ocean areas! Sea lions are "opportunistic" feeders, which means they will eat whatever fish are abundant in the area at the time. They mainly eat herring during the winter months.

The Adult male sea lions weigh up to 900 lbs and have a bump on their forehead. The female adult sea lions way up to 250 lbs. However, most of the sea lions at Pier 39 are males. The females stay back at the rookeries (birthing and breeding grounds) off of Southern California. Harbor seals are white with black spots or black with white rings and are silvery grey when wet! There were lost of Harbor seals here at Pier 39 when we were there!


(this sea lion was floating on his back...can you tell ??)

If you ever get the opportunity to visit San Francisco, I highly recommend checking the sea lions out!! (beware though...the smell is AWFUL, but worth it)! We had so much fun watching them!

Post-San Jose/Francisco Trip

Sorry I haven't blogged yet about my trip!! So here is a quick overview of how the trip went!

I flew out of Birmingham last Thursday (Oct 1st) EARLY morning! I arrived in San Jose around 12:00 pm California Time (PST). The wife, mom, etc., picked me up and took me back to their apartment. I got settled it, met the little boy, and then they left around 3:00 pm on their hiking trip! I kept the little boy (17 months) until Friday late night! The couple returned home late that evening (around 9:30 pm or so)! Then on Saturday, the mom (Ginny) too me around the city of San Francisco sight-seeing, touring, etc. It was SO SO MUCH FUN!!! And beautiful weather the entire time! (a little foggy and windy in San Fran, but not bad).

The babysitting was an interesting and good experience. I had never done anything like that, but was thankful for the opportunity! The couple was so sweet and really made me feel at home and very comfortable. It was a free trip. They paid for EVERYTHING, from plane tickets to food, etc. And then I got paid to babysit!

I also got to see my new 5-week old baby cousin Saturday night. Ginny took me over to their apartment, which was located about 30 minutes away in Menlo Park!! She is so precious and I was very excited to see them!!

Saturday in the city, we visited the Golden Gate Bridge (and several parks surrounding it), Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 39 with all the seals), Lombard Street, Haight Ashbury (Hippie district), and the park (can't remember name) where Full House TV Show was filmed. And then we drove around the city looking at a few other places. We definitely crammed a lot of stuff in!! I flew back home Sunday, leaving San Jose around 9:30 am PST, and arriving back in Birmingham around 8:00pm CST. I had a not so good experience with baggage returning home! Thankfully though it didn't get lost! My stop mid-way between San Jose and Birmingham was Houston, Texas. Upon arriving in Houston, there were two planes departing to Birmingham. Well, somehow my baggage got put on the 1st plane to Houston (and my flight was the 2nd plane); So went I went to get my baggage in Birmingham and it wasn't there I started to panic. Luckily one of the security guys knew that a suitcase wasn't picked up earlier and it ended up being mine! Also, TSA decided to randomly select my checked bag to inspect...LOVELY!! They ended up turning everything in my suitcase upside down, sideways, etc. I had a box of cereal in my bag, and tennis shoes. Well, they busted the cereal box, and it spilled all over the suitcase, clothes, make up bag, etc., IT was awful...SERIOUSLY! And they didn't zip up the top compartment (open to the outside) all the way either. Needless to say, I was a little PO, but thankfully nothing was missing!

Here are a few pictures from my trip! I will post more later!

Golden Gate Bridge

Park below Golden Gate Bridge; view of Alcatraz behind me!

Lombard Street! I had never heard of this...but it was so cool!!

Fisherman's Wharf!

Park from "Full House" (house known as the "Pink Ladies")
BEAUTIFUL VIEW!

Haight Ashbury (Hippie District)!

My baby cousin Louisa...PRECIOUS!!

I LOVED seeing the seals at Pier 39 and will post those pics later this weekend!!!