Showing posts with label 30 Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30 Days. Show all posts

Friday, February 17, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 30

Day 30 - A photo of yourself plus 3 good things that happened within the last 30 days

It's really hard to smile when you have a neb in your mouth!

  1. Kalydeco!!! I could go on and on about how amazing this advancement is, but I know I've blogged about it before. I cannot wait for the day that I get to start taking this. I'm going to talk to my doctor about it my next clinic visit in the beginning of March!!!
  2. Great Strides planning! I've ordered 36 shirts for my family team and there are about 20 people signed up from work! This is the most support I've ever had and I'm so thankful for each and every person who plans to spend the day walking for an amazing cause! :-)
  3. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of being able to run a 5K. I'm nowhere near being able to run all 3 miles without stopping, but I'm slowly training my lungs and legs to handle the distance. I just wish they'd work together all the time; most of the time my legs are killing me long before my lungs (not a bad thing for my lungs!) and sometimes it's the other way around. Today, it's supposed to be 48 degrees and fairly sunny, so I'm going to take advantage of that and try to complete a 5K outside using a combination of walking and running. I'll update later, or sometime this weekend about how it went. Wish me luck!
This is has been a fun little blog challenge, but I'm kind of glad it's at the end. I'm ready to get back to regular blog posts. Hope you enjoyed learning all of these random things about me. :-)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 29

Day 29 - Something you could never get tired of doing - Of course I thought of two things

1) Listening to music - I would absolutely love if I could have music playing around me all day! I think it would put me in a such a better mood when I'm having a rough day at work or just in general.

2) Going on walks/spending time with Tim - Sure, sometimes we drive each other crazy and want some space from each other, but I think that's pretty normal. I don't think I ever have turned down going on a walk with Tim when he brings it up. They're just the best - getting a little exercise, sight-seeing/people watching, and lots of good, deep conversation with my husband without too many distractions = great combination if you ask me! :-)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 28

Day 28 - In the past month, what have you learned?

  • I have a pretty amazing life! :-) After sharing so many stories about my friends and family with my readers, it's really opened my eyes to how lucky I am to have all of these wonderful people in my life.
  • Also, that I don't thank all of those wonderful people enough, so here it is again - THANK YOU for being such great support systems for me!!!
  • It's really hard to blog every single day! (Having a set topic to write on is easier, but I couldn't do it everyday otherwise.)
  • I love adding pictures to my blogs - makes things much more fun. 
  • I carry a lot of crap in my purse!
  • The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation & Vertex are wonderful and that there's a new treatment, Kalydeco, available for me when the time is right!!!!
  • It was fun to share all of these random facts about me with my readers, but I think 30 days in a row was just a little too much for me; I'm ready to get back to regular blog posts.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 27

Day 27 - What kind of person attracts you - kind of appropriate for Valentines Day, right? (I don't really know where to go with this one, but I'll try my best.)

This guy! He's been by my side for five and a half years now and I've loved every minute of it and look forward to many, many more. He makes me so happy, makes me laugh all the time, supports me, loves me, 'gets' me and through all of that he doesn't complain...too much. ;) I couldn't ask for a better husband! I love you, Tim!

Monday, February 13, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 26

Day 26 - A photo of somewhere you want to go

California - Tim and I went there on our honeymoon, to the Anaheim & San Diego areas. I'd love to go back to other major cities that we haven't gotten to.

Hawaii - Tim's grandparents are there right now and they have some beautiful pictures! I've always wanted to go to Hawaii and I hope that I can make it one day. :)

Colorado - This is a picture I actually took when I was there in 2009. I went with some of my family for my cousin's graduation from the Air Force Academy. I'd love to go back with Tim to just do some sight-seeing.

There are many other places I'd love to go, I'm pretty open to anything. I'd love to go out of the country at some point, don't really care where. :-)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 25

Day 25 - Five of your favorite movies/books
Since I've already named several of my favorite movies here, I'm going to focus this one on my favorite books.

Robyn's Book is written by Robyn Miller who had CF and was born in 1964. This is an autobiography of her life and what it was like to live then with CF. It's pretty powerful and emotional, but I highly recommend it. Tim got me the book for Christmas several years ago, and I'm thinking I need to read it again because it's been awhile. I'm willing to lend it to anyone who'd like to to read it.






This is probably the best series I've ever read! The books are so well-written and so detailed! I cannot believe that one person could come up with all of this! I've read all of the books and I've seen all of the movies, and the books blow the movies out of the water! Highly recommend these books to anyone, any age.

The Guardian is written by Nicholas Sparks, but it's not his typical 'chick flick' style writing in this one, which is why it's my absolute favorite by him. It still has the love story in it, but it has an element of suspense which his other books don't have.






Something Borrowed is a total 'chick flick' book written by Emily Giffin. It was turned into a movie, which I never saw because it looked really cheesy. I really enjoy Giffin's writing style and I think I've read almost all of her books. Other books she's written include: Something Blue (sequel to Something Borrowed), Love the One You're With, and Heart of the Matter.





I know I'll probably get a lot of criticism for these, but I don't care. They're nothing compared to the movies, at all! I know they're definite chick books, and probably meant for 14 year old girls, but so what. I've read them all (twice) and I really enjoyed them. They're very easy reads but addicting. As far as the books go, I'm Team Edward. As far as the movies go, I'm Team Jacob...in case you were wondering! 

Right now I'm currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I'm about 100 pages into it. After I finish the three books in the series, I'm planning on reading the Hunger Games Trilogy. Any other great books that I should read, please let me know - I'm going to need something to do this summer!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 24

Day 24 - A photo of something that means a lot to you
My support system:
2007 - This was probably one of the coldest Great Strides
I've ever walked! 
2008 - Friends & Family in Chicago! That was a cold year!
2009 - Friends & Family in Chicago - at least the sun was
out this time!
2010 - Our friends Chris and Allie, me and Tim at the Chicago
Walk - it was gorgeous that day!
2011 - All of my family that drove an hour or two
just to walk with us in DeKalb! :-)
2011 - Friends & Co-workers!
Thank you to everyone who's ever attended a Great Strides walk with me! It really means a lot to me to see each and everyone of you out there walking with me.They've always been a great time and I hope that our groups continue to grow each year! I can't wait to post a picture of the HUGE group we're going to have this year!!!

Friday, February 10, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 23

Day 23 - 15 Facts about you
This is going to be tougher than I thought, because as I sit down to write this, I feel like I've pretty much told you everything about myself through all of my posts, especially during this '30 Days' challenge.






These were my wedding flowers
and I LOVED them!
  1. I actually enjoy running now - If you would have told me a year or so ago that I'd say this, I'd think you were crazy! It's still tough running for longer distances each time, but I'm so proud of what I've been able to accomplish this far.
  2. I have 3 scars on my stomach, 2 tiny ones on my neck and a couple little ones on my chest from my meconium ileus surgery right after I was born.
  3. I've never broken a bone. 
  4. I love macaroni and cheese!
  5. I hate very cold weather and very hot weather - if it could be anywhere from 60-80 degrees everyday, I'd be a very happy person. 
  6. I'd much prefer flowers over chocolates. Orange lilies are my favorite. (See picture)
  7. I love when I hear certain songs and they trigger specific memories! :-)
  8. I'm absolutely terrified for when the day comes when I have to go to the hospital for the first time and get IVs. 
  9. I love my CF doctor and nurse, Penny, and I don't ever want to move too far away because I never want to go to another clinic. 
  10. My favorite candy bar is Snickers, but I enjoy them in moderation - I'm not a huge chocolate person.
  11. My iPod is orange and my phone case used to be purple, until it broke, now it's just black.
  12. I frequently have dreams where my teeth crumble and fall out - if someone could tell me the meaning behind this I'd greatly appreciate it because it totally freaks me out each time!
  13. I enjoy writing checks, taking care of the bills and being organized, it makes me feel like an adult. :-)
  14. I had a dream last night where I was going somewhere overnight, and two hours into the trip I realized I forgot my Vest! I made whoever was driving me turn around to get it because I kept saying, "I've been compliant for almost 200 days, I can't stop now! We have to go get it!"
  15. I cannot wait for Tim and I to become parents! 

Thursday, February 9, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 22

Day 22 - A letter to someone who has hurt OR made you happy recently


To: Every one of my blog readers, every person who's ever donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, all of my family, friends and co-workers:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all of your love, support, and encouragement! Without each and everyone of you in my life, I'd be a different person and I wouldn't be where I am today. To my blog readers: thanks for all of the comments/encouragement throughout the past year of my blog - it definitely keeps me going to know there are people out there reading (and enjoying) my posts. To anyone who's ever donated to the CFF - you are making my life wonderful! Thanks to all of your donations, I now have Kalydeco as a treatment option for myself (I'll go more into detail about that in another post)! To my family, friends and co-workers: Thank you for listening to me when I complain about my CF, supporting me in my recently goal to be able to start exercising and run a 5K (I think I found one in the summer I want to run! - More about that later, too). Thank you for the continuous encouragement to do my treatments and keep myself healthy, and giving me a reason to live!

From,
A very healthy, thankful, Cyster! :-)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 21

Day 21 - A photo of something that makes you happy 
There are a lot of things that make me happy, but here's one of my favorites:

These are flowers that Tim got me for our one year anniversary when we were dating!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 20

Day 20 - The meaning behind your blog name

Well, the blog started out as "How I Live, Laugh and Love with CF" because I wanted to go off of one of my favorite quotes "Live, Laugh, Love". I wanted to show people out there that it's possible to live a 'normal' life despite having CF and how I make it work. I like to try to mention one of those words in every post to try to tie it in all the time, but it doesn't always work.
After I had the blog for about nine or ten months, I noticed there was a big focus on my CF in the blog (which is what I wanted), but I wanted the title to be something not blatantly "CF". So I played around with some things and came up with *Live*Laugh*Love*Breathe* because not only am I doing the first three all the time, but my other major focus in life is to breathe as deeply and best as I can - I just thought it was very fitting for me. I've grown to absolutely love this phrase and I wish they made things in stores that had "Breathe" tacked on the end of it, too...but Tim says we have enough "live, laugh, love" stuff in the house already! :-)
I always want it to be a constant reminder to myself (and him) that that's what life's about: living life to the fullest everyday, laughing things off and not taking them too seriously - basically, just relax!, loving each other through everything, and breathing deeply & being/staying healthy.

PS: This is my 100th post - I think this is the perfect topic to sum it all up so far! :)

Monday, February 6, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 19

Day 19 - Your reflection in the mirror

This is probably my least favorite day so far because I don't take pictures of myself in the mirror. I have a webcam on my computer that I've never used. I was messing with it this morning while doing my treatments and this is what I could get:
It's all grainy because my Vest was going at the moment, sorry.
Not too bad for 6:00am!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 18

Day 18 - Five things that irritate you
I'm apologizing in advance because it's so long, but I have to explain why these things irritate me.

1) Smoking (of any kind) - I've blogged about this before, but this is something that really irritates me. Now I have a couple friends who smoke, so it's not like I won't talk to someone because they smoke, but it still really drives me crazy that they still do it!
-You were born with a beautiful set of healthy, clear lungs to keep you healthy and last you your entire life. I was born with diseased, mucus-clogged lungs that might only last me thirty, forty or maybe fifty years, then hope that I can get a new pair before they completely fail me.
-You take your healthy lungs for granted and breathe in, by choice, harmful toxins and God-knows what else because you think your cool, or because it makes you feel good, or whatever your reason may be. I do at least an hour of breathing treatments a day and exercise regularly just to keep my lungs from deteriorating any faster.
-Your lungs still could last you until you're in your sixties, seventies or beyond, where you'll still end up with cancer and have to go through some pretty rough treatments, and you might still smoke...My lungs steadily decline while the amount of treatments I do will increase. Eventually I may need a lung (maybe double) transplant where I face the possibility of dying before receiving a transplant, or get another three-ten years out of my new lungs before rejection takes over. Hmm...see why this is a little irritating to me? I know this sounds harsh, but it's the way I see it and it's something I feel very strongly about. Maybe I should have put this in my 'passionate' post.

2) Parents who don't parent, leaving me (the education staff) to deal with their disrespectful children - Since I work in a school, I deal with all different types of children that come from many different backgrounds. It just kills me to see children as young as five who can be so disrespectful. Now before I go too far, all I'm going to say is if you're going to have a child, raise it! Take responsibility! You are the parent, not the teachers/school staff. Sure your children might hate you right now because you're making them do something they don't like, but they'll learn (even if it's years down the road) that it's because you care about them. I gave my parents a heck of a time with my treatments and all that, but looking back I know it was because they were trying to keep me healthy. Don't try to be their friend - you're not! That's why you're called the parent!

3) Changes in my eating routine - Yes, you'll probably think I'm crazy when I explain this to you, but it's true. I get very irritable/crabby when my meal routine is thrown off or when I'm hungry. I have to have cereal or oatmeal every work-day morning for breakfast. If I don't eat, it messes with my blood sugar around 9:30 or 10:00am (I don't have diabetes). If we don't have milk in the fridge, I get uneasy because I like to drink milk with every meal just about. I'm really weird about making sure that my husband and I have equal amounts of food when he makes dinner. I have no idea why I'm like this - the only thing I can think of is because I don't like feeling hungry. Ask my husband about this one and I guarantee you he'll sigh and roll his eyes!

4) When people misuse the words 'your' and 'you're' and spell 'definitely' wrong - Especially when they're education majors/teachers!!! Let me show you the correct way so you know for future reference:
Tonight we are going to your house. Your - it belongs to you
You never told me when you're (you are) coming over. You're - contraction of 'you' and 'are'
Definitely = definite + ly
And just for extra clarity:
The car is over there. There - a place
Their house is blue. Their - it belongs to them
They're in the blue house. They're = contraction of 'they' and 'are'

5) When a really good song comes on the radio right when you have to get out of the car - This one isn't as annoying and intense as the others, but it is one of those things that drives me a little crazy. I love music, as I've mentioned in many posts, and it can really set/change the mood for my day. Usually if I can spare the three minutes, I'll sit in the car and listen to it really loud!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 17

Day 17 - How you hope your future will be like

This post could be so long if I went into detail about what I want my future to be like and everything that I would want to happen, so I'm going to try to put it in a nutshell for you - I want to be happy every day of my life, no matter how long or short it is. I want to laugh everyday of my life, no matter how many days I get. I want to surround myself with people I love and just enjoy the life I was given. I want to keep myself healthy for as long as possible, and I hope that's going to get easier with the new drugs being created. No one is guaranteed a long life, anything can happen, so I hate to think that I have to be cautious just because of my CF. I'd love have children, experience being a mother, and maybe even one day a grandmother. I want to travel and experience other places and people in the world. So my hope for the future is for it to be: fun, enriching, healthy, new and exciting for many years to come. :-)

Friday, February 3, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 16

Day 16 - Describe a passion you have

When I see this, two things come to my mind automatically: 1) Teaching/Education and 2) Spreading awareness of Cystic Fibrosis.

Teaching/Education: I graduated from college with a degree in Elementary Education in 2010 and I have yet to find my first teaching position, but have been a teaching assistant for the past two years. It's not quite the same, but I know that I'm in the right field. I love working with kids everyday whether they're five or ten, special ed. or regular ed., I've worked with them all. I don't refer to my job as 'work', when I say I'm leaving I say that I'm going to school - it just doesn't feel like 'a job'. Yes, some days are tough/hard, but then I think about what I'm doing and how we all have good days/bad days, I try to go back the next day with a better attitude.
I love watching students learn and grow, especially the younger ones because everything is new and exciting to them. I wish I got so excited that I jumped up and down anytime someone understood what I was saying, or because I had a banana in my lunch, or because a staff member is wearing a hockey shirt - they're just so fun!! The absolute best though, is when you know they've been struggling with a concept and then there's that one day when they finally 'get it' and you just watch their face light up! Priceless. I cannot wait to have my own classroom one day so that I can make an impact on more than two students per school year. But until then, I'll just make the best out of what I have and work with the best staff ever!

Spreading Cystic Fibrosis awareness: This is something fairly new that I would say I'm passionate about because I used to only tell the people I was close to about my CF. I never know how people are going to react when they find out about my CF - sometimes they ask questions, sometimes they get that face where you can tell they feel bad for me, sometimes they just nod, walk away and go research it - I think it's different for each person and the situation. Personally, I'm not afraid to answer questions about it when people find out - I'd much rather they ask me than go looking online at worse case scenarios and freaking out and thinking that I'm going to die. Don't tell me you feel sorry for me either - I haven't encountered this one too much before, but sometimes I can just tell by the way people look at me that they kind of feel bad for me - don't. This is something I've lived with my whole life, I don't know any different, plus there are many, many people who are worse of than me, and I'm doing the best I can with what I've got and that's just life.
I've also been really trying to spread awareness of just CF in general. I really don't like that a lot of people don't know what CF is because they've never heard of it. I wish there were commercials on TV promoting awareness, especially around Great Strides season. This is a disease that affects so many people, young and old (yay for the old people!) and it just needs to be brought to attention. Thankfully, with all of the recent drug developments, I think the word is spreading a little more. I hope to be spreading awareness about CF to pretty much anyone I meet (I'm not talking about the cashier at Target or Walmart) but the people that I work with, and all of my family and friends because chances are they'll tell someone else and the chain keeps going and eventually it won't be, "Cystic Fibrosis? What's that?" It'll be "Cystic Fibrosis, oh I work with someone who has that, she's doing so well (or whatever they'd say)."

There are other things that I'd consider myself passionate about including taking care of myself and my relationship with Tim. They kind of go hand in hand because I want to take care of myself so that I can live as long as I can to be with Tim and hopefully have a family. I take care of myself because I have him in my life. He motivates me, whether he realizes it or not, to be the best person I can be each and every day; I love him very much.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 15

Day 15 - Something you don't leave the house without

My enzymes! I can't eat without these because they digest my food for me. Every once in a while I forget if I've taken my enzymes before I eat because it becomes so automatic - you'd think I'd remember, but sometimes I feel like an old person when I'm half way through my meal and I think, "Oh no! Did I take my enzymes?!" Haha. Then usually I just take a couple more to be on the safe side. If I forget to take my enzymes, especially with a high-fat/calorie meal, I'll have pretty severe stomach pains and a trip to the bathroom (sorry, but it's true). So I'd rather take a couple extra than none at all!
I started swallowing my enzymes when I was three or four, but before that my mom had to open the capsule and mix the contents into applesauce so I could take them. I also used to swallow them one at a time for the longest time, but now I take up to six at one time. I take more enzymes with bigger, fattier meals. My mom would always use a little film canister (the black ones with the gray or black lid) to carry my enzymes in her purse. When I was in high school, I used to leave bottles of enzymes at my friends' houses in case I ever forgot to bring some or ran out. So if you ever see me popping pills (especially if it's right before I eat), I'm not on drugs - illegally - I'm just taking my enzymes so I can digest my food. :-)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 14

Day 14 - TV Show (or shows) you're currently addicted to

This show is really awesome! We started watching it last  year and it became addicting really fast! The second season should be starting up again really soon and I'm very excited about it. Basically, it's about a girl, Rosie, who was found murdered, and each episode is a day in the investigation to figure out who killed her. But at the end of every episode, you have a different idea of who you think did it - it's crazy, but very well written. I strongly suggest this one!
Tim got me hooked onto this show. We started watching the first season from the beginning and I wasn't really hooked, but I gave it a shot. The second season is half way through and it's much better than the first. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in zombies ('walkers' as they call them in the show) or even if you don't. I'm not usually a fan of zombie movies/shows, but this one goes beyond that and develops their characters well.
I've watched both seasons of Teen Mom since they first started, and I'm hooked on both. As my cousin described it, "It's like watching a car crash - you can't help but watch." I know a lot of the girls are not the best examples of moms, but I honestly think because it involves children, I watch it. I love kids and I love seeing the kids grow on these shows. And yes, I do get sucked into their drama and I yell at the TV when the moms do stupid things, but I just can't help it.  It's a guilty pleasure :-)












I also enjoy a good (nasty) episode of Hoarders (preferably the A&E version) from time to time. We also watch a lot of crime shows on the ID station. I love Law & Order:SVU, Criminal Minds and 48 Hours Mystery. And I have to admit, sometimes I enjoy watching gun shows with Tim. As much as I hate guns and would probably never touch one, I really like the show Sons of Guns and I've watched One Man Army several times. And finally, our newest show that we watch is Ink Master which is a reality show to find the 'best tattoo artist' where they have challenges and eliminations every week. It's really interesting to see how much work/detail/art goes into every tattoo and how they get critiqued every week. Makes me a little nervous to get a tattoo because I'm afraid I'll start getting really picky the more I watch this show!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 13

Day 13 - A few of your favorite quotes, mottos, or verses

I previously did an entire post of quotes that I like, so several of these may be repeats from that, but I'll share a few of my favorites.

Obviously one of my favorites is 'Live, Laugh, Love' and I've added 'Breathe' to the end of that for this blog. It's also something I'd like to eventually get a tattoo of, but I'm trying to figure out where to place it on my body that's professional yet where I can still see it. (Any ideas would be appreciated).

"You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it." - Unknown
Sometimes when CF gets tough, or just life in general, I need to remind myself of this quote because I think it is absolutely true!

"Do what makes you happy, 
Be with who makes you smile
Laugh as much as you breathe
And love as long as you live." - Unknown
This one is similar to 'live, laugh, love' but I still really enjoy it. Again, another thing to keep in your mind to keep yourself happy.

'It means no worries for the rest of your days' :-)
"Those who have a reason 'why' to live, can bare with almost any 'how'." - Victor Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning - Yes, it's tough living with CF sometimes, but I have many amazing people/opportunities/reasons to live, so I suck it up and make the most out of my life!
This was a book I read in high school and I've always kept this quote in mind. I'd really like to read the book again. I remember I enjoyed it, but I think it might have a different meaning to me several years later.

And finally: ------->

Monday, January 30, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 12

Day 12 - Your current relationship status

Well, as you all know, I am very happily married! :-) We've been married for one year, three months, and three weeks now and it's been great. Tim is a wonderful husband - he's very supportive and he makes me laugh all the time! And because you haven't seen enough wedding photos from my other wedding blogs (here and here), here's one more.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

30 Days of Blogging: Day 11

Day 11 - What's in your make-up bag/purse
Well, I'm not a big make-up person, so everything in there is probably really old and is rarely used. Now my purse, on the other hand, is full of crap all the time! I hate carrying a purse - if I didn't have to carry my enzymes with my everywhere, I would love to never carry a purse. But since I have to have it with me pretty much everywhere I go, I fill it with anything/everything. Yesterday, I went down with some family to Tim's cousin's fifth birthday party, so my purse is even extra full this morning.

  • Wallet
  • Keys
  • Bottle of enzymes
  • Snacks (an apple and cheese & crackers - for the four hour round trip we had yesterday. It's not very unusual for me to have a snack or two in there even if I'm not traveling.)
  • The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (also for the car ride)
  • $0.20
  • Several receipts 
  • A coupon for Johnsonville Brats
  • Chapstick
  • Little pack of tissues
  • Little notepad
  • A purple pen, a blue pen and a mechanical pencil
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Tweezers
  • My watch