Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thankful Thursday: Forced Change & Adult CF Doc

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for forced change. With Ronnie in the hospital we are forced to change things up a bit. Flying solo all day each day with Mckenna forces me to get creative. The result? Chasing sunrises. Each morning we have jumped in the car or stroller and "chased the sunrise". Mckenna believes we are going to the edge of the earth (I may or may not have led her to believe that). We get out and admire the sky. "God made that!" She exclaims each morning with delight. "Kenna sleep. Then wake up. God made that!" I haven't let on the order of events actually went: God made that, lots and lots of time elapsed, Kenna born, Kenna sleep, Kenna wake up, it's still there. I'm also waiting to break the news that the edge of the earth is actually just down the block and the earth is round.

I'm thankful for the joy children unknowingly spread. My grandpa is trying out living here for a month. We went to his retirement home yesterday afternoon for a visit. I knew it would brighten his day. I knew it would likely make some of his neighbors smile. I didn't realize, however, just how much joy it would bring some of them. One woman in the hall that stopped to chat said, "oh my mother loves babies". I offered to pay her mother a visit. The women led us to her mother...Who was in some locked down area in the (lack of) memory wing. There we met Miss Barbara. With tears in her eyes she told us we "made her life" (maybe an exaggeration, but incredible none the less). She asked us not to leave and obviously didn't want to let go of Mckenna's hand. After chatting for a few minutes and me having Mckenna perform like a seal, Mckenna gave Miss Barbara a hug and she cried again. I have a feeling we will be visiting Miss Barbara frequently. Funny how kids can provide so much joy and never know it.

I'm thankful for ding dong ditch. Mckenna is doing a random act of kindness each day (like an advent calendar but with random acts). Yesterday we made cookies for our neighbor, "uncle rob". Teaching the art of ringing and running was simply hilarious and endearing. To hear Mckenna recount how we did it is priceless. I'm thankful I get to teach her things like that.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for a new adult CF doc who is as proactive as I am. Just recently, a new doc who actually wants to take care of with adults with CF started at my hospital. She seems very eager to learn, and more importantly, gives credit to the patient for knowing their disease and wants to learn from them. She's been involved with medicine for a long time and just recently got involved in the CF space. I look forward to working with her.

I'm thankful for direct streaming online. The Hole doesn't have all of the channels that I'm used to watching at home (namely, channels that the Wildcats play on), but thanks to online streaming, I don't have to miss a game. Quality isn't as good, but it's certainly better than missing the entire thing!!

I'm thankful for a daughter who still thinks of Daddy when I'm away. That's all.

What about you? What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

We Went Dark!

We went dark! Whoopsie daisy! We got so caught up in being thankful over the Thanksgiving long weekend that we forget to get online and share life with all of you. Have no fear, we are back now, to bore you more than over :)

We filled the holiday weekend with friends and family. It was glorious. There is no better time spent than with the people we love. Some of the highlights of the weekend include:

- Spending Thanksgiving with both of our families. We split Thanksgiving this year. We had one meal with Ronnie's extended family…all the aunts, cousins, siblings, etc. Just as we usually do. And as per usual, it was amazing. We then headed to my parents' house to spend the evening with my brother and sister in law, my parents, and my sister in law's parents. This was a rare treat. My parents have been living in Asia for the last 5 Thanksgivings, so I haven't gotten to share Thanksgiving with them. It was a great reminder of what a blessing it is to have them back in Arizona full time.
- Spending time with friends. On Saturday we spent the afternoon and evening with one of Ronnie's childhood friends and his wife and son. It was so much fun to catch up with them and to watch Mckenna play with their son. They are great people, amazing friends and incredible parents. Time with that is such a joy and we really need to spend more time together.
- And lastly, but perhaps most incredible, my grand father is now in Arizona as of yesterday. He has lived in Lancaster, PA for the last…well…forever. And he's now our in Arizona to see if he'd like to move out here. Right now he is giving it a go for a month, but if we play our cards right, we may be blessed to have one of the most amazing men in the world living close by. He is such an incredible man and is such a great grandpa, that I would love Mckenna to get to know him even better by having him close by. We will see if he decides to stay for good, but for now, I'm just thankful for a month with him!

Thanksgiving is such a great time to sit back and think about all that we are blessed with. The holiday season in general is a great time of reflection and appreciation. I for one am so excited that the holiday season is upon us and so thankful for all that we have been blessed with this year!