Thankful Thursday: Goofy Discoveries & Opportunities

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 goofy discoveries. Mckenna has found her tongue - big time. She now moves her tongue in and out of her mouth while she chatters, while she's just sitting, while she's playing. She like to babble and move it. She likes to use it to make a smacking sound. And we're not talking she barely sticks it out...she REALLY sticks it out. It's so adorable and I love it.

I'm thankful there is Easter. The real meaning of Easter can be overlooked by focusing on bunnies and colored eggs. But I'm thankful for what Easter celebrates. I'm thankful the God of the universe sent His only son, to die on the cross for my sins. So I may be made pure and spend eternity with Him. I'm so thankful!

I'm thankful for family. We had a fun family celebration for Easter. We went to Ronnie's Aunt's house with his whole extended family. We always have a fun time all together!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful that we were able to celebrate Easter with so much family around. I have a very large extended family so it's nothing new, but what is new, is seeing the joy in their eyes when they're around Mckenna. It's just so endearing and sweet to watch them hold her and to see Mckenna's process of looking over new faces.

I'm thankful for our cast-iron Dutch oven. We were able to use it for the first time last night and we made some Corned Beef Irish Stew. Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm. The meat was so tender that you could cut it with your pinky finger and the natural broth the resulted from boiling the meat along with potatoes, carrots and cabbage was amazing.

I’m thankful for opportunities. Opportunities come in many shapes and sizes, and I'm thankful for every single one of them. Particularly, I'm thankful for the upcoming opportunities to meet several people in the CF community that I have so far, only communicated with via email and Facebook. 

So, what are you thankful for today?

Dear 16-year-old-me

Hey Ronnie,

So I've been thinking a lot about you lately and I wanted to write you a quick note based on some things I've learned over the past 16 years. You see, I'm 32 now and have now doubled you in age. I'm not saying that I'm twice as smart, but I'm definitely at least twice as wise and then some. I would be remiss if I didn't share some things with you as you embark on the post-16-year-old journey that you're about to start.

First, let's talk about some things that you're doing right...

I know you don't take school very seriously, but I'm proud of you for not letting your grades slip. You'll be in college soon, and as a result of those good grades, you'll be able to save your folks some money. They can't afford to be shelling out college tuition along with paying for your little brothers private education. And you may not think about it now, but at some point, you'll be able to share the GPA with your future daughter.

I love your commitment to sports. You're a competitor just like me and I see how it fuels you in life, on the field and in the classrooms. I know that you're playing sports because you love them, but I'm telling you know, it's going to pay off in ways that you can't even grasp right now. So, stick with it, give it your all, and know that the memories you're making now with teammates with last with you forever.

And finally, I know this is something that you rarely think about, but good job on your treatments. Now, it's not entirely up to you as I understand it, but know that your mom is doing what she believes is best for you, and guess what, she's right. You're building up a baseline health right now that I promise you'll be thankful for in the future. Sometimes, it's not even about your lungs or about the treatments, it's about establishing what's important in your life and what's not. You're mom realizes that treatments are important, and even if you don't at the moment, you will when you're my age.

With that in mind, let's talk about some of the mistakes I made when I was your age with the hope that you won't repeat my offenses...

Speaking of your mom, don't give her such a hard time. Don't you realize that every decision she's made for the last 16 years has been because of you?? There are things that she wishes she could have done, or extra money that I'm sure she would have wanted to spend on herself, but she didn't - it all went to you. She loves you and your brothers more than you'll ever know and the amount of sacrifice she's given to the family will never be able to be repaid. But, with that said, you can start by acting like you love her instead of just saying it.

You need to be nicer to people. I know you think that you stick up for those less fortunate and knock other people down "a few pegs" who you think deserve it, but in reality, it's not your job to knock those people down. Approach them like a man and get to know them and just maybe you'll see what makes them tick. Right now, you're just being a boy who gets the approval and laughs from your friends by being mean to others. That's not right and that's certainly not what God would want you to do.

Speaking of God, get to know Him for yourself. Right now, the only reason you know Him is because your parents make you "know" Him. Your walk with God isn't about going to church; it isn't about praying; and it isn't about telling people that you're a Christian. He wants nothing more than to develop a relationship with you that's real and personal. All of that other stuff is important, but none of it holds a candle to actually knowing the heart of your Lord and Savior. When that happens, you can't help but have it bleed over to other areas of your life. Pursue Him, He's waiting.

I know it sounds like I'm harping on you a bit, but it's only because I love you. You're a good boy right now, but I think you can be an even better man. I know that's in your heart and I look forward to watching you grow.

Oh, and one more thing, break up with your girlfriend. You're wasting your time. God's already created the perfect woman for you, but you won't meet her until you're 28. I know it sounds like a long time from now, but you're going to need 12 years to become the man of her dreams.

Sincerely,
32-year-old Ronnie

**This post was inspired by the WEGO Health Blog Challenege

Disappointed in...

I had a clinic appointment yesterday as a 6 week follow-up from being in the Hole. I didn't go into it thinking my PFTs were going to be awesome, but I didn't think they would be bad either. I was right. And sometimes, I hate being right.

There were a couple reasons I thought this:

Mckenna came down with Influenza A a couple of weeks ago, and although I avoided the full on flu, I definitely developed a cough that still hasn't gone away.

I was particularly tight yesterday. I'm not sure if it was because of dust in the air or some other environmental factor, but it definitely wasn't "just CF". My cough is generally fairly dry, but yesterday it was tight and dry. Glenda could hear it in my cough and was not at all surprised by my numbers.

Those are pretty good reasons for my lower lung functions, but, and this is a big butt, I mean but, those were in no way the biggest contributing factor to my lower lung function.What those are are excuses. They just happen to feel a little better cause it happened to be out of my control. They'd be reasons if I didn't know this...


The biggest reason my lung functions were down was because, get this, because of me. 

I've been doing a really good job at getting all of my treatments and then some in each and every day. I have however only been doing an average at best job getting in all of my workouts. Now, I'm active everyday without fail because of the many walk we take with Mckenna, but that's just simply not enough for me. If I expect good lung function, I have to do more.

I can't settle for only running 2-3 times this week like I have the previous month. I can't go to the gym only 2-3 times a week and expect my FEV1 to increase. Some people out there may do great with that amount of work, but for me, it's not enough.

How do I know? Because I've put in way more work in the past and have had way better results. It's not the lung functions that I'm so much disappointed in, which by the way were 67% down from 74%, I'm disappointed in my focus and effort. 

I know I can do more. I know my priorities have been shifted over the last month or so. I know that I was more worried about running being hard than I was about the results. I was focused more on how tired I was rather than how much more energy I feel when I'm consistent with my runs. I thought about how cruddy my lungs felt before the run and not how great they feel after. I was focused on all of the wrong stuff.

When it comes down to it, it's not about me. It's not about how I feel. It's not about what I think. 

It's about them. It's about the two people on this planet that keep me going. It's about the commitment I made to my wife. It's about the commitment I'll make to my daughter when she's old enough to hold me accountable.

I know what I need to do. Now I just have to do it.

I need to remind myself every day that it's not about me, it's about what I do, and who I do it for.

Easter Basket Photoshoot

We decided to have a little fun with Mckenna's first Easter basket. We are certainly not professional photographers, but we figured we could set up a white sheet, put her on it with her first Easter Basket, point, and shoot. Here are some of our favorites:

What's a Haiku?

Todays prompt from the WEGO Health Bog Challenge is...

Write a haiku about your health focus. 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables. Write as many as you like.

Consider I still don't know what a haiku is even after reading that explanation, please give me a few moments to make sure I'm doing this right....


Okay, I think I got it, here it goes. Not sure if the are supposed to rhyme or not:


The heat of the sun
Is upon my wrinkled face
Where did my hat go?


My left lung is tight
My right one feels just alright
Treatments please, no fight


Mckenna my girl
Amanda my rock and wife
Blessed be my life


Arizona hot
Underside of pillow cold
At least I am told


Alright sleepy time
Eyes heavy, not one more rhyme
Maybe you leave haiku?

Thankful Thursday: 7pm & SleepEasy Solution

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 a 7 o'clock bedtime for Mckenna. We start putting Mckenna down at 7PM every night...and I LOVE IT. We were putting her down at 10 and then moved it to 9 and then 8 (over the course of the last few months). And with starting her bedtime routine an hour before bedtime, it would "ruin" dinner time. It really threw off trying to make dinner, eat, etc and then we didn't have much "us" time. But with a 7PM bedtime, we can eat after she goes down and have time just us in the evening. The best part is she is a very happy girl going to bed then. Win-win situation all around.

I'm thankful for the book The SleepEasy Solution. I'll write a whole blog on this later, but for now I'll just say that this may be the single best book I've ever read, and may save my sanity and get both me and Mckenna more sleep at night. We are three nights into the method and it has worked like a charm. (One quick note - if you're against a little crying for a baby, please don't tell me. It took a lot of back and forth and reading to work into being willing to give this a try, and I don't think I can take a bunch of angry comments...ha!)

I'm thankful for a hubby who does it all. I hate doing laundry. Ok, I shouldn't say laundry. I don't mind the act of putting it into the washer and switching it to the dryer, but I HATE folding laundry. So often I do laundry, and it just sits in the dryer or laundry baskets for days...sometimes weeks (I know, embarrassing). This weekend Ronnie did several loads of laundry and folded that all. WAHOO!! I can't think of a sweeter thing for my hubby to do around here. 

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful that Mckenna's bedtime is now earlier. We used to put Mckenna down anywhere between 830 and 930 for much of her first 6 months on this planet. Lately however, we've been putting her down at 7pm. This calls for us to start her bedtime routine much earlier which cuts into the daylight hours BUT it gives Mandi and I a couple hours each night to just hang out with each other. Every morning that I wake up, I start counting down the time to those couple precious one-on-one hours.

I'm thankful for a growing garden. This is the first year that I ever tried planting seeds and so far, so good. Everything has sprouted and seems to be getting bigger every time I journey out that way (which is a few times a day). I'm still trying to get the watering down, but in due time, I'm sure it will come. It's always trial and error when it comes to watering anything in this desert heat.

I’m thankful for second-hand stores. Mandi and I picked up another jogging stroller this week after I backed over our first jogging stroller with our car. Whoops. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but I actually managed to bend the frame in on itself. We plan on getting it fixed if the cost isn't too high, but int the mean time, we're so thankful that we stumbled across a jogging stroller at a second-hand place. Mckenna loves it and has been taking many of her afternoon naps while touring the neighborhood. 

So, what are you thankful for today?

I Write About My Health Because.....

Oh, that's easy, because I don't want others out there to be an idiot like me.

For those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning know the full story about how this blog came to be, but for those of you who have recently come on board, let me give you recap:

I was a "sick" kid.
I became healthier through living a very normal life which included a lot of sports.
I always did 2 treatments a day, rain or shine, everyday of my life from ages 0 - 20.
I had over 100% lung function in high school largely due to my commitment to treatments and sports.
I moved out of the home when I was 20.
I no longer did two treatments a day everyday rain or shine.
I would do one treatment a day everyday rain or shine and two if "I had time".
I no longer was active everyday in sports or the gym.
My hospital stays increased.
My lung function declined.
I blamed it on CF.
I wasn't willing to adjust "me" because I wanted to "live life".
I continued making stupid choices.
I continued putting other things such as a social life, work, friends, vacations above my health.
My lung function continued to decline.
My hospital stays continued to increase.
I continued to "not let CF control me".
I almost died.
I "woke up".
I looked in the mirror.
I realized that in fact I was contributing to my decline in health.
I reflected on the days that I had higher lung function.
I found a common thread.
I always did treatments and I was active.
I started a blog to hold myself accountable.
I adjusted.
I started to do 4 treatments a day.
I started to run.
I started to go to the gym.
I put my health as my number one priority.
My lung function increased.
My hospital stays decreased.
I got married.
I had a baby.
I continue to do my treatments.
I'm still active.
Not only has my lung function increased, but my "life function" has as well.
I'm still adjusting.
I still blog about it.

Get it? Got it? Good! So why do I write about my health? Because I'd like to see other avoid the middle part of my life. I'd like others to learn some life lessons from my story instead of having to learn through the pain and trashed lungs that I had to learn through. I'd like to give others the sense of power and control that I feel over this disease.

I started this blog thinking that no one would be interested in my story. That no one would really care what I was doing everyday to get back to the "old me". I started this blog because I knew I needed to change. I knew I needed to do my treatments each day, everyday for the rest of my life. I knew I needed to challenge myself physically like never before. I started this blog because I needed an accountability partner. I started this blog for you. I started this blog for me.

I started this blog hoping to impact just one life in a positive way.

I've done that, my own.

Now, I'm hoping to impact two.

If I Had One Superpower

Mandi and I are doing our best to take part in the WEGO Health Blog Challenge this month. It's actually pretty simple, they send topics, we write on them. Mandi did a great blog yesterday about her favorite inspiring quote and today it's my turn to be prompted. So here it is...

If you had a superpower - what would it be? How would you use it?

I can only pick one??? Well, first I guess I should tell you about the ones that came to mind, but I eliminated and why.

Flying - Flying would be cool, but if I was the only one with the superpower, then I'd be doing a lot of waiting too. Why you ask? Well, if I was flying to meet up with friends at dinner, I'd either have to wait at my house to leave or wait at the restaurant for them t get there. Plus, when I fly, I like to zone out. I wouldn't be able to zone out if I have to look out for birds, planes and other objects in the air. Being "on my toes" the entire time would take a lot of the joy out of flying for me.

Invisible - I can see some various perks to being invisible (like being a "fly on the wall"), but I just can't get over the fact that it just seems a bit creepy to me. Even if I was invisible in a totally "non-creepy" place, the fact that no one else can see me is still, well, creepy.

Telepathy - This one would be easier for me to handle than being invisible, plus I could gather much of the same information as I would if no one could see me. Problem is, do I really want to know what everyone else is thinking? Probably not. And if I wasn't convinced before, I was after watching the movie What Women Want.

So that leads me to the actual superpower that I would choose...Seeing into the future. I'm assuming that's a super power right? Well, if it's not, I'm making it one. I could pretty much accomplish anything I wanted to with being able to see into the future that I could with being invisible or telepathic and then some. Some people don't want to know that future, but I'm not one of them. I don't think I would be negatively impacted. I could be wrong, but I'm not going to think about it too hard since this is all make believe anyway.

So how would I use it? Well, it depends if I could change the future or not. If I could, then I would probably do my best to be the world police and stop much of the heartache that happens as a result of crime away. I would also use it for financial gain. Could you imagine knowing what the stock market will look like 6 months from now? How about the next lottery numbers? The thing is, if I could see ONE day into the future at random, I could change the lives of many, many people around me.

I guess for me it all comes down to this: I've just heard way more people say "If only I would have known" rather than, "I'm glad I didn't see this coming."

What about you? What would be your superpower and how would you use it? If you write a blog about this, let me know so I can check it out!

Your Body; A Machine

Do you ever have those things that someone says to you that really stick with you? They maybe said something that wasn't even meant to be impactful or it could have been said in passing, but for some reason it stick with you?

I had a soccer coach once, that was a huge jerk. He was just plain mean. But he said something once that has stuck with me for over 10 years, and I use it to fuel myself at least once a week while I'm working out. During a pre-season practice, we were running suicides. In typical high school girl fashion, many of us were complaining about how hot it was and how we couldn't go on. He looked at us and said, "Girls, your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." And then I'm sure went on to chew us out and belittle us...he was a major jerk :)

But those few words have been etched into my being at this point. During a run, when I feel like my legs are jelly and I simply can't go any farther, I say to myself, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." When I was in labor and getting ready to push, scared I said to myself, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." When I'm running with Ronnie and he looks like he wants to die, I say to him, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it" (which I'm sure he just loves to hear when he's pulling for air).

I love everything about this quote and what it means. My body is a crazy awesome machine. Most machines were made to do a simple tasks or a series of tasks. Those machines, once made, can't add new skills, get better, change what they do. But my body can. My body was made to adapt to the stresses put on it. When I run an extra mile, my body makes changes so the next time that extra mile will be easier. When I lift heavier weights, my body builds more muscle to accommodate for that weight. Everyone's body is like this. Some people's bodies take longer to adapt or are slower to improve, but everyone's body was built to adapt to the stresses put on it...so everyone can improve! I love that. I love knowing I can push my body and it will adjust to make it easier for me.

Do you have a quote that you've heard that sticks with you over the years that inspires you? Pass it along, I need more fuel for my self talk during workouts!

Mckenna Sitting

Rapid Fire Questions

What are the goals of an online community?

To show that there are others out there who are walking in your shoes. It's also good to seek the opinions of those who have "been there" to see how it lines up with the opinion of someone who has not (ie medical professional)

What purpose does it serve for you personally?

I love meeting and talking to mommas in the CF community and places like Facebook and CysticLife.org are great places to do that. I'm convinced that a successful CF life starts with the parents, so I try to get to them as soon as I can.


What are your greatest strengths?

I believe that God gave me the ability to step back and look at the ways that I contribute to outcomes that I may not like so much. Personal responsibility, in my opinion, is one of the greatest assets to a successful (CF) life. I would also say that my ability to stay calm would be a strength. I don't overreact. I don't waste energy on emotion, I put it towards action.

What are the resources you rely on the most?

I rely solely on the Lord my God for my strength, peace and attitude. Without Him, I would completely fail at this life.


How does your health and CF affect you economically?

Being hospitalized as much as I have has certainly limited my job pool. I've chosen to put my health above all else, while others may choose to put their career above their health. There are also the extra costs associated with meds and hospital stays that others may not have to endure.

And how does it affect other relationships in your life if at all?

I'm sure that other in my life worry about me slightly more than they worry about others, but if anything, having this disease has strengthened my relationships. It's taught me to value what's truly lasting and important. It's also shaped me into the man that my wife fell in love with.


If any of you ever have a question out there, any question, send it my way!!!

Thankful Thursday: Quality Time & Green Grass

**Workout challenge - Do 30 minutes of your most enjoyable active activity today. That could be walking, running, skipping, jumping, lifting, etc. Enjoy!!

______________

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 quality time. Last night after Mckenna went to bed, Ronnie and I sat up and had coffee and baked together. It was such a great way to spend a few hours together. I love my hubby and I love reconnecting!

I'm thankful for a growing baby. I looked at Mckenna this morning and was shocked by how big she looked. Crazy!! It goes so fast and I'm so thankful she's so healthy and happy. I think it's very possible she's going to be ornery, but I'll take happy and healthy AND ornery any day!

I'm thankful for a hard working husband. Ronnie works every day to be healthy. I'm so thankful he works so hard to take care of himself. I don't think I'd be able to do 3-4 treatments a day and workout day in and day out, but I'm appreciative that he does that for us :)

Ronnie's List:

I'm so thankful that Grandma and Uncle Grant were able to spend some "quality" time together this past weekend. I only qualify quality because Mckenna screamed her head off almost the entire time that we were away, but, it was still time spent together :) Of course they were also able to enjoy her when we were around and she was much more of the sweet little angel that we have come to know.

I'm thankful for green grass. I grew up with typical Arizona landscape which included a lot of rock and no grass. Until moving into our home, I had never taken care of a yard, much less a grass filled yard. It's taken me two years to get it down, but I finally managed to keep our grass lush and green through the winter. Now that summer is approaching, I hope my research pays off during the warmer months.

I’m thankful for birthdays and anniversaries. My step-dad Mark celebrated his 62nd birthday yesterday while my brother-in-law and his wife celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary. They all play a very important and special role in my life and I was so happy for each of them to reach their particular milestones. Here's to 63 and 3!!

So, what are you thankful for today?

The PFT Game

Lauren over at I Have CF...So What?! posted a great blog today about PFTs - what they are and how she did. We often hear that we can't recover lung function once it's gone. Oh yeah? Don't tell that to Lauren.

Here's an excerpt from her blog and I would highly encourage you to head on over there to read the rest...

It's been a while since my last blog, mostly due to the fact that I saved all of my homework over spring break for AFTER spring break, leaving me a nice week of relaxation, followed by a week of hectic homework and studying. Now that I have some free time I can finally write my blog about how incredible my PFT's were 2 weeks ago. 

First of all I'm gonna take a second to explain exactly what PFTs are because lots of my friends and family are familiar with them, but I've never really explained them in depth. The machine (which is now portable and is just hooked up to a laptop), involves a tube, a mouthpiece, and a device to measure the volume inhaled and exhaled in the lungs. I am given a pair of nose-clips to ensure I don't breathe out of my nose at all. Usually the PFT tech will ask me if I prefer being coached to which I always reply YES. For some reason, I like to have a cheerleader when doing my test. The testing starts with "easy breathing" for which little blips show up on the computer screen. I am then enthusiastically told to take a "BIG BREATH IN" and quickly blow as forcefully and quickly as I can. And then the PFT tech usually says something like "push push push push all the way out come onnnn, litttle mooooore" until I'm red in the face and I watch a little dial on the screen go all the way around like a speedometer. I then take a minute to catch my breath for another round. During the next round, the computer measures how I'm doing in comparison to the last one, so a little ticker will increase up to 100 and then turn green, meaning I beat my last result. This is very exciting to see and makes doing PFTs feel like a game, as I get more and more pleased with my results.

Click here to read what exactly PFTs measure and how Lauren "blew the box off" of her latest test!


Great job cyster!!!

3 Major Needs in the CF Community

**Workout challenge - 30 minute walk
_______________


I was asked this question the other day and I thought it would be appropriate to share my answer over here as well...


What are 3 major needs as a whole you see within the CF community?

Exposure to the good stories. We're constantly assaulted by so many stories about death, sadness, transplants at an early age, etc that I think it's time someone focuses on only exposing the positive things that those is our community are doing every day. 


To me, there's a big difference between being "real" and being "realistic". Yes, everything that happens in someone else's life in the community is in fact real, but is it realistic for you? Well that depends on the person. A lot of stories we here about others make it seem as if they had no control and CF was going to do whatever it wanted. Again, may have been the case for them, but I assure you that has never been the case for me and many, many others in this community. Many of us have more control over this thing than even we give ourselves credit for. Each and everyone of us can make the choice to make daily decisions to put ourselves in the best position to succeed. Generally, those of us who do well with that strategy have MANY more good days than bad. We're athletes, doctors, lawyers, stay-at-home moms, dads, husbands, college students and teachers.


There are PLENTY of good things out there in this community that never get talked about - I'm doing my best to change that. 

Insurance. Insurance or matters of insurance continue to be a big need in any medical community that needs it. Some of the issues are because of the system, some are because of a lack of education and some are simply others putting their own agenda ahead of the need for insurance.


I'll be the first to say that I've been blessed to have great insurance my entire life. But, it must also be pointed out that my mom didn't run out and get the job that she enjoyed the most when I was diagnosed with CF, she ran out and got the job with the best insurance. Is it "fair" that she would have to place insurance needs before career goals? No, but that's the way it was, so she played the hand she was dealt.


Before Mandi and I got married, she applied to every job under the sun that had good insurance. Sure, there were plenty of jobs she would have rather done, but those jobs wouldn't have come with the benefits that we needed. 


This CF life is all about choices. Unfortunately, there are times when what we want to do for ourselves, isn't what's best for what we need to do for our families.

Parenting skills. It saddens me to see some of the decisions that these parents make with their children. Successful parenting often results in a successful CF life, but unfortunately, the inverse of that is also true. Now, there are certainly exceptions to that rule, but as I said above, it's all about being in the best position to succeed. Sadly, I've seen plenty of parents in this community hold their children back way more than CF ever would.


We're often a direct reflection of our parents. The way they walk, the way they talk, the way they act, and yes, even the way they think. If you as a parent are embarrassed of this disease and think it should be a secret only for a select few, than most likely your child will see it as a scarlet letter as well. Can you imagine that? Walking around with this big secret as a kid that isn't going away anytime soon. That would be terrible. Yet, I still see it happening to this day. 


Parents yell at their children for not doing treatments as they sit on the couch drinking a beer. They tell their kids to stop complain, yet piss and moan about their day at work. Be what you want to see. Model the good behavior that you hope to get from your kids. Think health and taking care of yourself is important for your kids? Then make sure that's it's just as important for you as well!! Want your kid to embrace this disease and do what they have to do to succeed? Then smile everyday and make it clear to them that you'll be there every step of the way, and make any sacrifice that you need to in order for them to kick some CF booty!


It must be noted that having good parenting skills is not exclusive to the CF community, however, the stakes may be a little bit higher.



So what do you think? Agree or disagree? What would you add to the list?

Separation Anxiety At Its (Not So) Finest

Two of our dear friends go married on Saturday (Congrats Bryan and Shay). We decided to leave Mckenna at home and Grandma (Ronnie's mom) was nice enough to drive up from Tucson to babysit for the day, spend the night, and then head back down to Tucson Sunday. Ronnie's brother, Grant, also came along, in case reinforcements were needed...and boy were reinforcements needed!

I was a bridesmaid, so I took off for the wedding venue to get ready with all the girls around 9AM. Ronnie spent the morning with Mckenna and then headed out for the wedding around 3:30PM. When Ronnie left...the wheels totally came off the wagon. Mckenna began to cry. They said she pretty much just cried and looked around for us...ALL DAY LONG. She stopped crying to drink minimal amounts of milk, take two 30-minute naps, and for a few minutes at a time when they could distract her just enough. But as soon as she'd look at them, and realize it wasn't one of us, she'd lose it again. Finally around bedtime, after crying through her bath (she never cried during bath time...bath time is her favorite) we told Grandma (after receiving a text saying she won't stop crying) to just give her as much of the bottle as she'll take, swaddle her, lay her down, turn off the monitor and watch TV. Luckily she was looking forward to bedtime just as much as Grandma and Grant were. As soon as she was swaddled she relaxed, and she went down no problem.

Poor Grandma and Grant. A crying baby, let alone a crying baby for HOURS ON END, can really start to wear on you. Apparently someone (cough cough Mckenna) needs a little dose of reality and we need to get out of the house more. I now just can't decided who our next victim will be that we'll leave her with. Ah..what to do? What to do?

Sleep Fight: Daddy vs Baby

Thankful Thursday: Snuggles & Sprouts

**Workout challenge: I decided to switch things up a bit and just focus on arms. I challenged myself with more weight and did 3 sets of 15 for the following: Barbell Curls, Hammer Curls, Rope Curls, Machine Curls, Forearm Curls, Triangle Tricep Extension, Overhead Tricep Extension, Rope Tricep Extension, Close-grip Chest Press. Also if you have time, get in a 30 minute walk!

You certainly don't have to attempt to complete that entire workout, but I would encourage you to do something active today for 30 minutes!!

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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 snuggles....even if they're in the night. Mckenna is back at it. She's up every few hours in the night to eat. Who knows why! She's been sick, so maybe that's contributing. She's not eating much during the say, so maybe that's contributing. She's a baby, so maybe that's contributing? Ha! But I have decided to change my frustration for thankfulness. She won't want me in the night for very long. One day, she'll sleep through the night and not look for her momma to snuggle her and nourish her. And while that day will mean more sleep, I'm sure I'll look back in 10 years and think, "aw she was so sweet and snuggly in the night as we drowsily nursed together. I miss that." So I'm just going to embrace it. She'll only fit in my arms for so long.

I'm thankful for coffee. I think after my first paragraph, my love for coffee needs no explanation! I look forward to my dose of caffeine in the morning after a long night with my hungry monster. 

I'm thankful for new developments. Mckenna is sitting up all on her own. She started doing this while Ronnie was in the hospital. But now she doesn't even need to use her hands (like a tripod). She will play with toys while sitting. She'll reach for things and alternate hands grabbing them. It is so fun to see her sitting like a big girl! I can't believe she's already 5 months (and 5 days) old!

Ronnie's List:

I'm so thankful for clear blue skies. We had one day of overcast and rain here this week and it just made me appreciate our clear blue skies even more. Yeah, I don't mind the rain once in a while and even cloudy days are cool once in a blue moon, BUT my body definitely doesn't dig it. I can tell before I get out of bed whether or not it's rainy or cloudy. I feel it in my bones as they say and it's so much tougher to get going. There's no doubt that Arizona is the place to be for me!!

I'm thankful for the first little sprouts of the spring season. As I said last week, we got the garden planted and are now just awaiting the arrival of all of the fresh goodness. I'm happy to report that just yesterday we saw our first sprouts of the season. The winner? Our carrots! The green leaves are barely poking through the soil, but it was such a thrill to go out there and see progress.

I’m thankful for a sleeping baby. It's not that I don't think that Mckenna is the cutest thing in the world when she's awake, but I seriously just want to eat her up when she's asleep. She looks SO peaceful and beautiful. I often catch myself marveling at what God has provided when I watch her rocking back and forth in her swing while her little chest moves up and down with each breath.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Fill to be Filled

Have you ever noticed how fulfilled you feel when giving your time to someone or something less fortunate? There was a time when I wondered what in the heck I was going to do for the rest of my life (like I'm sure most of us do) and generally it would end with something sports related or in a field that made a bunch of money. Problem was, I was looking at careers that would fill me and make me happy (so I thought). I wish I would have realized sooner that the only way to feel full in this life is to live a life that is filling to others.

My word of advice to anyone who feels empty or like "something is missing" is to volunteer and give of your time with no expectation of a return. The greatest times of my life are in service to others. Don't know where to start? Opportunities won't always fall right into your lap, but there are people all around you that need help. You just have to be willing to keep an open eye out for that person or situation and be ready to join and fulfill that need at a moments notice. If you're anything like me, your opportunity may come out of nowhere.

I used to have a hardened heart for the homeless. I would say "life is choices" when I saw someone begging on the street. It wasn't until God softened my heart and called me to serve at a homeless shelter that I started to see things a different way. Yeah, life is still made up of choices, and many times the homeless make terrible decisions that land them in their current situation, but, it's deeper than that. Their story isn't as black and white as I used to think it was. Sure, they made bad choices, but all that did was make them have something in common with me.

I've made terrible choices as well. The difference is that I've had people in my life that were willing to pick me up when I was down or be by my side to see me through a mistake that I had made. One thing I learned about many of the homeless - they had no one. They were one mistake away from being homeless. So there they were. No one to turn to. No one to pick them up. No place to go. And eventually, no one to be.

It was through that experience that I realized how important family was to the outcome of one's life. It was through that experience that I felt obligated to give my time to others who only get one shot at this life. I serve a God of second, third and eighty-second chances. The least I can do is give my fellow human a couple as well.

Tired vs. More Tired

As I boarded the plane on Friday afternoon to Cincinnati, I couldn't help but think how Mckenna's doctor appointment would turn out. She was burning up earlier that day and was just "off". She wanted to snuggle even more than usual and was very content to snooze for hours and hours in our arms. She's a very loving and snuggly girl, just usually, not that snuggly and loving. I finally got the news when I landed in my destination - Influenza A. Mckenna had 103 temperature and now we knew why.

There were two thoughts that entered my mind as soon as Mandi told me the news: 

I'm glad that we have an answer as to why she was off.

I'm glad that I'll be away from her for a little bit...followed by asking Mandi to find my Tamiflu prescription. 

Mandi was told to give Kenna some liquid tylenol to break the fever as well as some Tamiflu of her own to try to stave off some of the symptoms. It seemed to work almost immediately as Mandi saw improvement the next day. I got back into town on Saturday night and Mckenna seemed to be steadily improving through Sunday. She's definitely not 100% as her sleep has been disrupted more and she's not totally interested in eating, but we are seeing a lot of improvement.

I started taking Tamiflu the night I got back to do my best to avoid any of the crud, and so far, so good...I think. I did wake up with a sore throat and an ear ache, which has lasted throughout the day, but I don't have a fever as of now. I was also pretty devoid of energy all day, but that's pretty common for me after a couple days of travel with such a short turn-around time. Needless to say, I had a major case of the Mondays plus whatever the heck, if anything, was going on.

The last thing I wanted to do was exercise. Through some dumb motivational luck, I ended up seeing this post on Facebook:

Its days like today that I need you guys the most. I am physically tired and still sore from the run the other day. I would usually skip exercising because I am tired. But I know I need to stick to my schedule that I made. My schedule is to exercise mon wed fri as long as I am not coughing up blood. So being that I am tired and unmotivated, what are some good exercises that I can do that won't make me too exhausted????

To which I responded:

When I'm tired or exhausted I think to myself - will I get more tired if I exercise? Which is followed by, what's the difference between being tired and more tired? That's generally followed by whatever workout I planned on doing that day :)

Hearing my own advice is just what I needed!! There's no way I could "preach" without following through in my own life. Right after I typed that out I asked Mandi if she'd like to go for a walk. We ended up doing a 20 minute walk which was followed immediately buy a 25 minute run/walk that I went on while she fed Mckenna at home. 

As is always the case, I was so glad that I pushed it and did my regular workout even though I was feeling a bit under the weather and tired. I've said this many times, but it is so true - You'll never regret doing a workout!! My natural instinct is to want to shut it down and rest, but I've been led astray by my natural instinct before. It's just SO IMPORTANT that were moving as much as possible. This is especially true when we're sick. The last thing we want is for whatever is going on in our head to make it's way to our lungs. 

It's times like this that we must do anything and everything to keep our lungs breathing deeply and with purpose. You don't have to do everything when you're sick, but you should definitely be doing something!!

Finishing WELL

At church yesterday we had a guest pastor speak. He spoke to something that really struck a cord in me and got me thinking. He spoke to the concept of finishing well. Not just finishing, but finishing well. And we looked at 1 Corinthians 9:24 that says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." The key to that verse is "run in such a way as to get the prize," he said. This really made me do some self reflection. Am I living in such a way that I would get the prize? I'm not just talking in my walk with Christ...which is obviously the most important. But in my life in general I'm not so sure. Yikes...talk about a depressing thought for a competitive girl who likes to win. I am so good at starting off strong when I do things. I'm passionate. I get fired up. I jump into things with both feet, often times without thinking (isn't that right mom and dad? They had to watch me work out the kinks of this eagerness as I fumbled my way through mistakes in middle school and high school).

As I sat in the sermon I thought back on many things in my life that I started great, but didn't finish so well. Of course there are times when I've finished well, but am I finishing well the things that truly matter? Will I look back on 30 years of marriage and feel like I was as good of a wife in year 29 as I was in year 1? I hope so, but judging by the fact that I'm already not as helpful, and eager to please in year 2 than as in year 1...I'm not so sure...unless things change. Will Mckenna think I was as loving, fun, attentive and on fire as a mom when she's in high school as she does now (ok maybe looking back on her high school years, she'll probably hate me for a period as her curfew is earlier than all her friends and "she can't do anything"...haha!). I hope so, but I'll have to make the conscious effort to continue to give it my all.

In sitting and reflecting on his words, I realized just how hard it is to finish well, judging by the fact that so many times I haven't. But I think that's why it's so important - especially in my walk with Christ. I think the things to be the most proud of are the things that most people can't do. I think the things that brings God the most joy are the things that He knows take work and sacrifice. And the biggest thing I realized is that of course He cares if I finish well in my relationship with Him and in doing His work, but I think He also cares that I finish well all of my worldly commitments also. I think He wants me to start my exercise regime with gusto and finish it that way. I think He wants me to be a good friend to someone, not just in the beginning, but always. I think He wants me to lay on my death bed having finished strong as a sister, wife, mom, daughter, etc.

So I'm choosing today to start well...AND finish well. Yesterday's sermon gave me a new fire to continue the things I have continued to do well. And to pick up the slack on the things I have started to let slip. I want the prize!!