Not Sure If She Misses Me

Babies are so hard to read sometimes....

Thankful Thursday: Skills & Support

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 new skills. Mckenna has mastered the art of rolling front to back and I love it. She is always so proud after rolling and it cracks me up! I'm thankful for the new entertainment for both of us.

I'm thankful for a proactive hubby. I am so blessed that Ronnie takes such great care of himself and does so many treatments, exercises, and goes in for tune-ups willingly. I know it may get to be a lot sometimes but I know he goes in for us and for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for iPhones. Yes, I did just say that. We got new phones last week and they have FaceTime. I LOVE being able to webcam anywhere with Internet!   Way cool!
Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for the hospital. I'm thankful that coming to the hospital and getting good care is even an option. There are many places in the world where people suffer because of inadequate or non-existent healthcare. So happy to live in a place that it's an option to be hospitalized.

I'm thankful for a supportive wife. This is my first hospital stay as a daddy and there's no doubt that this will be the toughest one yet for Mandi. She has to be a "single mom" when I'm in here and while there's no doubt in my mind that she'll do the best ever, it's still not something that I like putting her through. She's never wavered in her support of me being in the Hole as she feels that I need to be in here as much as I do.

I'm thankful for technology. Even though we're separated by 100 miles, it can still feel like we're next to each other at times. Between iChat, Facetime and Skype Mandi and Mckenna never feel too far away.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Question by Reader: MRSA

Got this question a few weeks back and I figured that many of you could relate:

Question: My son is 17 months old and swabbed for mrsa at his 15 month visit. We did 6 weeks of bacterum, 2 wks of rifampin, a body wash and nasal cream and his mrsa did not go away. We are especially clean and practice great handwashing. I'm blessed to be a stay at home mother so I have the extra time to be extra clean. I know some things are obviously out of my hands though. Anyway, he hasn't had ANY lung issues in life. I'm very nervous about the mrsa and the nurses and doctors just kind of say they don't know if it is bad or not and not to worry because he's healthy right now. If you know any solid information on mrsa and the fact that he's never had any symptoms but obviously carries it, please let me know. You don't have to sugar coat or hold anything back. I just am not sure what lies ahead, but I suppose we never are sure. I will appreciate any info or advice you have. Also, the doctors said they will not try to get rid of the mrsa again. They say they give it one good shot and then leave it alone. Do you think this is a good idea or should I push for something else?

So what do I know about MRSA? I've had it since about 2004. My lung function is just as high now as it was then. I have had increased hospitalizations, but that could be a result of age and a variety of other factors. I must also note that my hospital stays have shortened since recommitting to treatments and exercise - 3/4 treatments a day plus 1 hour of exercise.

Most doctors in the US only aggressively treat MRSA if symptoms are present. I say US doctors as doctors in Europe are more concerned with MRSA then they are pseudomonas. Our doctors here on the other had aggressively treat pseudo and not MRSA. I'm guessing the difference has to do with the interpretation of different studies.

Anyway, my doctors took the same approach. They aggressively treated it at first, but as it continued to show up, they backed off. My recommendation would be to aggressively treat it for a couple more rounds and see what happens. Chances are that it is here to stay, but you never know. I think regret will always come with not treating something rather then treating it and it still being there. Does that make sense?

Like I said however, what's most important is how he is feeling. Now, at 17 months old, that may be a bit tough to tell, but be sure to pay attention to his symptoms. 

I'm a bit surprised that they don't have you doing any nebs. If anything, it could get him used to what is to come. CPT may be more effective if it is preceded by some albuterol to open him up. With that said however, it may not be needed.

SO HAPPY to hear that thus far there doesn't seem to be much lung involvement! 

It sounds to me like you are doing a fantastic job with your son's care. Don't stress out about these various bugs. Some will happen, some will not. It is not a reflection on how "clean" you guys are or whether or not you wash your hands 100 times a day.

Cha..Cha..Cha...Changes

Ronnie's going in for a tune-up soon, and man, I'm scared. I'm not going to sugar coat it at all. I'm really nervous about it. Wow, nothing like just coming out with it..boom...my insecurities right in your face on this lovely Monday morning. Ha!

We have always been very vocal about the fact that we kind of look forward to hospital stays in the Sharpe household. They have always been a time when we can take a hiatus from the normal routine; spend time "camping" together; reconnect; etc. But this hospital stay with be the first of the NEW hospital stays - now that Mckenna is here. We don't quite know how it will look exactly, but being the planner I am, I've sure tried to predict what it'll be like and how it will all work. Mckenna and I will likely split our time between home and visiting Ronnie, but it will just be during the day, and at night I'll be staying at home or at Ronnie's parent's house. We don't know what nights we'll spend where quite yet, but we do know it wouldn't be in the hospital, as the hospital isn't quite the ideal place for a 3 month old to sleep. And I may be the only person on earth to say this, but I'm sad that I don't get to spend the nights there anymore. I loved sleeping on my little cot, tucked in the corner. I loved calling out, "goodnight. I love you," before bed and waking up to see my love zonked out. But I'm looking at the bright side, Mckenna's sweet face is a close second to wake up to :)

Not only will nights be different. But instead of unplugging a bit during hospital stays, now I'll be increasing my "work load." Becoming a single momma for several days a week, and 7 nights a week, on top of having to work will be very interesting, to say the least. I know I will figure it out, but it will be quite the adjustment to figure out how to navigate being the sole caregiver while working. I know I can manage, but it'll take a little to get the hang of. Luckily my workplace is AWESOME and truly practice what they preach when they say family first. So when I'm down with Ronnie (my office is down there), I can bring Mckenna to work with me, which will be a huge blessing. The real challenge will be sneaking work in during naps, and while she's playing independently. Everything besides Mckenna and work will fall by the way-side I'm afraid.

The nice thing is some of my favorite hospital traditions can still happen. We can still do Dunkin' on the mornings I'm there. We can still get in long, fun walks. We can't still snuggle in his tiny bed - and even better, we'll have a third there with us! We can still walk down and get freshly baked cookies from the cafeteria. We can still listen to John Jay and Rich radio show podcasts. We can still do tons of my favorite things. So I'm trying to focus on that, when I start to get bummed and scared about what this hospital stay will bring.

Anywhoo, there you have it. I'm scared, but a tiny bit excited to see just what I can do on my own (gulp - I'm not quite supermom yet). I think the fact that this post is a bit all over the place shows the chaos that is my brain trying to noodle through how it'll all work. Leave some suggestions if you've got 'em!

Mckenna's Big Smiles

My Birthday in Pictures

So my Christmas/Birthday present finally came in on the day before my birthday and I went a little crazy with it. Here is my birthday day from beginning to end.

Thankful Thursday: Trips & Kalydeco

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 great friends. This weekend we went and stayed at our friend's place in CA. Man, was it awesome. We sat around and talked, played games, explored their town, walked on the beach, and played with Mckenna. It was just so fun to get to hang out and spend some time together. What a blessing great friends are!

I'm thankful for my little snuggle bunny. Mckenna is not quite as snuggly as she was when she was first born...you know, the stage where all they do it lay on you and sleep? But she is still a little lover and when she's sleepy she's especially snuggly. I love everything about snuggling her.

And my BIGGEST one today: I'm thankful for my hubby. In case you didn't know, TODAY is Ronnie's 32nd birthday. The world is a better place because he's in it, and I can tell you without a doubt my life and Mckenna's life are so much more blessed, fun and joyful with him in them. I am so thankful for the man that he is, and very thankful for the woman he makes me! Happy birthday my love. Here's to many, many more great years to come!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for safe (and screaming-bloody-murder free) travels. Mandi, Mck and I had a great trip out to Dana Point to hang out with Auntie Kirra and Uncle Tyler (and cousin Louis). We were worried that our little snuggle-bug was going to cry the whole way there and the whole way back, but much to our surprise, she slept most of the time both ways!

I'm thankful for the news from the Vertex camp this week. Kalydeco has the potential to change many lives in a great way, and many of those lives, I know personally. It was 10 years in the making, but for my fibros and cysters rocking the G551D mutation, it was well worth the wait. I'll be thinking about you guys as you adjust to a clearer set of air bags...now go run a mile!! :) 

I'm thankful for 32 years and running. There's a nasty rumor going around that today is my birthday (sometimes rumors are true I guess). The Lord has given me 32 unbelievable years so far and I am prepared to spend 32 more years here on earth if that is His Will. I've been blessed with the best relationships imaginable. Showered with grace. Forgiven of my sins. Couldn't think of a better birthday present.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Workout Wednesday: Strength Training

...for babies. Tummy time, tummy time and more tummy time. Tummy time is all the rage these days to build back, neck and core strength. This is the same strength that will help Mckenna roll over, sit, crawl and walk, so we try to do a lot of it. This may sound like an easy feat, but it was a bit of a chore because she used to HATE tummy time. She is now working her way into finding it tolerable for 5-10 minute spurts.

And it turns out, hard work pays off...even in baby land. Monday night, after a long day in the car driving back from CA, Mckenna rolled over for the first time!! And you know who saw her do it? No one. Ha! We were eating a quick dinner and Mckenna was playing with her favorite toy, Zoey the Zebra, while tolerating tummy time. Ronnie was watching TV sitting on the couch, and I was sitting on the floor next to her and turned to set my bowl down when out of the corner of my eye I saw a hand and leg in the air. She was already on her back by the time my brain told my eyes what they were seeing. "AHH AHHH she rolled over," I screamed like the proud momma I am. We both rushed to her and began cheering, smiling, rubbing her belly, you name it, we did it....I even got a little choked up (yeah I know, kinda pathetic). I'm sure she wondered what was going on, but man did she look proud. She had a big gummy smile from ear to ear. She knew whatever she did made mom and dad VERY proud.

That little one-hit wonder has yet to do it again for us though. She'll roll over if when we set her on her tummy we put her up on her hands. But she hasn't rolled over without a careful set-up by mom or dad. But that's ok. She'll be our little tumbler in no time...which is very exciting and scary at the same time. Rolling means she won't be where we left her all the time...rolling means it's the start of being mobile.

Zoey makes tummy time fun!

First Road Trip

Mandi, Mckenna and I took off for our first long road trip as a family of three. We headed out to California to hang out with Auntie Kirra and Uncle Tyler. Kirra is a friend of mine from college who was married to Tyler when Mandi and I were pregnant. We haven't seen them since the baby shower (they were nice enough to make the drive out) so we needed a little bit of K&T time in our lives. Thanks for having us out guys!!

We were a little nervous heading into this trip because for the past couple of weeks, Kenna-Bear has hated her car seat. She start to scream bloody murder within 2 minutes of placing her in it, and we still haven't been able to figure out what the deal is (any ideas??). I'm happy to report however that Kenny did very well on the trip out and the trip back, sans 3 blown-out diapers :) 

First time in a surf shop.

You lookin' at me???

Daddy, Mickey D, Kirra and Tyler

Sub Momma for Tyler

That's MY coffee girly!!

Auntie Kirra, back away from the baby!!

No better place to change my little girl then on the trunk of the car at a gas station in Blythe, California

She always thinks it's hilarious when she blows out of diapers... 

...and we think it's a ploy to get out of the car seat.

I had a great view of my girls on the way home.

So thankful that the trip went so well! K was a champ and her mommy really knows how to take a kid on the road. I can't do much with out Mandi, and travel with Mckenna would be another one to add to the list. Oh, and on a side note, Mck rolled over for the first time about an hour after we got home...and of course neither Mandi nor I saw her do it. We caught the last 1/10th of the roll!! Great job baby girl, but would it kill you to send us a warning??

Intrahospital Weight and Aerobic Training in Children With Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of an 8-wk intrahospital combined circuit weight and aerobic training program performed by children with cystic fibrosis (of low–moderate severity and stable clinical condition) on the following outcomes: cardiorespiratory fitness (V˙O_2peak) and muscle strength (five-repetition maximum (5RM) bench press, 5RM leg press, and 5RM seated row) (primary outcomes) and pulmonary function (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s), weight, body composition, functional mobility (Timed Up and Down Stairs and 3-m Timed Up and Go tests), and quality of life (secondary outcomes). We also determined the effects of a detraining period (4 wk) on the aforementioned outcomes.

Methods: We performed a randomized controlled trial design. Eleven participants in each group (controls: 7 boys, age = 11 ± 3 yr, body mass index = 17.2 ± 0.8 kgöm⁻² (mean ± SEM); intervention: 6 boys, age = 10 ± 2 yr, body mass index = 18.4 ± 1.0 kgöm⁻²) started the study.

Results: Adherence to training averaged 95.1% ± 7.4%. We observed a significant group × time interaction effect (P = 0.036) for V˙O_2peak. In the intervention group, V˙O_2peak significantly increased with training by 3.9 mLökg⁻¹Imin⁻¹ (95% confidence interval = 1.8–6.1 mLökg⁻¹Imin⁻¹, P = 0.002), whereas it decreased during the detraining period (−3.4 mLökg⁻¹Imin⁻¹, 95% confidence interval = −5.7 to −1.7 mLökg⁻¹Imin⁻¹, P = 0.001). In contrast, no significant changes were observed during the study period within the control group. Although significant improvements were also observed after training for all 5RM strength tests (P < 0.001 for the interaction effect), the training improvements were not significantly decreased after the detraining period in the intervention group (all P > 0.1 for after training vs detraining). We found no significant training benefits in any of the secondary outcomes.

Conclusions: A short-term combined circuit weight and aerobic training program performed in a hospital setting induces significant benefits in the cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength of children with cystic fibrosis.

Full article can be found at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756304?src=nl_topic

Thankful Thursday: Sick Baby & Dog Sitter

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 my coworkers/job. I may have one of the most accommodating and fun jobs in the world: the Pediatric Pulmonary Center at the University of Arizona. I work with a set of fabulous people, and to top it off, they're all about family first. Yesterday I was down at the office (I generally work from home) for meetings, but Ronnie had a call that he had to take while I was at the office. This meant someone needed to watch Mckenna, and that someone was me. They were totally fine with me having her in the office with me for a bit...what a blessing. What's even better, they're cool with her in the office more frequently while Ronnie's in the hospital. I was so stressed about jobs, etc and man the Lord sure provided the best job ever with the BEST coworkers!

I'm thankful for a happy, sick baby. Mckenna has a bit of a cold, but you'd never know it if she didn't breathe like a gremlin, cough and have a slight temperature. She's still happy as a clam.

I'm thankful for date nights. No we didn't get crazy and go for a night out on the town, but the other night after Mckenna went to bed, we went and snuggled up outside on our patio, turned the heater on, and enjoyed each other's company. That's date night enough for me :)

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for various ways of coffee making. As many of you know, I'm a coffee addict. I always have a cup or three when I first wake up, and I always have a cup before I go to bed. Recently, our coffee machine busted, so I've had to come up with other ways to get my fix. One way that I have done this is with a stove top espresso maker. It's super old-school and I love it. It makes great espresso and I've been cranking out vanilla lattes left and right!

I'm thankful for a willing dog sitter. Anytime Mandi and I go out of town, or I'm in the Hole, my mom always steps up and takes Jezzabel into her home. Now, I must point out that she loves her as much as I do and often refers to JBell as her first granddaughter, but still, it's something she doesn't have to do, but does. It's so awesome to know that we always have a safe place for my four-legged friend.

I'm thankful the baby carrier thingamajig. We also call it the magical sleep machine as Mckenna always enters wide-eyed and leaves, or stays, sawing logs. It really comes in handy when I'm on Mr. Mom duty cause it frees up my hands to still get some work or things around the house done. It's also perfect for our many walks throughout the day!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Quick At-Home Workout

We're all busy. None of us have 30 minutes to spare each and every day to get in a solid workout. But, as many of you know, one thing I preach around here is "a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing". So, on those days that you only have a few minutes to spare, I present to you The Super Quick At-Home Workout :)

This will hit almost your entire body and best of all, it will make you breathe some deep breaths.

Start out with a wall sit. You'll want to do 3 sets of these and hold them for as long as you can.



Now that your warm, we're going to get you into a front plank. You'll do 3 sets of these and hold them for time as well! (FYI - the extremely fit instructor in this video is none other than super cyster Julie D!!)


What would a quick workout be without isolating those arms? Finish off this at-home workout with 3 sets of 10 (or as many as you can do to 10) of chair dips.



That's it, you're done!! How'd that feel?

Jump!!!

We took a big step forward in the old Sharpe household today!! We left Mckenna-bear with complete and total strangers for the first time ever!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Oh, sorry, that was Mandi you heard screaming :)

Mandi and I were on our afternoon walk when she said, "Maybe we take Mckenna to the childcare at the gym and workout together today?" which was quickly followed by, "Ahhh, I just wanted to see how I felt with saying it out loud...and I don't like it!". I figured that was the end of the conversation and we would just split up our gym time like we have been doing since Mckenna was born.

After we got home and I hopped on a treatment, Mandi sent me a message on AIM (which by the way is how we communicate at home even though we're only a room away). It said - I'm doing it. I'm calling right now and we are just going to go for it!. I was very proud in that moment. You see, I have absolutely no reservations leaving Mckenna into the care of others. I've never been a worst-case scenario kind of a guy, so I figure that everything will work out at the very least, acceptable. Mandi on the other hand? I wouldn't say she is a worst-case scenario kind of a girl, but she is a self-proclaimed control freak! Letting go of something so close to her, whether it be me, Mckenna, work, etc can be a little tough for the wifey. So when I saw that message come across the screen, I beamed with pride. Both of my girls are growing up!! (Kidding babe) :)

I had such a great time working out with Mandi. It's the first time we've been able to hang out at the gym together for quite some time and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Mandi even agreed to partake in the workout I've been doing for the past couple of months that is an absolute killer. It definitely kicked her butt and I can't wait to see how sore she's going to be in a couple of days. She's a trooper though - she looked about 100 times better than I did after my first time going through it.

Anyway, wouldn't you know, after our workout Mckenna was still alive. Better yet, she was sound asleep in a little bouncy chair. All of the caretakers at the gym seem very kind and it was actually heartwarming to see them handle Mckenna with such care. I think it's safe to say that we'll be back.

It turned out to be one of the best times that I've had with Mandi and it was all a result of us deciding (and more so her) to jump!

What are you going to jump into today???

Permission to Nag

There are many things I love about Ronnie (obviously, I did choose to marry him after all). One of the things I really love and respect about him is the fact that he is very self aware, especially when it comes to taking care of himself. Let me explain.

I think it's easy to kid ourselves when it comes to how we're doing at taking care of ourselves. For example, I may feel like I'm eating really healthy, and then I sit down and write what I've eaten for the last few days, and soon realize that I've probably had 3 too many handfuls of chocolate chips, not nearly enough fruits and veggies, and slacked on water consumption. Or I may think I'm doing well with my working out, but realize I've gone to the gym half as much as I did while pregnant. These explains seem a little detailed? That would be because in writing this I did a bit of self reflection...yikes! It's easy to have our perceptions be way off from reality when it comes to how we're taking care of ourselves. I'm definitely guilty of this!

Somehow (probably not a fluke, I'm sure it's the way God wired him, knowing he'd have CF and how important it'd be) Ronnie is very aware of how he's doing when it comes to taking care of himself. He knows when he's slacking and he knows when he's kickin' booty. The best part is, when he knows he's slacking, he makes every effort to get back on track. I totally love that about him. Just yesterday he said, "hey honey, call me out about doing my treatments and getting to the gym this week. I can feel myself slipping a bit." How many people ask their spouse to be a nag and call them out? I'll answer that for you, not many. But he knows how important it is for him to go above and beyond to take care of himself as best as humanly possible. And you know what I love even more? "Slipping" meant he was only doing 3 treatments and he wants to do 4, even though his doctors only have asked him to do 2. And he's been going to the gym 4-5 times, instead of 5-6. Even though he was doing well, he was aware of the fact he wasn't doing as well as he should, and recognized he needed some external motivation to get him going. The natural born nag in me was thrilled...permission to nag?! You got it!

It's all too easy to kid ourselves about how healthy or unhealthy we're living (CF or not). And sometimes it's hard to get back on the wagon alone. So this week, do as we're doing, give someone in your life permission to be a nag.

Mckenna's First Laugh Ever!!!

Making the Most of Opportunities

Hi, Y'all...Mandi Here (thought I'd give you the heads up since it isn't Monday!)

The title may make it sound as if I'm going to share with you some great, life-changing opportunity that I have triumphantly capitalized on that resulted in me being transformed and bettered. If you're looking for that kind of post, you're definitely going to be disappointed. This is a tale of a tiny, insignificant opportunity that you'll likely question why I took the time to share it...never-the-less, here we go...

Mckenna likes to wake up to eat in the night...but shoot so does my mother-in-law (sorry, Denise, it was too easy...Ron Sr., maybe don't let her read this one!). Afterall, that's what babies are wired to do, right? Anywhoo, she tends to wake up somewhere between 3 and 7 to eat, and then goes back down until between 8 and 9. When I hear her on the monitor, I typically stagger down the hallway, illuminating my steps with the light of my cell phone. I then sit half-consious as she enjoys her mid-night snack, stagger back to my room, slither back into bed, and quickly drift back into dreamland. Well last night (Thursday night), I carried out my typical nightly ritual, except I crawled back into bed, only to lay awake. For those of you who have ever been up in the night, and tried with all your might to will yourself back to sleep, but couldn't, you know the feeling. It can be frustrating...right?

Well I had two choices, I could take a sleeping pill (which would require going to the store because we don't have that kind of thing in our pharmacy, I mean house). OR I could get up. So instead of getting annoyed that my little hungry monster was back to bed and I was awake, I decided to make the most of the opportunity. I got up, made a cup of coffee and started in on my work day. I figured if I was awake, why not just get up, finish my work day before she and Ronnie wake up, and then I could PLAY the rest of the day...maybe even nap. And I have to say, I have been incredibly productive (well until I decided to write this blog when I realized Ronnie didn't have anything scheduled to post...but what's a 20 minute break, right?).

Moral of the story? There are a few. First, if you don't want to be up in the night, don't make a baby. Second, if you can't sleep, but want to, choose Unisom, not coffee. And lastly, make the most of opportunities today.

Thankful Thursday: Webcams & Generosity

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 giggles. As I think we've mentioned, Mckenna is a SUPER smiley baby. But what she isn't is a giggly baby...at least she isn't yet. She'll smile and throw her head back with her mouth open, as if she's going to laugh, but no sound actually comes out. However, that all changed yesterday. We actually got a couple goo laughs out of her, and oh my goodness, that may be my favorite sound in the whole wide world!!

I'm thankful for webcams. We are so blessed that there is the technology available where people far away can see us and we can see them. I webcam with my mom and dad pretty much daily, and this week we webcammed with Ronnie's mom, dad and stepmom. What a blessing it is to get to see their faces and have them get to watch Mckenna grow.

I'm thankful for heat. It doesn't get all that cold in Arizona in the winter, but it does get pretty chilly at night (in the 30s). And even though it's not super frigid outside, I'm still huddled under a blanket with the heat on. I LOVE being toasty warm, and thanks to heat, I can be if I want to be :)

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my little girl still being a little girl yet sometimes acting like a big girl. Follow that? It absolutely warms my heart to see Mckenna stand with her little legs and support her own weight. Or follow me with her eyes as I walk through the room. Or get excited when she "rolls over". Or giggle. I'm seeing more and more of a little girl inside that baby of mine.

I'm thankful for the generosity of others. Whether it be a contribution of time, money, support or prayer - I'm thankful for those who God has placed in our lives. We working on a pretty sweet project right now with CysticLife, and it's been awesome to watch it gain some major momentum because of the generosity of others. Stay tuned.

I'm thankful for Skype. I finally got my mom to download Skype in order to see Mckenna up close and personal when we haven't had a chance to get down to Tucson for a while. Because Mckenna seems to change daily, it's a very nice way to keep my mom on the up and up. My dad has been all over Skype since the beginning; I'm just glad I got my mom to come around :)

So, what are you thankful for today?

Interval Training

"Has anyone else noticed that a minute of running is at least 45 seconds longer than a minute of walking??"


I posted this yesterday on Facebook after my cardio workout. I decided that I would do some interval training to switch it up a little as just running can get a little boring sometimes. (I would actually highly suggest interval training to anyone else who wants to change up their running routine as well). Basically, it's a series of sprinting, running, jogging and/or walking done in timed intervals. Yesterday I decided to do 1 minute interval training. I started with a five-minute warm-up walk and then immediately went into a 1 minute sprint followed by 1 minute of walking. I repeated the sprinting/walking cycle for about 16 minutes. All in all I covered about 1.5 miles of ground.


One thing that I love about interval training is that it always seems to get out more mucus than just straight running. I have a feeling it's because I bounce much more sprinting than I do when I'm running. And I know for a fact that I'm pulling for air much harder and it's getting deeper into my lungs. Doing the sprints followed by a 1 minute recovery walk lets me concentrate on getting as much air into my lungs as possible (as well as trying not to fall flat on my face from a lack of oxygen!). Yesterday was no different as I'm pretty sure I coughed up some stuff that has been down there for quite some time. Again, I would highly recommend this form of training to everyone.


But to get back to the quote I started with in the beginning -  it is amazing how true that feels. Like clockwork, I would look down at my watch 40 seconds into my sprint thinking that there was no way I would have any time on my minute left. And just like clockwork, about 1 minute into my walk I would look down at my watch swearing I was only 30 seconds into my recovery. It was seriously astonishing to me! It was consistent the entire 16 minutes and I can't help but think what my brain must've been processing each and every time I took off into my sprint. The hope of course is that those sprints feel shorter and shorter and those walks feel longer and longer. Although when I happens, I have to change up the routine!


Have any of you ever tried interval training?

Top Ten Favorite Candies

Before I get to my top ten favorite candies...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!! Love you and thanks for reading this blog every day :)

These are in no particular order as it's almost impossible to decide...except for the top 3! Actually thought of this post after devouring my second favorite candy today.


Cherry Sours - I dig anything cherry, especially pies.

 Chewy Sprees - Favorite are red or purple.

 Hot Tamales - Recently cracked my top ten...bumped out Milk Duds.

 Mini Chewy Sweet Tarts - You can get a big ol' box of these at Sam's Club...and we did...last week :)

Pumpkin Candy Corns - Love eating these while at the gym...don't ask me why.

Skittles - red and purple all day.

Starburst - If the bag only had pink ones I wouldn't be disappointed one bit.

3. Mike and Ike Original - I've eaten far too many boxes of these than I'd like to admit.

2. Conversation Hearts - I love it when Valentines Day is right around the corner!

1a. Brachs Jelly Beans - I go crazy on these things when I'm in the Hole...love the pink ones!

1b. Canadian Wintergreen Mints -  I've loved these since my Grandma gave them to me to keep me quite in church :)