NACFC Recap

I had a good time at the NACFC this week and met a bunch of great people. It was especially exciting to run into Emily Schaller and Jerry Cahill as they are both two people that I admire in the CF community because of their commitment to exercise and no excuses attitude.

In case you missed them, here are some cool announcements to come out of the conference:

Aradigm Reports Successful Phase 2b Bronchiectasis Study with Inhaled Liposomal Ciprofloxacin

Data Presentations at the NACFC Highlight Denufosol’s Novel Mechanism of Action

Gilead's Cayston(R) Superior to Tobramycin Inhalation Solution in Six-Month Head-to-Head Cystic Fibrosis Study

Analysis Shows Novartis Drug TOBI® Associated With Reduced Mortality in Cystic Fibrosis Patients With Common Lung Infection

Pharmaxis Announces Positive Combined Phase 3 Cystic Fibrosis Trial Results

Innovotech's Biofilm Test Shows Significant Differences in Antibiotic Choices for Cystic Fibrosis Patients Compared to Conventional Testing

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Initiates Clinical Trial to Evaluate Combination Regimens of VX-770 and VX-809 Targeting the Defective Protein Responsible for Cystic Fibrosis -Primary endpoints of safety, tolerability and effect on CFTR function as measured by sweat chloride

ARIKACE(TM) Demonstrates Sustained Benefit in Multiple Studies and Over Multiple Cycles of Treatment of Pseudomonas Lung Infections in Cystic Fibrosis Patients Data Presented at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference

Discovery Labs Announces Presentation & Key Results of Phase 2a Study of Aerosolized KL4 Surfactant in Cystic Fibrosis at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference

What the _____?: October 21st, 2010

A while ago we started a little contest on this blog in which I post a picture and whoever comes up with the most clever/funny/witty/etc caption gets put into a drawing for prizes at the end of the year. Still don't have everything figured out as of yet, but we do know a couple of things 1) There will be multiple prizes 2) I love the participation so far 3) If you think your submission is inappropriate for others to see, you can always email your answer directly to me at ronnie@cysticlife.org :) 4) I've literally LOLed all weeks so keep it coming!

Alright, what do ya got!?!?

Last week's photo with the winning caption:

1st: "I think the story says to kiss a frog not a hog. Clearly could sound confusing though!"

submitted by Kellie

2nd: "One of the unforeseen risks of xenotransplantation become apparent mid-kiss."

submitted by Elisha

3rd: "Screw kising the frog for her prince, mandy kissed a pig to get her King!"

submitted by Sean

Excited for the next few days...

These next few days are going to be jam packed (where does that phrase come from?)! I'm going to be meeting with a ton of people that I know by name and phone only.

Random thought: It's always interesting to see what these people actually look like in comparison to how they look in my head. Then of course I always wonder what the "phone Ronnie" must look like to them. I'm just really excited and thought I'd throw out that completely random thought that was swirling around in this little noggin of mine.

Anyway, I'm heading to Baltimore where the NACFC is being held this year (If by chance you're reading this and are in the area as well, send me a note and maybe we can do coffee). It's going to be a neat experience to be surrounded by all of the "CF" going on in the next couple of days. I know it sounds strange, because for the most part my life is CF, but to me, this is a different side of it. The CF life I'm used to is full of relationships, tips, stories and interactions with others in the community. During the next couple of days I'm going to be hit with CF from "the other side", the side full of doctors, scientists, pharma companies, etc. I keep up on almost all things CF, but it's always different to hear it from the horse's mouth rather than read it in a news article. In this setting, I'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, to dig a little and hopefully come away with an even better understanding of the most basic stuff.

I at least hope to come home with some exciting news for all of you. Generally, there are one or two big announcements at these things. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that there are even more. I'll be sure to post anything I hear ASAP.

So anywho, wish me luck, not too much hassle at airport security and safe travels!

Birthday Weekend Update

As many of you may have read, it was my birthday this weekend (October 16th, mark your calendars for next year....haha kidding!) and Ronnie did everything he could to make it wonderful. We got up early, got in a treatment, went for a nice long bike ride, and then had breakfast at this awesome place close to our house. We also enjoyed a great dinner at a local BBQ joint and went to a movie (The Social Network - go see it!) with Josh and Christine.

I'm sure many (or at least one) of you are wondering what Ronnie got for me, so I will share it with you - but mainly because I think it's the sweetest, cutest gift EVER. He got me what any fantastic hubby would get his beloved for her first birthday as a married lady. He got me COMFORTABLE. "Huh?" You're thinking. Yes, you read it right. His gift was to make me more comfortable in our home - and we shopped for my gift all afternoon.

You see, ever since we've moved in, we've bought necessities, but we've been holding off on decorative stuff for the most part because it didn't fall in the category of gotta-have-it. But that didn't stop me from endlessly talking about all the stuff we could eventually get, what we should do, and how it could look one day. We'd buy a little decorative something here and there, and I'd be blown away by the difference it made to warm the house up....so I was getting eager to make the house cozier; a little more homey.

So for my birthday, Ronnie found this unbelievably AWESOME furniture store, brought me there, and turned me loose. And are you ready for the best part? The business is moving locations, so everything was REALLY discounted. Do you know what I like better than getting new stuff? Getting deals!!! I think I'm a deal junky. It somehow feels like you're spending less, if you're spending the same amount but getting more for your money. Flawed reasoning? Yes. Can I change how I feel about that concept? Probably not. Anywhoo - so we went furniture shopping all afternoon and got some stuff that really transformed how the house feels.

A little of my birthday gift bled into Sunday, when we went to Home Depot and Lowes and bought a fan for our family room. We've had a gaping hole in the ceiling since we moved in, but yesterday was the day we decided it was time to bite the bullet, get a fan, and muddle our way through learning how to assemble and hang it ourselves....I'm happy to report that we didn't burn the house down and it hasn't fallen...yet.

So that's about it. All in all it was a fabulous birthday and I'm excited to see what 24 brings :)

PS - Below is a picture of my favorite new purchase - a great chair. It's a little funky, but I LOVE IT!!

It's in our study, and it's freakin' awesome. If you look closely, you'll notice the fabric has peacocks on it...how crazy awesome is that?

Happy Birthday Wifey!!!

Happy birthday to the one who can always put a smile on my face.

Happy birthday to the one who sits through shows I like even though you might not.

Happy birthday to the one with most precious freckles in the world.

Happy birthday to the one who loves to be held.

Happy birthday to the one who puts up with my random outbursts of signing out of tune.

Happy birthday to the one I love to argue with...in a good way of course.

Happy birthday to the one who loves to be startled by car horns (NOT!!!).

Happy birthday to the one who makes determination and work ethic look so sexy.

Happy birthday to the one who could eat pizza and ice cream for every meal.

Happy birthday to the one who likes "10 minute tidys" so much.

Happy birthday to the one who never forgets to tell me that she loves me.

Happy birthday to the one who still gets excited about the little things in life (Potato Barn?).

Happy birthday to the one who puts up with my many imperfections.

Happy birthday to the one who embraced me for who I was & not who she thought I should be.

Happy birthday to the one who pushes me to my limits.

Happy birthday to the one who I would die for in a second.

Happy birthday to the one who I want to live for forever.

Happy birthday to the one who loves to snuggle.

Happy birthday to the one who goes with the flow.

Happy birthday to the one who picked me...to which I'll never know the reason.

Happy birthday to my best friend.

Happy birthday to the hottie of all hotties.

Happy birthday to my source of strength.

Happy birthday to the best mommy (of Jezzabel) ever.

Happy birthday to those pretty eyes.

Happy birthday to my bride.

Happy birthday to my wife.

Happy birthday to the one.

Happy birthday Mandi.

I love you more than I could ever put into words.

Getting Control of Cystic Fibrosis

I never posted this video on here before, but just ran across it on Youtube...

What the _____?: October 14th, 2010

A while ago we started a little contest on this blog in which I post a picture and whoever comes up with the most clever/funny/witty/etc caption gets put into a drawing for prizes at the end of the year. Still don't have everything figured out as of yet, but we do know a couple of things 1) There will be multiple prizes 2) I love the participation so far 3) If you think your submission is inappropriate for others to see, you can always email your answer directly to me at ronnie@cysticlife.org :) 4) I've literally LOLed all weeks so keep it coming!

Alright, what do ya got!?!?

Last week's photo with the winning caption:

[From left to right: Mandi, Me, Josh (Mandi's brother), Chrissy (Josh's wifey)]

1st: "No, we will not sign up for Wife Swap!"

submitted by Marla

2nd: "See, the leashes HAVE gotten shorter!!"

submitted by Mindy

3rd: "Hey guys, we ladies need the love!"

submitted by Sean

Small comments like this...

...mean the world to me. Let me start by saying I appreciate ALL comments that I get here, on my facebook or on my CysticLife profile, but this one in particular really made my day today.

Thank you for your encouragement Ronnie. I have been running about a month now. I am up to a little over a mile ever day (not so bad considering where I started!)____I have to tell you that my FEV1 was sitting at 60% in August (and has been somewhere in the range of 60%-65% for the past year or so). This past week I blew a whopping 78%!!!! I have changed nothing in my routine except running...running until my lungs burn and I am hacking for air! I have to say, as much as I hate running...I have a feeling it will change my life for the better!____Thanks Ronnie!

For me, this is what it's all about. I started this blog to simply have a place to hold myself accountable on my journey back to good health. To be honest, when I saw that people were coming to this site daily, I wondered why in the heck they were doing so. Eventually, it morphed into what you read today- that being a blog in which I share my life, my triumphs, my failures and my CF story. As the months pass by, I see more and more peeps from the community commenting about starting an exercise or running program, from moms/dads to CFers.

This has now become my biggest motivating factor in doing this blog. I want to see people grab the bull by the horns and just do it. Take that leap of faith that changing something up in your life and really taking this thing head on is worth it. Lacing up your shoes for the first time in years. Feeling that same high as I felt when I ran my first mile. Feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride.

I can't tell you how much it means to me when I read these types of stories on other's blogs or a comment referring to such an accomplishment is left on mine. I know that I come off as a little harsh to some people, or some have accused me as being "too happy", but I only do it from a place of strong belief. I believe 100 percent in the resolve of the human spirit. I believe 100 percent that we all have it in us to set our mind to something and get it done. As a friend in this community once said, "It may be harder, it may feel worse and it may take longer- but we can get in shape just like everybody else".

I truly believe that CF will never get in our way. The only thing in our way most of the time is us.

It's tough when you get out of whack

I was all out of whack these last four days. My trip to San Fran threw off my treatment and workout schedule and now it's up to me to power through and get back on track. Let's just say it was Today: 1 and Ronnie: 0.

I guess I should start off by saying that I didn't completely fall off the wagon while in San Fran. Of my 4 days there, I did 3 treatments a day twice and two treatments a day twice. Not terrible, but not great either. It wouldn't have been as bad if I would of stuck to an exercise routine while I was out there, but then again, it could have been much worse if we hadn't walked about 5 miles a day (at least). So, to summarize, there was a lot of give and take on this trip, but I'm afraid I did mostly taking...and I feel it. Not that I feel bad, but I just feel off. I'm going to have to hit the ground running tomorrow and make a plan and stick to it. That was of course the plan today, but as seems to be a common theme of this blog, I blew it.

I was fully planning to run the entire day and then what seemed to be in the eleventh hour, Mandi and I went on a bike ride instead. It was pure joy and an absolutely great time with my lovely wife, but deep down I just know it wasn't what I needed to do. I should of run before the ride. I needed to really step up to the plate today and I failed. It certainly wasn't planned, but it happened. I would have rather said that after my run today I went on a 5 mile bike ride with Mandi, but I can't. I wish I could tell you that I ran, but I won't. Now, the only way to fix it, is to make better decisions going forward.

Tomorrow is back on the wagon for this guy. I really need to get better at adjusting after being out of the same ol' routine for just four short days. I also need to get better at being committed to running even when not in the comfort of my own neighborhood.

Looks like I have a lot of improving to do. Let's hope it's all on the up and up from here...actually, screw that, it will be.

We left our heart in San Fransisco...

...but with that said, we're SO GLAD to be home. Our trip was great. Work was great. Friends were great. Event was great. Nothing beats being home though.

I'm sure we'll have some stories for you about the trip, but for now, all you get is our trip in pictures. We landed about an hour ago and we're sleepy :)

There's about 162 more pictures and videos, but I'm nodding off while downloading these. I'm sure you'll see some other pics in upcoming weeks...maybe even some for the What the ____?? contest!

I'll have my heart in San Francisco!

This weekend Mandi and I are packing up CysticLife and heading to San Francisco!! If you're in the area and would like to meet up, send me an email at ronnie@cysticlife.org. You could also come out to the CF Concert Series on Saturday night to show your support. We have an amazing line up including two cysters who can really sing the roof off of a building!!

Here are the details on the CF Concert Series:

October 9, 2010 VIP Party at 6:30pm - Show at 7:45pm - Studio 333 - Sausalito, CA

The CF Concert Series proudly announces our first west coast show ever - CF Concert Series San Francisco! Join us in the heart of the Bay Area, Sausalito, CA. The CF Concert Series began in Dallas in 2007 as a gathering of friends and music lovers with the common goal of finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

The Line-up:

Mike Gibbons is a wandering singer-songwriter who found his home in Northern California in 2003 after growing up in locales such as Bangkok, Nairobi, Cairo, and Brussels. These wide and eclectic cultural influences play a large part in his music, which exhibits a global musical sensibility beyond his years.

Tess Dunn is a 15-year old singer-songwriter who hails from Santa Cruz, California. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, Tess faces issues of mortality that infuse her music and lyrics with radiant richness and haunting depth. Tess says living with CF is “…almost like having a clock ticking over your head, but it has a way of putting things in perspective.”

Rose Logue sings with a soul and depth that invites audiences into her magical world of love, mermaids, pain and heartache in her album, “Fly.” Rose’s voice has been described as sounding like honey mixed with thorns, gritty around the edges but soft and delicate within the melodies. She has a fantastic range that goes from ethereal highs to “lost everything” lows.

You can get all of these details and more at http://cfconcertseries.com/sanfrancisco/

Hope to see you there!!!!

What the _____?: October 7th, 2010

A while ago we started a little contest on this blog in which I post a picture and whoever comes up with the most clever/funny/witty/etc caption gets put into a drawing for prizes at the end of the year. Still don't have everything figured out as of yet, but we do know a couple of things 1) There will be multiple prizes 2) I love the participation so far 3) If you think your submission is inappropriate for others to see, you can always email your answer directly to me at ronnie@cysticlife.org :) 4) I've literally LOLed all weeks so keep it coming!

From left to right: Mandi, Me, Josh (Mandi's brother), Chrissy (Josh's wifey)

Alright, what do ya got!?!?

Last week's photo with the winning caption:

1st: "Now that we're married...I always have to say that it was ME who farted."

submitted by Jen

2nd: "Darn! Dunkin' Donuts is CLOSED!"

submitted by Marissa

3rd: "We're not morning people...come back in three hours"

submitted by Mindy

Let's just say we had our wires crossed...

First let me get some run updating out of the way before I launch into the story about Mandi and I getting our wires crossed (I think it's an entertaining story, but you can of course be the judge). Back to my personal run update: I've been improving on my pace ever since I got sprung from the Hole, but today I actually got worse by about 30 seconds. That's the bad news. Good news is that I ran the 1.8 mile loop with no walking breaks!!! Some of you are probably wondering how that happens (that I can take walking breaks yet have a better pace)? You see, for the past few days I've been doing a walk/sprint/run/walk/run/sprint kind of a thing. Today I just did a RUN kind of a thing! I'll still alternate between the two, because I really do enjoy the sprinting part, but today it was nice to try and keep the same pace the whole time. Mission accomplished!

Ok, now to me and my ever so lovely wife getting our wires crossed...

Ronnie: (totally out of breath after getting back from his run) Honey! I ran the whole time!!

Mandi: That's great babe! I'm so proud of you! (brief pause) Want to ride your bike while I go for my run?

R: Oh, you're going for a run?

M: Yeah, you motivated me.

R: Sweet! Let me go change my bike tire. (I put a "never flat" one on yesterday and I hate it)[Ronnie goes out to fix tire]

M: [Mandi comes into garage] Ready?

R: Yup, let's do it

M: Man, you've become a pro at changing that bike tire huh?

R: You know it

So we take off down the driveway and no more than 10 seconds into her run, my bike starts making all kinds of crazy noises.

R: Keep going, I'm going to see what's up with the bike. I'll catch up with you.

M: Ok

R: Where are you going?

M: Down E then left on Q

R: Ok

[Mandi is seen running down E as Ronnie returns to the garage]

So I get to the garage and flip the bike on it's bike side to discover that the chain is rubbing against the frame. I grab my handy bike tool, adjust the tire and everything looks good. I start going down the driveway, pedal once or twice and all of the sudden, my chain is around the pedal. Not good. Now I wheel the bike up to the driveway, thread the chain back around the pedal and onto the gear, flip the bike upside down, pedal the bike with my hands and the chain is rubbing again. Check Mandi's bike to see where her chain threads. Go back to my bike to see that it looks the same. Decide I'm an idiot (or as Mandi would say "a real pro at this tire changing thing") and just grab Mandi's bike.

Having no clue as to how much time has passed at this point, I decide that instead of going where Mandi was, I was going to go to where she was heading. I pedaled her little bike as fast as it would go, cutting across the entire neighborhood on Street M to Street C which meets up with Street Q. No Mandi. I then pedaled my butt off to street K knowing that she said it was going to be a shorter run and this was her shorter route. No Mandi. I go down to Street K thinking that Mandi must be incredibly fast until it intersects with Street M. No Mandi. Flip the bike around to go back down Street K until I get to Street C. Look both ways and there she is, waaaaaaaaay down Street C in the opposite direction of our house (her long route). I pedaled her little bike as fast as it would go because I know she doesn't like running alone at night. Then...nothing. Not only was it not her, it was literally nothing, a mirage of sorts. Flip the bike around and start pedaling up Street C to get to Street Q (no short distance mind you). Get to Street Q. Nothing. Turn down Street Q to head back towards the house and a half of a mile later I hit pay dirt!! (In total there was 4.12 miles of zig-zagged goodness).

Mandi: Where were you? (in a not so happy, out of breath, tone)

Ronnie: Looking for you! (in a matter of fact, out of breath, tone)

[At this point Mandi turn back to run towards the house as I ride beside her]

SILENCE ENSUES

[Back at the house]

Mandi: Where did you go?

Ronnie: [see above]

M: What happened to "I'll catch up with you?"

R: That's what I was trying to do!

M: But if all you did was drop off your bike and get mine...

R: That's not all that I did [give another brief version of the story]

M: So what, do you think I run a 7 minute mile?

R: I had no concept of time. I was trying to cut you off. I'm sorry.

M: I just don't know what happened with "I'll catch up with you"

R: Yeah, I know, I'm sorry but I've been riding my little butt of trying to find you. There certainly wasn't a lack of effort on my part. I mean, I had sweat running into my eyes and I couldn't wipe them because of the stupid grease on my hands from the bike chain.

M: You know I hate running at night. I was running all alone.

R: I know. That's why I tried to find you.

M: Why didn't you just go the way I went?

R: Because I was trying to be clever and cut you off. Next time I'll just go the way you went.

M: I've been running back and forth Street Q looking for you.

R: I know honey, I'm sorry.

SILENCE ENSUES

[roughly 3 minutes later]

Mandi: I'm sorry I got frustrated and I realize that you were probably just as scared as I was (while hugging me)

Ronnie: I wasn't scared.

M: Women running alone at night get kidnapped, I could have been kidnapped.

R: I passed three women running alone while looking for you and they were fine. (typical guy thing to say. idiot)

M: Then they're stupid.

R: I'm sorry that you were tired, running around looking for me.

M: I wasn't tired, just frustrated.

R: I'm sorry. Next time, I know just what to do. We just got our wires crossed.

M: Friends again?

R: Friends again.

M: You have grease on your forehead.

CUT SCENE

So that was my best recap of what unfolded. I'm sure Mandi has a different side of the story and I will say that I'm sure I left some parts out. I just thought it was funny and an interesting look into a silly "dispute" between Mandi and I. Hopefully you guys out there can learn from my mistakes :)

Sorry I bored you to tears. The end.

Worst (and best) Run Yet.

Today was definitely the worst and best run I've had since being out of the Hole. Let's start off with why it was the worst:

• I was super lethargic and tired after taking the weekend off (not going to do that again).
• I ate beef taquitos for lunch (never smart).
• It had just rained so I was dodging puddles (I'm a straight line kind of a guy).
• I felt extremely not motivated because all I wanted to do was snuggle up to my wife after work on a rainy day (not that that's not what I want to do on a sunny day).
• My third treatment of the day didn't get me as "loose", clear and open as it usually does (as the treatments get later, they seem to do more for me).
• My legs were extra pained by the fact that it had just rained (I'm seriously an old 30)
• My shins burned and pulled to the point that I was hobbling

Alright, enough of Debbie Downer!! Now for why this was the BEST run since I've been out of the Hole:

• This was the first time I've run right after a rain, so it was "extra" cool outside (running to 95 degree weather gets old , fast).
• I was actually yearning to run after taking the weekend off (never thought there would come a time when I WANTED to run).
• It started out with the longest straight run yet, which was just under 8 minutes (not bad, but only going to get better).
• For the first time since getting out of the Hole, my legs felt worse than my lungs (yay!)
• I pushed through more pain on this run than on any run for a LONG time (the more I fight, the better it feels).
• I was able to sustain a quicker pace for longer (I even managed to keep Mandi in my sites for almost 5 whole minutes and that never happens :) )
• Best news of all, I beat my fastest pace by 4 seconds (It feels GREAT to defeat Mr. Run on a day that seemed to be full of Ms. Debbie Downer)

So what's the moral of this tale? Push through! I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Doing a little bit of SOMETHING is better than doing a whole lot of NOTHING. Often times it just simply sucks to exercise, believe me I know. One thing is for sure though, it sucks for everyone, CF or not. We we don't exercise, it's not because we have CF, don't feel good or don't have the time - we don't exercise when we make the conscious decision to place exercise low on the list of priorities. I know a lot of cysters and fibros who have no time and don't feel good yet lace up there shoes everyday to do something active. I also know that it's paying HUGE dividends for most of them.

Now the question becomes, what's going to be YOUR little bit of SOMETHING today?

1,000,000 Hits and a Giveaway

WE DID IT!! Ronnie and I said FOREVER ago that we couldn't wait to see CysticLife reach 1,000,000 hits. Why 1,000,000? Because it sounds like a lot, but more so because of what it represents. It means that the thing we spent hours, upon hours, upon hours thinking about, dreaming about, and working on, was actually being USED. (Side note - social networks totally blow if no one uses them. Sites like CysticLife, where they're mainly user-generated content, absolutely TANK if no content is generated). I had many panic attacks picturing this skeleton of a site sitting unused...but that's not what happened at all (and I'm not surprised). The CF community has a way of rallying together, and is incredibly awesome at sharing, helping, discussing, and encouraging one another. We are just SO SO SO thrilled that people are using CysticLife as a place to help and love on each other. But I'm getting side-tracked, so let me cut to the chase.

When we realized that 1,000,000 (like that I write the number instead of just writing 1 million? I'll be honest, it just feels good to see the zeros!) hits was possible, we wanted to be sure to give back to the community a little of what they were giving to us. We wanted to spruce up and add to the site, so we gave it a facelift and added a new homepage. We also, wanted to move our mission offline so we launched the CysticLife Grant Program, where you can apply for an activity, medical, or educational grant. We are SO SO excited by this, and absolutely CANNOT wait to start seeing applications come in, so we can continue giving people the tools they need to be successful in their CF Life.

And here's where the whole point of where I'm going comes in (yeah I know, it took me awhile to get to the punch...that's typically how my stories are, just ask Ronnie). I know a lot of you guys are already members on CysticLife, but if you're not, I wanted to clue you in, incase you don't follow the CysticLife Facebook Fan page (where we'll be making this announcement). As of RIGHT NOW, the first 100 people (LIVING IN THE US) to register on CysticLife.org AND send CysticLife a message on CysticLife.org, will receive a free SideStream Plus nebulizer. Pretty awesome right!?!

So non-CysticLife members, here's what you do:

1. Go to www.cysticlife.org

2. Register (be sure that you receive the validation email, and finish the registration process by following the link in the email...sometimes the email can end up in junkmail, so watch for it)

3. Once you're a member, search for CysticLife.

4. Once on CysticLife's profile, click the little mail icon, and shoot us a message.

5. If you're one of the first 100, we'll send you a message back asking for your address so we can send you the nebulizer cup.

6. BOOM, it's that easy.

I am a HUGE fan of free stuff, so I couldn't help but pass on the good news to those of you in the CF community who follow the blog, but aren't CysticLife.org members yet. Didn't want you to miss out on the opportunity to win a cool new "toy" and a good excuse to get over to CysticLife to see why it got 1,000,000 hits, the new homepage, site design, and CysticLife Grant Program.

**If you are a member already, you won't be eligible for a free SideStream Plus, BUT you can head over to CL, check out the new homepage and site design to let us know what you think, AND be sure to think about how CL can help you be successful through a CysticLife Grant.

**Please note you must live in the US to qualify!

I'm so thankful...

I'm so thankful for the time I just spent babysitting my little cousins.

I'm so thankful that my runs have gone better than expected this week.

I'm so thankful to have a wife I can't get enough of.

I'm so thankful that I can get back to church.

I'm so thankful that I have family in the neighborhood now.

I'm so thankful that the "cool air" is starting to find it's way into AZ.

I'm so thankful that Mandi surprised me with a mowed lawn when I got out of the Hole.

I'm so thankful that I have little brothers who love me.

I'm so thankful that I only coughed up blood once this week.

I'm so thankful for new medications.

I'm so thankful for job opportunities.

I'm so thankful for friends who value my opinion.

I'm so thankful for second chances.

I'm so thankful for my neighbor.

I'm so thankful an upcoming trip.

I'm so thankful my God.

I'm so thankful for all of our many blessings.

I'm so thankful that I have a blog in which to share what I'm thankful for.

I'm so thankful...

What are you thankful for today?

Workout Week In Review

Here's a little update about my workouts this last week...

Monday - I had a short walk, short as in 15 minutes, before my Pulmonary Function Test. They also sprang me from the Hole on this day. Yippee!

Tuesday - First day out of the Hole, so I wasn't expecting much. We decided to really push and run/walk a preselected route in which we did not know the distance. It went better than I expected it to go.

Distance: 2.35 miles Time: 40:00 Pace: 17:00

Wednesday - Selected a new, shorter route with the hope of improving my pace. Had some blood issues about 2 minutes into the run, but it never got that bad so I pushed through. This was a sprint/run/walk and I improved my pace by almost 2:30 minutes!

Distance: 1.8 miles Time: 26:00 Pace: 14:27

Thursday - Decided that I would sprint/run/walk the same route with the hope of bettering my pace from the day before. Mission accomplished.

Distance: 1.8 miles Time: 22:23 Pace: 12:26

Friday - Last workout before the weekend and this one was a doozy. I accompanied Mandi on her 4 mile run...but let me point out that I was on a bike. Nevertheless it was a 44 minute bike ride followed immediately by a sprint/run/walk of my own. I didn't really know what to expect, but I must say, I was pleased with the results.

Distance: 1.8 miles Time: 20:52 Pace: 11:35

All-in-all it was a great week for me. Only had one small bout with hemoptysis that seemed to just take care of itself. I was able to improve my pace everyday which I am very proud of. I'm hoping the trend will continue.

By the way, I also track all of my workouts on a site called dailymile.com. If you'd like to become my friend on there so we can challenge each other and hold one another accountable in our workouts, go to http://www.dailymile.com/people/RonnieS to join and become my friend!

Flash Me Friday - "Fall Decor"

This week's addition of Flash Me Friday calls for pictures of our "fall decor". We live in Arizona. There's no such thing as fall, let alone, "fall decor". I went back into the picture vault and found some pictures of the last time I did what I would consider a "fall activity". This counts right??

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".