Thanksgiving 2010 (in pictures)

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration with family and probably both ate more than we needed to. Here's Thanksgiving 2010 in pictures:

We roll deep!!

Mandi looks focused and ready!

We almost ran out of food...

Feast!!

Here's 2 of 3 tables

Seconds.

Some of the desserts this year

The judges for the 2010 cousin bake-off

Hanging out afterwards

Where'd everyone go??? Video games!!

What the _____?: Last Week's Results

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone stopping by to read this blog today. We all have SO MUCH to be thankful for!!

Here's the winners from last week's What the ______? contest!

1st: "Ronnie! I didn't mean to literally put your Big Girl Panties on!"

submitted by dawn

2nd: "Something old, something new. Something borrowed, Ewwwwwww."

submitted by Kelly

3rd: "Finally...a desperate housewife who isn't willing to share all "

submitted by Candice

tie

"Hey baby, will you be my TSA screener?"

submitted by Marissa

The (CF Full Panel) Results Are In!!!!

Alright, it's the moment we've all been waiting for...ok, Mandi and I. We just heard back from the nurse with the results from our CF Full Panel to see if Mandi was a carrier or not of the CF gene. Without further adieu, Mandi is....

And who doesn't like my Chinese pajamas?

Partial Results...Or Lack Thereof

*Mandi Tuesday? Doesn't quite have a ring to it - but I have a little update, so it's Mandi Tuesday :)

We caught wind that my carrier test (the full panel screen offered by Ambry Genetics) had results posted on Friday (get the back story here). This meant that yesterday (Monday) we surely should have heard something. After patiently waiting for all of 30 minutes after hearing the results had been posted, I called my doctor to see what they knew. They hadn't received anything. I proceeded to call Ambry. They told me they had "partial results" as they only had the results from the "first part" but won't have final, signed, official results until the end of next week when the second part is complete. And while the sweet girl on the other end refused (even after many pleas) to tell me the results of the first part of the test that were posted, just knowing they had moved onto the second part was enough to get my hopes up.

Watch this video to see why, hear my thoughts...and watch Ronnie attempt to make me cry!

We'll keep you posted! I'm sure with more videos of Ronnie capturing the "raw emotion" as he likes to call it. Looks more like capturing greasy hair and pimples if you ask me :)

My Thanksgiving Week Goal

With the holiday fast approaching, I've decided to set a goal for myself with the knowledge that this week is going to be crazy. I assume that it's pretty common to want to "shut it down" before the holidays, but I want to make sure that doesn't happen this week. It's happened in the past, but I just can't afford for it to happen now. So my goals:

- I refuse to miss any treatments. My middle day treatments always seem to get caught in the crossfire when things get busy. When this happens, I generally feel like dookie at the end of the day and my lungs get super tight. Even with that foreknowledge I'll still put off my middle treatments for some reason. Doesn't make sense. This week, I can't afford to do that. I need to stay on my game by staying on top of my treatments.

- I will go for a run everyday. My runs have been going well for quite some time now and I refuse to let this crazy week derail the train. Lately I've been running every other day to let my legs rest, but have been going on long walks or bike rides on my "off" days. This week, I want to run every single day. I want to run every single day to make sure my body knows who is in charge and even though he's not going to feel like lacing up his shoes and hitting the road, he's GOING TO DO IT!!

- I will not forget to remember all that I am thankful for. This shouldn't be too difficult to stick to as Mandi and I have made this part of our daily lives, but out of any week of the year, I want to make sure this isn't the one I forget to be thankful. If I started listing everything I had to be thankful, we'd be here until next year, but I definitely want to be more vocal about it his week. I want to make sure the people in my life know how thankful I am for them.

- I will not overeat on Thanksgiving Day. Now, I don't want you thinking that I'm watching my weight (although I probably should be); Thanksgiving Day and I have some history. I had my first ever full intestinal blockage in 2003 on Thanksgiving Day and it was not pretty. I won't go into details right now, but I'll try to write about it this week. Long story short, know when to say when when it comes to turkey.

So those are my four goals for the week. Feel free to call me out at anytime on any and all of these goals during the week. Drop me a note on here, message me on Facebook or email me at ronnie@cysticlife.org to make sure that I'm living up to my end of the bargain. If you, like me, struggle with sticking to a plan around the holidays, let me know so I can help hold you accountable as well!

Welcome to the Family!!!

We're so excited for today!! We finally get to make this little guy an "official member" of the clan. Congrats to Tim and Gina :)

Big Weekend Ahead: National Adoption Day and CFF Gala

**Post written by Mandi

We have an exciting weekend coming up. We've got all of our Tucson family coming up to Phoenix for an AWESOME celebration. Our cousins, Tim and Gina, are finally making their little man an official part of the family on Saturday, National Adoption Day. The whole family is getting together to celebrate on Saturday, and again on Sunday for his Christening. We couldn't be more excited for them and are really excited to have the family all up in our neck of the woods for the celebration - we'll be sure to post pictures so you can see what we did and just how cute there baby boy is...we're talking Gerber baby material.

We're also excited because Saturday is the CysticLife Breath of Life Gala in Tucson. This year, CysticLife is the title sponsor for the great event put on by the CFF and we're excited to be a part of it. So we'll be headed down on Saturday evening to enjoy a fun night at the Skyline Country Club, honoring Paul Lindsey and Kathy Alexander. The emcee will be Mariana Valencia. If you're in the Tucson or Phoenix, or shoot, anywhere in AZ, and have Saturday night free, pick up a few tickets here and join us. We'd love to see you!! We're hoping to raise some serious moola for the CFF.

And then Sunday, after the Christening, it's a mad dash home to hopefully get some outside work done before the sun sets. (Is it just me or does the sun seem to be setting WAY too early? It feels like I barely finish lunch and the sun's already going to sleep on me. For a girl who has trouble stay awake in the evening, an early sunset doesn't help!!)

We'll be sure to take lots of photos and post them. If you're lucky, I may even get a photo snapped of Ronnie in DRESS CLOTHES - and as an adoring wife, I think he cleans up pretty darn well :)

What the _____?: November 18th, 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!?!? This will be the last "What the ______?" for who knows how long, so make it good!!!

Last week's photo (we had two photos):

1st: "Don't Tell Ronnie, But This is What Marriage Is Really Like! "

submitted by CGBethPeters

2nd: "Help my hands are frozen to the bars and no ones listening because of their ipods"

submitted by lulu

3rd: "He won't let me out of here until I agree to his kinky dress up games!"

submitted by Marla

1st: "Don't tell Mandi, but you're kinda cute, and your little boyfriend is so . . . little."

submitted by CGBethPeters

2nd: " I love your outfits! Do you where I could pick up a set in an Adult size? "

submitted by Marla

3rd: "Now let ME show you what I can do with a stick and hula-hoop!"

submitted by Susie

The Morning Walk is Back!!

One thing that I really wanted to focus on after this last trip to the Hole was getting my morning routine back - namely, my morning walk. When things get busy, it seems to be the first thing I put on the back burner, and it truly is a big mistake. Now that it's been a while and I've been able to stick with it, I can't even begin to tell you the difference it makes. The thing is, it literally takes up 10-20 minutes of my morning, but the positive affects of the morning walk stay with me all day. I mean, what kind of return on investment is that?? I'll tell you, it's one of the smartest things that I, you or your neighbor Billy Bob can do!

It sets the tone for the entire day when I get out there first thing in the morning and walk my little buns off. Not only does it get my motor running, but it also gets my lungs open like nothing else can first thing in the morning. I cough up a TON of junk and I'm able to give those "gut rattling" coughs without fear of tossing my cookies. Being able to just focus on clearing the gunk without that fear is priceless. It's amazing how much more clear I feel on the days that I get that walk in first thing in the morning.

I know I've talked about this before, but I just can't stress it enough to you guys. I'm constantly being asked "where do I start?". Start here! This is the PERFECT first step on your way to better health. It will barely take up any of your time; it will set the tone for the rest of your day; it's a nice chance to clear your head; it won't be so physically demanding that you'll be too intimidated to start. All you have to do is tie up the those shoes of yours, open your front door and start walking! I promise that a month from now you won't regret it. In fact, walk today, right now if possible, and if you regret doing so after your walk, please leave your comment here about that regret. In fact, if any of you EVER regret doing a workout, please let me know about it!

The other great thing about a morning walk is that you don't have to be the only one to benefit. It gives Mandi and I a great opportunity to talk about who knows what and everything else in between, but more importantly, just spend that quality time together. This could also give you some quality time together with that special someone in your life, whether it be your husband, wife, kids, mom, dad, sister, brother or dog. Shoot, to be honest with you, I don't think anybody looks forward to these morning walks more than Jezzabel (my dog). In fact, most mornings she sitting at the edge of my bed whining, just listening for the words "go get your leash".

Will you do me a favor? Go for a walk tomorrow morning. Then, come back to this blog and tell me about it. You can also share your experience over on DailyMile.com. We have a great group over there who love to hold each other accountable and root one another on. See you there!!

Rondi's Recipes: Chicken Teriyaki Ramen Stir-fry

Mandi and I do a pretty good job of making all of our meals at home, but we want to become even better. We figured that if we could commit to doing one food blog a week, it would push us to become more creative and it might give you guys some good food ideas.

So here it is, week number 1. If you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)

Chicken Teriyaki Ramen Stir-fry

Some of the ingredients: Brown sugar, Soy sauce, Teriyaki marinade (to marinate the chicken), minced garlic, ginger and corn starch

Recipe for the Teriyaki sauce can be found here. We actually doubled the amount of soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic - as a result, we added more corn starch for thickening.

We cut up two boneless chicken breasts and browned them in some olive oil.

We bought an Asian Stir Fry vegetable bag a while ago from Sam's Club. For this recipe we used about 3 cups or so. Also used two bags of Ramen noodles.

Sauteed vegetables in a little bit of olive oil.

Like three peas in a pod...

Combine the Teriyaki sauce, vegetables and chicken - stir.

Dump Ramen noodles on top.

Stir until Ramen noodles are fully coated.

Serve...

...and eat...

...and then get ready to take a bike ride.

Prep Time: About 10 minutes

Cook Time: About 15 minutes

What we liked:

Made with ingredients that I already had around the house - frozen veggies, ramen, chicken, etc.

Relatively idiot proof - even I couldn't blow it. It was simply adding a few pre-cooked items together.

Cheap - when one of the key ingredients is Ramen, you know it will be reasonably priced.

Versatile - you can make it your own or clean through your kitchen by swapping out the meat, mixing in different spices, even changing noodles for rice.

I liked the fact that we just had to open some bags, cut some chicken, throw a few ingredients together and we were done.

Anything that involves chicken and stir-fry can be put into my belly.

This was an incredibly cheap meal.

I liked that we were able to make the Teriyaki sauce ourselves.

Very filling.

What we'd change:

Flavor - the teriyaki sauce we made was very good, but I would like to try it with some kick - somehow make it spicier.

Meat - Ah, the age old debate of white meat or dark. Ronnie's into DRY white meat, so the chicken was a bit dry. I'd like to try it with dark meat (probably won't happen though!!)

Noodles - I would cook the noodles a little bit less before adding them to the cooked veggies and chicken. They ended up a little on the soggy side. Perhaps undercooking them before adding them to everything else and allowing them to finish cooking once added to the veggies and chicken would have helped.

Next time, I'd like to cut the chicken into smaller pieces.

I wouldn't mind a little bit of heat in this dish.

I wish Bird's Eye would pay attention to the random vegetable roots I kept biting into.

I'd mess around with the Teriyaki sauce a bit more and possibly coat the Ramen noodles first, before adding the vegetables.

I wouldn't mind trying it with rice instead of Ramen

Here's our overall rating (with 1 being the worst meal we've ever had and 10 being the best):

Mandi's Rating: 8

Ronnie's Rating: 6.5

Again, if you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)

Carrier or Not - That is the Question

Two Thursdays ago, we had a knock at our door and when we opened it, no one was there. But at my feet, I saw a little white box. A white box that seemed to be holding a big part of my future in it. A little white box from Ambry Genetics. It was the box that held a tiny little vial, for me to fill up with my blood, and send off for the full test (read: the most extensive test there is today, testing for 99% of mutations) to see if I am a carrier for CF. As some of you may have read in previous posts I don't yet know if I'm a carrier for CF, as Ronnie and I were waiting to have me tested.

What does it matter if I'm a carrier you may be thinking? One word: Babies. We know we want to have children. And there are a TON of ways for us to start our family, but the way that we have to go about creating our family really depends on if I'm a carrier. We'll write a longer post later regarding some of the meat and potatoes that go into the following statement, but for the sake of keeping this post short(ish), I'll just make the statement for now: Ronnie and I won't have biological children if I'm a carrier. The main reason - we're not willing to take the risk of having a child with CF.

Needless to say, I'm pretty nervous and excited about getting the test results back. I'll be really honest. I'm hoping that I'm not a carrier simply because it leaves us with more options. I feel pretty comfortable with all of the options that are out there, but being a carrier somehow feels like instantly there are a few doors shut which to someone that wants to be a mommy really BAD, hurts a bit. So we shall see. Again, in another post I'll go into all of my emotions around all of our options, but we're not there yet :)

Once we know if I'm a carrier or not, we'll start to process through all of our family making options. As I'm sure many of you know, there are a TON of ways to create a family for a CF couple (which I guess I should mention, we've already ruled out the natural, "oops I'm pregnant" way based on a test Ronnie had done years ago), from IVF to adoption and pretty much everything in between. Again, we'll dive more into all of our thoughts on each option at a later date, when we actually get to that stage in the process. For right now, we are just getting past step 1.

We know that it can be a LOOOONG process for CF couples to create their families, and we're ok with that (ok, Ronnie's more ok with it than I am...but I'm bracing myself). We don't want a baby tomorrow or even in the next 6 months. But we know that whatever route we're going to take, we'll want to carefully and prayerfully consider it. So this is just our way of arming ourselves with all of the facts before starting the process of researching, investigating, praying, and visiting doctors or lawyers.

We took some videos so you could be a part of the process. It was surprisingly easy. You just go to the Ambry Genetics website and request a test. It shows up in the mail. You take the box (with blood vial inside) to the doctor. They fill out a form. You fill out a form. They take blood. You take a pre-addressed and paid for envelope to FedEx with the box and blood inside. You hear back in 15-35 days.

Tomorrow is day 15...

Amazing Race - Phoenix Edition

Yesterday, Mandi and I were fortunate enough to compete in an Amazing Race type of an event courtesy of my cousins Tim and Gina. They had bought tickets, but due to some conflicts in their schedule, the tickets got passed down to us. If you aren't familiar with the Amazing Race, it's basically a race around the world in which teams compete against each other by solving clues and taking on various challenges. Challenges such as trying to hit a target with a watermelon using a balloon launcher, which if you haven't seen this video, you NEED TO WATCH IT!

So anyway, we didn't get to do anything that cool, but we did have a lot of fun and didn't kill each other. We also stayed within about a 5 mile radius and didn't fly across the globe - maybe next time. Here's some pictures outlining our day and the race.

Everybody arriving and getting checked in.

Some last minute instructions before the race begins. BTW, we started in an REI parking lot next to a big mall.

This clue wanted us to take a picture with something that represents what happens between dusk and dawn. Thus, Twilight.

This clue wanted us to eat a tasty treat from something that started in Santa Monica, Muscle Beach in 1946. That something, "hot dog on a stick".

We had to find a juke box, make 4 new friends and take a picture.

They wanted to see a picture of a teammate with a "modern day Dandyhorse".

This was the toughest clue...it gave some crazy quote, we had to figure out that it was Barry Goldwater who said it, then we had to run quite a ways to find this stupid statue :)

Just livin' the dream.

Called for us to dress up in some "retro" gear.

The race ended with a "shapes puzzle" at Barrio Grill where we got to hang out and mingle with some fellow race peeps.

Out of 34 teams, Mandi and I finished a disappointing 4th place. We weren't nearly as prepared as some of these other teams which clearly had done this before. They were equipped with matching t-shirts, bus schedules, clip boards, fanny packs, you name it, they had it. We are already looking forward to the next race which is in March, and I promise the field that we will be more prepared next time!

BTW, if you want to check for an adventure race near you, click here for the City Scape website.

Today is a very special day

One year ago today, Mandi and I took a HUGE leap in our relationship and got engaged. It was certainly one of the most nerve wracking times of my life (as you can see on the video here), but also the best decision I have ever made. I can still remember picking up the ring at the jewelry store and just sitting in my truck for what seemed like hours staring at it. I can still remember all of the stories I had to give Mandi as to what I was doing to cover up for all my covert-ops to pick out the ring. Most importantly I can still recall all of the crazy emotions that I was feeling the days leading up to and the days after the engagement.

As I sit here and reflect on the year that has passed, I'd have to say that the best thing that has happened is those "new love" feelings haven't changed a bit. I still feel a rush every time Mandi walks into the room. When we were engaged I could look you in the eye and tell you without a shadow of a doubt that I had the best fiancee walking this planet. Now I can sit here and tell you that my wife is undoubtedly the best wife known to mankind. I'm just so proud to be her husband. I respect everything about her and am just floored that I actually landed her. She's WAY out of my league and I'm still trying to figure out what drug she was on to think I was an alright guy.

So Mandi, I love you, I cherish you and my love for you has never wavered and only gets stronger by the day. I still can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you. Whether it's one year or 100 years, know that I will always live my life as if it was our final day. You deserve more than I could ever give, but I will spend every day of my life trying to show you, through my actions, that you've made me complete and I am forever grateful. Love you honey.

What the _____?: November 11th, 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!?!?

We didn't have enough qualifying entries last week for the picture below, so you guys are getting another stab at it. Let the creative juices flow!

Last week's photo:

Anything on the second time around? If you have a creative caption that works for both you get super creative double trouble triple dog dare points.

I Coulda, but I Didn'ta

It seems like I'm posting the same type of a blog whenever I return from a trip. It goes something like this:

Man, I've got to figure out how to get my runs in when I'm out of town. I fell off the wagon again and it's so hard to get back on now that I'm back home. Not feeling great because of all of the missed workouts. Blah, excuse, blah, blah, excuse. You guys have any tips for me?

I think I have figured out what's happening...I'm chalked full of excuses when I'm away from the nest. It sucks. As I sit here and reflect on this most recent trip, I can point to at least a handful of times each day that I had at least 30 minutes to spare to get a workout in. On the days that it just didn't seem like it was possible, I could have gotten up 30 minutes early. When it comes down to it, life is choices. I choose not to work out while I was in Dallas. There was nothing physically wrong with me while I was away, it was all mental, and it was all on me.

So now as I sit here, I'm left with regret for my choices these past few days, but I'm thankful that I still have the ability to get back on the horse. I made sure to ride him early this morning as I took a walk in the neighborhood before I even gave myself a chance to fully wake up. I got on him again when I laced up my running shoes and went for a run/walk this afternoon. I won't lie to you, it stunk. I coughed so hard during the run that I was pretty sure that my brain was about to fly through my forehead. It was that kind of cough that made my shut my eyes and whence in pain mid-cough. What a great reminder for my "sins" of the past! :) (I honestly couldn't wait for the run to be over, but the good news is that I made it and wasn't too far off of my normal pace.)

So what's my point? My point is, I coulda, but I didn'ta. I'd love to sit here and blame CF. Blame my job. Blame a lack of time. Blame my physical state. Blame my mental state. Blame the weather. Blame my feelings. Blame this. Blame that. There's only one thing to blame here and that's the person who made the choice not to exercise when he was away on a trip. And that person would be ME.

So what's next? Do I beat myself up? Do I throw a pity party? Do I just throw in the towel and say that I can't hack it? Of course not! I wake up tomorrow and I get back on the horse that I rode today. I know tomorrow is going to be busy, but I don't care. I need to show me who's boss. It's not the guy who will put a TV show before working out, but will put working out before almost anything in this world because he's convinced that's the key to staying here a while. It's the guy who's going to wake up at a ridiculously early hour because he knows that will give him the best chance to get his workout in. It's the guy who just realized what he committed to...and with that, the guy who better get to bed!