Dove Hunt

We have a been keeping late hours....I think I may be too old for this...haha..We were in the dove field  before the sun on Saturday.  We really didn't have a lot of birds, but we ended up shooting skeets...Now..that was fun and Skywalker was good at it....{Note to self....skeet thrower for G.I. Joe on his birthday.}  We ended up the day with FOOTBALL...GO STATE!!! and some really good friends
and food. 
Skywalker and his dad have been going fishing in the afternoons after school.  G.I. Joe was away last night for work....YUCK...He is headed home now!! WOW>>>SCREAM>>>YES!!! I miss him so much when he is gone.  I can't wait for him to walk through the door with my kiss and hug.  I think we have plans to go to the pool this afternoon.  We have guard drill this weekend....FOOTBALL FRIDAY!!!!
I had to add another week of IV's to my schedule.  I really thought I was still too short of breath to finish them this week.  I do feel much better today and hope to even feel better tomorrow!

Back at It...

I am home and happy....need I say more????  That was a nice short stay in club med this trip.  I still have a week of IV's to finish up at home.  (so WHAT!!....) 

Skywalker busted the doors open today after school.  I don't know who gave the most kisses...!!!  {JOY...SMILE...KISS}  I jumped right back into being a mom and wife!!  I started off with homework and finished up with cooking supper...Roast and Gravy ....{YuMmY!!}  I ended up writing a huge grocery list..

We finished up with Skywalker's room, tonight...It screams...ARMY!!  One of his friends came over today and saw his room...the friend's response...."That's Tight!"

It seems so small, but it means so much just to be able to be home to write the grocery list.  Each day means so much when you don't feel sick.  I enjoy taking time just to write love notes to Skywalker and G.I. Joe on the message board in the laundry room...just small things...that most people don't take time for...make such a big difference to me..BLESSINGS....make sure you take time...time to see them...Even if it is just the smile on his face when you hand him his drink...always SMILE back!

*We are to glory in the Lord, to revel in His blessings, in His presence, and in His person.

Count Your Blessings For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:5).

Tune Up TIme

Well...I am back at Club Med.  I have to say...it sure feels good to know that I have not been in the hospital for quite some time.  I started feeling tight in my chest and was SOB.  G.I. Joe is staying with me through the weekend, but has to be at work on Monday.  Mom and Dad have Skywalker, so he is king of the castle for the stay.  I am so blessed to have amazing parents that love Skywalker they way they do.  I came in on Wed. so I pray my meds with work really fast this trip.  I want to be home by next Friday. We have our 1st home football game of the season.  I sure don't want to miss the quarterback (my nephew) play a great game.!!  G.I. Joe and Skywalker will be dove hunting all weekend, but I have to be home to see the doves they kill and to hear the great stories they tell.  I am also in need of a cookout with my friends.  I am sure we can get it all done for the Laor Day Holiday.
PFT's 54/38 admit....not bad...

According to Webster.... {happiness actually means.. a pleasurable or satisfying experience.} 

But I know this for sure; happiness is a choice. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Waiting something to happen doesn’t create happiness. Only God alone can provide us long-term happiness.  God offers us much better things to pursuit –JOY.  It offers peace of mind. It gives confidence  because it’s a gift from God. 

**I read today that... ‘The root of your happiness is your joy. Don’t let anybody steal your joy.’ Real joy is more than happiness.

I am a horrible blogger..UPDATE

WOW...I really had good intentions when I started this, but I have really failed at it. 
I will try and fill in the blanks:

I went in the hospital back in March and May.  I stayed 2 weeks each time.  I started Cayston as soon as it hit the shelves.  I have had really great results since I began taking it.  I went to clinic in July and my PFT's were higher then they have been in 2 years.  YAH!!! {JuMpInG}

Skywalker finshed 3rd grade the end of May. {SMILES} G.I. Joe was away for work the following week.  When G.I. Joe got home he had  BIG news to tell.....well...it was NOT good news...at all...G.I. Joe's National Guard Unit received it's alert orders for deployment.  {CRY...SCREAM...YELL} O.K. I was really mad!!! 

In June, we took our annual family vacation to Florida for the week.  We had a wonderful time.  We went with all of my family and my best friend and her family also went.  What a blast...tons of kids!!! The best food...sunny days on the beach with friends and family!   Oh, yeah...I took tons of great pictures!

I would have to say June was the most important month of my LIFE!!! YES... I said "MY LIFE!!!!!"  Skywalker made his public profession of faith.  OH....WOW...WOW...Do I have to say how G.I. and I were feeling that day.  I cried...cried...and cried ...tears of joy....!!! As a mom, I felt so assured that God was taking care of my family...my life...!!

During June and July, my health was super.!!!!!!!!! {SMILES}  I was able to walk stairs and not even get short of breath.

In July, Skywalker made baseball All-Stars.  PROUD MOM!!!! We stayed at the baseball field night and day.  We traveled for tournaments and had alot of fun.  G.I. Joe was gone away for summer camp out of state for 2 weeks...{YUCK}

July 4th was a wonderful day in our home.  Skywalker was baptized that morning!  I couldn't sing my praises loud enough...for the world to know what a proud mom I was...He amazes me daily with his sweetness.  He was so excited about living his life for God!!!!!!!!!!!!

The beginning of August started school for Skywalker.  I hate having him away all day long.  I miss him so bad.   I miss the mornings where we stayed in the bed late and watched t.v. together.  I miss the long days at the pool together.  There were days he would ask me to take a nap with him.  We never went to sleep, but we laid in the bed and talked and watched t.v all afternoon...Boy...those are the best days.!!!

Who am I, Lord that You take notice of me?  I cannot believe that You love me the way You do.  Though I don't understand, I do accept Your gracious love, and I am thankful from the depths of my soul..Amen

We had a great weekend. We went out to eat with some friends and sat around the rest of the night laughing!! The next night, we grilled out with the Bunkers and Skywalker ended up spending the night. Sunday’s are so much brighter around our house. Our church called a new pastor about a month ago. He just lifts you up so well in God’s word.


I think the steroids have increased my appetite a little. I can’t really tell if they have helped a lot. One day I wake up and feel great and then by that night I feel tight. I feel like now I have more congestion and I know I am coughing harder. It has only been a month since I got out of the hospital. I am NOT ready to return!!! My O2 levels are great! It has started raining and that even makes my breathing worse. I am so ready for some warm summer weather.

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference... trust...

My Favorite Song!!

This song brings me to tears each time I hear it. How powerful the words are.!!!

Busy..but FUN!

We have been so busy…or should I say just having fun!! We had about 5 inches of snow last Friday. We stayed out all day throwing snowballs and snowboarding behind the 4-wheeler. There were way too may kids to count. This neighborhood is a kid drop off zone. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I always told my husband that I wanted Skywalker"s friends to come to his house instead of him always wanting to go somewhere…So far…that has been accomplished!

On Saturday, we had Skywalkers 9th birthday party! He invited 9 boys to go play Lazertag. It was 2 hours of the most fun.  He is really into sports right now. I think dad enjoyed it as much as the boys.

This past week has been crazy. I really started feeling tight and short of breath. I tried doing extra breathing treatments but really didn’t get much relief. I called UAB and they called me in a steroid dose pack. It is  a very low dose so I decided to take it. I HATE steroids. I am on my 3rd day and I am feeling a little better not as short of breath. I did get back on the treadmill and walked 10 minutes. I have lots more energy…THANKS to the steroids. I even felt like getting in the tanning bed.!!! I always feel better when I am not SNOW white….


G.I. Joe had to be away from home this week because of work. We were so glad to see him back. I sure didn’t get lots of hugs and love….he came home SICK…ug .ug.. He thinks he has a sinus infection…oh..just want I need…so he is staying a feet away…

HAPPY day...

I woke up this morning being a mom to a birthday boy. Our little gift from God turns 9 today.  When I married G.I. Joe, I really thought that I didn't  want children.  I think I had just been told so many times that it was so hard for women with CF to get pregnant. I had also been told that it would start a decline in my health along with many other negatives. I thought that if I said many times over and over that I didn't want children then I would start believing it.  After 5 years of a wonderful marriage, my heart just longed for a child.  We prayed for a miracle, and for God to bless us with a child.  It was not an easy process but people with CF have never been known to give up! After 32 longs weeks, our bundle of joy arrived HEALTHY!!!!! These have been wonderful years.  I tuck him in each night with a hug and a kiss along with saying our prayers.  Each night, I go back in his room after he falls asleep and kiss him on his forehead.  Each night,  I look to God and thank him for allowing me to be a mom!! He is the beat in my heart and the light in my day.  He has the sweetest hugs and kisses.  I know that because I have CF, I realized how special each day is.  I can honestly say that I live each day as my last.  My heart is so open to my son.  As I am writing this, he has asked me to come make cookies with him...so I must end this and get those cookies going!!!
I love being a MOM and WIFE!!!  It sure is easy when you have the best son and husband in the world!!

eFLOW

I thought I would post this for those interested.  I am in a CF Yahoo group and others were wanting information on this.  The eFlow® SCF is available with a prescription exclusively through The Respiratory Disease Network (RDN), a group of specialty pharmacies created to better address the specific needs of people affected by CF. Call 1-888-335-6946.  I called the Georgia office.  They were very friendly and very helpful.

*This is no cost for the eFlow®
*They will supply it to you ONLY if you order your certain inhaled medications from them
*You CANNOT use TOBI in this nebulizer...it must be a preservative free unit dosed tobramycin

The eFlow® SCF technology platform combines two key nebulization principles - a high percentage of the delivered dose within the respirable range and a high flow rate - to significantly reduce nebulization times.

If I Were

If I were a month, I would be June.

If I were a day of the week, I would be Saturday.

If I were a time of the day, I would be 5:00 pm.

If I were a planet, I would be Earth.

If I were a sea animal, I would be a dolphin.

If I were a direction, I would be Southeast.

If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a Lazy boy chair.

If I were a liquid, I would be Gatorade.

If I were a gemstone, I would be a diamond.

If I were a tree, I would be a Dogwood.

If I were a tool, I would be a hammer.

If I were a flower, I would be a Gerber daisy.

If I were a kind of weather, I would be hot.

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a saxaphone.

If I were a color, I would be bright blue.

If I were an emotion, I would be faith.

If I were a fruit, I would be a orange.

If I were a sound, I would be funny.

If I were an element, I would be oxygen.

If I were a car, I would be a Hummer.

If I were a food, I would be a crab leg.

If I were a place, I would be the beach.

If I were a material, I would be  terry cloth.

If I were a taste, I would be salty.

If I was a scent, I would be fruity.

If I were an object, I would be a laying out chair.

If I were a body part, I would be a lip.

If I were a facial expression, I would be a smile.

If I were a song, I would be loud.

If I were a pair of shoes, I would be a flip flops.

What would you be?

Thoughts of Emily

I believe I am not feeling as short of breath right now. I did an extra breathing treatment around lunch. I know this may be crazy, but I am beginning to think my pfts were lower because I took the H1N1 shot. That is just an idea that I conjured up. I told G.I. Joe about my exercise plan, so I am hoping he will help me stay true to it. Skywalker came in from school with homework and he also has basketball practice tonight. Skywalker's request for supper >>TACOS<< I use to really hate to cook, but when Skywalker started asking for special request my thought about this changed. It makes me feel like a great mom when he tells me how good supper is. He always gets up from the table and gives the cook a kiss...Aw...how sweet...(see now why I love to cook!!) G. I. Joe is down the street helping our new pastor hang blinds in their home.

This afternoon, I watched Emily Mulkey's funeral via web cast. It was a beautiful service. I only knew of Emily through her blog and I encourage others to read it. She had such faith in God. My prayer today is to become more like Emily. I need to be more passionate for Christ, more driven for my savior. I pray that God with give me the opportunity to lead others to worship him.

Psalm 71:15
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them.

Lazy Day

 This morning when I woke up, I had two extra legs on my body and an extra head on my pillow. Sometime during the night, Skywalker, our son, decided he wanted to be close to his mom. I am not complaining at all. I have to say, there is NO sweeter way to wake up. After all of my morning kisses, G.I. Joe made bacon, egg, and cheese omelets. He has always been the master of the grill, but now he is trying to overtake my kitchen.


I have told myself a million times....Do your breathing treatments and then eat!! My morning treatments seem to be the hardest. I have just recently increased my vest to 30 minutes T.I.D. Oh..What was I thinking??? I guess I had half of my breakfast left...UG!!! How gross is that? I know there are lots of CFers reading this thinking...{Oh..yeah..me too..!!}

This morning in Sunday school, the teacher wanted to know...as a child what did we want to be when we grew up?? My husband of course hit the nail on the head..."A Solider". I just sat back and thought...I just always wanted to ...be healthy!

We spent our afternoon being lazy. G.I. Joe and Yoda (our 5 month old beagle) took their long nap in the chair laid all the way back. Skywalker hit the door running as soon as we got home. He plays with the Bunker kids every waking minute. Today, they played kickball which evolved into WAR BALL!! As for myself, I have started cleaning out my clothes and getting ready for spring/summer. My day ended with a great supper from the grill. After bath time, I got beat playing UFC with Skywalker!

Motivation is needed!!! I have got to hold myself to an exercise routine.
My Plans: Treadmill 30 mins at least 5 times a week.

It's MY Birthday!!

I just spent 2 weeks in the hospital and I got home just in time to celebrate my 35th birthday!  Instead of celebrating for the day, we have decided just to celebrate it through the weekend.  I totally agree with that!! Friday night, we grilled out with our neighboors (The Bunkers).  I must change names to protect the inoccent and the guilty. I have to say, we love them.  Our children are just like brothers and sisters.  Mrs. Bunker made me strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing.(oh..so..good!!).   Billy (family buddy w/ 3 kids) came over to suprise me with a gift and a birthday cake!  After supper, my husband brings in a big white box! Guess what ?? another CAKE!!  Do I have to tell you how happy the kids were?  We all stayed up late and ate cake.  It is so hard to do breathing treatments and the vest when your stomach is so full.

This morning, I got a call from across the street (The Wilsons) wanting me to come over and look at a new piece of furniture.  I walked through the door only to be suprised by a number of my friends yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"!!!  We sat down and had CAKE...(#4) and lots of other goodies with punch. After celebrating again, I left to go watch my son play Upward basketball at the church.  **Shout out to my son*** MAN YOU PLAYED A GREAT GAME.. I'm a very proud mom!

So how do you end two great days of celebrating a birthday?  {CRAWFISH}  My sweet husband is outside getting ready to throw them in the pot!  So this will be another night with the Bunkers, Billy, and no telling who else will end sucking the heads!

Why do I blog?

I have finally decided after a few months of being coerced by a great CF friend to start a blog.  I finally made the choice to write this because of my son.  I am writing in hopes that one day he can go back and remember all the fun times that otherwise he might have forgotten.  I also want my husband to read about what joy he brings to my life.  I'm just blogging so that one day when my Heavenly Father calls me home, they will be able to read and know what an impact they have made in my life.