Blue-Eyed Breather

"Do not grow weary in doing good." 2 Thessalonians 3:13 I don't know about you, but I definitely feel like I need this reminder every once in awhile. It's so easy to get into the mindset of "Okay, I did my one good deed for the day, so I can check that off the list." However, God did not call us to do one good thing a day. Through Paul, He said "do not grow weary in doing good." To me, this signifies constantly doing good, not just an act here or there. As Christians, we exemplify God's character to the world. He is perfectly and amazingly good, ALL the time. Therefore, we should do good so that the world can see how great a God we serve. So often, people (including myself) struggle to do good. It can grow tiresome, especially when the things of this world always seem to be beating us down, no matter what we do. In addition, it can be hard to do good when we are not recognized for our actions. The world tells us we should get public praise...

The end of my freshman year is coming to a close, and I am in utter shock. It seems like just yesterday that my room was full of boxes, the walls were bare, and I was staring at my room, trying to figure out where to begin (both in life and in unpacking everything!) Now, my room is full of empty boxes, and I can't seem to find where the year went (or determine where to start with the packing process). I have had an interesting year, no doubt. From having surgery the first Friday of my college life, to meeting some amazing people, to trying to learn how to manage CF, social outings, and academic work, I am blown away by all God has done this year. I would be so lost without His direction!! I am still trying to figure the whole "adult world" out, and I have a feeling I will be working on this until the day I die. However, for now (and forever, really), this is my cry: "I will not boast in anything, No gifts, no power, no wisdom. But I will boast in Jesus Christ, H...

I forgot to write a thankful Thursday blog last week! It was Diadeloso, so my week was completely thrown off. I remembered this week, though. :) 1. Louie Giglio's Passion City Podcast- I've been listening to Louie's "Boy Meets Girl" sermon series, and I have learned so much. I have never been in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Being in college, this is kind of unique. This series dives into God's intent for relationships, the most perfect model for us to follow. Before we can be in a serious relationship, however, we need to learn to delight in the Lord and cultivate faithfulness. I have learned so much about what it means to wait on the Lord in this time of my life. 2. Tie-dye- some of my fellow Community Group girls and I tie-dyed on Sunday, and it was so fun! The tie-dye came from a really good source in Colorado, so the tie-dye turned out better than normal. I wore my tie-dye tank top today, and I am so impressed with how it turned out. 3. Last Thu...

I went to Bear Nutrition today, and it was an interesting experience. Bear Nutrition is a health club that serves high protein shakes as well as gives body evaluations to determine health goals/ways to get in better shape and provides you with a wellness coach. I went with some friends after going to the gym (I know, I'm just being super fit today!). I had never heard of Bear Nutrition before going. They had more than fifty flavors of shakes to choose from, which was a bit overwhelming at first! I ended up ordering banana-peach freeze. It was pretty good! It had the typical protein-powder taste to it, but I definitely thought it was better than most protein shakes. It didn't have the artificial sugar taste, which I despise. Anyway, the point of this post isn't to talk about the shake flavors. I had the body evaluation done, and low and behold, it showed that I am underweight (imagine that). It said I have a healthy metabolic age (12), visceral fat (1), and that I'm st...

"She laughs with no fear of the future, for her hope is in me." I pray to become the kind of woman who is described by this verse. For a planner like me, this kind of confidence is truly mind-boggling! I am the type of woman who carries around a planner, enjoys having every single detail figured out ahead of time, and does not like spontaneous decisions. I am not one for surprises, nor do I like spur of the moment plans. Part of this is because of my personality. I'm a very type A person, the typical over-achiever who likes to get things done. So, naturally, I like to have my future planned out. But honestly, I'm learning my future is uncertain-I have no idea how my life is going to turn out! If I'm being honest, this is a scary thought for me. I'm used to planning my life, but in reality, I have no control whatsoever. Which brings me back to the above verse. I'm praying to become the kind of woman who does not fear the future because God is reigning in ...

There's so much I don't understand about technology, especially my computer. I know, that's slightly problematic. Well, we can't all be a computer genius. As my graduation present, my grandparents bought me a computer. It's the traditional graduation gift that they give all of their grandchildren (Thanks again!!) Anyway, I got a Macbook Pro. I probably should have spent extensive time learning all the features about my computer and trying to understand how it works, but I didn't. If you know me well, you may be saying to yourself, "Yep, sounds like Emily." You see, I'm not the most patient person in the world. I want to understand things right away. I am not a fan of reading long, boring instruction booklets (I usually leave that task to my dad and then ask him to explain in actual English). So, naturally, I did not spend a lot of time reading the instruction booklet that came with my Mac. I jumped in and started using it right away, as if I kn...

One of my biggest pet peeves: People acting dumb. Yesterday was Dia Del Oso, a day off from school for all of us Baylor kids. Basically, it's a day to celebrate the end of the semester and a successful year. I had a fabulous time with friends, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and day free of worrying about schoolwork. Unfortunately, it has also turned into a big gigantic party for many people (and I'm not talking about the fun parties). You know to stay off of 10th street, which is where many of the bad parties take place. This year, Baylor hired a bunch of police to monitor the area to crowd control. Unfortunately, a lot of people got very, very drunk. I saw two really bad wrecks, and I heard some pretty bad stories about the parties. Why in the world would you get so drunk in the first place? And secondly, why would you then get in a car and endanger your own as well as other people's lives? I'm sorry, I just don't understand. That's just dumb. Another t...

Jerry Cahill, a huge proponent of CF research and inspiration to many, got the call this morning that it was time to come get his new lungs! Jerry was diagnosed with CF when he was eleven, but since then, he has shown the world what it means to never give up and not let your circumstances define you. He has run two New York City Marathons, a feat I can't even begin to imagine. He is also in charge of the scholarships and grants program for the Boomer Esiason foundation, a foundation that raises money for students like me with CF to go to college without an additional financial burden. I have received a few scholarships from the Boomer Esiason foundation and am so beyond grateful! Jerry also has a series of CF podcasts dedicated to helping CFers maintain a good quality of life. The podcasts are always interesting, and I continually learn new things. I am so excited for Jerry to begin his new life with fresh, healthy lungs. Please be in prayer for him as his body adjusts to the lun...

 The following is a blog from "Breathing Deeply, Laughing Loudly, and Living Fully," another blogging CF woman. I haven't watched all the attached video, but I agree with much of what this blog says. I plan on watching the youtube video, and I hope you do, too. The video focuses on end-stage CF life, which I am nowhere near, nor do I plan on being close to any time soon. However, I know that many CF patients face lung transplants as the disease progresses. Kristie, the girl in the video, displays hope and joy, even while facing end-stage CF and all the problems that come along with it. ... "I debated about whether I wanted to write this blog for a little while this morning.  I decided, ultimately, I want to share my thoughts about this topic. A few weeks ago, I had heard from some of my English friends who also have CF, that a documentary was airing about a 21 year old CFer, Kirstie Mills.  Kirstie was in the end-stages of our disease and was placed on t...

This weekend, I had the joy of going to San Antonio with one of my friends and her family. We left at 7:00 am on Saturday (yes, college kids can get up that early on a Saturday) and followed the signs down I35 to San Antonio. It was a fantastic weekend, SO nice to get away from Waco for awhile. We went to Sea World, which has changed a lot since the last time I was there. All the exhibits and shows are bigger and more lively, trying to draw people into the many different attractions. They are even opening up a water park right next to Sea World in May. (Very smart, Sea World, very smart). We saw the dolphins and, of course Shamu. We also got to feed dolphins and see the sharks/coral reefs. Although the weather was a little overcast, it never really rained on us, which was definitely a blessing! That night, we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. San Antonio is pretty much famous for their Mexican food, and this restaurant did not disappoint. There was even a prom group eating in t...

So I'm sitting here watching The Princess Diaries 2, and I must say, it's a classic. It's a wholesome movie, without the sexual aspects or bad language prevalent in so many movies. Princess Mia proves Genovia that she doesn't need a man by her side to rule a country, but at the same time, she falls in love with the man that is supposed to be her "enemy". If you haven't seen The Princess Diaries 1 or 2, you definitely should watch them! Honestly, I'm a sucker for a good love story. I know movie scripts aren't real life, but it's still fun to snuggle down and enjoy a good chick-flick every once in awhile, so long as you don't lose sight of reality. The thing with a movie script is that once the conflicts are resolved, the movie ends, and the credits role. However, in life, the happily ever after always has its ups and downs. Although life can be rough, it is so much better than any movie could portray! I guess what I'm trying to say w...

Happy Thursday, everyone! I've decided that Thursdays will be my "thankful" days, where I write about three things I am thankful for. Sound good? Okay, awesome. :) 1. Sleep- I've been really tired lately because I started on Periactin to try to stimulate my appetite. One of the symptoms of this medicine is drowsiness because Periactin was first created as an antihistamine. Today, my first class doesn't start until 11:00, so I was able to sleep from 10:30 last night until 8:45 this morning. Although I am still tired, I'm grateful for the hours of sleep I got so that maybe I can have more energy today! 2. Reading- I am so grateful I can read! Honestly, I don't know what I would do if I could not read. I love diving into a wonderful book, getting lost with the characters in the story line. Reading is such a fragile ability, and I'm realizing more and more how precious this skill is. 3. My CG- My CG (connection group) at Highland Baptist Church is such...

Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Let this truth wash over you today. God knew what he was doing when He made you!! How incredible is that? But He didn't just make you and then leave you in the dust to fend for yourself. He continues to breathe into you. He is the source of life. We need him more than our next breath. Take joy today, friends. The Spirit of God made YOU, and He gives you life!

My friends from across the hall went to Sam's today and bought the Muppets on DVD, so we are sitting here watching the Muppet Show hosting Steve Martin. It's like a flashback to childhood! The Muppets is such a classic show. I remember loving Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzy, and all the other Muppets characters. When we went to Disney World, we saw the production they put on, and my dad always sang along with the music. He's a BIG Muppets fan. We went to see the Muppets movie over Thanksgiving break, and he sang all the songs for the rest of the break. When I came back to college after Thanksgiving, I was still singing the Muppets songs because he drilled the lyrics from the movie so deeply into my head. Sitting here watching the Muppets reminds me of my dad so much. And seeing Steve Martin looking so young is pretty great! Even as a younger actor, he was still hilarious. So, here's to the Muppets! Have a fantastic week, everyone.

Good Friday is such a beautiful, holy day. It is a day to remember Jesus' great sacrifice. He literally gave His life for us! Who are we to receive the love of our great God?? I often forget how amazing God's love for us truly is. I get into my normal routine, being absorbed by schoolwork, friends, family, and extracurricular activities. None of these things are bad. In fact, these things are good things, things God has blessed me with, things that I treasure immensely. But if I get too caught up in earthly things, I lose sight of the power of my relationship with God, and that is what matters in life. Not what job I will have, how much money I will make, or how much I will know about this world when I die. My relationship with Jesus trumps all things. ALL things! May I never forget how much God loves me, that He sent His only Son to die for me so that I might be called a child of God. Oh great God, thank you for Your love! I am overwhelmed by your goodness and your grace. Jes...

That's right people, the Baylor Women's Basketball team reign as the 2011-2012 national champions! There has been so much excitement around campus. People were begging the provost to cancel school in order to celebrate the girls' win, but no such luck. I heard that she got over 4,000 emails from students, asking for her to cancel classes.  It was so exciting, watching the game and seeing all the hard work those girls put into the wonderful game of basketball pan out into the final game of an amazing season. I am SO proud to be a Baylor bear! We went 40-0, a perfect, undefeated season. There aren't many teams who can say that they did not lose a single game the entire year. Our theme for this season of basketball has been "unfinished business," since last year, we lost and were out of the tournament in the Final Four. However, this year, we "finished business" properly and successfully. Coach Mulkey, Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims, and the rest of th...

Here is my letter for the CF Great Strides Annual Walk. I hope you enjoy reading it, and maybe even consider sending it out to a friend or two. Let's make CF stand for Cure Found! Dear friends and family,                   I hope you all have had a very blessed year since my last letter. Thank you so much for your continued support, encouragement, and love, helping me fight in my battle against Cystic Fibrosis on a daily basis. The year 2011-2012 has been a year full of change, excitement, and struggles. You may remember from last year that I was fighting an aggressive bacteria that caused me to need continuous IV antibiotics. I finished this treatment in August, right before heading to college. It felt so amazing not to be accessed to my port all day, every day! In August, I started coughing up tablespoons of blood, which was extremely scary. I had to have emergency surgery the...

Happy April Fools' Day everyone! I'm not a big fan of April Fools' Day just because I'm not a big jokester. However, I know some people enjoying playing pranks on other people, especially family members and close friends. Go ahead, ask me if I've ever pranked someone on April Fools'..the answer is no. Ha! Anyway, if you've been following my blogs, you know that my sister and I are doing a different activity each month. Last month, we did a random act of kindness every day. This month, we are writing in a journal every day. We are writing about everything, from emotions to thoughts to frustrations, really absolutely anything. I am excited about this challenge because I know I'm going to be able to look back and see how I've grown and changed over the days, weeks, and months. Happy April, everyone! :) On a side note, Baylor women's basketball are going to the Final Championship game. Sic 'em bears!!