Blue-Eyed Breather

I receive the CF Roundtable , a newsletter put on by CF adults, for CF adults. The newsletter is quarterly and always has a specific "focus" topic that most, if not all, the articles relate to. Some of the articles in the CF Roundtable  have no interest to me whatsoever--for instance, I hardly ever read the insurance section because frankly, it goes over my head right now. I cannot always relate to the focus topics, either, because the newsletter is for CF adults of ALL ages, not just adults in their 20s. Now, I'm not complaining about that. In fact, I think it's wonderful that I cannot relate to everything the newsletter prints. That means that CF patients are living longer and having more problems related to age, not just related to CF! I can also learn a lot about growing older with CF by reading the wise words of my fellow CFers, even if I cannot relate to their stories at the present time. This fall's newsletter focuses on lung transplant. I am nowhere ne...

Can you imagine a world without any social interactions whatsoever? A world where people simply passed by each other, going about their own personal lives without stopping to invest in others? A world where people kept their sorrows and joys quiet, unable to share struggles and pains and happiness and excitement with anyone? Think about it for a second. Life would be a miserable existence. I am so grateful that God has given humanity a desire for social interactions. Although our ultimate desire and need is for a relationship with our Father, He has given us earthly relationships to help us to see the manifestation of His love. God did not call us to live a life of complete isolation; He gives us relationships so that we can enjoy life together and praise His Holy and wonderful Name. People matter so much to God. He has indeed blessed me with some amazing friendships. I know I have said this before, but my relationships with my friends and family mean so much to me. This weekend...

1. My comfy bed-I have been super tired this week, so I am grateful for my wonderful bed and warm covers. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than curling up in bed after a long day, and that's exactly how I've felt recently! 2. Changing weather- A cold front is coming through tonight! I'm super excited for colder weather. Since it is almost November, a change in temperature and humidity will be nice. Currently, I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Tomorrow, I won't be able to wear this, though, unless I want to freeze my buttocks off. Yay for sweater weather! 3. My wonderful Mom- Tomorrow is my mom's birthday!! I am so thankful for my mom and that she was born. :) She is so loving and caring, always putting her loved ones before herself. I don't know what I'd do without her. Unfortunately, I won't get to see my mom on her birthday. However, I know she will have a fabulous day, and I will be thinking of her!

Tonight, my small group from Highland decided to carve pumpkins. Not just any ordinary pumpkins, mind you. We went all out with the pumpkin extravaganza. My roommate and I carved Texas into our pumpkin, with the words "Sic 'em" in a line next to our great state (Technically, my roommate is from Louisiana, but she lives here now, so she can count Texas as one of her states :) ). Another group carved an ice cream cone into their pumpkin, and the final pumpkin was made into a traditional jack-o-lantern face with a twist--one eyebrow was slightly raised. However, the judges (aka our host home "parents" and their three year old daughter) picked my roommate and my pumpkin as the one with the best design. Sic 'em pumpkin carving! Although scraping all the pumpkin guts out of the pumpkin and carving into it was fun, my favorite part of the evening was when I got to play with the two kids. The youngest was absolutely fascinated with the moon. He kept saying "m...

"Give me Jesus/You can have all this world/Just give me Jesus." Give me Jesus. Such a simple phrase, but what power it holds! Certainly I'm not the only one out there who struggles to keep my priorities straight. It's so easy for me to get sidetracked, thinking about my next biggest problem, contemplating how to get more involved in extracurriculars, ensuring that my grades are stellar, or even questioning how my friends and family are doing. Although all these things are good, my focus should be on God first and foremost. When good things distract me from Him, they cease to be good. He alone is worthy of my praise and adoration! My prayer this week is just as the song says: Give me Jesus, give me Jesus. You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.

1. Fall Break- I'm so grateful for fall break! Even though its just one day off from school, I feel like I could use the break to relax and take a breather half-way through the semester. I have finished most of my homework for the weekend, so I really won't have much work to stress over. It's important to stop every once and awhile with the busyness of life and simply reflect on what's going on in life, putting aside stress and deadlines and focusing on the present. I plan on doing just that this weekend! 2. I'm thankful for the dedication of my professors to help me learn more about the world around me as well as my identity. Baylor professors truly care about their students, and you can see their passion for teaching in their actions. I love that my professors actually care about how I'm doing and want me to succeed in life. 3. CF studies- I'm participating in a CF study online this coming weekend. I have to blog for an hour on a special site for three...

I apologize for not blogging for several days now. I've been very busy! That's college life for you, I suppose. This past weekend was parents' weekend at Baylor. My whole family came to Waco, which was loads of fun. I enjoyed having my family in my home away from home because I got to show them why I l love living here. I believe that God has placed me in Waco at this time in my life for a specific purpose, and while I'm here, I will make the most of every opportunity I'm given, including the opportunity to explore and discover a new city. People don't always appreciate Waco for the city that it is. From the outside, it does look a little sketchy. And I don't recommend walking the streets at night. However, Waco has many hidden gems nestled in its antique exterior. It is home to one of the best universities in Texas (of course, I may be a bit biased.) The city of Waco cares deeply for the homeless and has many opportunities for people to get involved ser...

It's fat talk free week at Baylor this week. It's kind of sad that we as a society have come to a point where we must bring attention to the fact that so many people struggle with "fat talk". I have heard countless people say, "If only I lost ten pounds, people would notice me," or, "I wish my body looked more like that person's," or, " I hate my physical appearance." Since when are all people supposed to have the exact same body shape, weight, and physical structure? Didn't God create each of us with unique physical characteristics? Isn't He perfect and good? It's kind of a slap in the face to say that the way God made you wasn't good enough and you wish your body was different. I'm not saying that if you're morbidly obese, it's okay because God made you that way. I still believe that God gave us these bodies to take care of them as we should by eating right, exercising, and staying healthy. However, we ...

"Dare to dream, dare to dream All our brothers and sisters breathing free. Unafraid, our hearts unswayed. Til the story of CF is history." --Francis Collins Francis Collins, the man credited with discovering the CF gene, wrote the above song when he and his team found the cause of cystic fibrosis in 1989. After years of diligent searching, Collins discovered that a misspelling in the CFTR gene accounted for virtually all cases of CF. He described the search for the misspelling in the DNA like searching for a specific, burned-out lightbulb in the basement of a house somewhere in the United States. The search was tedious and exhausting, to say the least, and took years to accomplish. I love the song Collins wrote for CF advocates everywhere. Although it is only four short lines, I believe that it captures the essence of the CF community beautifully.  Dare to dream--dare to dream of a brighter future, of a world where children and adults of all ages do not die from CF, of...

"If you have a point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time- a tremendous whack." --Winston Churchill Amen, Winston Churchill. I agree with you. Point made. :) Happy Saturday!

1. I'm so grateful for all your prayers. My appointment on Tuesday went fairly well. My weight was up, my PFTs were stable, and my sputum cultures basically grew the same bacteria I've had for awhile now. All in all, it was a relatively good appointment. I could feel your prayers on Tuesday. Thank you for being a part of my life! 2. I'm loving this fall weather. It's so wonderful! I would love to have class outside, but that has yet to happen. It's just so gorgeous outdoors! The sun is shining, there's a slight breeze, and the high has been in the 80s. Fall is such an awesome season. 3. I am thankful for my time management skills. I have yet to pull an all-nighter in college, and I hardly ever feel frantic trying to study or get homework completed. My personality is such that I like to stay organized, check stuff off the list, and stay on top of my work. In college, this is definitely a useful skill. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with this gift be...

I always feel like I'm being judged when I go to the doctor. I can't explain why, but it seems like every single aspect of my life is being closely examined, and then the CF team determines what needs to change and what needs to stay the same. It's always a bit unnerving. I have an appointment tomorrow with my CF doctor, who I honestly think is a wonderful doctor. He takes into account my opinions and ideas about quality of life while configuring a realistic treatment plan to keep me at my optimal health, which I truly appreciate. However, I'm not jumping for joy because I have an appointment tomorrow. Instead, I'm worried about the possibility of a feeding tube, wondering what my next step will be to treat the bacteria in my lungs, and analyzing what I think my PFTs are going to be. I'm worried about what judgements are going to be made on my life based on a two hour appointment and what suggestions the CF team are going to make to improve my health. I really w...