Blue-Eyed Breather

Hello blogging world! It's been awhile since I've written. Life has been a bit crazy recently. I just got back from a trip with my college group to the United Kingdom. We went to a little town called Hexham in the north of England. There, we were able to help a local church begin to grow its young adult population and start  to build relationships. The trip was incredibly eye-opening for me! I have never gone on a mission trip to a foreign country, and it was definitely a bit of a different experience than an in-country trip. For starters, I learned so much about the English culture. Our team stayed with host families who were members of the church, so we were able to live like true Hexham people. We saw the community from a native's point of view. We learned the vocabulary, ate the food, and explored the town with fresh eyes. Bye end of the trip, I think all of the Texas team members had left a little part of our hearts in Hexham. Being in Hexham reminded me that God is th...

Sometimes, life throws a rock at your face. Today, I feel like I've been hit by a boulder.  I started IVs yesterday. They were off to a rocky start when my home health nurse had to poke me five times to finally get my port accessed and working. I always have one problematic experience when I'm on  IVs, so I thought the rest of the course would be a breeze. Boy was I wrong. Today, I woke up feeling very disoriented and weak. I couldn't walk in a straight line, and everything felt weird. As it turns out, the home health medicine providers did not give instructions on how to mix the medicine to the correct dosage. I received double doses of the medicine all three times I had administered the medicine. I realized I was experiencing overdose side effects.  The rest of today has been a battle for me. I feel like a kid trying to learn to walk again. I can't hold on to anything because I'll drop it. And all I've done is sleep, eat, sleep, take a test, sleep, and go to c...

As this semester has unfolded, my health has remained pretty steady...until about two weeks ago. I haven't been able to breathe through my nose since February; after I got a cold, my nose never cleared even after doing antibiotics and nose sprays constantly. However, about two weeks ago, I started struggling to breathe because of infection in my lungs. I began to get out of breath walking up stairs and going from class to class. I started losing my willpower to work out as often as I should. I even began taking naps and sleeping way more than normal because of a lack of energy. Of course, my coughing also increased dramatically.  Therefore, I decided I needed to start a course of IV antibiotics as soon as possible, which happens to be today. My body is exhausted and needing backup, tired of having to fight multiplying bacteria.  I would really appreciate your prayers as I go through this course of  IVs. The last time I was on IVs, I was incredibly nauseous and threw up pr...

I love hearing about other people's stories. Everyone is so unique, and we can all learn from each other! I especially enjoy hearing about other CF patients. Because CF is such an isolating disease, I really don't know very many people with CF. The CF Roundtable, an online newsletter for adult CF patients and their families, encourages CFers to send in their stories or their articles for the newsletter. Below is a story from a fellow CFer named Anne Willliman. Her article was published in the most recent newsletter. I enjoyed reading her story and seeing how different it is compared to mine. No two CFers are alike! Here's her story: Last spring, I reached a huge  milestone for me – I hit 60 years  old. Yeah, I know that’s still  young – or at least middle-aged for  most. But when you have cystic  fibrosis, hitting that age is pretty  amazing. For all you young things  out there, let me introduce you to the  world of a Senior Cystic (th...

Have you ever been super excited about something--I mean jumping up and down, wanting to tell the whole world excited--yet no one else seems to fully comprehend why you're going so crazy? Let me give you an example. This past weekend, I went to Texas A&M's ring weekend. My twin sister, Katie, got her Aggie ring, which is monumental at A&M. Sure, it's cool to get your ring at other schools (I got mine from Baylor last fall), but at A&M, you look forward to getting your ring starting at fish camp before freshman year even begins. The anticipating builds and builds until you have FINALLY completed 90 hours and are eligible for that Aggie bling. The day of the Aggie ring ceremony is full of excitement and chaos. After you get that ring (with thousands of your closest friends), you probably have a ring dunk ceremony. At the ring dunk, you put your Aggie ring in a pitcher of any liquid of your choice. You then proceed to chug said drink as fast as you can until the li...

Hey blog readers! Below is my annual CF letter. I hope that you will read it and maybe pass it along to a friend or two. As said in the letter, I will be attending the CF Walk in Austin this year, so anyone who wants to join me is more than welcome!! Dear friends and family,                  I hope you all are having a wonderful 2014 so far. I always love hearing about what is going on in your lives, whether I hear from you on a regular basis or just occasionally. I am so thankful for your presence in my life! Since my last letter, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. In May, I completed my sophomore year of college at Baylor University, still going strong with a 4.0 GPA. Over the summer, I had the privilege of working for Baylor’s reading and speech camp, called Camp Success, as a reading specialist. I learned so much while working Camp Success and truly loved my job helping kids improve thei...

Using profane language has become commonplace in society today. You hear it everywhere--including places like church or small group. Why? Why is cussing no longer seen as a problem to Christians? Why is our language no longer carefully considered before we open our mouths to speak? I've learned a lot about language and word choice in speech path and linguistics. Trust me, the words you use determine a lot about the way people think about you and their opinions of you. If you're a Christian, everything you say and do should reflect Christ. Do you really think using profanity is the best reflection of Jesus Christ to the world? Think about it.  Why Profanity Matters by Alex McFarland Magic Mountain, an amusement park in Southern California, is known for a roller coaster named X. Coincidentally, I was there to speak at a youth event when I overheard an  X-rated  conversation—between churched teens no less. It prompted me to address the issue from stage. I asked, "How many of...