Fires in California

Most of you have probably seen the news and heard about it, but it's been pretty scary out here. Diamond Bar, my city, is currently threatened by the fires as are MANY others across So Cal. They have evacuated a few neighborhoods, very close to mine, and the fire is up over the hills. T

These fires are raging pretty quick and the Santa Ana winds are fueling the fire. This link is some pics of what it looks like outside right now...yuck.
Please keep Southern California in your prayers- pray the winds and heat can calm down, pray for the firefighters, residents that lost homes, residents in shelters, and pray these fires can be extinguished quickly.
Thanks friends,
~Em

A Little Health Update for November

Can you believe it's already the middle of November? Sheesh! I thought I'd throw out a little update on health, life, and how things are going...I haven't posted in awhile!

-I saw my CF doc yesterday for a check-up and my lung function (PFT) is still pretty low for me. I haven't quite bounced back since being sick a few months ago. My normal healthy lung function numbers are in the 70% range but since August I've been breathing at in the 60's range of lung function...so, thats a little frustrating as I haven't felt 100% myself in awhile.
-I may have a little lung infection still going which could explain me coughing out blood a few weeks ago. The infection isn't too big yet so hopefully I can
-I met with my ENT and scheduled sinus surgery for December. I am glad to do this since my sinuses have been bothering me a ton. Plus, it's very possible that the infection harbored up in my sinuses could be a cause to lowered lung function as the infection can drip down into my lungs...so hopefully when that's taken care of, I'll start to bounce back.

Other than that, things are good. I'm doing my best to stay healthy as the cold/flu season kicks in. Praise God, I've avoided such things so far. If you think of it, keep me in your prayers through the winter...:).
~Em

Weekly Thanks

This week, I am thankful for...
1. The change in weather! We had some rain and finally some cooler temperatures...dare I say, it actually feels like fall??

2. A fabulous evening out with my friend Kim as we drove to San Diego, heard some new music by Matt Nathanson... LOVED IT! Check it out on itunes!!

3. Waking up on Saturday to surf, followed by breakfast with a friend and then coming home to take a wonderful nap on Saturday while I heard the rain trickle outside my window...can't beat a good nap :)

4. The reminder at church today that God can use our weaknesses and ordinary aspects of our lives for His plans...I am encouraged because it reminds me that God's plans are bigger than mine ever could be.
~Em

A Yummy Fall Treat

I tried making homemade Caramel Corn yesterday :). It was fun to make and it turned out great...yum :)
~Em

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game

If anyone is looking for a game sure to bring tons of laughter yet also practical tips that may someday save your life...check this game out. Guaranteed to not only share "useful" information such as "How to Survive a Plummeting Elevator", "How to Wrestle an Alligator", and, "How to Detect the West-Nile Virus", but guaranteed laughter as you learn such practical skills haha...hilarious fun :)....
I'm SO glad I learned all I did while playing this Saturday night, and I think the laughter was good for me too :)


~Em

Weekly Thanks

This weekend at church I was challenged deeply to remember giving thanks in all things, no matter where I am in life...sometimes that can be difficult.
So, I thought it could be fun to post some things I'm thankful for each week. I hope this can be a weekly thing that I not only do for fun, but also to reflect and share my thanks and my favorite parts of the week that I am grateful for. (This inspiration also came from a friend's blog who does something similar in posting her favorite weekly moments- thanks, Traci :)

This week, I am thankful for...in no particular order...

1. My family, their support and care for me.
2. The gift of life
3. My new life group at Rock Harbor Church
4. Good cooking and good conversation with dear friends, Brian and Danielle Lacey
5. Surfing and watching the fog lift from the beach this morning, so beautiful!
6. Quality time spent with Kim- laughing, eating, playing Candyland, being welcome in her warm home. Her friendship is a blessing.

~Em

The Spider Who Never Gave Up

A student in my mom's class has a cousin with CF- his name is Travis and lives in Ohio (not far from my family). This amazing kid wrote a childrens book at 8 years old called "The Spider Who Never Gave Up" which is inspired by his goal to never give up the fight against CF!
This book is a way for Travis to encourage other kids to never give up on their dreams, no matter how bad life gets...Not to mention, he's giving some of his proceeds to the CF Foundation, Cancer Society, and Make-A-Wish Foundation!
This guy deserves a big shout-out from one CFer to another...you rock Travis :)
Check out Travis' Website & Story: http://sparkeythespider.com/index.html






~Em

24-hours: Blood Free!

That's right, to add an update to my last post, i've been 24-hours without coughing up blood, looks like it's all back to normal! I'll be chatting with my docs tomorrow to see what else I can do, but thankfully it looks like my lungs clotted well.

Thank you for the prayers, friends...Happy Sunday, God is SO good!
~Em

Not like I had planned

I haven't updated my blog in over a week and unfortunately it's not with fun stuff (though I did have a fabulous week!)
Today was not like I had planned...which comes with the territory of having CF. I spent the afternoon in the ER due to major hemoptysis. It started in the afternoon as I was just arriving to go to a meeting at work I heard the gurgling in my chest and sure enough, I coughed up full blood. Not good at all, so I went straight home.
A little about hemoptysis, then back to my story...hemoptysis can be very serious for CF. Sometimes it can happen after a lot of activity or coughing very hard, and sometimes it happens due to an infection and irritation in the lungs. If the blood doesn't stop, it can be very dangerous and is something that must be watched very carefully because it has the potential to get out of control.
So, because I didn't know if it would clot quickly and after talking with my doctor at USC, they advised me to go straight to the nearest ER just in case it didn't stop, that way I would get good care just in case it didn't clot. My wonderful mom and dad were with me to keep me company and endure the endless waiting and after spending the afternoon there, finally the blood began to lessen and they sent me home about 6:30 tonight, praise God!

I ask for your prayers this weekend as I will be resting and taking it easy- nothing too strenuous for 24 hours to allow the clots to heal (bummer, that means I can't surf as I had planned tomorrow...I was really looking forward to it). Pray my body can heal and the bleeding will go away- I'm praying this is not a result from an infection so I hope it's not too serious, but just irritation (maybe from the fires/ashes in the air, or from working out today?).

Thanks and I'm gonna go get some sleep now. Thank you Lord for watching over me, and letting me come home to sleep in my own bed tonight, I am so grateful.
~Em

*Dancing with the Stars!*

Yesterday, I got to go to Dancing with the Stars, Results show and see everything happen, live!It was awesome to see the dancers up close, the special-guest performer Jessica Simpson sing, and just be on the set and see the behind-the-scenes work, it was a blast. We even got front/center seats to see all the action, right across from the judges...maybe you saw me in the camera, here and there! I don't have any pics, because they don't allow cameras...but it was pretty fun :).
Thanks Jill for sharing your tickets!
~Em