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

Julia and Chris are Here!

This post is like...2 weeks late, but I was waiting for some fun pics, haha.
My sister and brother-in-law have moved to California from Washington! I'm glad to have my sister back in town. Here are a few pics of us last weekend at my aunt's birthday...
Welcome to Cali guys, time to soak up the sun :)
~Em

Health/Dr's Visit Update

Just a quick health update, it's been awhile...I went to USC on Wednesday and did a full check-up and met with the CF team, and it looks like I'm doing well! My PFT was definitely higher than it has been the last few weeks (not quite at my baseline, but it's getting there!) and I'm glad to be feeling back to normal- surfing, working, hanging out with friends !
I did find out a few not-so-exciting things (not terrible)
1. I'll be doing sinus surgery in about a month (whenever I get the approval from my insurance). Many CFers have sinus problems as well, basically having CF in the sinuses causing a ton of infection, blockage and polyps. So to alleviate symptoms and clear out infection (thus hopefully preventing the infection from traveling down into the lungs), I'll be having surgery in a month or so, it's a routine thing and it should be good for me. Not sure what the surgery will entail or when, so i'll keep the blog updated when it gets closer.

2. I now have "Osteopenia", early Osteoperosis. Because nutrients don't always abosrb into the body properly in CF, my bones are weaker than the average person. So, i'll be needing to take more calcium and do more weight-bearing exercises, not the end of the world... i'm happy to comply and get stronger :)

Other than that, the report was fabulous! I'm doing great and have recovered well after being in the hospital! Thanks USC for taking great care of me!!

~Em

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

In the words of Dashboard Confessional, who sing it so well,
"So long sweet summer- I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays.
So long sweet summer- I fell into you, Now you're gracefully falling away..."

Today is the official first day of Autumn, so I bid summer of 2008 goodbye with a a few favorite memories from an incredible, life changing summer.


Fabulous family time...
Memories with friends (this pic is just one example of the many memories shared and the blessings I received from so many)...
A TON of beach/surf time on both East and West Coasts...
And sharing my story at the innagural Pipeline to a Cure Gala, thus changing me forever...
It was a sweet, sweet summer indeed...
~Em