It’s been long since my last post. I don’t think I’ve ever been this busy…ever. I just wrapped up another semester at Westminster, only to jump right into the next. Summer term will be my hardest yet, with nine credits…the most I’ve taken since my undergrad days. The good news is that I renewed my teaching license on Friday and am now searching for a teaching job for the 2011-2012 school year and beyond. I am licensed to teach grades K-8, so the job hunt begins. I have been consumed with filling out applications, sending transcripts, and putting myself on the teaching job market.
This has all come so fast and quite prematurely from what I had in mind for my life’s plan. I originally planned to stay home with my kids until Julia, my youngest, began first grade, but oh how things have changed. With my 35th birthday fast approaching, I now am in a higher age bracket for our health insurance and our monthly premiums are pushing $1200 per month. Ahhh, the world of private health insurance. Bottom line…this family needs some group health insurance and fast. It feels like we’re being eaten alive by health costs. Fortunately, I have a skill that will hopefully provide this necessity for our family. We just cannot be without health insurance, ever. I always knew that I’d go back to teaching and am actually looking forward to this new adventure. It’s funny how you see your life one way and it usually never turns out like you originally planned.
Today was Julia’s CF clinic appointment. She is doing splendidly! She is in the 74th percentile for weight and 84th percentile for height. This is so great! She still proves to be tall and skinny. What I was most amazed by was her FEV1 of 104. This is her highest blow yet! She has the lungs of a superhero! I’m thinking of naming her Big Bad Wolf because this girl can huff and puff. Now, I have the week long anticipation of the culture results. I’ll keep you all posted when I find out what she’s growing in there.
This morning’s appointment was an early one…8:00 AM. That’s not so early right? I had to wake Julia up at 6:00 AM to fit in her hour long treatment, breakfast, and dressing routine. That’s early for a three-year-old. Clinic visits seem so standard these days. We seem to wear CF like an old t-shirt. I’d like to draw mention of another mom’s blog about her kids’ most recent annual CF clinic visit. I just love her descriptive writing and say it like it is attitude. She describes just what it takes to get it done and on top of it all…she’s a career mom! Visit Life in a Pickle Jar…I love this mom’s blog. I must warn you…she has a mouth that goes with her attitude and can speak sailor with the best of them, but it’s moms like these that get ‘er done.
Julia holds her prize for huffing and puffing!
We can never leave PCMC without visiting rainbow horse.
On top of it all, we managed to take a little holiday and headed south to the land of sun. We left Salt Lake City and the snow and within a few hours landed safely in Long Beach and welcomed the 80 degree temperatures. The kids were shocked by the heat as they weren’t accustomed to it. I loved it and soaked up as much as I could before heading back. We felt the necessity to squeeze in this trip as this summer is jammed packed with my Master’s program and with the prospects of possibly teaching in a few months, it could be a while before our next excursion.
Here are a few pictures of our trip! With almost 200 pictures taken on the trip it was hard to narrow it down to a few.
Julia at Doheny Beach.
Julia and Olivia at Newport Beach.
Austin and the girls at Disneyland
Mickey can put a smile on anyone's face.
Austin at the tide pools in Laguna Beach.
The whole family
Olivia and Julia at the Dolphin show as Sea World. It really put the Shamu show to shame and the kids loved it!
Olivia and Julia at Knotts Berry Farm.
Joe savoring sun
Footprints in the sand
Time is up and all of the guesses are now in. I want to thank the eight people who participated in our little Marathon time guessing game. We have some great prizes to give away. So, how long did it actually take me to complete the Salt Lake City Marathon? The answer is…too long! My time was 5 hours 14 minutes 26 seconds. Nothing like going on a five plus hour jog. Well, I looked at the results a bit closer and out of the 89 early start people, I was number 28. And, upon looking a bit further, I was in the top ten female early start finishers…number 8 of the top ten to be exact. So, not so bad for a first timer.
There were a few factors that added some minutes to my time. First off, I was super paranoid about getting dehydrated so I actually ended up being very well hydrated and had to stop and pee about five or six times along the route. This probably added several minutes. Also, someone thought it’d be interesting to put a hill climb on mile 25 or so…not cool…not cool. I had to walk about five minutes on that hill which added a bit more. I also kept a pretty slow pace so I would insure that I’d finish which added even more time.
Now to announce the winners:
#1 Kay Kamper who guessed 5 hours 10 minutes-4 minute 28 seconds off-won 4 Park City Alpine Slide Passes
#2 & #3 (a tie) Heather Noakes who guessed 5 hours 7 minutes & Heather Gay who guessed 5 hours 21 minutes-7 minutes 28 seconds off-won Laser Quest passes and Golf Package
Thank you all so much for your support! We have raised $1065.00 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and that is just fantastic!
If you’d still like to donate please do! Go to Julia’s Warriors Great Strides page to help us find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
Yesterday was the big day…the day that I ran the Salt Lake City Marathon in hopes of raising a little money for CF. The forecast showed a sunny day with mild temperatures which I was very excited about. My sister Sarah was my back end support, going with me to the starting line and meeting me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without her. Thanks Sarah, you’re the best! So on four hours of sleep I get ready to run the Salt Lake City Marathon! Here is a little video of me just before starting:
It was a very long 26.2 miles, and truly an amazing experience. However, for me it’s something I want to do only once. I participated in the early start which began 45 minutes before the actual marathon began. There were some definite positives to this. First, we didn’t have to fight mobs and mobs of people. Second, I knew I wouldn’t be the last one out on the road. Third, the outhouses at the starting line were the freshest I’ve ever been in, untouched. I’ve never been in a better smelling honey bucket. The only negative about starting early is that by about half way, I was being passed by hundreds of runners, making me feel like I was a real slowpoke.
I loved the great people who sat out in their front yards and cheered us runners on. It really helped to have some encouragement. The sign that I will never forget was the one that was help up by a woman and it said, “Define yourself.” Wow! I loved that!
After about mile 20, I was really feeling it. My right ankle was hurting badly and my right calf muscle was threatening to cramp up at any moment. So today, my right ankle is swollen and bruised and my right calf muscle feels like I had one of the worst Charley Horses ever. My knees felt great the entire race. I was very under trained, but it ended up being the best decision ever because my knees needed to heal from all of my long runs. Here is the video of me just after finishing. I was holding back some tears and found that the last mile was a very emotional one for me.
So, one question you might have is, “What was your finish time?” Well, I’m going to tell you all in one week because I want to give you all a chance to go to Julia’s Warriors donation page and get your guesses in. Sarah has rounded up some great prizes for the three closest winners, things such as Park City Alpine Slide tickets, Laser Quest tickets, and much more. So far only five people have put in guesses so chances of winning are very high. All you need to do is go to Julia’s Warriors donation page and donate a minimum of $20 and put your guess time in the comments section. The top three guesses will receive prizes. My goal was to raise $3000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and we so far have raised $920. I need your help desperately! I’m begging you to please help us. We can’t do this alone. We are so close to a cure…so close.
I'm huddled under an overhang of a building, trying to stay dry before the race. I'm taking my first Gu packet about 15 minutes before starting. I hope to never consume a Gu ever, ever again! However, I think my friend Gu got me through the race.
About a quarter mile from the finish!
Just finished!
I even got a cool medal, now go and make your guess!
This week we had five donations to our Julia’s Warriors Great Strides campaign. So that means that five people went into the bucket for a chance at our prize…a $20 Domino’s Pizza gift certificate and two Bitesizers. This week we raised $550 dollars for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! I am so excited about this! That makes our grand total $780! Here is our drawing video:
Congratulations Margie! This week we’re giving away a $25 gift certificate to Old Navy and two Bitesizers. To enter our drawing make a minimum donation of $20 to Julia’s Warriors Great Strides campaign by Friday, April 15th.
Also, this Saturday, April 16th I’m running the Salt Lake City Marathon in honor of Julia and those with cystic fibrosis. Be sure to leave a marathon finish time guess in your comments when you make your donation. The closest guess will get a fantastic prize. My sister Sarah has been rounding up some pretty amazing things. She was able to score four Alpine Slide tickets in Park City which may be a possible prize if the winner is a local. I’ll keep you posted, but the winner will for sure get a Julia’s Warriors t-shirt, a couple of Bitesizers and one other mystery item.
I am scared to death of this whole marathon business and I can’t wait for Saturday to be over. It looks like good weather is expected, so hopefully that holds for this Saturday. Get your guess in soon because it’s less than one week away!
We are doing things a bit different this year for our Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraising. This week, I put everyone who donated in a drawing for a Jamba Juice gift certificate and two Bitesizers. The video posted below will reveal the winner for last week. We have raised $230 so far! I’ll let you know tomorrow what we’re giving away this week. Don’t forget to put your marathon finish time guess when you donate.
Joey took Olivia and Austin skiing this weekend. Olivia was really excited to go because it was her first time this season. Now that Austin is tearing it up on the slopes, Joey can focus on trying to teach Olivia the ropes. She did very well, doing much of it all on her own. I think ice skating lessons have helped her with her balance a great deal. I thought Olivia looked so cute in her winter coat. One day Joey’s hard work will pay off and we can become a family of skiers.
Olivia ridin' the lift.
Olivia and her ski instructor...AKA Dad.
Cutest skier on the slopes!
This morning I participated in the Buns Up 5K. It’s a fundraiser that benefits colon cancer screening. The money raised goes to help high risk patients who cannot afford a colonoscopy. How did I get involved with this? Well, my spin instructor happens to be a GI nurse up at the University of Utah Hospital, and a good friend of mine also works up at the U in the same department. It’s a small, small world. That being the case and my husband’s aunt currently battling colon cancer…I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It was the perfect day for a 5K. If you are looking for a 5K next year, look for the Buns Up run. It was worth it!
We're finished! Thanks Haley for keeping me company!
Don't forget to get your colonoscopy at 50!
Please join us in our fight against cystic fibrosis.
Yesterday was the big virtual Outrun CF event. This race was held anywhere, any length, and anybody could participate. Here are some parallels I noticed on yesterday’s run:
I ran alone.
This is actually the perfect metaphor for how I feel in this fight against CF, sometimes.
I faced headwind about 50 percent of the run=more work/harder.
At times things move along very smoothly. Julia’s cystic fibrosis is kept at bay…managed. Then comes headwind. A twist is added. More treatments + more medicine=more work/harder.
Running twelve miles sucks.
CF sucks.
Running twelve miles hurts.
CF hurts emotionally and physically.
I felt like giving up, but I didn’t.
Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I don’t.
I kept going even though I didn’t want to.
We get Julia’s treatments done…no matter what…even when we don’t want to.
I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
I can’t wait for a cure.
Yesterday I outran CF and I will today and every day until a cure is found.
Even princesses do treatments, but not without the TV going right?
Life has been just cruising along very smoothly lately…nothing really very news worthy or exciting happing in our family as of late. One new thing we’ve been trying out is going without a TV. I turned the TV off for one week and we’ve made it a whole five days with no TV…none! I have been thinking about doing this for a good long while now and I finally just took the plunge and did it. What took me so long? Well…it all boils down to one thing…treatments. Yes, treatments. Here’s how it goes. In order to keep my three-year-old’s lungs healthy, as healthy as possible, she does treatments. These treatments require her, yes a three-year-old, to sit very still holding a mask over her face so that a good seal can be maintained and as much precious medicine can enter into her lungs as possible. So, how might a person get a three-year-old to sit very still for an hour strait two times a day? Ding, ding, ding…you’ve guessed it…the TV! Yay for the TV right? It enables me to get these life saving treatments done.
So, after an hour in the morning of watching Dora, Pingu, Shawn the Sheep, Backyardigans, and all of the other shows that a preschool child might enjoy, my five-year-old insists that she gets to watch the shows that she likes. So now it’s on to Sponge Bob, iCarly, The Black Stallion, and much, much more. Well, what about the eight-year-old? We’ll now he is watching what he likes on the laptop computer…so now on to Avatar, more Sponge Bob, Karate Kid, and on, and on, and on. I hope you’re getting all of this, because this is just the morning. This is of course repeated in the evening with another hour of treatment television followed by what the five-year-old likes and then of course, what the eight-year-old likes. Ahhhhh.
My intention has been to treat the kids as equal as possible right? So why is it fair that all of the kids get stuck watching preschool favorites and don’t get to watch theirs? So, enough is enough and I just turned the TV off for a little while so we could regroup and figure out a plan. Let’s just say that this week, Julia has been read to well over ten hours and the week isn’t even over yet. I have read book, after book, after book to her during treatment time…very labor intensive, but I feel just a bit better knowing that she is being exposed to fantastic literature, learning about print concepts, and making some pretty amazing connections with text.
What have my other children been doing? Well, they’ve been pretty creative in keeping themselves busy. They’ve started working on preparing a spot for a garden…making signs and all for the different vegetables. They’ve been dancing, cooking, cleaning, reading, making mazes for the guinea pigs, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, coloring, and many, many more amazing activities. Wow, I guess I lied…we have been busy this week. Well, sometimes it’s always nice to take a step back and really look at things. Nobody’s perfect…there’s always something that we can be changing, working on, or improving and this week it’s been eliminating the TV.
Austin spent over an hour constructing that lovely sign for our TV. It has been a great reminder for the whole family!
Donate Today
Recent Comments