Heigh Ho

I got a job!!  This is me outside of GEICO after I got the official news that I got a position as a Licensed Service Agent.  It was a  grueling week with two interviews and a few tests, but I got it.  Because of scheduling I wasn't able to do each part in one day.  I had to come back three days in a row to complete everything which was making me nervous.  I have to come back for a drug test tomorrow before it is technically official, but I know I will pass that one.  Jason kept telling me I had this and he was right!

What's New, Pussycat?

Well the last few days have been jammed packed with stuff which has become my new normal it seems.  I love it.  There is always something going on or I am doing something.  Even if it is menial like going shopping for groceries I still get excited about all that I did that day or week.  This week however has been a little more exciting than the typical busy weeks I have been having.  One highlight is we found a kitten!

No Time to Waste

The last two weeks have been a little rough on me.  My stomach issues have gotten worse and my transplant doctors have told me to talk to a GI doctor to figure out why.  Instead of getting a new doctor I called my CF doctor and went over things with her.  I am figuring it is CF related and of all people she will be able to steer me in the right direction.

Winging It

Today I was on one of our local shows called Winging it Buffalo Style.  It is a morning show that covers lifestyle and entertainment topics that take place in Western New York.  I did an interview with them about Wings Flight of Hope.  Joe asked me if I was available to do it with him and of course I told him yes.  I help him out whenever I can.

Bittersweet Symphony

The last few weeks have been bittersweet for me.  I mentioned before that Erika and Bobby went down to New Orleans to look for a place to live.  Well Jay and I just got back from a trip to New Orleans to help them move in.  I am so excited for them.  They both have been given amazing opportunities and are going to go far down there.  Erika is now a doctor and Bobby is on his way to becoming a chef.  I am however going to miss having them around so much. 

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

The last couple of weeks I have been dealing with car issues.  That is a picture of my rental.  I will talk more about that situation in a minute.  My SUV is in the shop and I have a mini cooper as a rental for now.  I also have a few medical things to bring up which are mostly all good things.  I will never get over how I can say that now.  Every day I keep getting better and I plan on continuing to do so.  I refuse to stop and accept I am at my best.  I know I can still improve!

100 years

Today was a special day.  We went to my Busha’s (great grandma)  100th birthday party.  She is my dad’s grandma.  Her actual birthday was Tuesday and today family from all over came to town to celebrate with her.  She thought she was going out to eat with her two sons and was completely surprised when she saw us all sitting in there.  Her face was priceless.  She looked surprised and you could tell she was holding back tears.  It was a very special party.

SexyBack

Things are going really good with me when it comes to PT and massage.  Every week I am making more progress.  It is amazing how far I have come in this small amount of time.  I am breaking a sweat when I work out at PT and I love it.

Busy Bodies

It has been pretty busy for me lately.  Obviously we had the trip and since then it really has been non-stop.  I took a few days to recoup and after that it seems like the days have flown by.  Mother’s Day was last weekend and then I had a bronch on Wednesday.  The bronch took a lot out of me this time for some reason. 

Reunited

Our trip was a blast!!  We had so much fun.  We knew we would, but when we get together there is no predicting what we will do!  It went from dumping me on the side of the road to riding a carousel made for children to Zip lining and finding a pair of black underwear in Kelly’s pants!  God I love these girls and when we get together, world watch out!  Two years was WAY too long!

California Gurls

I am so excited!  Tomorrow we are leaving for California!  This is my celebratory vacation for my lung transplant.  Originally this trip was supposed to be a Mediterranean cruise.  We changed to California due to the timing of the cruises not working and this being a lot less expensive.  I am still so excited about this.  I have never been father west than Chicago.  Tomorrow I am going as west as you can in the US.  To top it off Erika, Kelly and I are all going to be in the same place for the first time in over two years.  The last time we were all together was the camping trip we took before my transplant!

28 Candles

This has been a great last few days.  My birthday was the 17th and we have been doing something fun every day since.  Easter has fallen close to my birthday this year so between the two we have had quite a few festivities and family get-togethers.

The More We Get Together

This last week has been jammed packed with Erika and Bobby.  That is how I like it.  I started last week by playing Rock Band with them and then ended my week with Erika at the Sabres game.  Today I am alone and trying not to be sad about it so I will put my time to good use. Haha  Not that I should be too sad.  I am going to see them again for my birthday on the 17th.  I just can’t get enough of those two.  The more we get together the more I want them around.

Accentuate the Positive

I am in such a great mood.  I am exhausted from my busy day, but still feeling awesome.  My doctor’s appointment went great!  I got to see Paris and take a picture with him.  After the appointment Wings Flight stopped in Philadelphia to pick up another patient.  I have never flown into Philly so that was a sight.  When we got home after our long day Dad and I stopped at Taco Bell for a fast dinner and we met a really nice worker there.  Besides all of this the last few days have been really good so I am just ecstatic!

I Would If I Could But I Can't

I re-did my second bedroom into a gym.  We have a bow flex and an elliptical in there, along with a Wii and some other exercise equipment.  I have an exercise ball, thera-bands, etc.  When I was in there doing that I cleaned the closet too.  While in the closet I found some paperwork on three research studies I was asked to participate in before I got the transplant.  The first one is the Ex-vivo Lung Perfusion study that I joined.   I explained this study in one of my pages if you are interested in what it is about.  The other two however I was never entered into.

The End of All Things

We have been talking about death with my great grandma passing the last few days.  Ironically on Facebook Jason saw an article about being buried in a biodegradable urn with a tree seed.  We have both talked about what we wanted done with our bodies after we died and both have decided on cremation.  This added idea of being put down with a tree really interests us.  The seed will use the nutrients from the ashes to grow and become a tree.  Like I said I knew I wanted to be cremated, but never had a set decision on where I wanted my ashes.  I thought maybe an ocean so something due my love of it.  This though is neat because there is something for people to go back and visit.  I know it wouldn’t last forever, but it is a neat concept on continuing on a little longer and giving life to something else.  I would have my very own tree and part of it would be me.  Here is the link if you want to look into it.  It says you can pick whichever tree you want too.  I wouldn’t have to think too hard on that one.  I would definitely want to be a willow.  I love those trees.

My Way

The last few days have been pretty rough for our family.  My great grandma died on the 17th.  My mom called me really early that morning to tell me.  My mom was the first to know because she is at the home right now for rehab on her shoulder.  She tore her rotator cuff and until she heals a little more and can get around safely she is stuck in there.  The only silver lining to her being in there was spending time with great grandma.  

We Will Rock You (They sure did...)

Yesterday was a lot of fun!  We had tickets to the Sabres game and Jason was away for business so I took Bobby.  I love going to Sabres games even if they are doing horrible this year.  We got the hand out sheets and saw their record was 45 losses to 19 wins.  I knew they were bad this year but come on.  When I saw these numbers all I could do was shack my head.  The first period was decent and I started out  a little optimistic.  However, this game was no different than the others they have played all season. It was pathetic.  They can’t pass, they skate slow and it didn’t even seem like they wanted to be playing.  That was disappointing, but we still had a good time.  I got this picture of us of during the game which was no easy feat.  I had to coax him into taking this picture with me.  “I don’t like pictures sister.” That is when I told him too bad and made him take one with me.  Well technically three.  I wasn’t happy with the first two that came out.  Haha

Titanium

Things are looking up since last weekend.  I have accomplished a few more milestones and had a good trip to NYC.  I wasn’t in the greatest of moods the last time I blogged because of stupid things that were going on.  Like I predicted, it didn’t last long.  I got the insurance issue taken care of (mostly), my cold is better and I am feeling more organized.  I have so many things that I want to do and for awhile I was overwhelming myself.  I was trying to do a bunch of things at once and then realizing I was getting nothing done.  I finally figured it would make more sense to pick something and do it.  I got the kitchen spring cleaned and I reorganized the basement.  I have a huge pile of stuff to give to my brother and then a pile of stuff for donation.  Once those two piles are gone it will look so nice down there.

Under My Skin

The last two days have been getting to me, but this week overall hasn’t been a bad one.  Sunday Grandma, Papa and I went for a ride.  We did some shopping, went out to eat and went to go see the ice castle.  Every year (if it is cold enough) they take ice out of Lake Chautauqua and make an ice castle out of it.  They light it up at night and they hold a huge bonfire.  Quite a few years ago I went with some friends and did the whole bonfire thing.  This time I just wanted to see it.  We didn’t even get out of the car.  Not to lessen the coolness of the castle, no pun intended, but I didn’t need to freeze to see and enjoy it.  

Gonna Fly Now

On Tuesday I had another appointment in NYC.  This one was special because we got to meet Erika there!  She came over and met us at the hospital after she was finished with work.  Grandma and I went and got PFT’s taken care of and then headed to my appointment.  It worked out perfect because Erika was there about five minutes later.  My grandma hasn't seen her since my transplant so she was really excited.

Things Work Out

Our February started with a broken freezer.  We heard the freezer making noises the night before.  The frost inside of it wasn’t bad, but we figured it might be time to thaw it.  We decided we were going to empty it out and thaw it the next morning.  It would be a Saturday so we had the time and I wanted to get it done before Jason had to leave for Florida.  The next morning when I got up I noticed it was no longer working at all.  I opened the freezer and the food was starting to thaw.   I called up to Jay and immediately we went into action to try and save as much of it as we could.

Each Day Gets Better

This last week and a half has been a good one.  I started it off feeling sick and not sure if I had the flu or not.  It ended with me feeling great and celebrating Grandma’s birthday!  The picture is a little blurry, but it gets the point across. Haha

Wait and See

Last Sunday we went to visit family because Jason’s dad’s dog died today.  His name was KW and he was hit by a car.  Later that night, Jason and I were driving home from his Grandma’s and a dog ran out in front of us!  As Jason was hitting the break the dog was walking closer to the SUV.  He got out and went to her and she was all over him.  He took her to the nearest house to see if she belonged to the people that lived there.  They said no so we brought her in our car.  I couldn’t leave her out there in the cold.  She was so lovable and who knows how long she had been out there.  She was really dirty and cold.  Plus leaving her there would leave her vulnerable to be hit by another car that drives by.  We drove all around the area trying to find out where she belonged.  Long story short; we had the police called on us and they called animal control.  We found out a few days later that she was claimed.  It was ironic that of all days for a dog to run out in front of us, it was that day.

I Can See Clearly Now

Yesterday I took Jason to the doctor to get lasik eye surgery.  He has been talking about getting this done for a few years now.  His eyes are due for a new script so instead of doing that he decided to get it done now.  For the last few days I have been putting drops in his eyes to prepare.  The surgery took about a half hour.  It was really cool because I was able to watch the whole thing from behind a glass.  They use a camera and put what the doctor is seeing up on the screen. 

Let it Snow

Today there is a blizzard outside.  It is the blizzard of 2014.  My title by no means expresses my feelings about the snow.  I hate the snow and the cold.  It works because I am inside and not going anywhere.  As long as I don’t lose my electricity because of it, let it snow. Lol  The picture is from a video Jason did of water turning to snow in the subzero temperatures.  It is -5 degrees, -30 with the wind chill.   I took a snap shot of all the snow blowing up into his face.  If you want to see the whole video you can check it out here.