Titanium

I am back home from camping on friends' land and boy am I tired.  It was worth it though, The weather was beautiful and that company was great.  So let me fill you up on more on what happened this last year.

We will start with Physical Therapy.

It's Been a Long Time

Wow!  It really has been a long time since I have had a chance to post anything.  I see I was posting sparingly towards the end there and then just stopped.  Well that is due to a lot of things.  The start of that was due to the fact that I was feeling great and had so much time to make up.  We were going places and doing things, I was never sitting still.  I barely had time to watch TV let alone type on a computer.  I do apologize to those who were following me.  I do plan on blogging more now that I have more time.   Wait until I catch you all up on this last year and a half.  It is crazy how much has changed.

Too Drunk to Dream

Drinking until you are fall over drunk:  I don’t get it.  My doctors don’t want me drinking because of the meds I am on and I honestly could care less.  I never liked to drink.  I can’t stand the feeling it gave me when I started to get buzzed.  I would feel “good” for a few minutes and then want to go to sleep.  I can’t stand it when a room feels like it is spinning or if I can’t see straight.  When I drink the second I would feel anything close to it I had to stop.  Some people would give me shit for it.  Why aren’t you drinking?  Being drunk is an awesome feeling.  You are such a fun sucker.  The last one would piss me off so bad it would ruin the night for everyone.  What the hell?  You so do not have to get drunk to have a good time.  I can even get along pretty well with drunk people…to a point obviously.

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.