Happy Birthday Emily!

Happy birthday Em! I'm sure heaven and all that is in it can throw one big birthday party. We sure wish we could sing to you here and watch you blow out 27 candles. I'm sure we can each celebrate you, your life, and your legacy in each of our hearts and in our own little way. Nothing will replace your presence here but I'm ever grateful that the Truth does not change and our hope does not rest in this world but in the Life of Jesus Christ. Thank you once again for encouraging each of us to pursue Him, know Him, and love Him with all that we have and all that we are. We miss you terribly and love you and the precious memories we have shared with you. Hope you are enjoying holding lots of babies, making new friends, many marvelous feasts, and the glorious presence of your Lord and Savior.

Revelation 5:13 "And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

7 Years

Today is Emily & Jason's 7 year wedding anniversary. With the constant aching in my heart over the past couple of weeks, I can only imagine the aching in Jason's...particularly on a day like today. So, remember to pray for him today as well as the other family and friends who were apart of that amazing celebration.

Psalm 119:73-77
⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.

⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.

⁷⁵ I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous,
and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.

⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

Written Tributes

For those of you who would like to write a response to Emily's Memorial Service, a letter to Faith, Jason or another family member, or simply express how Emily's life has affected you, changed you, encouraged you, or inspired you (whether you knew her or not), please comment on this post. These will be printed and bound for the family.

Thank you so much~Emily T.

Emily's Obituary - Extended Version

Emily Ruth (Dirks) Mulkey, age 26 of Lubbock, Texas, left this earth on Wednesday morning, January 27, 2010. She passed away at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama from a lifetime battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Although she is leaving behind a deep void on this earth, she is breathing deeply in heaven and no longer in pain. Emily's legacy is a life spent pursuing her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the midst of brokenness and pain, joy and hope. No matter her circumstances, she chose to trust the One who created her and sustained her.

At first glance, you might think of Emily and her kind disposition, her beautiful thick blonde hair (before making the recent switch to red), her frail body, and her caring nature. But as you looked deeper, you would find a hidden gem of the selfless servant, the determined mother, the supportive wife, the loyal friend, a lover of her family and a passionate woman of God. In the most guarded places you would discover the courageous fighter, the quiet contender, the hopeful soul. Emily exemplified faithfulness. And all the while, this imperfect human being with so many earthly challenges, was being strengthened, transformed and renewed day by day by the work and life of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Emily was born in Lubbock, TX on June 25, 1983. Emily’s true joy began at the age of 6 when her Dad led her into a personal relationship with Christ and she was forever changed. She participated in the Lubbock Swim Team for 4 years, played piano and was active in the Melonie Park Church youth group. At 16, she was able to go to Disney World with her family through the Make -A-Wish Foundation.

While working at Chick-Fil-A, Emily met her future husband, Jason Mulkey. They began dating when she was 18 and then married on February 15, 2003 in Lubbock. Chick-Fil-A moved them to Midland, TX where they were active at Crestview Baptist Church and then in 2005 to Cullman, Alabama to open up a new Chick-Fil-A store with Jason’s brother, Brandon Mulkey. They participated in Northbrook Baptist Church and developed a wonderful community of friends.

While in Cullman, Jason & Emily learned of the beautiful surprise of a pregnancy on February 9, 2006. It was a mix of emotions since Emily had been told all of her life that she probably would not be able to get pregnant and that it would be a dangerous endeavor for her. God had other plans and later that year…Faith was born! What a beautiful miracle and blessing she was and continues to be and is a legacy of the faith of her sweet Momma.

Emily’s health began to decline but on June 8, 2008, Emily was given another chance at a prolonged life with a double lung transplant at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, AL. The success of the transplant allowed them to move back to Lubbock to serve in the Lubbock Chick-Fil-A store and be close to their entire family. Emily also became passionate about helping with Teen Moms over the last year after volunteering with pregnancy centers as a young adult. Emily’s circumstances were characterized by her Cystic Fibrosis, but her life was characterized by her faith, family and friends.

Emily is survived by her loving husband, Jason and their precious daughter, Faith; her mother Stephanie Holland and her husband Darryl; her father Tim Dirks; three siblings: brother Tyler, sister Callie and husband Hayden, brother Landon, her grandparents James & Bonnie Newville; Mary Beth & Rex Wordelman, Bob & Alice Vander Grift; her husband’s family: Tom & Mitzi Mulkey, Juanita Johnson, Brandon & Christie Mulkey and their 6 children, Melissa & David Blann and their 3 children all of Lubbock, as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins that loved her very much.

Visitation will be held Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 3-5 PM at Lake Ridge Chapel (6025 82nd Street Lubbock, TX 79424). Memorial Service will be Monday, February 1, 2010 at 2:00 PM at Lakeridge United Methodist Church (4701 82nd Street Lubbock, TX 79424) with Duke White officiating. Pallbearers include Tyler Dirks, Landon Dirks, Brandon Mulkey, Hayden Lavo, Eric Randolph and Matt Stallworth.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following organizations that were special to Emily: Teen Moms Program of Lubbock Youth for Christ (2621 34th St., Lubbock, TX 79410, www.yfclubbock.org, Contact: Renee Morales 806-535-5486); Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains, Inc (411 Fillmore, Amarillo, TX 79101, www.texasplains.wish.org); Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (6931 Arlington Rd., 2nd Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814, www.cff.org, 1-800-FIGHT-CF).

To send your words of encouragement to Emily’s family, view her life tribute, and to watch the celebration service webcast at 2:00 p.m. Monday, visit www.memorialdesigners.net.

Funeral Arrangements (Updated)

Visitation will be this Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 3-5 PM

Lake Ridge Chapel

6025 82nd Street

Lubbock, TX 79424

*completely separate location from service

The Memorial Service will be this Monday, February 1, 2010 at 2:00 PM

Lakeridge United Methodist Church

4701 82nd Street

Lubbock, TX 79424

*completely separate location from visitation

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these organizations:

Teen Moms Program of Lubbock Youth for Christ
2621 34th St
Lubbock, TX 79410
www.yfclubbock.org
Contact: Renee Morales 806-535-5486
(Emily volunteered with this program and delighted in spending time with these moms.)


Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains, Inc
411 Fillmore
Amarillo, TX 79101
www.texasplains.wish.org
(This organization helps very sick folks enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences.)

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
6931 Arlington Rd
2nd Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
www.cff.org
1-800- FIGHT- CF
(Working on a cure...)

January 27, 2010

I'm not sure how best to share this with all of you as my hands are shaking so badly and it is the last thing that I would want to be saying.

Emily passed away and went to be with Jesus this morning, January 27, 2010.

My heart wants to stop right there but my head tells me to keep going.

January 11th (Monday): Emily went into the hospital in Lubbock with pneumonia.
January 18th (Monday): Moved to the ICU because she couldn't breathe very well and was panicky.
January 20th (Wednesday): After being on antibiotics, she just couldn't kick it and was intubated and placed on the ventilator.
January 23rd (Saturday): She had some swelling in her face and the team @ UMC felt that it would be better if she was transferred to UAB in Birmingham. The thought they had tried everything they could do and in case they were missing something, they suggested she be moved. The life flight picked her up around 5 AM and transported her to Birmingham.

Once at UAB, she was responding pretty well overall. She had issues with a blood clot in her arm from her pic line, some digestive issues, some bleeding in her stomach related to an ulcer, but as far as her progression on the vent, she was doing really well. Her oxygen saturation and blood gasses were all heading in the right direction.

January 27 (Wednesday-Today):
12:00 AM Midnight: Emily's heart rate dipped really low (below 60 beats per minute) and although the doctors were not too concerned, Jason was, as Emily usually runs a pulse of 90-110. So, this was really low for her.
3:00 AM: Jason woke up to find 3 nurses in the room. Emily's heart rate was now over 200 beats per minute and her blood pressure was spiked extremely high. The emergency crash team was called in and was able to regulate both her heart rate and her blood pressure. Although a very intense time period, she settled back down.
~7:00 - 8:00 AM: Jason thought he might have slept a little more and woke to a nurse checking Emily's vent settings. Everything looked good. The nurse then did a routine check of her pupils and they did not dilate or respond to light. The immediately took her for a CAT scan of her head and found a large brain hemorrhage.

At this point, they brought in a neurologist to do a function test to test the activity of the brain. They tested each region with no response. The final portion of the test looked into the brain stem and tested her breathing, swallowing and gag reflex...again, with no response.

~11:00 AM Emily was pronounced brain dead. Jason and his Dad were invited into the room to say goodbye. Jason was able to be with her for about 10-15 minutes while she was still on the vent but knew she was already gone. At that point, he asked for them to take her off the vent. She did not take another breath on her own after it was removed. Her heart beat for a couple more minutes and he stayed with her until her heart stopped beating.

The doctors do not know why all of this happened. It does not really make sense and it could be a number of things. They have several theories but all they know for certain was that the spike in blood pressure is what was the ultimate cause. Since she was on blood thinners for the blood clot, they think when her blood pressure spiked, that it put too much pressure on her vessels and a vein in her brain ruptured. It was not the blood clot. But they are not sure why the blood pressure originally spiked. After the 3 AM incident, all of her other settings (heart rate, breathing, oxygen, vent settings) were all completely normal. The vent was what was keeping her alive.

Jason is currently driving back from Birmingham to Lubbock with his Dad. They should arrive around 4 AM tomorrow morning. Stephanie was supposed to fly to Birmingham today but will remain in Lubbock. Jason is making plans to have Emily's body brought back to Lubbock and will be making funeral arrangements tomorrow. Please check back and I will post them once I know what they are.

Please be praying for Jason and his Dad's safe travel as well as his conversation with Faith about her sweet Momma who will not be coming home. Emily is in heaven breathing in the sweet aroma of her Savior. Please direct your prayers for the loved ones that she has left behind. Jason as always is a strong husband and a loving Daddy. Pray for him as he makes decisions and leads his family. Pray for Emily's family who was not able to be with her in her final days on this earth. And pray that God would be glorified in her death and in our grieving and celebrating her precious life.

Psalm 71:20-21 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

I found this over the weekend and when I posted this on her blog, I wanted it to be true on this earth. In the depths of my heart, I think I knew that it was going to be true in heaven rather than on earth.

Now she is revived. Now she is brought up. Now she is comforted. Again and forevermore. Thank you Jesus.

Making Some Good Progress

Today is definitely bringing about some positive progression. Emily has been doing so well on the vent and is on minimal settings that they are in the process of waking her up some and going to try some pressure support trials to hopefully begin the process of weaning her off the vent. Her O2 saturations are staying at 100% so this in wonderful.

You can read back from July, Aug, and September of this year to see the progression of this works. Let's just pray for a much smoother, quicker, and easier transition this time around. Also, be praying for Emily as she wakes up...the sedation meds have been and can continue to be really disorienting.

She is still facing some other issues but they are treating them and have had no further set backs so far. Her kidneys are heading back in the right direction. She has had some bleeding in her stomach likely due to an ulcer that seems to be slowing down and the blood clot in her arm is being treated with blood thinners without further incident. I think the hope is that these issues simply resolve themselves over the course of the next few days.

She is running a fever which still shows that her body is struggling to fight the infection so there is still concern about what all is going on. They are taking more cultures today and will hopefully have some more results tomorrow.

Jason's brother returned home and his Dad and Emily's Mom will switch out tomorrow. Keep praying!

Transported to UAB

Psalm 71:20-21

20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Emily was transported to UAB in Birmingham yesterday. She started taking a downward turn on Friday and the doctors in Lubbock felt that she needed to be moved. She started swelling up a lot and they were not quite sure of the cause. Em has a blood clot in her arm due to the pic line that she has had for awhile and that is a possible cause.

The plane arrived in Lubbock @ 5 AM and now that they are in Birmingham, they once again seem to have a better outlook for Emily. I have not been able to connect with Jason yet but Stephanie (Emily's Mom) believes that the outlook is much better and positive than it has been over the last 48 hours or so and that Jason does not think it will be as long and drawn out as earlier this year with the Swine Flu. Jason's Dad and I believe his brother too are in Birmingham with Jason.

Em is still sedated but she was at a 1 on sedation and her vent settings were low...50% oxygen and 3 PEEP. This is good. She is maintaining good oxygenation as well. Pray for her physically and that her numbers and stats would continue to improve.

As many of you know because of your faithful prayers for Emily, her bout with the Swine Flu and long recovery has been and is still in process. Her body has not recovered to where it was before and her mind, heart and spirit have suffered as well. Please continue to pray for her in all of these ways.

I'm reminded of a song we used to sing in our Student Ministry growing up. It's by Darrell Evans entitled Trading My Sorrows and is taken from 2 Corinthians 4. I would encourage all of you to read it. Here's a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20cor%204&version=NIV

I'm trading my sorrow
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

:-(

Hey everybody, it's Emily T. I talked to Jason this evening after not hearing from Emily all day. Em was intubated at about 4:30pm this afternoon and placed on the ventilator. The consensus is that she is fighting pseudomonas (which she has fought many times before) and the unknown fungus they were looking into last week has been ruled out (a good thing). After she was moved to ICU earlier this week, she remained on 100% oxygen with a face mask and her saturations stayed in the low 90s. Today, her breathing became labored and her stats went down which led to being intubated. They have her sedated and although in typical Emily fashion, she has fought it some, they have been able to get her comfortable and she is resting.

Please continue to pray for her body to fight off the infection, that this time on the ventilator will allow her to rest, and for Jason and the family to have strength and energy to fight along with her.

Against all Hope, Abraham in Hope Believed

This is going to be brief because I need to rest but we had quite a scare last night as my oxygen continued to drop and I couldn't breath and had lots of pain. They quickly moved me to ICU and tried to calm me down because I thought I was going to have a panic attack. The doctors said they didn't want to antedate me again but if I continued falling they would need too. As tears ran down my face, I could only think of this verse in Romans 4:18~ Against all Hope, Abraham in hope believe and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him.
..............Being fully persuaded that God and power to do what He had promised". Romans 4:21
Hope was not looking very bright for me last night but I just kept thinking if Abraham found hope in Christ when there was no hope then I too need to trust in that same hope.

I'm on high oxygen right now but my stats are staying up right now and I got some rest today. I'm still pretty sick but we just need to take one day one step at a time. Try to write tomorrow and give an update. We continue to need your prayers.........thanks!

The Buddies

Maggie has now found her favorite sleeping spot......up the first flight of stairs and lays around at the top. I think she feels powerful because you can't really see her but she can watch all that is going on in the house hold. Looks like the Queen on her throne. =) Of course, Faith loves to go snuggle and kiss Maggie and so here is a picture of a typical day for the two, laying around at the top of the stairs.

We are not bored......what would give you that idea?!

Health update~ Pseudomonas has grown from the samples they took, which wasn't surprising but there are 4 different strands of pseudomonas and they are not sure which one I have at this time. I'm feeling a tad better today but still have a ways to go. I pray the medicines I am on now will be the right ones to fight the strand I have. Thanks for your prayers....

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him

It's been a rough 48 hours as I can't even get out of bed to walk to the restroom without dipping into the low 80's with my oxygen. I've got quite a bit of pain as well. So far everything that they have tested for (samples from the bronch) have come back negative which is a good thing yet not a good thing at the same time. They believe it is still a pneumonia and so I'm on 1 antibiotic and a couple of inhalation meds. So not much has changed but we continue to pray the Lord will give the doctor's wisdom to know how best to treat this infection. So far nothing seems to have worked and I've gotten worse the past couple of days. Not sure how long I will be in the hospital although I know I won't be going home this weekend. As you think of us in your prayers please not only pray for physical healing but emotional strength. It's hard to describe your emotions when you live with a terminal illness and when you are tired physically you can't help but feel beaten up emotionally. Pray for Jason has he has so much on his plate and I feel like he never really gets a break. I will be the first to say I don't understand God's ways but He calls me to trust Him and so that is what I'm trying to do. As long as Peter focused on Christ he could walk on water, it was when he let the circumstances around him become more important then focusing on Christ did he begin to sink. Though I continue to walk through the storm of physical trails I pray the Lord will help me stay focused on Him and not the uncertainties that surround me. We appreciate all the prayers and encouragement you give. Thanks!

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

It's a waiting game

Well they did the bronchoscopy yesterday but of course it is too early to tell anything for sure. My doctor said that he could tell there was some kind of infection going on though. However, like most bronchs in the past it has left me feeling even worse today (a lot more pain, very short of breath and I was coughing up some blood this morning). I try not to dwell on all the what-ifs and the fact that I'm not getting better but right now we just don't know a whole lot. I've been praying that the Lord, who sees all and knows all would help bring to light what we need to know to hopefully treat it. Even though my doctor's are puzzled, I know nothing is hidden from the Lord and so I just pray He will give them the wisdom to know which path to take.

I keep up with another CF girl (http://livinglifebreathlessly.blogspot.com) who got a transplant almost 2 years ago and her most recent post she talked about being admitted to the hospital and that it had been the first time she was back in the hospital since transplant (2 yrs). First of all I am so happy for her and amazed at how well she has done but it is also hard to understand why some do really well after transplant and for others it continues to be a daily battle.

Faith enjoys being at the hospital especially when the hospital dogs come around to brighten up the patients. You know how much she loves dogs so she was beside her self having 3 dogs in the room. She kept saying,"they are soooo cute! They want to kiss me!" She thinks every dog should be her best friend. =)

Hanging on.....

Once again I apologize for not staying in better touch, one of my excuses is that AT&T can not get their act together and get us going with our Internet so I've been going over to my sister in-laws house to check my e-mail. Besides that our life has been very busy crazy with Christmas, 4 birthdays, family staying at our house during Christmas and trying to get settled into our new house. Our Christmas was a very nice one and it was a breath of fresh air to be able to spend it with all our family and not in the hospital. However, I am back in the hospital this week. I've never really felt better since my last visit to the hospital and I've just continued to get worse. I'm coughing a lot, shortness of breath and pain in my chest. They think they might have found a fungus in my lungs but they are also not sure if it is really effecting me. The treatment to help this fungus is very toxic and hard on the liver and kidneys so they don't want to do the treatment unless they have a better understanding of how it might be effecting me. They plan to do another bronchoscopy tomorrow but as of right now they don't have any answers for the way I'm feeling. It's been frustrating and discouraging as I feel like I am back to where I was before transplant. I'm not sure if the H1N1 has damaged my lungs permanently or if this is something I can get over. I'm not sure what God's plan is in all of this and we just continue to ask for wisdom and grace. Please pray we would have peace and joy in this situation. Thanks...

Ok, on to more interesting news..........
I thought I would share Faith's most recent adventure..........hanging on.....at least to the garage door! The other day we were headed out and as we walked to the car to load up I pushed the garage door button to open it and walked around the car. Faith ran the other way around the car and before I got to the car door she began to scream! I had no idea what had happened so I rushed to the back of the car and couldn't believe what I saw! My daughter had grabbed the garage door and it had pulled her up and she was hanging in mid-air. She was not about to let go and her little hands were hurting from holding on. I grabbed her and after comforting her began to explain that we never do that because you will fall not to mention could break the door! So now every time we go into the garage she says, "I have to be careful of the garage." I'm just glad it was our 8 ft high door and not the middle door that is 14 feet high!

Also, we ended 2009 with a bang! I'm so proud of Jason and Brandon (my brother in-law) for working so hard to meet their goal in the Chick-Fil-A business. We are ranked the #1 Chick-Fil-A in the chain! We had the strangest Christmas because it snowed (we never get snow around Christmas) for several days and it really killed our sales so we weren't sure if we were going to make the goal but somehow by God's grace the last two days of December we were busy crazy and made it! Very proud of them!!!

Well, I promise I'll get a picture up soon of our house but we have really enjoyed it and it's more then I deserve or could hope for. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2010 has started out on a good foot for you.

Going Home

I'm getting out of the hospital today! I'm still not where I need to be but I can do my IVs and treatments at home..............our new home! I still appreciate your prayers as I continue to try to get well but very thankful to be going home.

We also have some other great news. Brandon and Christie (my brother & sister in-law) were able to finally adopt Georgia (Sissy)! It's been quite a journey trying to keep her but we are so thankful the Lord provided the way for her to officially be apart of our family! Georgia and Faith sure are good buddies so it's a huge blessing to have a good cousin close in age. Our new house is right by Brandon & Christies so I'm sure they will be playing all the time now. =) We love you, Georgia!!

Success

Thanks for your prayers......they were able to get the PICC in! The PICC sure saves me from lots of sticks! I'm going to really try to get out tomorrow and go home on IVs, I'm hopeful my doctor will agree. Yes, Katey my doctor here wants me to get a port but they won't do it while I'm sick so I have to get over this and then I'll come in to get one put in. Most people are surprised that I don't have one but it's only because I've never wanted one and held out this long but with being in the hospital so often it probably is the right step to take. Anyway, thank you again for your prayers and I'll let you know what the plans are for going home.

Pray for success with PICC

It looks like I will continue my hospital stay possibly through the weekend. I'm feeling a little better but not a huge improvement right now. Also my veins are pretty used up and my arms are sore and black and blue due to all the IVs this week so I think they are going to try to put in a PICC line because I'm running out of options for an IV access. As you know it's never easy to put IVs or PICC lines in so I would really appreciate your prayers for that. I'm not sure when they will be trying to get one in today but I'm hopeful it is soon as I haven't had a working IV since 5 this morning. I am so ready to be home and I'm hopeful that if they can get this PICC in then I can go home on IVs.



Please continue to pray for my sweet hubby as he has so much on his plate right now. Our CFA store is trying to hit our goal of 6 million (we would be the first store to accomplish this). So between trying to work at the store, living between houses, caring for Faith (our family is helping a lot with her) and me and finishing little things on the new house, it getting to be a little overwhelming.

Thanks for your prayers and I'll let you know how today goes.

A good place to start....

Hmmm, either the Lord in some way (which I can't imagine) finds me faithful and so I continue in these physical trails OR I'm not learning my lesson and so I have to re-take the class over and over again. Whatever the reason my be, I'm continuing in this season or valley of sickness and it's been difficult to "praise the Lord". Although I've never been strong physically, the Lord has always provided a strong fighter in me mentally and I think that has helped me get through many things. When I had the H1N1 flu this summer the doctors and nurses were very surprised at how much sedation I needed to keep me in a "coma" to be still. But, they reassured my husband that was also a good thing because I was fighting. Although it's been very difficult physically I feel like Satan has attacked me mentally this round and more then I would like to admit I have let him whisper lies of defeat. I've tried to write down the blessings in my life during the hard times so I can focus on that instead but I have not done it this time around but Emily T. reminded me that it would be a good place to start for my mind and heart.


Romans 12:21 ~ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

I do believe speaking and writing out the word of God and the blessings He has given you is more powerful then just thinking it. You are putting into action overcoming evil with good. So here is a beginning list of what I'm thankful for. Maybe, you are having a tough month, year or Christmas season I encourage you to write your blessings either on your own or on my comment page so you can SEE there is always beauty even in the dessert.

I'm thankful for~
*My husband who is so patient with me and tenderly loves me through every season we have gone through.
*My daughter who gives me a reason to smile when I can't seem to find one. Her sweet voice when she tells me I'm going to get better and that she loves me gives me strength to fight for her
*All of my family and friends who pray for me, are patient with me when I'm not fun to be around and help Jason and I in so many ways!
*Our new house that I'm looking forward to living in
*The good conversations I have had with my brother, Tyler while I've been in the hospital. I'm not sure if we would have had them other wise.
*Not dealing with rejection right now
*My new red wig, hehe
*The Lord prolonging my life this long and how He has been able to use my CF to help others.
*My dear, sweet friend Emily.....my angel who knows me so well and for some reason still loves me and stands by me through thick and thin.
*My family who cheer me on and give so much to me
*The Lord giving me new lungs to live with
*The Lord never giving up on me
*and to all of you who follow our journey through this blog. You prayers and encouragement are so uplifting to us.

Tuesday update

Well, I don't have a lot to report. It doesn't look like rejection at this time but they are sending the reports to another lab to make sure. They believe it is a pseudomonas, pneumonia. For those of you who know my CF history pseudomonas is the main problem I had. I could never fully get rid of it and it caused much scare tissue. Anyway, I don't really know how this all plays out with my new lungs but it definitely is growing in my lungs and causing pain, low oxygen and coughing. I am on IV antibiotics right now but as of right now they don't seem to be doing very much in helping knock this out. It's been a frustrating and draining time for the both of us. My body is worn out and at times I don't know just how much more it can take but like we have seen before God can still do miracles.

I'll update anything new as we hear.

Back to the hospital we go....

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I was admitted back into the hospital on Friday due to coughing and low oxygen. The doctor did a bronchoscopy on me yesterday but we probably won't know the results till Monday or sometime this week. My transplant doctors seem to think it's some kind of infection however my doctor here thinks it might be rejection. They have started me on 3 antibiotics but it's too early to really tell if they are working or not.

Jason and friends and family moved most of our stuff into the new house on Friday, which was nice to get done. Our holidays never seem to be normal or easy and this year is proving to be no different. I know it's a small thing but I haven't been able to put up my Christmas stuff or go buy a tree this year because we were trying to get moved in and now with me being in the hospital I'm not sure if it will get done. I love doing Christmas things with Faith so it's been hard. As always I pray that this is not my last Christmas either. There has been a lot going on I think we are all ready for a season of rest.

Well, I will give an update as we get them. We appreciate your prayers......

*I shared this story on my facebook but I thought I would go ahead and tell it again for those who are not on facebook. It's fun to see Faith grow in her understanding of things and have more in depth conversations with her. However, I'm not always ready for what may come out of that little mouth.............. We were rushing around trying to get out the door and Faith was not obeying and moving at the speed of a snail and I lost it and snapped at her. As we drove to our destination, I was frustrated with myself for snapping at her and I knew I needed to make amends. I very calmly apologized and waited for her response.......and this is what I got.

Faith: "I not talking to you.......you need to go in time out!" Though she was probably right I needed to take a time out, her response caught me off guard and it was hard not to laugh.