Who Loves Chick-fil-A?!

My friend, Cynthia (who loves CFA), posted this on her facebook and I just thought it was GREAT!!! It always makes you feel good to hear people say they "Love Chick-fil-A!" It is an awesome company and we feel very blessed to be apart of it.
Chicken, waffle fries, sweet tea and a cow what more could you want?! =)


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P.S- Check out Tim Hawkins website. I have never heard him in person but I would love to attend one of his shows. His videos will keep you laughing!

Crazy Lady on the Loose!

I'm thankful the Lord has much grace for this crazy lady. I'm very excited to report the bronchoscopy went well and that there is NO signs of rejection or infection!!! This is a huge answer to prayer! I know so many of you were praying for me and I can't thank you enough for your support. I have done good after the bronch......well at least other then being a little on the crazy side! I am so thankful I did well after this one however I am starting to believe I am becoming more delirious and irritable the more bronchs I do.

For example my rump (or bottom) is sore due to getting a shot of Benadryl in the recovering room. My husband says I WAS persistent in them giving me some even though my IV was not working anymore and they would have to either start a new one or give me a shot in my rear end! OK, let me pause here to say I would NEVER have them start a new IV just for that nor would I want another shot, that is if I was sane!

I also called my sister later that afternoon (don't remember that either) and gave her a recipe that she was wanting (popcorn cake). I called her on Wednesday asking her what exactly I said to her because I had no idea and she said, "Well, the cake turned out great!" So, I guess I can give out recipe instructions by memory (which is a miracle) but can't remember the phone conversations. =)

Jason also said on the way home he needed to get some gas and I insisted that he not stop at this one exit and go down to the next one in which Jason knew it would be a ways till the next exit. So, I guess we were very much on the E when we pulled up to the gas station. I'm very thankful I married a VERY patient man.

Over all though we are rejoicing at the good report! It's been wonderful to catch up with friends here and get some things fixed on our house. We will head home on Saturday. Hope you and your families are doing well.

Tuesday update

Well, it has been a long day but praise God the bronchoscopy went well so far. We'll see how I do tonight, I'm just mainly tired. We go to clinic tomorrow to see the doctors but I'm not sure when we will get the results back from the bronch. Thank you for your prayers.

I did have a wonderful time being with Emily T. and her new sweet daughter, Savannah! I also was able to go visit my sister which was very awesome! So I got to drive all over the east and then I picked Jason and Faith up in Birmingham last night.

I'll try to give updates through out the week. Hope you all are doing well!

Just Me & Maggie

Just Me & Maggie from Emily Mulkey on Vimeo.

Tea Time! from Emily Mulkey on Vimeo.



For those of you who are wondering why Maggie has a split on (not because of her owners) it's because she is not walking on her leg the right way and so this split is helping her learn the correct way, before it gets worse.
Although Maggie & Faith have sweet moments Maggie can also be quite the little biter (puppy stage) so Faith runs from couch to couch trying to stay away. She will holler out "Scared....Maggie! Faith is very helpful though, she is already learning how to take care of a dog. She feeds Maggie 3 times a day. She will call, "Supper Supper Supper....Maggie!" We hope that they will grow up together being good buds.

You can be praying for us as I leave tomorrow for AL. I will be going out early (before my clinic stuff) so I can be with Emily T. and her NEW BABY GIRL, Savannah!So excited for them and the new journey they have begun!
Jason and Faith will fly out on Monday to be with me for my bronchoscopy on Tuesday and clinic on Wednesday. We thank you for your many prayers for us as we travel and I do my tests. I'll try to keep everyone updated on how things are going. Hope all is well with you and your families!

6 Years!

Jason and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on the 15th. We were able to take a little weekend trip together, which was a great gift to both of us since it had been a while. (Last time we went on a trip together was 3 years ago when I was pregnant with Faith)

For those of you who have children you know the feeling of going anywhere for a long period of time without them. I find myself double checking where she might be and making sure I have a sippy cup, diapers, wipes & of course blanket. (If you forget blanket good luck in having a good night sleep!) hehe
I also find myself rushing through dinner so that I might finish before she does so I can keep her entertained for the rest of the meal which usually gets cut short anyway. And then, knowing your alarm clock to the sound of "Mama Mama, are you?" will be waking up at the crack of dawn.

NOW, I would not change these wonderful gifts that come with being a mama but it's also nice to come away and spend sometime with your man. =)

These are our dating years......very romantic =)

It's been 6 years filled with joys, heartache, challenges and blessings. We began our journey together with the Lord and not a single idea what would be ahead of us. Therefore I'm thankful the Lord was with us or I'm not quite sure how we would have made it through some of our valleys. Though our valleys have been difficult we have enjoyed some beautiful views, or blessings from the mountain tops and I'm forever thankful I have had Jason holding my hand through it all!

This is my lover, this is my friend. SOS 5:16

Thoughts

Well, I thought I was doing pretty good at keeping up with my blog but today I had 2 friends ask me when I was going to update it about my health and how we are doing. I guess we have had so many other things going on that I have just been blogging about that. It's actually been a nice breath of fresh air to blog about the exciting things we have been doing and just the day to day things of life. As I told Jason pre-transplant, "Once I get my new lungs you won't be able to keep me down!" So far that has been the case, I just want to go and do everything!

However, I did get in "trouble" with my sister in-law, Christie for not keeping her informed about my swallowing problems. =) (We have to keep each other in line sometimes, hehe)
I don't want to sound as if CF patients are the toughest people around (even though they are tough) yet when you live with a disease all your life you just learn to do deal, live with your body not quite functioning the way it is suppose too. Therefore you tend to not mention or say anything about a little issue if you can live with it. It also means that if you mention it there is a pretty good bet that you will be scheduled with another doctor or put on another medicine. This way of thinking might sound crazy to some of you yet I'm just giving you a little glimpse of some of the way CF people think.
I remember writing in my journal when I was very young that I NEVER wanted my CF to keep me from doing anything yet over the years I've come to realize a couple of things.
1) That no matter how hard I tried CF did limit me in some of the things I wanted to do
2) That I didn't want CF to limit me but if I let the Lord work through me then I WAS not limited in what He had planned for my life.
He has blessed me with so many wonderful gifts (my husband, daughter, family & friends, new lungs!) and He has given me opportunities to share what He has done in and through my life.

Sorry I kind of went off the subject but then that's the nice thing about blogging.....you can say whatever you want to share. So, here is my health update.

I did my swallowing procedure last week and it went well. The doctor believes it is just inflamed and should get better over time. I see her next week for a follow up so I might know something new then. We go back to AL the first of March for another bronchoscopy and clinic. I really ask for your prayers as I go in for the bronchoscopy as you might remember the last one was pretty rough. Thanks again for your support and prayers and as always I love hearing from you too!

Got Tagged

Well, I never end up doing the blog tag thing, mainly because I don't have the time but my friend, Micahl tagged me and I thought this one would be fun to do.


So here are the directions:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same.~No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.) Have fun!!

I couldn't think of a BETTER picture! This is what Faith looked like as she came out of the play house, LOTS of beads and a "Mask of Zorro" hat!

Tagg~

Christie

Katey

Suzanne

Tiff

A New Addition

We would like to show off our newest family member! She is very sweet and cute! We have been looking to get an English Bulldog for 3 years now and we finally took the plunge. I believe we are going to call her, "Maggie". Faith has enjoyed the new puppy except when Maggie decides to chew on Faith's feet! She is a great family dog, needs little exercise, (my kind of dog!) and loves to cuddle in your lap!

Maggie

Oh, sweet kisses

Faith is already training her to like books.....except I don't think Maggie can stay awake for all the books Faith reads!

Cute

Loves to sleep......Look at that belly!

Health update-

I have been doing well, praise the Lord. Although I am over all doing well I do have one issue that I have been struggling with for a couple of months now. My swallowing has been having trouble. My food gets stuck in my throat and it takes me a little while to get it to go down. It happens at least once a day so it was something I needed to get checked. I have went in to see a GI doctor last week and on Wednesday I will go in and they will take a scope and look down my esophagus to see what might be going on. I continue to ask for your prayers through this. Thanks!

My weekend has been fun as we have enjoyed our new puppy yet it's been mixed with tears and heart break as I lost a friend, Jenny, who received her second transplant a couple of weeks ago yet passed away over the weekend. She had a very difficult fight and I thought for sure God had given her these second pair of lungs so she could begin a new life again yet it's hard to know or sometimes understand what God has planned. Let me just say, I do KNOW it was never the Lord's will for Jenny or anyone to die in the first place. When He created the world He created us to live forever, not to have disease, heartache, troubles or pain. We chose to sin and therefore we have to live or watch the consequences of sin. Yet, I'm also thankful the Lord is still in control and His plan is always good. Someday it will be just as God once created it to be but until then this life is a journey, pilgrimage that is difficult yet He is there with us each step of the way. Leading us Home.....

Please pray for Justin, Jenny's husband and her family.

When I saw Justin and Jenny in December, she was doing everything she could to survive till her new lungs came available. One day when I was walking the halls I stopped and talked with Justin, expressing how much my heart hurt for them and praying she would receive that call very quickly. I will never forget his words. He thanked me for my concern and prayers but he then he said, "You need to get well and go and live your life with your husband and little girl. Go and enjoy this new life!" What an unselfish thing to say when I know he was hurting as he watched his wife suffer. Thank you Justin & Jenny for being such shining lights...

2 Toddlers+Mischievous=A WHOLE LOT OF FUN!

I would like to think we all have a little mischievous in us but when it comes to toddlers, mischievous is just another word for lots of FUN! Faith & Sissy have begun to make quite a name for themselves when it comes to finding trouble (excuse me....fun). When those two little minds come together there is no limit to what can be thought up or tried out! Now most of the time they are on the same page but sometimes the competitiveness side comes out. For 2 girls who LOVE reading books, wearing shoes, watching Dora & playing dolls, we better have 2 of everything or the claws can come out. It amazes me how they can be so sweet together having "tea" and the next minute either in destructive mode or about ready to end the friendship over who gets to wear what jacket! (Not sure if there is this much drama with little boys but it certainly keeps our lives interesting)

Altogether though these girls have had a lot of fun and it is a joy to watch them play, unless they are pumping all the hand sanitizer into cups! =) We still don't know if Brandon & Christie will be able to adopt Sissy, there are many factors that make this case a difficult one for the judge to decide. Yet, we continue to pray for the Lord's will and hope that it is for her to stay. She is such a joy to be around and I'm glad Faith has a good buddy in crime......I mean friend. =)

Faith & Sissy

The girls always have time for reading


This picture is blurry but I wanted to give you an idea of how they do everything together! They both came downstairs with (play) swords! AHHHH! WATCH OUT!

This is one of those mischievous moments~ They unpeeled all the bananas and left a trail starting at the bottom of the stairs and we found them sitting at the top of the stairs, quite content with themselves, eating whatever leftover bananas they had.

Thanksgiving~ of course, both must fit in the baby doll Pack-in-Play

Here comes the Bride....

A beautiful bride, a handsome groom, an amazing wedding, a great couple coming together as one, what more could you ask for?! It has been 7 years since Callie & Hayden first met and 4 years of dating so you could say they have been waiting for this moment for quite some time! I'm so thankful I was able to be apart of such an important moment in my sister's life. To be able to help and serve her on her special day meant the world to me! There is no way I would have been able to keep up with my old lungs so Praise the Lord for this gift. Although I was happy to serve Callie she had another helper that was RIGHT there ready to help in anyway........her favorite niece, Faith (her only niece). =)

I was so surprised how much Faith wanted to be apart of helping Callie get ready. It was as if she jumped from 2 years old to 10 in a matter of minutes. She had to be involved with every part, it was a lot of fun to watch her so excited to be one of the girls. =)

It was a beautiful wedding and we are so excited to have Hayden apart of the family! I know God has much in store for them as they begin this new journey.

I once heard someone say that on your wedding day you look at your bride/groom with so much love that you don't see their faults or imperfections, just beauty and joyfulness! That is how Christ looks at us, His bride. Because of Jesus we are that perfect bride to him, beautiful and spotless.

Congratulations Cal & Hayden! We love you!