Health update

Well I spent most of the day in the ER yesterday. I've been struggling with nausea for several weeks now and I woke up running a high fever on Thursday and feeling very drained. Come to find out I was severely dehydrated (this was caused by a number of things that I've been battling with) and probably have a viral infection. I stayed in the hospital last night and have been receiving fluids and some antibiotics. My oxygen has been low too so they put me on some oxygen for right now. I'm not sure how long I'll be in here but I feel like the fluids are helping some.

I could use your prayers right now as I feel very emotionally drained. Jason and I were talking this morning about this past year, and although we have had some wonderful times it has also been a very long and difficult one. I guess I'm just feeling a little beat up and defeated at the moment. Thank you for your prayers for us.

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." 2 Cor. 12:8-9

Maggie dressed in her Best!

What's cuter then a Bulldog? A Bulldog in a DRESS! Yep, Maggie had her first experience (as well as ours) competing in a dog pageant. Last weekend was the "Posh Pooch Pageant" and anyone could enter and it was just a fun activity for the whole family. I had no idea what I was going to dress her in but Jason was set on finding something girlie and frilly (if you can imagine Jason wanting that!) My next dilemma was if our almost 5 month old puppy would fit into anything. Let's just say Bulldogs are NOT known for their thin and lean look. =) However, I did find a beautiful dress that fit her good but not for long. She was quite an eye catcher and to top it off her pink bow on the rear was great because she has a nice waddle and so she had a great shake!

Don't let the face deceive you, she really had a good time =)

She did very well though, she was the second runner up. =) Very proud of her. All in all it was a fun day and we'll be back next year with more frills and maybe beads!

This is the dog she lost too =(

Strange Happenings...& the Ins & Outs of the week!

Well I guess I can start with the strange happenings around our house. First of all in the middle of April we had a huge hail storm that left our streets looking like a raging icy river and quarter size hail covered the lawn. I haven't seen a storm like that in a while and Faith was fascinated with all the ice!


Hail Storm! from Emily Mulkey on Vimeo.

Hail covered the lawn

Our second strange sighting is what has been strolling around in the baby stroller at our house. DINOSAURS! Faith has had a growing obsession with dinosaurs and the other day I decided that she would probably like having a model one for herself. We went to TOYS R US and she was thrilled to pick one out and as we waited in the check out line to purchase it, a lady in front of us looked over and said," Does she like dinosaurs?" I said," yes, she loves them!" The lady laughed and said," how strange." Hey.....some girls stroll babies in their strollers and other girls stroll dinosaurs. I'm pretty sure right now she would rather have a dinosaur party then a princess party. =)

Here are some ins and outs of our week~

Faith got a new sandbox and she is not the only one that is enjoying it!

We went to Chucke-Cheese last week and all Faith wanted to do was sit in this car and hug the dog


Emily T. came down for a couple of days to see her family and so I got to hop over and spend sometime with her and her sweet baby, Savannah! Faith loved baby Savvy


Sometimes you just got to rest those jowls

Faith headed to the circus this week and had a good time watching the elephants and tigers!
Oh My!

At our Ranching Heritage Center here they had a kids fun day and Faith got to do want she loves.....ride those horses with cousin, Jane! Yee Haw

Easter

Well, we had a nice Easter being with family and watching Faith hunt for Easter eggs in the freezing cold. Although we had two wonderful family meals I never got to touch them because I was trying my best to keep from running to the restroom. Oh I guess, I should mention my symptom or thing for the week. =) I have Shingles! Crazy, I've never had them before and some of the symptoms or side effects that go a long with it are headache and stomachache. I've been on meds to help it and I'm doing better today.

Yea, we got a family picture!

Picture with Faith's great-Mimi and all the girl cousins except little Lily

It was freezing outside but that did not detour Faith from finding those eggs

Maggie was helpful in finding the eggs as well =)

Enjoying the yummy treats with Sissy

Faith had 2 Easter eggs hunts, one at aunt Melissa's house and the other at Nannie's house. The one in the video is at Nannie's house. It was too dark and cold to do it outside so we enjoyed looking for them in the warmth of the house. Oh, and the thing she keeps saying after picking up an egg is,"another one? another egg"?

Hunt for those Eggs! from Emily Mulkey on Vimeo.

Reflecting on the Cross

The first time I heard this song titled "Why" by, Nichole Nordeman, I couldn't help but cry. The tenderness and mercy of God just overwhelm me.

By his wounds you are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend celebrating our risen King!

Mulkey Run Down

Well I thought I would give you a quick update on our family and all that has been keeping us busy.


Jason~ He had a great week in the fact that he was able to figure out what was wrong with his truck and get it up and running again! And believe it or not he already has his NEXT project, another Jeep M715. This is the same kind of military jeep he had when we first got married and we sold it a couple of years ago but have always hoped to get another one. It is a really cool looking Jeep and we can never go anywhere without someone stopping us to ask about it. So, here we go again.....beginning another vehicle adventure! (I'll post pictures of the Jeep soon!)


Chick-Fil-A is going well. We hit #1 in sales for the chain in February so things are rocking along. We feel very blessed to be at this store and Brandon and Jason do a wonderful job!



Emily~ Health wise I've been doing pretty well. I am struggling right now with being anemic and so we are trying to figure out how to get that under control. I'll keep you updated on that. Other then my health I stay busy with Faith and I also became a mentor mom to teen moms at this great ministry called, "Teen Parents". Me and this other mentor mom have a group of 5 young moms (17 and younger). We meet every Tuesday night for our group time and then once a month we plan an activity to do all together with their babies. Teen Parents is a place that they can come where there is support, encouragement, friendships, parent teaching and hopefully a way to look out side of their box and continue to follow their goals in life. I have loved being apart of this ministry and the opportunity to serve and encourage these girls.
I will be a team leader for our CF walk this year in May, so I've been working some on that as well. If you would like to contribute, there is a "Great Strides" walk logo on the top part of this blog and you can click that and donate online. Also, if you would like to walk with us on May 16, we would love to have you! Thank you for all your support!



Faith~ Well well.....what has Faith been up too? Let's see, her life stays busy with

• going to gymnastics (which she loves!)
  
• doing puzzles (she is putting together 24 piece puzzles now by herself)


• playing or tormenting Maggie


• playing with cousins
  
• going to the Science Spectrum (she loves the dinosaurs there, even though she is a little scared)


• and her new thing taking her diaper off during nap time and yelling," Mama....POOP....diaper!" I have found her TOTALLY naked several times the past week. Ok, ok, I know it's all the signs for potty training and we will work on it soon. I'm not looking forward to it!

She thinks she is pretty clever though because many times when I take a shower in the morning I will let her watch a show and the other day she said, "Mama....shower.....TV?" Now, I'm glad my daughter is concerned with my high gene but I'm pretty sure I know the motive behind it. =)

Gymnastics~ Swinging!

Maggie never likes to sleep a normal way

This is one of Maggie's favorite things to do, watch Faith take a bath
Can I come in?

Well, that's what we have been up too. I hope you and your families are doing well and enjoying the spring weather. Love ya!

Saying Good Bye

I got a text message this morning around 8:30 am from Katey, letting me know that Shaun had passed away. It never seems real at first when someone dies and there just never seems to be the right words to say. I've had my share of tears today and my every other thought seem to want to recall all my memories I have of him. I'm thankful he no longer is suffering but it's never easy to say good bye. It's hard to understand sometimes why God calls someone Home but Shaun now has a body that will never be sick again.

A couple of songs have been playing in my head today as I thought about 2 friends I have lost this year. These songs remind me of the hope we have in Christ when we face loosing a loved one. I hope you will take the time to listen to them, even if you have heard them before. Thank you again for your prayers for them.

*You can turn down the back ground music by scrolling down to the bottom of the blog

Update on Shaun

Thank you for your prayers for Shaun and his family. I'm getting my updates through another transplant friend, Katey, and today she talked to Shaun's mom on the phone. This is part of the update she wrote on her blog about Shaun-


Many of you have been praying for my friend Shaun, who is critically ill right now. He's a CF/transplant patient, who has, for reasons unknown to us, taken a turn for the worse this last month. He's had setback after setback after setback, but each time stabilizing somewhat. As of Sunday, he had stabilized from his most recent set-back, and started to improve a little. Today is a different story.

I called his Mom earlier to find out that he was not doing well. His prognosis was not good, and there was nothing else the doctors could do for him. His left lung has now collapsed, and consequently, has 4 chest tubes. His O2 sats are 73/74. He is on full pressure vent settings, as much as possible. His poor little body is as swollen as can be! It's now basically a waiting game, to see if God's ready to take him home or perform a miracle and let him continue his life here on Earth.

As you can tell things have continued to look worse and they continue to need your prayers. Although he is not conscious I am believing God is right there with him, giving him peace and strength. It's difficult to think how full of life he was and now he is barely holding on. The Lord has been quietly reminding me to NEVER take life for granted. To LIVE each day to the fullest, to enjoy what the Lord has given, to cherish each moment and the relationships I have. Shaun always has a positive attitude about life and it shines where ever he goes. So as you pray for him, remember to~

• Kiss your children and tell them you love them
• Call that person that has been on your heart recently
• Do something special for your spouse
• Tell your friends how much their friendship means to you
• Give someone that compliment you have been thinking but haven't said
• Write someone a note of encouragement
• And share the Good News of the Gospel to someone you have thought about witnessing too, because there may not be another opportunity.

So then, as we have opportunity let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10

Please pray with me......

It's hard for me to even write this but my friend, Shaun, is in desperate need of your prayers. The first time I met Shaun we were both waiting in a room together for the same thing.....new lungs. We both had got the call on December 15, 2007 to come in for a possible match. We sat in the waiting room for at least 6 or 7 hours so we got to know each other pretty well. When they came in to tell us that Shaun would be receiving the new lungs I was very excited for him. He is so full of life and so animated in all he does that I just knew he would do well.

He did do very well up until this past month and for unknown reasons he took a huge turn for the worse. Now the doctors don't know if he will make it through the night or the week. Medically there is nothing more they can do for him, but I know the Lord is not limited by our boundaries and that He can still do a miracle if it is His will. It's so hard not to be able to be there to see him and his family. So please intercede for him and his family. Thank you......

This was taken last summer of me, Katey (also a transplant friend) and Shaun

"I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth". Psalm 121:1-2

"Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it". Hebrews 4:16

GREAT STRIDES

Hopes or dreams were not much of a reality for people with Cystic Fibrosis when I was born, yet today not only are hopes and dreams coming true there are miracles! When I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 3 months old, the hope that I would ever live very long or have a normal life were small. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a devastating genetic disease that affects tens of thousands of children and young adults in the United States.

Though my journey with CF has been quite a battle to fight, I am thankful for the life I have and the many blessings I have been given. I have had the wonderful blessing of being a wife to an amazing man and in 2006 we found out we would be expecting our miracle baby. Faith, who is now 2 1/2 yrs. old is healthy, beautiful, fun and a joy to our family!

In 2007 I was put on the transplant list due to my failing lungs. My lung function at the time was 16 to 18%. It was a difficult year as I waited for some healthy lungs, but on June 8, 2008 I was given that miracle. A family that didn't even know me gave me a second chance at life. THANK YOU!!! I no longer have CF in my lungs yet I will always deal with the other issues that go along with CF (pancreas, sinus...etc). My journey with CF, and now as a transplant patient has been a rough road and I could not have done it without the amazing support of my family and friends. Over the years you all have given so much to us and we could never say thank you enough.
There has been great steps in furthering the quality of life for those with CF, yet there is STILL so much to be done. Until we hear the words "Cure Found" our mission is not done! Please consider making a gift that will be used efficiently and effectively, as nearly 90 cents of every dollar of revenue raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education.

Making a donation is easy and secure! Just click the "Click to Donate" button on this page to go to make a donation that will be credited to my team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated!

If you would also like to come out and be apart of the GREAT STRIDES walk with us, the walk will take place on Saturday, May 16th at LCU starting at 8:30 AM.

Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation and GREAT STRIDES!

Many Blessings,

Emily Mulkey