Taking A Break

Today is Cierra's first official day as a senior. Aaah!! So exciting. While Ce and most of my friends will be starting classes today, I will not. After much careful consideration and seeking of advice from all the right people, I have decided to take a semester off.

As many of you know, my last semester took quite a toll on me and my health. While I love school and always enjoy my classes, I think it would be best to make sure my health is on solid footing before I run myself into the ground again. Three of my four college semesters have ended with me in the hospital and I'm not eager to go through that again. Hopefully a few months off will allow me to focus on my treatments, raise my lung function numbers, and get the bugs that keep causing these severe exacerbations under control. Fingers crossed!

There was another major factor in this decision: my 93 year old grandpa. His health is failing quickly and I'm afraid that he won't be around much longer, much less at the end of the semester. His wife, my 80 year old grandma, also needs help and support as she has decided to keep him at home during his final months despite her failing health as well. Taking some time off of school will allow me to spend precious time with my grandpa and help Grandma care for him and herself.

Come spring I plan to enter the EKG Technician Certification course at TMCC. This course would open up a wealth of career opportunities while allowing me to finish my degree when I feel healthier. I'm pretty excited about this plan.

I've spoken to a few people who have adamantly argued against this decision but I'm confident that this is the best option for me right now. So much of Cystic Fibrosis is about getting ahead of infections and taking preventative actions; this is my preventative action. Thank you to my Aunt Maria, my dad, Allie, Grandma Inez and Cierra for being so supportive and just plain amazing. I love them!

Obsessed

Currently, I can't get enough of the following things:

-Iced, soy, sugar free, vanilla lattes
-Marc Anthony's voice
-Jensen Ackles' face
-Those wickless candle wax-melter things... my house smells amazing!
-Things that are mint scented
-The King's Speech
-Purple and green
-Girls nights with my Cierra and my Allie!
-Sleep
-"Faster" by Matt Nathanson
-Supernatural (possibly because of Jensen Ackles' face)

Just in case you were curious... or extremely bored. Either way, you're awesome.

Summer Adventure #1: Salem Wedding!

Like I said in an earlier post, this summer was INSANE. We had two weddings to attend in two different states, one of which my dad was officiating. Our first summer adventure was wedding number one in Salem, OR (not officiated by my father).

We drove up on a Tuesday and returned home the following Tuesday. Cierra, my dad, and I had a truly amazing time! The Jenkins also came up for the wedding (bonus!). The word that comes to mind when thinking about this trip is "fulfilling". While the folks that I call my "Oregon Family" aren't actually blood, I feel at home whenever I'm near them. And Salem, I kid you not, is one of the most beautiful and wonderful places on Earth. If you haven't visited you're missing out.

Ce and I spent almost every day helping out with pre-wedding craziness and preparations. It was a busy week but so worth it. I already miss my favorite Oregonians so much! Here are a few pictures from the wedding reception courtesy of the lovely Terry Jenkins (since my summer aversion to responsibility and commitment obviously extended to picture-taking). The wedding was perfect and reflected just how amazing the bride and groom are.

Summer adventure #1 = SUCCESS!

Emily, me,  & Cierra in our purdy dresses.

This picture made my day. Hilarious!

We so dang cute.

Familia!

Show 'Em Your Scars

Yesterday, I read a Facebook post from one of my high school classmates. The post was, "If you want to get to know someone, show them your scars". I know that what she meant was all figurative and deep but my interpretation was a literal one. That little line of words really made me think, hence this post.

Just a few months ago I wouldn't have had any major scars to show. Sure, I have a few PICC scars and the faded marks on my abdomen where they stole my gallbladder but nothing that's ever drawn looks or questions, until now. Of course, I'm talking about my port scar. It ain't pretty. When I first realized that it was shaping up to be quite the scar I had to decide whether to cover it up or just let it be (cue The Beatles please). I say I had to "decide" but, truth be told, my mind was already made up; I wasn't going to let a scar change what I wore or how I acted. That didn't stop people from asking about it or noticing it though, one girl even asked if I'd had heart surgery! When curious folks question the cause for such a scar I usually tell them the truth (CF, IV antibiotics all the freakin' time, PICC's are bad, ports are good... the whole spiel). Pre-port I never would've told random strangers these details of my life, but post-port I acknowledge said details and discuss them quite frequently.

 Every once in a while I do get self conscious about my scar and the teensy bump underneath it where my port sits. When that happens I just repeat the words my CF friend Tabitha (Fun fact: in the CF community other CF friends are called "Cysters" and "Fibros"... cute, huh?) once told me, "I don't feel embarrassed about it. It's a battle scar". Truer words were never spoken, er, typed. Circling back around to the whole point of this post, thank you random ladies in my life for making me appreciate silly things like the ice-breaking qualities of funky scars. Maybe nowadays I'm a little closer to everyone I meet because I choose to show them my scar.

Summer Slacker

Hi there!

It's been awhile. Too long, if you ask me. These past couple months have been busy, crazy, joyous, relaxing, stressful, and refreshing all at once! My lack of blogging has less to do with my summer plans and more to do with my hopes to avoid commitment, responsibility, and CF as much as possible this summer. Those of you who know me well know that I tend to over commit just a bit; this summer I tried my best not to. In fact, I tried to slack as much as humanly possible... and let me tell you, it felt GOOD. I do apologize for being so darn unreliable.

Anywhoo, this next week before school starts up again I will blog at least 2-3 times and chronicle my summer slacking. I also have some new things to write about regarding my plans for this semester. Yay!

Below is a little sneak peek of the fun I had this summer: me revving a '68 Chevy Impala SS convertible!! I hope each and every one of you enjoyed your summer as much as I did! :)

-Haley