Grab Bag

This summer is flying by. I am in complete and utter disbelief that it's nearly August. Summer is ALWAYS a busy season for us. So much fun stuff to take advantage of before the rains dampen the soil and our will-power to be outside very long.

WALKING

We have two dogs (beagles; who do not cry all-day) and I love that I can take them for longer walks. Walking helps me clear my head. Running not so much because I have to remain focused. But walking thru the neighborhood or picking a Pac Northwest trail is super relaxing. The dogs help keep me motivated, if the truth be known. I start to feel bad that their inside so much, so I force myself, even when I feel crummy, to take them outside for a walk. Plus they love me a little bit more because of it.

BACKPACKING

B is working night and day it seems. We are looking forward to when this particular project is completed so that he can take a few days of R&R. We are planning our very first backpacking trip and I couldn't be more excited about it.

We haven't done any over-night hiking or camping since before I got my feeding tube. We are way past due for an adventure. A few years ago we purchased a full-fledge hiking pack for me, which has been collecting dust. Today, we took it out and started day dreaming of all the cool camping/packing items along with their estimated weight for me to carry lug thru the Deschutes National Forest. I am simply beside myself with excitement so much so that I wore it around, like I used to wear my new school clothes, for nearly 2 hours. My excuse for looking like a fool was that it's better to test it here at home, then in the middle of the woods!!

I am a list maker and this backpacking trip has me making a list at least a mile long if not longer. The one thing B said I forgot was my nebulizer meds, I am working extremely hard with compliance. We both quickly realized that in order to do the nebulizer meds and remain complaint I would need to bring my nebulizer which requires plugging into a outlet for power. UGG!! B, said he was very nervous about us traipsing thru the woods with only half my meds. So, I quickly got on the World Wide Web and found this awesome battery operated nebulizer machine. 

It's all tiny and cute and perfect. Living in today's world is stinky amazing. I can go camping and do my treatments. This little sucker arrives at the end of the week and you best beat your bottom dollar I'll testing it out.

SEWING 

For my brithday my mother surprised me with a new sewing machine. This baby is way out of my league. It is intimidating. I sat down a few weeks ago and started another pillow case dress and quickly found out just how intricate this little do-hicky is. The dang thing can even embroider letters. I learned the slow-sew-by-hand-method of embroidering for which I still do from time to time, but this sew it in zero-point-two-seconds thing is awesome. Now I really need to get my self registered for some sewing classes at the local fabric store down the road, because as much as I am in awe of this new piece of fun I am terrified of it, in fact it took me almost 2 hours to figure out how to use the back-stitch button!!

PURGING, CLEANING and BOXING-IT-UP 

I don't have a single clue as to what got into me today. I started the morning out with a cup of coffee and thought I would start picking up the office. Our desk gets cluttered with mail that I hate avoid opening. It started with just clearing the desk, then work its way into cleaning up the closet which lead to making piles of: keep, give away, throw away. By the time I realized what my Saturday turned into I had gone thru 3 rooms. Leaving 2 trash bags to throw out, 3 boxes to give away and probably too much stuff kept. I was thinking about driving down to the local donation center but remember that some friends are having garage sales this summer to raise moola for their second adoption. They also have a site to buy some cute stuff. Check it out: The Hall-Closet or you can buy coffee and the proceeds help bring their child closer to a family: Coffee to Bring Little Bird Home

QUOTE ON MY STICKY PAD TODAY

"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile" - Unknown

~Doodlin'

Courage: Needing More of It

Courage......

to be me (unmuted or muted)
to love freely
to graciously ask for help
to be open minded
to walk in outward faith
to seek my dreams
to change my course, as I deem fit
to not let the nay-sayers have power
to open my Bible and be fullfilled
to forgive those who have hurt me
to see each day, each new experience, each encounter as chalked full of pleasantries

This courage thing is something I see dripping from others, or maybe it's an illusion I paste on them. Maybe each of us exudes courage in some areas of life but not all. Maybe having CF has allowed me the privelege of understanding where I am not courageous, where I am most vulnerable. Or maybe having CF has clouded my sights and in that fog I see being vulnerable as a state of not being courageous.

Sometimes, for a split nano-second, the burden is too heavy. Other times, it seems so burdenless, so easy, so fluid, so natural. But those nano-seconds, phew, it's for those seconds I seek courage.

~Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'

~Doodlin'

Timbers' Bendik Named MLS W.O.R.K.S Humanitarian of July

I came acrossed this article and it had me yelling "Right On!" so I thought I should share it with you all. Whenever someone in the spotlight does something good or helps someone besides themselves it is news worthy. Plus I happen to biased in regards to the charity and topic in which Bendik is supporting. Below is a snippet of the article but please do read the entire write-up it will make you smile....

You see, Gavin has cystic fibrosis and Bendik, the Portland Timbers backup goalkeeper, has used his notoriety as a professional soccer player to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It’s a passion that has led Bendik to raise close to $3,000 through the Portland chapter of Team Gavin as a part of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides National Walk Event.

Those efforts have earned him the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month award for July.Bendik and a handful of teammates participated in the May 19 Great Strides event at Oaks Park Amusement Park or donated gear to show their support. Along with the money generated at the local event, Team Gavin raised more than $30,000 nationwide.

“It’s good to see how the Timbers and the whole community in Portland came out and were full on behind us,” Bendik said. “It was awesome. The team is all pretty hyped about it, and we’re going to do it next year.”

Read the full article here: http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/07/timbers-bendik-named-mls-works-humanitarian-july

~Doodlin'

Pain into Purpose

The entire purpose behind this blog is to turn pain into purpose. To be inspired by pain. Any pain. Emotional or physical pain. While this sounds easy enough it actually has proven to be some what of a difficult thing to accomplish.

You see, I am a person who is incredibly sensitive. I become emotional very easily. I am ridiculously loyal and have been told that I wear my heart on my sleeve, which leaves it very exposed.  I am not one of those eternally optimistic individuals. I have to work at seeing the glass half full most of the time. This process of turning pain into purpose is something I have to work at, it doesn't come easily or naturally for me.

I could sit and be angry with God or the world. I could feel sorry for myself. I could let my disease control me. But I don't want to. I strive not to. I really wish I was eternally optimistic. I need to find inspiration within the pain.

I can tell you one thing; my faith in Christ has allowed me to see the purpose. My purpose has always been right in front of my nose but it is Christ who has opened my eyes to see it. After years of struggling with finding a purpose I am beginning to see my purpose.

I was beautifully made to be sensitive. Sensitive to the pain of others and myself so that I might be moved sooth the pain. To be inspired to alleviate, understand or transform pain. Much of my personal pain I have pushed into the deep dark depths of my soul. Only of late am I working to dredge it up, pay attention to it, give it a voice so that it can be transformed into something beautiful.

Something to make the world a better place. Something to be proud about. Something others can love. Something others see as inspiring. To give hope to those whose pain is ugly and buried deep; that it might be made into something much more.

~Doodlin'