1 Year!

As most of you know, because I have mentioned it to just about everybody-  This month of October marks one whole year since I have been admitted into the hospital!!! I am beyond ecstatic about this. In years past I did not know if such a thing could be possible for me ever again. What have I done differently? Nothing that I know of. That is the weird part of this crazy disease... I did get a new and expensive nebulizer machine a year ago, but am not convinced that that is solely responsible for my lack of logged hours of hospital time.  I am thanking the Lord continually for this wonderful break- not from CF, believe me, but from having freedom outside those hospital walls.

Spicy

Today we had a hot sauce show down at our friend Tosh's birthday party. There were six different entries. Tosh won, we got second. Seth made the sauce and I designed the labels. I could eat gallons of this stuff! -and have!

Funny

Wednesday's Sonnet

    mediocrity- i must spit it out!

   the brethren living in hypocrisy

   we lose our minds slowly filling with doubt

   whitewashed tomb but just bones including me

   won't You please save us from our wicked selves

   in the looking glass see sin how you see

   into deep darkness our innocence delves

   while wasting assets on frivolity

   i desire to have a stomach ache

   to know the pain and recklessness i cause

   convert my mind identical to make

   it crystal clear embalm my flesh in gauze

   need of revival and to be shaken

   and from us let not Your grace be taken

 

Day 2

This clip is only Levi's second day ever using his new skateboard. (The previous post below was his first.)   He is awesome.

Skateboarder

Not by works

Last week I received this message titled "Please" in my inbox.  It is from a friend and it makes my heart hurt for this person.  None of us get to heaven by "works" although we seem to forget it.  Here is the message and my reply:

---

hey there, just wanted to say that i appoligize for my actions. all the time you seth rebecca your mother and father put into helping me and the beliefe that i'd become a better person. i am sorry. the lord and i have been on ends for a while. i dont think that i can recover. i just have to face the truth, that i, like judas have a fate to be damned. maybe it was planned by God? or whatever, maybe not. i want to let you and your family know that i did not do it on purpose.

i love you guys for your love and friendship. i will never forget.

lv.-

---

sounds like satan is lying to you. don't believe him or give in to his tricks!!!!! he is smart and tricky. he makes bad look good, and he makes sin fun. but being damned is scary and it is real, and it is miserable. i may seem perfect to you, but i am really wicked... i hide my sin really well. but i am counting on the grace of God to get me into heaven- not MYSELF!

people who are liars, theives, drunks, drug addicts, child molesters can all go to heaven if before they die they accept Jesus and truly accept Him.

you don't have to apoligize to me or anyone i know because the only one who truly can help you is God. we do love you, but we can't help you.

i understand partially what it is like to be at ends with God. i am slowly dying and am getting sicker and sicker. i have shook my fist at God. i have
told Him i was pissed at Him. i have 'spit at the stars' so to speak. but 

GOD LOVES ME ANYWAY.
HE FORGIVES ME WHEN I ASK ANYWAY.
AND I AM GOING TO HEAVEN ANYWAY.

i try not to abuse his forgiveness, because He is also a God of wrath, and I fear Him. but never, never, never forget that what you have already done, and even now what you continue to do He has power to forgive you, and HE is mighty to save.

---

If you think of it, please remember to keep this person in your prayers.  

Autumn is here.

ATVs on Pismo

So I realize that I never finished posting about our trip.  Saturday we ended up driving south and decided to drive to Pismo Beach to ride ATVs on the shore!  So we got down to the little shack that rents them out but they turned Seth away because the conditions were too dangerous. Needless to say we were pretty bummed, but we did get a chance to go swimming in the hotel pool, sit in the spa, ate crab at the Cracked Crab, and then ate gelato while walking downtown. We still really wanted to do the dunes, so we decided to try again the next day.

Sunday morning we headed down to the beach shack again to see if the conditions were any better than the day before. The lady at the shack radioed the guy who was out on the dunes, and he said it was pretty windy. She told us to come back the next day. We told her we wouldn't even be in town the next day. She continued to tell us it was dangerous, but she didn't exactly so "no." We were like, "o.k. well what do you recommend we do?" and she told us to drive down on the beach and check it out for ourselves. So that is what we did. We drove on the beach literally. Grover beach is the only spot in California where you can actually drive your vehicle on the actual beach. Seth let air out of our tires so that we would not get stuck, and then we drove a couple miles on the sand. We went right up to the water and it splashed on our truck.

We eventually saw the guy who was renting out the ATV's and giving instructions on how to use them. He was letting a guy go out on the dunes as we pulled up, so I knew we had a chance that he would let us go too. When I hopped out and walked up to the rental trailer I was instantly being covered in sand that was flying all over in the strong wind. I felt like I was in a sand storm. Luckily I had my reading glasses on and Seth has his sunglasses, so that helped a little. Just a little. While we were standing there I just pretended as if sand was not flying into my face constantly while trying to talk to the guy. He gave us what he called a safety speech.... I think it was more of a death speech. Pretty much he was just telling us we could die, he almost died one time, five or six people have died this year and as he was saying all of this an ambulance was slowly driving by and he told us that someone could be dead right then. Again, I just pretended it didn't bother me, or we would never make it on the ATVs. We told him that we were going to be careful (and we meant it too!)

Finally after showing us how they worked: gas, reverse, front brakes, back brakes etc. we we free! The first couple of feet I drove were so thrilling! I haven't been on one since I was a kid! The safety man told me to drive behind Seth so if something bad happened it would happen to him and not me (great.... i know) but that is what I did. (At first anyway.)

The first big dune we came upon I was amazed. They were huge. You can't really see how big they are until you inch your bike up to the edge and look over. Scary. So all of a sudden I found myself looking over a sand cliff. We found a different way and continued driving around for the next two hours. I had so so so much fun. Having CF makes me feel weak very often, but that is not who I really am... not deep down. Anyway, we had a great time exploring. It was so vast for miles and miles. You would of thought we were in a giant desert, not near the shore at all. It reminded me of how I imagine Africa to be.

One of the times I went down a hill that was too big for me. Seth was cheering, but I was shaking my head back and forth thinking, "No. I didn't mean to do that... I wasn't being careful enough... I could have gotten killed.... and I need to be waaaayyy more careful." I didn't make that mistake again.

Another time I was going up a steep hill and I gave it more gas and momentum than it needed and I went flying after I hit the top. Seth saw it. He said I totally left the ground and all four wheels were in the air! The thuds from landing were huge and I instantly knew I would be sore the next day.... but it was so worth it! I really wish I had a picture of when I caught air!!!! It was so thrilling and I was so happy! Seth caught air too several times ... but I think he had done it before.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend. I loved the adventure of it all. I also loved coming home that night to see Levi. That was the longest amount of time that I had not seen him. We were so blessed and yes I was very, very sore!

Paso Robles

Seth's home!  Were not home!  Yesterday evening Seth finally returned from his training!  It was a long two weeks for both of us.  It was hard and stressful for us but we are finally done.  Seth aced his final and got all 50 out of 50 correct.  He got a certificate that can be used on future resumes and a special little Valley lapel pin to wear on suit .. Hehe.

Levi is still with my parents, and is coming home Sunday.  He had a fun time at Disneyland.  I miss the little guy so much!

Anyway, last night when Seth came home we decided to go on a spur of the moment getaway! We packed up (rather quickly I might add) and hopped in Seth's truck not really knowing where we were going!  It was so fun.  We didn't know whether to head North or South.  We ended up heading South and ended up in Paso Robles.  So right now I am sitting in a fancy hotel room typing this! (& doing my vest of course)

For the last two years on our anniversary I have been in the hospital. Even though we are a couple weeks early we wanted to take advantage of the fact that Levi is away and celebrate seven years married while we have the chance!

Today we might drive down to San Luis Obispo, Solvang, or even Santa Barbara.  We don't know yet.  I do want to go swimming in the heated pool here and sit in the jacuzzi or sauna too.  We'll see!