s.u.p.

I did it! After eyeing people all summer cruising in and out of the harbor, and wanting to try it, it was finally my turn to stand up paddle board.

I love indian summers. I love the fact that it is sunny and warm even in October. When you expect cold and dreary and you get bright and warm... I don't know... just something about it.

My adventurous friend Mayra and I met up early Saturday morning, hit up Verve Coffee Roasters and then headed for the harbor.  Even though we were the last in the class to arrive, I raised my hand to go first.  I had been looking forward to this.

Well it was 'easy peasy lemon squeezy' as my son Levi likes to say.  Standing up and balancing came pretty natural.  My arms were tired after two hours of paddling, but I would expect that our first time.

Left to my own devices, I think I would have liked to sit down on the board and dangle my feet in the water.  We didn't really get wet at all.  Sometimes cold droplets would splash onto my toes as I rowed, and it felt good.  I tried once to sit ... Mayra joined ... but the teacher saw us and told us we were regressing, haha.  So back up on our feet it was.  One of the men in our class fell when we neared the opening of the harbor by the lighthouse.  A swell came and he lost his footing.  I was secretly, slightly jealous.  It looked so refreshing.  My pride is too great to fake fall though, even if it would have been nice to take a dip.  Plus I imagine the harbor water is not very clean.

Mayra and I shared lots of giggles and bantering.  She's great.  I think we both would like to do it again.
Not too much else is as relaxing to me as is the water.  It was a great way to end such an anxious, hard week. Good time with a good friend.

to those who stay put, 

the world is but an imaginary place. 

but to the movers, the makers,

and the shakers, 

the world is all around them, 

an endless invitation.

So much going on!  I have been busy with my matronly-of-honor duties.  I am throwing my sister a bridal shower.  It is in little over a week!  I'm having it at my house, and I couldn't be more excited.  Planning these things are all sorts of fun!  I ordered my dress for the wedding yesterday and it shipped today.  Eep!  Also Rebecca, Brittani and I got together and had lunch and talked about wedding/shower stuff.  I went to the party store after and got plates, napkins, cups etc.  It's going to be so cute - I can't wait!  The wedding itself is in a month (they had a super short engagement) and I know the time will continue to fly by!

Also yesterday I jogged/walked from all the way from my house to the beach in the rain.  I ended up at the lighthouse.  It was absolutely grand.  Why is it that I can jog so much further while I am listening to pop music?  Or any music for that matter.  It was refreshing. It was just drizzling not pouring, but there was no one out.  I felt as if I had the whole world to myself!  I was trying to dodge the hundreds of snails that all decided to cross the sidewalk as the sun was setting.  I was doing pretty well but as it was getting dark, I accidentally stepped on one!  As it's shell got crushed so did my heart... I felt so bad!  When I arrived home I told Levi to come outside to check out all of the snails.  As soon as he stepped out he crushed one too.  Sad.

Last Friday was clinic.  My PFT's were down by 7%.  From FEV1 83% to 76%.  Because of my recent RSV and hospitalization they want me to have a bronchoscopy.  Having RSV can trigger an immune response in the body, which can lead to rejection of the lungs.  If you remember, I don't want my body to have an immune response.  I take pills to suppress my immune system, so that my body doesn't recognize my lungs as foreign and try to kick them out.  So the bronchoscopy is scheduled to check for rejection.  I'm trying to not think about it too hard.  Worrying doesn't add one day to my life.  I am nervous about the procedure itself though.  It is tomorrow.  Pray for me -- if you remember me tomorrow.  I will be partially sedated, and need someone to drive me home.  My awesome mom is going to watch Levi and then drive me back.  In my experience partially sedated procedures are the worst kind!  I'd rather be all the way blacked out or totally alert.  A few hours after my transplant I had a bronchoscopy, and I remember the whole thing very clearly.  Usually, in the past, they give me medication to make me forget.  Isn't that a creepy thought?  Medication that makes you forget what they did to you?  Yep, that's what I usually get but I don't know why I remember that one bronch.  They forgot to give me the forgetting medicine.  Haha

I have a new hair colour!  Platinum blonde!  I love it!  This is the second time I have done platinum... it's a fun colour to be.

That's all for now!  ... until next time...

How we roll

Roller Skating.  Yes!!

Rehab

Yesterday I officially completed pulmonary rehab!  I'm done!  I have been going twice a week ever since the transplant and yesterday I graduated!  Yay!

Actually I really didn't mind going, and sometimes I rather enjoyed it.  It gets me up in the morning and out exercising.  So I may continue with the "maintenance program" that the hospital offers.  It would still be twice a week, and if my insurance covers it it is much cheaper for me than buying than a gym membership.

If I do continue at this point it is no longer mandatory though.... just of my own free will... and I can stop at any time.

Yay!

Rehab Yesterday

Rehab went well!

At first I was a little worried that it was going to be very slow, and boring, but the wonderful therapist soon realized that I wanted to do more.  I had to keep my heart rate under 140, but was allowed to do as much as I wanted under that number.

I ended up doing the treadmill, recumbent bike, squats, lunges and weights (bicep and tricep curls)
I am also not allowed to lift more than five pounds, so they were light.

I am hoping to finish up the rehab program at Dominican Hospital.   They can just transfer me there, when I get sent home.

All in all, I didn't feel too limited.  I really liked the bike, and the leg stuff - feel the burn!  I'm really glad that they kept track of my heart rate.  It let me do the maximum allowed without "over-doing it"

Ready To Rumble

Today I begin outpatient pulmonary rehab.  They asked Seth over the phone if I am able to walk for ten minutes.  Little do they know I walked around a mall for three hours last night, ha.  I'm imagining that it will go well.

We'll let you know...

We got a Wii!

For those of you who don't know I have pretty much been a Nintendo addict since the early age of seven.  Before that I have early memories of playing Atari... but not with as much passion... haha.  When the very first Nintendo Entertainment System came out I was immediately hooked on it. Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt etc.   Needless to say I have been happy with my Gamecube the last several years, but have wanted a Wii for a little while now.  They seem a little more active physically than anything I am used to playing,  so I didn't know if I would like that or not.   Seth surprised me this week by randomly saying we were going to get one!  I was so excited!  I had been sick for so long, and we had been house bound with no excitement- so getting a Wii was such a nice change.  The day we bought it I was actually too weak to really play it, but I made our "Mii" characters.  I think they look just like us!  Finally, as I have been feeling better now I have been playing it, and like it a lot. Levi and Seth have been playing too.  Levi is best at tennis.  Yesterday Seth worked up a sweat playing boxing, and both him and I are a little sore from it.  I like it too because it has been so rainy and this helps us to not get cabin fever from being cooped up.  My Gamecube games still work in the Wii, and since the Wii uses wi-fi I can play some games with other friends far away and buy past Nintendo games from past systems right from my T.V.  So what an unexpected blessing.  Beware though because if you come over to my house I'll probably try to get you to make a "Mii" of yourself....

O.K. Guys...

O.k. guys.... I need your advice. Even though it has been beautiful and warm up here on the central coast these last few days, winter is slowly creeping up. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting chillier.

This summer Seth, Levi and I were pretty active. We went to amusement parks, swam in the ocean, hiked, kayaked, rode ATVs, etc. I think it really helps me to stay healthy when I have fun, athletic type activities to do and to look forward to. As soon as I sit my butt on the couch too much, I can almost visualize and feel the mucus taking over control of my lungs.

So, that's where you come in. I need help brainstorming of FUN, active, healthy ways for all three of us to get in some exercise in middle of winter. I let my gym membership go this year because I wasn't using it enough, and it is too expensive to hold onto if I am not taking advantage of it.

In winter it seems the only exercise I get is walking around the mall for Christmas shopping, and I don't think that's gonna cut it!

Maybe I'll crank up the music and dance in the living room every week!

So can you guys think of anything (besides walking around the mall) that is super fun for us to do?