Andrew's Volleyball Class

We signed Andrew up for a beach volleyball class specifically for 3-5 year olds. It started at the beginning of July, perfectly timed with Randy's 3 day weekend for the 4th of July so he was able to see a class! It was a lot of fun to watch the kids learn skills that will eventually transition into bumping, setting and spiking the ball. Here are a few pics from the class:

Intentional Thankfulness

I saw this challenge on a dear friend, pastor, and former boss man's blog today and I thought it was especially apropos after Saturday's kidneyversary and being thankful for what God has blessed me with.

So here is my list of 100 things I am thankful for (freestyle brainstorming...no particular order):

1. Randy

2. Andrew

3. a home

4. my health

5. my "like new" kidney

6. organ transplants

7. dialysis

8. Jesus

9. new life through Jesus

10. my vision

11. colors

12. air

13. the ocean

14. the beach

15. friends that are like family

16. my mom

17. my dad

18. Randy's mom

19. Randy's dad

20. our siblings

21. Andrew's laugh

22. Randy's laugh

23. being able to hear

24. having a sense of humor

25. the health crises I've gone through

26. prayer

27. this past Sunday with A & R

28. time at the lake with Staci and Christal

29. laughing

30. Disneyland

31. an upcoming family vacation to Tahoe

32. the sun

33. swimming

34. kayaking

35. paddle boarding

36. photos

37. art

38. music

39. concerts

40. singing

41. being married to my best friend

42. the smell of coffee

43. my hair growing back

44. Staci

45. Christal

46. volleyball

47. having clean water

48. my grandparents

49. Lola

50. Dusty

51. generosity

52. health of my family

53. being spoiled by the amazing California weather

54. taste-buds and the myriad of food and drink we are privileged to have

55. the stars

56. family vacations to Disneyland as a child

57. Kailey and Andrew playing together

58. still being amazed by God's "random" blessings

59. God's beyond generous grace

60. Dan's sacrificial giving

61. an abundance of material goods

62. education

63. my parent's desire for a great life for my brother and I

64. my parent's financial support this past year

65. Randy's parent's financial support this past year

66. health insurance

67. Randy's job

68. laughter

69. countless great memories with friends

70. living in the United States

71. adoption

72. Andrew's biological mother

73. Andrew's biological father

74. Andrew's foster mom Joy

75. the love and caring Joy put into raising Andrew the first 6 months of his life

76. Randy's unconditional love

77. living in California

78. living in Santa Cruz

79. sleeping on top of the houseboat and staring a the night sky

80. Tuesday night beach volleyball

81. Wednesday morning beach volleyball

82. joint and muscle pain because it means I'm well enough to participate

83. great doctors

84. being able to drive

85. cars that are paid off

86. no credit card debt

87. Randy's last year of apprenticeship

88. Andrew getting into the charter school

89. Andrew's smaller class size

90. chocolate

91. family vacations to Disneyland and Disney World as a parent

92. knowing that worrying doesn't help anything

93. finishing the 5k I couldn't finish 8 years ago

94. making it to my 1 year anniversary of the transplant without rejection

95. Andrew's grandparent's involvement in his life

96. THE favorite memory of Andrew at Disney World. Complete joy

97. knowing that in sickness and health was a reality most newlyweds don't have and Randy still was in 100%

98. being literate and enjoying to read

99. being a parent

100. reflecting on how many blessings I have in my life and knowing where they come from.

101. our E family and the people we still are in contact with. They know who they are.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father

of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Kidneyversary! (1 year since transplant)

Early morning one year ago today (July 17, 2009) my amazing friend and kidney donor Dan & I were waiting for our respective surgeries to start. I knew my life would change after transplant, but never realized how absolutely fantastic, vibrant and just plain "well" I would feel. I'll never forget as they wheeled him off for surgery past my curtained area and he quipped (obviously already feeling the effects of the happy meds) "I've got something for ya!" little did I know it was pretty much the most perfect kidney.

Today I'm spending the day thankful for the second chance I've had at life. Without Dan's generous gift I wouldn't be living as healthy and well as I am, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

John 15:13

1 year since dialysis

Today is officially the one year anniversary of my last dialysis treatment. It seems like such a long distant memory now that I've been healthy for a year. Dialysis was 3 times a week (Tue, Thur, Sat) from 7am-10am in Cupertino (about 45 minutes away). I think back on those times and although they were physically and emotionally rough, I truly am thankful for going through it. I became much stronger in my faith, in compassion for others, and it truly has made me who I am today.

And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

One Year Check Up

Today is officially day 363 from transplant. I can't believe just two more days and it's been a full year! I had to go up to UCSF for my one year check up with the research nurse today. Since I elected to do a drug research study I had more appointments than one would normally have post transplant. The visit was pretty basic - go over meds I'm currently on, fill out another survey on how the study drug has effected me, blood draw and visit with the doctor.

Today was a whopping 16 vials of blood, the same amount they drew the day of the surgery. My veins are getting so darn difficult that Joanne (the study nurse) told me I have a reputation with the lab workers for being a hard stick since they have to wait a bit longer to get the specimens. Took 3 pokes to finally fill up all the tubes - each arm and then again on my hand.

Everything looks great based on last month's lab work. They expect a kidney transplant patient's creatinine to be at 1.25 and mine is at .92 (lower is a good thing!). One year is a huge milestone as 90% of organ/graft rejection happens within the first year. That's a staggering percentage and I feel so blessed to have made it to that milestone.

I felt awkward as the nurse and doctor kept thanking me for participating in the clinical trial, it seemed like such a no brainer thing to do. My "sacrifice" was nothing compared to what Dan gave up for me. The appointment was also an emotional one, it was really hard not to cry tears of joy as the nurses and doctors are saying "happy 1st birthday". It truly is the start of a new life and I am so thankful for it.

Girls Weekend

This past weekend my awesome hubby took over and let me hang out for two nights with my two great friends Christal & Staci at Lake McClure. Staci's family owns a houseboat and was gracious enough to let us come up and spend part of the weekend with them. Of course we all forgot our cameras, so the only surviving pic (that I know of) is the one above of one of the boat launching areas.

We arrived early Saturday evening, had dinner and then went in for a swim. I hadn't swam in at least 2 years due to being on dialysis (you can't get your port wet which makes even bathing/washing your hair an adventure!) so I was a little leery of getting in but finally got up the courage to dive on in. I forgot how much I enjoy swimming and the water in general! We had a great night hanging with Staci's sister's family (the parents of the infamous Kailey), Staci's mom and a friend of the family. It was a lot of fun, most of it at Miss Staci's expense...gotta love her. We spent the night on top of the houseboat and my word the stars were absolutely fabulous.

The next day we started with another swim then went out on the boat with Kristi driving. Christal and I had never been wake-boarding before, so we both got up the courage to give it a go and LOVED it. So challenging, yet so much fun. We both were so close to getting up on the board, and I think if we had another day or two there we would have mastered it. After lunch we said goodbye to Staci's family as they went back home. Another afternoon of swimming with some dive contests between Staci and I (I'm not competitive at all ;) and the girls talked me into jumping off the top of the houseboat into the water. It took all my courage to actually do it, but Christal pulled out the trump card "do it for kidney-versary!" so after some dramatics from Christal stomping up the stairs to make me jump, I took the plunge...literally (I know, I know bad pun). Another great night was spent talking, playing games and sleeping under God's creation. I really was in awe of how beautiful it is, we are so blessed.

The next day we went out for one more boat ride and Christal tried to get up on the wake-board, I couldn't try due to a run in between my toe and the garbage compactor (only me), then we packed up to leave.

It was a quick and fantastic trip, but I still missed my boys. Andrew would absolutely love to play in the water like we did, and if he knew Kailey was up there I'd be in so much trouble. Looking forward to the next lake trip!

4th of July

July 4th is my hubby's birthday, as well as a pretty famous national holiday. This year we decided to have a few of our closest friends over for some hang time, bbq, and fireworks....Good times! Definitely up there on my list of favorite fourths.

Here are some of my favorite snapshots, enjoy.

Yikes

Hi, my name is Melissa and it's been 2 months since my last blog post. I truly am a bad blogger!

I have 3 that I've started writing but haven't published, so those will be coming out in the next couple days. Going to try to get better about posting at least once per week, I promise!

LFNC 5K 6/6/10

From June 6, 2010

Today two of my friends and I did the Lupus Foundation of Northern California's 5k walk/run. All the money raised went to help fund education for Lupus as well as research for a cure. I was diagnosed with Lupus 10 years ago this November, so for me the walk was very personal. Many, if not all of the people participating had some personal connection to the disease. We spoke to a gentleman who's mother-in-law passed away a year ago after a nasty battle with meningitis. Randy witnessed a mother (who has Lupus) filming her daughter as she finished the race on the mom's behalf, both with tears streaming down their faces.

Throughout the walk I kept putting myself down thinking it's "no big deal". I kept comparing myself to a man who received his kidney a week before I did and is riding his bike across the country to bring awareness to organ donation. I kept thinking "this 5k is so insignificant and I'm such a slacker compared to him". Not taking into account the fact that he was a marathon runner, and triathlete before his illness took his kidneys.

We finished the walk in well under an hour, just finishing was our only goal. I had tried to walk the exact same 5k 8 years earlier (2 years after I was diagnosed with Lupus) and was unable to finish the walk at that time. To be able to finish it this time was an amazing accomplishment and I look forward to doing it again next year and bettering our time. Thanks so much Staci & Laura for supporting and walking beside me, you ladies are the best. And thanks to Andrew and Randy for cheering us on from the sidelines, I love you guys!

Thoughts & Ramblings

There's a lot of "stuff" floating around in my head so I thought instead of a bunch of random posts I'd just have one big jumble of stuff tonight. I mean, the blog is called Mel's Thoughts & Ramblings right?

Unsettling

Last night I went to take a shower and before jumping in for some reason decided to check out my transplant scar in the mirror. Upon doing so I noticed two giant bruises lower abdomen on the opposite side of my kidney. Totally freaked me out. Emailed the doctor today and there's nothing to worry about. I just bruise easier because of one of my medications. So it could have been something as innocuous as Andrew bumping his feet into me when he crawled into our bed.

Heavy Heart

My heart is heavy for my friend Christal. Like many teachers in California she was given a pink slip for next year. Usually with the pink slips they end up rescinding the majority and tend to lay off teachers with less experience or no tenure. However, only one teacher at her school has received that letter. Please be praying for her and the other teachers in the days and weeks to come.

CrossFit

My brother-in-law and his ex-wife are co-owners of a CrossFit gym in the area. I've been interested in trying it out for a couple years but because of the lupus and kidney failure that was setting in, it just obviously wasn't something I was physically capable of. This past Tuesday I started training with Ronnie and loved it. We did a bunch of different exercises like box squats and different weight lifting things. I think it's going to be good. The thing that I like the most, but that also scares me is I can't quit. Having the accountability is a huge thing and it totally hit me when I was on the rower. I was thinking "oh my gosh, I don't know if I can keep doing this!" but then I realize Ronnie is sitting right next to me and I can't just stop like if I were by myself at the gym. Dang! So I'm sure with continuing this there are bound to be changes in my body.

Food

Which leads to changes in food! Hi, My name is Melissa and it's been 12 days since my last caramel mocha. Yeah, if you know me you know I heart my caramel mochas - iced or hot I don't care, just want the tasty goodness. Well the calories in those things are outrageous so I quit cold turkey. Just cutting that from my daily routine saves a ton of calories. I've also stopped fast food and cut my caloric intake down to 1500 calories. The CrosFitters really push the Paleo Diet (here's a blog Ronnie recommended). It makes a lot of sense, but I still have some questions about it.

Fresh Ground Peanut Butter

Okay, this one is really random but A and I were at Safeway one day and I noticed they have these big nut grinders. So I decided what the heck? So we ground some honey roasted peanuts to make our own peanut butter. Literally...it's just peanuts - nothing else added and it's SOOO good.

Volleyball

I forgot how much I truly love playing volleyball. It's been ages, but I've been playing regularly at a church drop in game on Tuesday nights and I adore it. Such a great workout and such a great time doing it. 3 hours of playing go by like a couple minutes, it's fantastic. I signed up for a beginner/intermediate beach volleyball class this summer. Super stoked for that. And we signed A up for 3-5 year old beach volleyball! How stinkin' cute is that going to be?

Poems About Groundhogs

So we went to an all school meeting for the charter school A will be starting next year. I mean really, this meeting was made out like if we didn't go we'd be kicked out of the school. Um, hello? You're charter but you're still public so chill and the meeting was so not all that. So in the meeting they had a well spoken 4th grader get up and talk about how she took poetry as her elective this past quarter. After she explains they they were to watch a little piece of ground and then write a poem about it she proceeds to read her poem which I've condensed. "Little fluffy groundhog, I see you at the entrance of your home, do you see me? At the entrance poking your head out. Snap, crushing of back, taking of life. Death." The parents reaction to it was priceless.

Random Links

This blog post moved me this past week.

Um, how does Pete Wilson know what's going on in my life?

Retouched

Found this while checking out Google's new "play" feature (it's similar if not identical to stumbleupon). We wonder why women have such horrible body images and why men expect women to look a certain way..... Ridiculous. Article courtesy of The Daily Mail.

Britney Spears bravely agrees to release un-airbrushed images of herself next to the digitally-altered versions.

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:23 PM on 14th April 2010

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Celebrities, and the industry around them, are often accused of producing images that affect young people's body image. Which is why it's so refreshing to see one of the world's most famous pop stars allowing all of their imperfections to be highlighted. Britney Spears has allowed the pre-airbrushed images from a shoot she took part in for fashion firm Candie's to be used ALONGSIDE the digitally-altered ones, so people can see the difference.

Brave move: Britney Spears has allowed airbrushed images from her shoot to be released along with the original raw photos which show all her imperfections

The 29-year-old singer made the extraordinary move in order to highlight the pressure exerted on women to look perfect. In the first shot, she is seen facing the camera with her arms behind her back. Imperfections that can be clearly seen in the un-airbrushed shot include blemishes on her calf, her larger thighs and, if you look really closely, you can see her feet have dry skin on them. The airbrushed pictures, however, tell a different story with a slimmed-down waist and flawless, skinny legs.

Meanwhile, in the second picture, she is seen from the back - in the un-airbrushed shot she has areas of cellulite on the back of her thighs, a tattoo on her lower back (sometimes called a 'tramp stamp') is clearly visible and her backside is a little out of shape. However, in the altered photo all of these imperfections have been wiped out - and she appears to have a pert rear, unrealistically smooth skin, slimmer legs and the tattoo has vanished.

Shaping up: The pop star's whole body has been trimmed down with the use of a computer, even down to removing a tattoo on her back

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: 'Britney is proud of her body - imperfections and all.'

Of the experience, the singer told press: 'I had so much fun shooting the Candies for Kohl's campaign. My favorite set-up was against the gigantic wall of pink cotton candy.' And she added: 'I got to wear the cutest clothes and they are perfect for summer!'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1265676/Britney-Spears-releases-airbrushed-images-digitally-altered-versions.html#ixzz0lHJewheK

Cheat Post

I'm going to cheat for this post and share something that I posted on another website. Plan B is all about the road we didn't think we'd be taking for our lives, and the good that can come out of it. If you know me, you probably know my story so I apologize for sharing again...but it's who I am.

My Plan B

April 2nd, 2010 at 12:56 PM

My plan A definitely didn't include being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease (Lupus) in my early 20's. I was 23 and told I have a disease that no one knows what causes it, there is no cure, and it can and more than likely will get worse and claim one or more organs. They were some dark times of not understanding and seeking something "more". My then boyfriend (now my husband) stayed by my side and gently suggested checking out churches. He was raised with a Christian background, I was raised Catholic but didn't have a relationship with Jesus by any means. The words the pastor said that first Sunday seemed to be taken right out of our very conversation from the night before. The Holy Spirit was definitely moving in me and I accepted Christ. Physically it was tough but we were still working on maybe a plan A-. We adopted a beautiful baby boy and things were going very well. Fast forward 10 years and we knew my kidneys were starting to fail so my nephrologist started putting into motion the things I'd need to do to get on the UNOS waiting list to receive a transplant. December 14, 2008 was the day that plan b came screeching into place. My husband awoke to me, his bride, having grand mal seizures. The Lupus had taken my kidneys and I was in complete kidney failure at 31 years old. I was rushed to the local ER where I suffered 2 more seizures. I was started on dialysis 3 days later and began a regime of hemo-dialysis that was 3 days a week, 3 hours a day. It was tough being a mom, wife, employee and still driving 45 minutes each way to go to my exhausting dialysis treatments, but God blessed me with those as I was able to share my faith with many of the dialysis patients who had no hope left. 4 friends and family members stepped forward saying they wanted to be tested to donate a kidney to me. Such an amazing blessing since the wait list in California is at least 7 years long (please register to be an organ donor WHEREVER you live, it's the ultimate gift). One of the people that stepped up was a good friend of my husband and I who saw it as his duty as a Christ follower to give part of himself to save another's life. We ended up being as close of a match as if we are blood related (brings a whole new meaning to brothers/sisters in Christ) and Dan donated his kidney to me on July 17, 2009. I've always "understood" Christ gift on a superficial level, but it was last Good Friday when I was still on dialysis and Dan was going through testing to be a donor that it fully hit home - There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends John: 15: 13. Wow. That passage was displayed on the screens at our Good Friday service and tears streamed down my face as I thanked Jesus for his ultimate sacrifice and for blessing me with an amazing friend who was willing to put himself on the line as a Christ follower. I thank God for my plan B now. It was a rough road, but it made me who I am today as a Christ follower, wife, mother, friend, co-worker. I am passionate about organ donation and volunteer for an organization and through registering people to donate I am also able to share my testimony and hopefully save people's souls in addition to their lives. Just remember there is hope. God is a God of hope and faithfulness and if He brought you to this place, He will bring you through it. Blessings.

Hey I have a blog!

And it's been one month exactly since I last posted. Sadness. More updates to come.

Donate Life California

This is a post started in April......

If you know me at all, you know my life was changed forever on July 17, 2009 when I received the gift of life from an amazing friend who donated his kidney to me. It's really hard to go through something like that and not be immensely impacted. Since then, I kept seeing people talking about training for Donate Life and being a Donate Life Ambassador. I would always think to myself it would be a great thing to get involved with, but then never would follow through.

Fast forward to earlier this week and I get a call from an amazing lady (she is passionately involved in organ donation and Hepatitis awareness) asking if I would be interested in attending a CTDN training. First I had to find out what CTDN stood for (California Transplant Donor Network) and after a little research I realized it was the training I kept meaning to get plugged into. How crazy is that? I attended the training on Saturday and was blown away by the stories people shared as to why they feel passionate about promoting awareness for organ donation.

There were two fellow kidney transplant recipients, a woman that was transplanted over 20 years ago (amazing!) and a man that was transplanted just one week before I was, also at UCSF. It was really special to talk to two people who have gone through the same surgery and especially to talk with the woman that was transplanted over two decades ago and still going strong on the graft.

Ultimately the training was to give a little more knowledge about organ donors, what can be donated, how people register, etc. CTDN goes to many festivals, health fairs, college campuses and high schools to promote awareness and encourage people to register as donors. I'm looking forward to getting plugged in!

Amazed

I'm always (and I hope I will always be) amazed at the little flourishes in life that God find the time to display for specifically for us.

Volunteering with Donate Life California as a Donate Life Ambassador has been something that's been on my heart for a while now. I'm going to deviate for a second and say as a side note, if you read my blog and you are not registered as an organ donor, you seriously need to click on that link and get that remedied. The rest of us will wait for you.......

Ok, ready? So it's been on my heart for a while but I was just lazy and kept thinking that I'd send them an email the next day. Last Thursday I finally sent them an email. A while later I got a text from a friend asking if he could give my phone number to a mutual acquaintance. This mutual acquaintance is heavily involved in Hepatitis awareness, liver transplant awareness, and organ transplantation/donation awareness in general. She wanted to let me know that she would be attending a training on the 21st and wanted to see if I was interested. I looked up the training and no joke, it was the training I've been meaning to get info on for the past month or so. She has absolutely no affiliation with the organization other than she does her own form of sharing about donation.

Isn't it amazing how God just shows up and says "hey, I know you want to do this and you are on the right track for me and my plan so get going!" It'll be such an awesome opportunity to be an Ambassador and share my story which goes hand and hand with my faith and sign others up to be organ donors! So stoked about it.

Also seriously stoked about a door that I've wedged my toe into. It's something that I can't share about but God knows what's up and I just ask that you be praying for His guidance and protection while we peek inside the proverbial door.

Be Praised!

I started this post on Wednesday, and had some time this afternoon to come back finish...enjoy!

All praises to the One

From whom it all began

The One who formed the stars

And who gave life to man

You set the world in motion

Created sky and ocean

And here I stand, beloved

And called by name.

The lyrics from this awesome worship song have been stuck on repeat in my head today. Yes, we should always give praise and thanks to the Father, and quite honestly I think that is one of my stronger suits given the trials we have gone though - please know I'm not saying I'm SuperChristian (now there's a comic book character!). Today is a day of celebration and praise. For the first time in longer than I can remember, we are not financially struggling. Yes I know, money isn't everything, but when you're piecing together money from both sets of parents to pay rent, not knowing on the 5th of the month if you'll have enough for rent and it was due 4 days ago, having your parents pay for your medical insurance, your husband works 9 days in one month, and your scrounging up change to get gas so he can even get to work one of those days, you realize just how hard it is to do things when you don't have a steady income.

This past year has broken my heart for people that struggle financially. I don't mean the people that can't afford an extra Starbucks that week, I mean the people who legitimately can't find work, can't feed their kids, the ones who can scrape just enough to stay above water and not sink but definitely not enough to ever get ahead.

God blesses us with those circumstances and regardless of how difficult, frustrating and stressful they may be, it's our duty to give him praise.

Thank you Lord for blessing me with a year full of trials and countless moments of uncertainty. Although at times I cried out wondering if you cared, your love was shown tenfold through the actions and helpfulness of those that we love. Lord, help me to be a person of generosity, don't let lessons and experiences we had be for naught. Allow us to be in a position of blessing others without expecting anything in return. Allow us to be able to surprise those that need, in your perfect timing, and allow us to never

take credit for those gifts. It always comes from you.

Be Praised!

Bromance

Yesterday was our friend Bobby's last day at CLC (he and his awesome wife Rachel are planting a church in Santa Cruz).

Coincidentally, the sermon that morning was entitled "Bromance" and on the friendship of Jonathan and David. To enhance the sermon, Bobby put together a "mash up" of different songs relating to friendship including "Guy Love" from Scrubs.

Haven't heard it before? Check out the original:

And Bobby's version:

It was hilarious and a great way to bring pop culture into the church in a totally appropriate way.

awwwwww

If this doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy, you might want to check your pulse.

YouTube Link

The Times, They Are A Changin'

I'm gonna take the easy way out today and share a post from my husband, Randy's blog. Enjoy.

Level 2

Day 10, end of level 1 of the 30 day shred has passed and I am officially on level 2 now. A few things I've completed from level 1:

• I can now do 30 jumping jacks (you do a lot more in the course of 30 minutes, but 3o is about the amount you do during one 30 second cardio segment)
• I can do push ups. Yeah, they are girly ones...but I can do push ups!
• I can do the whole 30 minutes of level 1 without stopping. I know some of you super in shape people are thinking "big deal" but at the start of the 10 days, I couldn't even claim that.
• I've lost 5 pounds. I really wish I had measured myself at the beginning because there has been a change in inches as well, but I have no way to record what the difference was.

Level 2 started yesterday and it's a whole new set of craziness. Squat thrusts (sounds nasty, but it isn't), plank jacks, and other fun strength & cardio psychosis.

My immediate goal is to get over this faux cold. It's at the point where it keeps feeling like it's going to turn into something major, but then doesn't. I want it to either go away, or just full on get sick...obviously the first is the preferred one!

Valentine's day - Bah Humbug

frus⋅tra⋅tion

–noun

1.	act of frustrating; state of being frustrated: the frustration of the president's efforts.

2.	an instance of being frustrated: to experience a series of frustrations before completing a project.

3.	something that frustrates, as an unresolved problem.

4.	a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.

Frustration pretty much sums up the way I'm feeling right now. We have been struggling financially for well over a year and are so close to being "okay" that it's palpable. R had planned an amazing night to celebrate Valentine's Day tonight since we won't be able to celebrate on the actual day due to our roles at Elevation. However, once again financially it wasn't possible.

It got me thinking, why am I frustrated that we can't celebrate Valentine's Day? Why is this even such a special day that there's a need to show off what a significant other does for the other for just one day? Check out the 4th line of the frustration definition....where do we get the idea that Valentine's Day needs to be full of chocolates, flowers, cards, diamonds and other worldly things or else we are "unfulfilled." When did it become okay to rate our self worth based on our status (facebook, social, relationship or any other)?

Don't get me wrong, it's great to show your special someone outward signs of love or give gifts, but why do I think I deserve to be showered with these things to equate my husband's love? I should just be thankful that I have a life partner. Someone who has been with me through my highs and my deepest, darkest lows (and wow have there been some crazy lows the past couple of years).

Is it okay to be frustrated at our situation? I think s,o but I shouldn't let that ruin the rest of the weekend. I am so thankful for my amazing husband. I truly love him more than he'll ever realize and am thankful for every second I get to spend with him. God has truly blessed me.

Day 10....

Day 10 of the 30 day shred is tomorrow and I can't believe the difference that I'm already seeing in the way my clothes fit, my muscle tone, my attitude towards exercising, and my stamina for doing this crazy workout!

R is a super straight shooter (read: he won't tell ya something just to make you happy) so I was especially stoked when he noticed a difference in the muscle tone of my legs just 6 days in!

I do wish I had taken my measurements at the beginning to record the actual changes, but I'm so excited to keep sticking with this and see even more results. God is definitely providing me with the strength to keep on going with it.

Mind purge

I spiffied up the place last night, and I really like how it looks!

On day 3 of the 30 day Shred and boy am I feeling it. Every single muscle in my body is screamin' - more so than doing hours on the treadmill. I look forward to doing it, as each day it becomes a wee bit easier. This morning I was going to kick it into overdrive and do 2 per day, but after a horrible night's sleep, it just wasn't happening. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll try again then!

Looking forward to life group tonight. We have a great group of ladies that are really starting to bond and become like family. It's especially good to see as one of the pseudo-leaders that started the group.

Andrew has been home from school all week. His temperature disappeared Sunday, and while he's not contagious anymore he's still not 100% back to healthy. He actually takes breaks from playing to rest and if you know Andrew, that's just not his normal self!

I'm loving my Jordana Paige bag that my mom-in-law got me as a late birthday surprise. I'm so not a huge purse girl, but it was nice for our E staff meeting today to be able to carry files, notebooks, etc and remain hands free.

Kidney biopsy news is everything was all good. Absolutely no signs of rejection and the kidney still looks super healthy. Looking forward to celebrating a year in July!

Alrighty, Jillian is calling me to get my booty downstairs to get my sweat on. Peace!

30 Day Shred

I first heard about the 30 Day Shred from Mominatrix (as the name implies this isn't a family friendly blog, so you've been warned) who used the 30 day Shred and has the Shredhead part of her blog devoted to it.

I was jonesing to get ahold of this DVD. I mean, Jillian Michaels is a wicked crazy trainer on The Biggest Loser and a home workout would have to be amazing, right? With no extra dinero in sight it didn't look like Jillian would be coming home with me anytime soon; that is until I remembered one of my good friends gave me a Best Buy gift card for my birthday. Score!

Went in today and bought the DVD and did my first level 1 work out- oh-em-gee. Jillian is a workout witch sent from hades, and I mean that in a good way! It is a tough workout done with interval training for cardio, abs and strength. I know after a couple weeks at level 1 it'll become easier and I'll be able to add on level 2 and even more exciting to see results!

uh oh

It's been nearly a month since I blogged, how in the world did that happen?!?! Since the last time I blogged:

1. Elevation launched as a church! (www.elevationsc.org)
2. I had my 6 month kidney biopsy - everything looked great and I'll find out more details tomorrow
3. Randy and I had our 15 year anniversary of our first date (1/14/95)
4. I celebrated 6 months with my "like new" kidney (1/17/10)
5. I had my birthday and turned 33
6. I totally sucked at blogging

So I guess it's been pretty busy? That's still a weak sauce excuse for not blogging. New year's resolution? To lose the weight I gained after the kidney transplant AND to be better about blogging!

Book vs. Movie: My Sister's Keeper

I had the interesting pleasure to read the book "My Sister's Keeper" while I was on dialysis and awaiting the kidney transplant from our awesome friend Dan. (If you haven't read the book, it's a tear jerker, and you can find the plot at the link above). It was definitely interesting to read a story of someone else, although fictional, going through dialysis and awaiting a kidney transplant. The donor in this case is Ana, Kate the patient's sister who was created as a designer baby to essentially save and be a constant donor to Kate who is suffering from leukemia. While my kidney failure was from Lupus, it was interesting, thought provoking, and frightening to think that on a whim my donor could suddenly change his mind regarding donation.

Fast forward 6 months later to today when I watched the movie rendition of the book. Now we all know generally movies aren't nearly as good as the book was and I believe it to be the same with this movie. One of the things that really struck me as an organ transplant recipient was the incorrect information that the actresses kept repeating for the reasons to not donate a kidney:

1. You can't play sports

2. You can't have kids

3. You can't be a cheerleader

With the exception of contact sports not being recommended, these are grossly untrue.

I really struggled with this during the film. What if this movie was someone's only exposure to potentially donating a kidney? What if someone wasn't given a second chance at life because they thought this to be true? Now I know it's just a movie, but doesn't film as a media medium have some responsibility to keep things semi accurate? Especially when you are portraying so many other medical issues throughout the film, why would you drop the ball at that point.

If you've ever even considered being an organ donor, whether donating while you are alive, or after death, be sure to check out Donate Life.

Happy New Year!

2010! Hard to believe it's already four days into the new year. I'm not big on making resolutions, but there are a few things I want to accomplish this year:

Get back into shape (lose the post transplant gain)

Be more intentional about my quiet time

Spend more quality time with Andrew

Spend more quality time with Randy

This is a big year for our church, as we are launching from a service at an established church into a full fledged church of our own. Please pray for Elevation when you think of it, there are many needs to be met when it comes to planting a church and God has it under control, but your prayers are always appreciated. Please also pray for other church planters in the area, especially our friends Bobby & Rachel as they will be leaving the "safety" of his worship pastor role at CLC and starting their own church to reach the unconvinced of Santa Cruz.

We're looking forward to and praying for a hospital free year (the first in at least 3 years), planning a trip to Ireland in the summer (the first time overseas for Andrew & Randy) and praying for constant work for Randy, construction was very slow and difficult this past year.

Wishing you all the best for 2010!

Merry Christmas!

So obviously it's been a while since I updated my blog, hope everyone had a great Christmas with family & friends.

We had a fairly relaxed Christmas, none of the normal driving to a bunch of different cities to celebrate with various relatives this year. Christmas Eve we invited R's and my parents over to have dinner and share gifts with Andrew. He loved being showered with all the grand parent attention!

Christmas day we spent by ourselves as our little family unit. It was a fabulous, blessed day. Andrew opened gifts in the morning, we had a family breakfast, then went to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (the boys pick...I tried for "The Princess & The Frog" ;). It was a new experience to see a movie on Christmas day, but something all 3 of us really enjoyed.

After the movie we went up to UCSC to walk around and enjoy the gorgeous December weather. God has truly blessed us with a fantastic place to live! The pic above is from our time at the Upper East Field. R and I didn't do presents this year, but gifted each other with the gift of presence. It really was nice to have a simple Christmas where we could focus on what is important: The birth of our Savior.

This Christmas was especially poignant for me, and quite honestly the first time I've really "gotten it" as far as celebrating Christ's birth and what that meant for His life. Going through the medical crisis last year just really put me in a different place for being thankful for the time we have together and for the "little things" we normally take for granted.