Rounds Inspirational Journeys

Hello!  I know many of you are waiting to hear results from my bronchoscopy .   I don't have any yet, maybe I will know something tomorrow, but hopefully by Friday for sure. My appointments on Monday went well.  My Pulmonary Function Tests were back up to an FEV1 of 100%, so that is a good sign.  The doctor did hear some gunk in my right lung, so we will have to see if that is an infection, please pray it is not. Yesterday's bronch was much better than the last one.  Though I feel tired and sore today, I have no excess swelling anywhere, thank you God!  I woke up easily this time and was out of the hospital by 10:00 a.m., I arrived at 5:30 a.m. We stayed in a hotel that was two blocks from the hospital, so Hannah and Scott stayed at the hotel on Monday while I went to my appointments and I walked over at 5:30 on Tuesday, Hannah and Scott didn't arrive until after 8:00.  All in all, it worked out great! I will let you know as soon as I receive ...

Hannah's First Feis (Irish Dance Competition) went very well. I was super nervous, but she took everything in stride. In her first dance, her group was the first to dance and she was in the first pair to dance. Needless to say, she didn't have any idea what she was doing, so though she danced well, she left the stage too early and didn't bow to the judge, so, she didn't medal in that dance. She learned quickly, however, and went on to get a 2nd in the Light Jig, a 1st in the Single Jig, and a 2nd in the Slip Jig. She was so excited and pleased, and we were so proud of her. She should be able to move up to the Novice level in these three dances for the next competition, hooray! Fun times, curling the hair the night before. On our way to the feis Just arrived, maybe a little nervous? Hannah remembered to smile the whole time! Hannah performing the Light Jig (2nd place) Waiting to Dance Before the Slip Jig (2nd place) Look at those Medals, Good job Hannah! Here is some...

Tomorrow afternoon we will be heading to Pittsburgh until Tuesday.  Please say some prayers that Hannah's first Irish Dance competition on Saturday will go well.  On Monday I will be seeing Dr. Pilewski and on Tuesday I have a bronchoscopy.  This bronch. will let us know if the rejection has stopped.  Please, please say extra prayers that this bronch will come back showing no rejection or infection. I will let you all know how things went when we return home on Wednesday. Until then, God bless you all and have a wonderful weekend!  Nancy

Hi!  As most of you know, as a transplant patient, I have to exercise every day.  I have tried many different forms of exercise from walking to DVDs, but I recently discovered something new that I'd like to share with you.  I don't know if you're like me, but I get bored doing the same workout every day, so I have been looking for something that will give me a good workout, but will also provide variation. We have a Wii, so I started by using our Wii Fit, but was very disappointed with it.  Though I enjoyed the exercises, they did not provide a good workout.  I was at Walmart a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the Biggest Loser had a Wii fitness game.  I was nervous, but decided to buy it. It is really good.  They have lots of different excercises to mix things up, you choose how long you want to participate and it plans an exercise schedule for you, you can choose your fitness level, and it gives you the option to customize your own worko...

In my Bible study this week we were talking about the fear of death. I think it is so unfortunate that so many of us fear death. I know that I did at first, but the sicker I got and the closer I moved to death, my fear turned to anticipation. My belief in God assured me that I was going to a better place and I had nothing to fear. My Aunt Jo Beth sent me this story and I had to share it, because it touches on the message I shared in Bible Study this week: Do not fear, the best is yet to come! There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly r...

Hannah and Lydia Gail, Leslie, and Me Olean Area Irish Dancers At the Buffalo Parade The Ending: Olean Area Irish Dancers Miss Brown's Fancy The Dance Off > Hannah danced in 6 shows yesterday, I am not sure how she was able to walk this morning. What a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday, The Valley Parade Sunday, The Downtown Buffalo Parade Hannah's Olean friends, Amber, Becca, and Mary Wish you all could have been there! Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow! We'll be travelling all over the area to different performances. Look for pictures in the near future!

We spent the weekend in Buffalo celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Hannah's dance school, Rince Na Tiarna . Hannah danced in 2 parades, the Valley Parade on Saturday and the Buffalo Parade on Sunday. The picture above was in the Buffalo News and you can see how wet and miserable Saturday's parade was. The girls were frozen. I ended up taking my Rince Na Tiarna sweatshirt off and putting it on Hannah over her costume. Scott and I marched with the parent's group in Saturday's parade, but it really took a lot out of me. It was a long parade and when we got to the end we had to hike back to the car. I never thought I would warm up again. We spent the night in Buffalo and our hotel was only two blocks from the start of Sunday's parade, so we had a leisurely morning. Saturday night we bought every hand and body warmer known to man so that we would be warmer on Sunday. Sunday's parade was incredible! Hannah's school had two floats and at least 50 dan...

Finally I have a chance to tell you about the rest of our weekend. As you all know, Hannah is an Irish Dancer. This year she has been attending classes here in Olean and in Buffalo preparing her to be able to compete. Her first competition is coming up in 2 weeks in Pittsburgh and she is working hard to prepare. For Christmas we bought Hannah tickets to see Riverdance . Sunday was the big day. We travelled to Buffalo Sunday morning for dance class, then headed to Shea's Performing Arts Center downtown for the matinee. What an incredible experience. Hannah was so excited and amazed to see these professionals doing the thing she loves. Several times she would whisper excitedly , "Mom, that's the step we do in the opening...Mom, that's the beginning of the Treble jig...etc." Watching her just lit up my heart. She skipped all the way to the car after the show and played happily in the backseat on the way home. When we got home that night I lay in bed and cried tears...

Saturday morning, 9:00 a.m. Holiday Valley Ski Resort: I never thought I would do this again. As we rode up the chair I praised my mighty Father and told Him to just please enjoy this with me! My miracle just keeps growing. Every new thing I try, every old thing I am able to re-accomplish, I praise His mighty name! This is the miracle of organ donation! Hello! I am so sorry I have been away so long. After the traumas of the last two weeks, I needed a break. The prednisone has been making me crazy and to try to sit and do anything has been difficult. As of tomorrow I will be back on a normal prednisone dosage, so hopefully my body will get back to normal and I won't feel so stressed. I am feeling so much better! I hadn't shared with all of you that I have been skiing this winter. Having grown up in Jackson Hole, skiing was a pure passion of mine all growing up. The last time I skied was two years before my transplant and I honestly never thought I would ski again. And yet, I h...

After the last few days of posts, I felt like we all needed a fun post. 2 weekends ago we had a family sledding party in the woods behind our houses. We had the BEST time, I am sure you will be able to tell from the pictures. It was so incredible for me to be able to do this again. I think, perhaps the best part, however, was that Lydia and Simon, my niece and nephew, wanted to ride down with me more than with anyone else. If you don't think that set my heart on fire, then let me tell you, I felt so treasured and wanted, it was just incredible!!! Lydia and I starting down, I am already screaming! Mr. Brave, Jeff going face first. Hannah built a special snow friend to ride down with. How cute is Simon? Aw, the love birds on the sled, look at my sweet sister-in-law and her hubby! What a heck of a wreck! Here's my cutie! The adults needed a chat break. Lydia and Mommy, with their dog Finnegan right behind. Simon and Daddy The long hike up. Simon and Mommy The crew, minus the...