Back to the grind!

Y'all I'm so happy to be back. Actually, that's an understatement. To have my life back means the world to me. While I don't get to really participate in formal recruitment due to missing so much, it's ok because I have my friends and class and my freedom back!! My arm has almost completely healed already, however the blisters left scars and I have the usual "arm button" (like a belly button) from the actual line, which still has a little more healing to go. I'm feeling pretty good too. I'm a little tired from jumping right back into recruitment and school, but I'll have time to come up for air in a few days.

School looks like it's going to murder me this quarter, but I'm really not stressed about it. I really feel like I can handle anything. The summer quarter, flying by so quickly, taught me how to stay focused and work even when I'm really and truly tired of doing homework. That's what is going to get me through this quarter. I'm taking a full load (12 hours for a quarter system; that's 5 classes for me) and it will be chock full of busy work, homework, papers, and tests. But I can do this. That's not to say I won't have moments where I just cry into a kind shoulder about how much I hate school and how tired I am, but I can do this! I've already found that mentality of "school will never end, you have several years left, suck it up and go" so hey! What's another 3-5 years?....

Time to get a little homework done (yes, already) before recruitment this evening!

My "arm button"!

-Annie

Class in 30

Hi! I have class in 30 minutes but I have enough time to get a post in!

So right now my apartment is just me and one other roommate. We were suppose to have another girl move in on Monday, but she never showed. I guess we scared her off... lol

Summer school ends next Friday! Yay! Then my crucial doctor's appointment the following Tuesday. Cross your fingers people, this one is important.

I'm busy with getting ready for formal recruitment too, on top of school and health. I enjoy it though, so no complaints there. It's just busy! Lots to get done, not enough time it seems.

Going home this weekend for some family time! I can't wait. I love going back home to visit when I'm away.

I have a kines test tomorrow on muscles of the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint and then a physics test on Friday on... I'm really not sure what the topic is even called. Stuff. Busy!! Lots of studying, at least 2 tests a week, this week has 3 for 2 classes. And a project due early next week!! Now do you see why I haven't been posting much?!

I got a new laptop!! I forgot to mention that! My old one was toying with me about kicking the bucket so we helped it along with a sale that came to Best Buy! I now have a nice speedy laptop that I love.

The boxer puppy is getting big and strong!! But I love having her around. It's nice to have some canine company.

Ok class in 23 minutes, but I want to do treatment too so adios!

-Andrea

Parents, tattoos, and surgeries

Today is Parent's Weekend for Sigma Kappa!! My rents are here, but I thought I'd put in a quick post since I've been really MIA lately. It's been a fun day filled with brunch with Mom, bowling with Dad, and then our banquet this evening!

So... I've been putting this off, but I wanted you dear bloggers to read that I got a tattoo! Check it out:

(That's the inside of my left ankle/heel area)
I've been putting it off because I wanted my parents to see it in person before I put it up here. I was getting it done Monday, but the tattoo parlor was closed. I was getting it done Tuesday, but they had no openings. So finally, I made an appointment for Thursday and got it done. It kinda hurt, but worth it. Joey, the tattoo artist, called me a wuss. Haha.

Beeker had her surgery and is recovering now. She has to stay in one of those cones and I hate that, but it's necessary. Poor baby. :[

Fatboy also had his surgery, but he's not in a cone! He went home really soon post-op and starting eating right away!! Trooper. Read about it here.

10 Days until my doctor's appointment. And sometime before then I need to have lab work and xrays done. Hmm. When am I going to find time for that?

Time to go have fun with my sisters and my parents!
-Annie

Hello, 2011!

My first week back in school since the New Year has been pretty good. Busy, big surprise, but good! This weekend is going to be busy too with it being Sigma Kappa Parent's Weekend and our banquet.

Sorry for the short update. I'm sleepy still, I've got class soon, and I've got a lot on my plate including a test on Monday.

Here's a shoutout to CF Fatboy who had another sinus surgery yesterday. No update from him yet, but his wife said that they were home already, which was earlier than Fatboy expected! That's fantastic news.

Sorry for the short update. My next one should be longer.

-Andrea

Prayers for my brother's dog Beeker who is having her right eye removed today due to a tumor. Praying that the surgery goes well and the tumor is benign.

Long time no see!

Hey blog readers,

I apologize for my MIA tendencies lately. However, when a lot of things come up at once, my blogging hobby gets put on hold.

So two weekends ago, I went to Dallas with almost 30 of my sorority sisters, just because! It was a blast. Instead of getting a hotel, 5 of us stayed at a mom's apartment and that was no doubt even more fun than a hotel would have been. Here's a picture to share!



The 5 of us piled in a Honda Fit and hit the road. Between the Tahoe, ice skating, shopping, that crazy mechanical dog that laughs, and my sisters, it was one of the best weekends ever.

And, be proud. I didn't bring my Vest, but Saturday morning me and two of my friends ran 2 miles. Yeah, you read that right. 2 MILES. I walked a little bit (a few seconds) of mile #1 but mile #2 was killer. Especially the uphill section at the end that I was unaware of until we got there!! Haha. I was really proud of myself though, and really appreciated my friends who ran it with me. I couldn't have done it without them.

So it's Christmas break! Yay! I'm home again and with my family. The brother/sisinlaw/niece from Austin are here for several days. It's been really great to see them and my precious niece! Yeah, it's picture time again.



Isn't she adorable?! *sigh* she has my heart.

That's about all that I can think of that's going on right now. The next several days will be spent with family and I'm pretty excited about it. My puppy is so tired though. She's working so hard to entertain the babies and avoid the big dogs while chasing the little dog. She's looked like this most of the time:



Oh, and with this little guy, we've hit a whole new level of fun: he's a pro at walking now. He's walking good, standing up by himself, chatty, and happy. He has my heart too, that precious little boy.



Oh, one more thing, I got an executive position in Sigma Kappa and I'm thrilled about it! I've been preparing to go back to school so I can perform my duties well. I just wanted to add that to the blog since it's about my life in general! :]

Until next time, have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a fantastic winter holiday!!

-Andrea

I'm Published!

I had been asked by someone who works at the Sigma Kappa Triangle (my sorority's national magazine) to write an article about having CF and how being a Sigma Kappa has helped! The Autumn edition of the magazine came out today and my article was on page 7!

Somebody to Lean On

Sigma Kappa with chronic illness finds support in sisters

Being a college student can be hard sometimes. Being a college student with a serious illness makes things even more difficult. At birth, I was diagnosed with a disease called cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic life-shortening disease that makes simple body processes, like breathing or digesting food, more complicated. However, with many advancements made in technology and medicine, the quality and length of life for people with this disease has dramatically improved as I’ve gotten older. Now, just shy of 20, I’m away at college and thriving in all aspects of life.

Life with CF can be frustrating at times. Between the number of pills, the breathing treatments, and chest percussion therapy, a lot of time and thought goes into maintaining my health. Because of the rigorous daily routine, going to college is a challenge for people with CF. We must have excellent time management skills to be able to balance school, health, and personal life. Our personal choices are based around our health instead of what might be popular. And while making friends hasn’t been affected, letting those new friends behind my protective barrier and allowing them to see this vulnerable side of me is hard to do. I went to a college away from some of my closest friends, a decision that left me outside my comfort zone. I was nervous about branching out and meeting new people, afraid of their reaction when they learned of my illness.

At the suggestion of my family, and after some persuading, I decided to go through formal recruitment. Did I think I would actually join a sorority? Not a chance. I did not think of myself as a “sorority girl.” However, once preference day came, I knew my heart was already with Sigma Kappa. After just in the few days of recruitment, I could tell that these girls were new friends I could trust.

With these newfound sisters also came a newfound fear: telling them my biggest secret. I have been closed off my entire life about CF because I never wanted to be labeled. I was an athlete, a singer, a Christian, a friend, a teammate, but never the “sick girl.” I was determined to not let CF label me in college, especially not with my new sisters. The last thing I wanted was for them to look at me and see “cystic fibrosis.”

At the end of my freshman year, I wrote a letter to our executive council asking if we could take on cystic fibrosis as a local philanthropy -- my first step at trusting my sisters with my secret. Our President, Sarah Carroll, said that my sisters would support me in any fundraising I did. At the start of my sophomore year, I knew the Great Strides 5K for cystic fibrosis was coming up soon and I decided it was time to open up and trust my sisters with the thing I’m most afraid of sharing. I stood up in chapter meeting to explain the race and why it was important to me personally. After my announcement, there was only positive support. My sisters in Sigma Kappa stayed true to me, as I knew in my heart they always would. The day of the race, my sisters drove an hour to walk with and support me. Those that couldn’t come donated money to the CF Foundation. My sisters in Sigma Kappa have just started a long journey with me in dealing with my life-long battle with CF, but I know that when things get tough, my sisters will always be there. I couldn’t do it without them.

Birthday weekend

I had a fantastic birthday weekend! It started off with the Sigma Fall Party (on my actual birthday!) where they sang to me and I got a cake! Then I went home the next day and spent the day with friends and family before having to drive back to college that night. For Sunday was initiation for our new girls! They are official members of Sigma Kappa now! What an exciting time for everyone.

Doc appointment on Tuesday. I shall update again after that.

So far no more blood (yay!!) and we'll see how Tuesday goes.

Until then,

-Annie

Hemoptysis update

Yet another day coughing up some blood. This is delightful... *blatant sarcasm*. I did get it up and out though, which is good except for I kinda threw up a little too because it made me gag.

Here's the plan: No Vest while I'm still doing this, Dad's bringing me some Vitamin K (at the suggestion of Fatboy) because I was taken off of it a while back. I'm on Cayston and bactrum already, so any infection will be taken care of, hopefully. I'm also calling my clinic tomorrow to talk to my doctor and to see what the official game plan will be.

In the mean time, I have homework to finish and a few more preparations for Big sis/Lil sis week starting tomorrow! Let the to-do lists begin!

-Annie

Great Strides walk- part1

The walk was a successful event!! I'm so happy! It was successful personally because 20+ of my sorority sisters came out to support me, along with some other friends from high school! As an event, we raised.... prepare yourself.... $29,000!!!!! And there were only about 150 people there. But we had raised that much money!

I would love to go into detail about the event, but my nephew is at my knees and pressing buttons on the laptop wanting me to play with him. I can't resist. Here's a picture of the race before I go. More details later!

-Annie

P.S.: this is my 200th post!!

My life is always busy....

....and I wouldn't have it any other way! But that's why I'm slow to update. Current status: my hair is wet from my quick shower and I have step-show practice in 25 minutes.

I slept for 15 hours last night. That's insane. My body literally shut off at 7pm last night. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I crawled into bed and the battle was over. Gracious.

Doctor's appointment this Tuesday. *anxious*

Ummm I can't think what else to type at the moment. Super busy with the new Sigmas but really enjoying my time hanging with them and my other sisters.

Morgan (real life fake sister) and her friend Celeste came and toured the campus and then hung out with me after I got out of class. Morgan cooked for me (again). :] Then I passed out. Maybe she drugged me or something....... just kidding.

Ok, I need to get ready for practice.

Bye!

-Annie

ps. Lots of people from Sigma have signed up to be with me for the Great Strides walk this next weekend. :]

Sigma Kappa sisters are REAL.

These two pictures are of my pledge class in Sigma Kappa. The first is us being crazy on bid day and the second is from a formal photoshoot we did around town (photo #2 credit to Britney and Brandi Smith, Sigma Kappa alums).

I never thought I would be a part of something so amazing, but yet here I am. This sorority has gone above and beyond my expectations about what a group of women could be. I wouldn't be anything else but a Sigma Kappa for the world.

That being said, I made my little announcement about the Great Strides walk at meeting last night. I was shaking. My heart was pounding. It felt like the room was 130 degrees, even though I was cold just a few minutes prior. I made my announcement (with the help of notes!) and even included WHY this walk was so important to me, even if only so briefly. Nobody scooted away from me like I was contagious. There was no sudden gasp that resounded through the quiet meeting room. No whispers once I was finished talking. Nobody stared at me like I was now something to be feared/studied/avoided. The meeting simply continued, and a friend close to me both physically and at heart leaned in and told me I did a good job. She knew I was terrified. Before the next announcement in the meeting, a comment was made by our Vice President: "support your sisters". The next announcement was from another close friend. It was about supporting me [and the walk] monetarily if they were unable to go with me. These girls went above and beyond what I had expected as a result. I tend to fear the worst, and was more than pleasantly surprised when none of my fears came true. Immediately girls leaned over to me and told me that they would be there for sure. Others came to me after meeting and wanted to know how they could help if they were unable to come. The sisterhood that Sigma talks about is REAL. These girls really and truly care about me, my well-being, and want to support me in everything I do. I thank God for my sisters in Sigma Kappa.

-Andrea

A little of this... a little of that...

My mind has been going 1000 different ways at once all week. I still don't have much of anything to post about to take up a whole post, so I'll carry on about a few different things. I'll even number them for pure entertainment.

1. Guys rush is over!! No more late nights cooking food in mass quantities. Thank goodness.
2. I found out I cook a mean sheep dip. Don't google "sheep dip" because what I cooked is not what you will find. What sheep dip is in my family = meaty cheese dip in everyone else's. No one is completely sure where our term for it came, but it still stands.
3. I'm tired of people pointing out that I cough. Thanks, but I'm pretty well aware of it. Mind your own business.
4. Tonight is Sunday Night Soccer again! My legs hurt just thinking about it. It's gonna be fun, but I still won't be able to hang with the guys for very long. I get so winded...
5. Doctor's appointment quickly approaching... really nervous about that. I know I always say I have a bad feeling about the PFT results, but I do this time too. aaaahhhhhhhh!
6. I studied way too long for a test I didn't do nearly as good on as I had hoped. *frustrated*
7. Went back to my college-town church today and was reminded of how much I love it!
8. Great Strides is Oct. 9. This evening at meeting I'm going to get up the courage to ask my sorority to walk it with me. I'm terrified.

That's all for now.

-Annie

Picture sums up my evening

This one picture sums up my evening. This, and a picture of Sewer, the Rat, that I held, but I didn't get a picture with her. It was a fun evening!

(Disclaimer, this is not my pet. Her name is Frances)

Update + meltdown

So I moved back to college and started work week for rush almost immediately. Work week has long hours but it so much fun! I really got closer to my sisters! Following work week was rush, which was even longer hours, but was a huge success! (Rush, for those who don't know, is a term for formal recruitment for the sororities/fraternities on campus). Rush and school started on the same day, so that made the long hours even longer. It's been neat to see my new sisters in my classes. Like in my anatomy class, we have a group of about 10 of us, which is awesome!

I'm still trying to recover from those two weeks. It's really hard to catch up, but I'm trying. This weekend is going to be fun too though! Football, parties, and bringing so of my freshman friends to my church! Just wish I could catch up on sleep somewhere in there... haha!

So opening up socially about having CF is having some repercussions I didn't expect... like people trying to baby me or mother me. No details, but one incident left me in tears. She meant well, 100%, and she had no idea that it would affect me, but it did. Another scenario, which is occurring more often, has me on the edge of anger plus tears too. This is not exactly what I had hoped would happen. This is actually my worst fear. I'm being labelled by my disease. How could I let this happen?? I want to fix it but I don't know how. Part of me wants to just stop mentioning CF completely and pray they forget. But what if I have to go to the hospital for something? They won't forget that. But I don't want to submerse myself in it because I don't want them to think I'm fragile, which is what it has come to. .........................

Running errands today then hanging with my sisters tonight. Gonna be fun!

-Annie

RUSH!

Hey! Rush just ended tonight. I had temporarily donated my computer to Sigma Kappa for recruitment so I didn't have one! SORRY for the absence! I'll update again soon with more info! But right now, I have homework!

-Annie

Good Time Management

Quick post/story about today

My schedule today was church, mock recruitment, and go home. The times were as follows:

Church- 9am to 10am

Be back at the Sigma house at 11:30

Mock Recruitment from 1:30-3:30ish

Workshop from 3:30-6

Skit rehearsal 6-we're done.

AHHH!!!

Somehow I had to fit in Cayston, which needs to be 4 hours apart, in there! How did I do it?? Good time management..........

..............in other words..........

I woke up at 5am to do Albuterol (fell back asleep whoops!) and did Cayston at 6am. I went back to sleep (on purpose this time!) until 7:something so I could then get ready for church. Then, between church and being at the Sigma Kappa house, I fit in my afternoon Cayston!! That was at almost 11am. That's 5 hours!!! WOO!! But if I hadn't planned out my day ahead of time, knowing how it was going to go, and then getting up early enough to get it done, my day would have gone very differently.

Mind you, if I had told our advisors/rush chairman that I needed to run back to the apartment to do some medicines, they would have let me go without any problem. But I didn't want to do that! I want to be THERE spending time with my sisters and singing the songs for the 1,395,599th time this week! I don't want to have to excuse myself from my LIFE because of CF unless I really need to. And today, it was fixable and I went very out of my way to fix it so I could be there when I needed/wanted to be.

Now, it's time for the evening dose of Cayston before I finish this round tomorrow afternoon!! Get excited, I know I AM! Just in time for Rush!!

-Annie

ps: I'm so glad my aunt and my sis-in-law got to come today! It made it even more special to me that you two came! THANK YOU!!

Rush Workshop: sick day

Yesterday I didn't attend the morning workshop because I was curled up in a little ball on my bed unable to move. Awesome. I showed up for the second half of workshop (after lunch) when I felt just a little bit better. Every girl I talked to told me to go back to bed. "This week doesn't matter as much as next week when we'll really need you!! Take care of yourself now!" So, I followed my sisters' advice and stayed in bed/on the couch all day yesterday. I hated missing workshop, but they were right. And I feel a lot better today! And, just to show another reason why I love my sisters, they made me a get well card! A lot of the girls signed it and it really did brighten my sad, sick day and made me feel better. I love these girls.

My voice is lost every day of workshop and comes back the next morning. Current voice status: shaky. But I need it for tonight because it's FOOTBALL GAME NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

Still super busy. I get a break in a few days. Sorta.

-Annie

Rush Workshop: Day 1... CHECK!

Rush workshop.... so much fun. It's a LOT of hard work, but I love every minute of it. I love being with my sisters, I love the pride I have in my sorority, and I love all the things I'm learning!! I can't wait for this week to continue tomorrow!!!

To sum up my week....

-Andrea

Brief college update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am back at college, mostly unpacked, fully stocked with food, and already hanging out with friends on night one. I'm super super DUPER thrilled to be back and I can't wait for all the Rush stuff to start. And then classes. And then I can't wait to hate school and plead for summer. It's a cycle and I love it.

It's been a long day and I'm pretty tired. About to do treatment and hit the sack. Night! :]

-Annie

Finals week... here we go.

Well it has finally arrived. This is week I dread every quarter. Let it begin...

We initiated our Sigma Kappa seniors into alumnae this evening. It was bittersweet.

This evening I coughed until I threw up. That wasn't fun. At all. But, despite feeling sick. I'm doing my Vest right now. *sigh* Ready to turn it off though, but I won't.

Bought a bunch of junk/study food (at Mom's orders) to last me through finals week. Here's to the Dr. Peppers, Propels, Whoppers, Junior Mints, Nerds, and Zapps jalapeño chips to get me through finals!! Cheers!!

Saturday morning was the Kickin' Grass for Alzheimer's disease that Sigma puts on to raise money for the Alzheimer's foundation. It was a huge success! But I was tired.

Oh! I had a Pop-Crawfish boil on Saturday. "Pop" because it was like a "pop-quiz": I check my email and it said "Crawfish boil at [church college leader]'s house from 1-4!!" and it was 1:15 at the time. You can bet I White Pages her address, Google mapped it, printed it out, dried my hair, and practically ran to my car to get to her house. I was there before 1:30. I *love* crawfish and I can't stress it enough. The crawfish were SPICY and BIG! They looked like lobsters! And all this with great company made for a wonderful Saturday afternoon.

Time to finish treatment, get some food, and get back to studying. Ahh finals. ONE MORE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Annie