Freshman Year: Complete :)

Wow I'm really not sure how Freshman year went by so quickly. I remember coming up to my first dorm thinking "I'm actually here!" It was a brand new experience and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I made more friends than I could ask for and was thrown into a schedule of studying, as well as keeping up with treatments and exercise. I can remember the first day my roommates and I met, and we all went to the creamery to get ice cream as a break while unloading our belongings into "Hogwarts."

Time flew by and conflicts arose, which made me start new adventures at another apartment complex. I felt that everything would be great, and it was! I met a lot of new people and had some good times :) Some more things happened that I was unsure why, but throughout this school year, I know that I have had to live with faith and trusting that everything happens for a reason. It has been a good year with many lessons learned, both secular and spiritual, with fun and faith-testing experiences. I also fulfilled my goal of never touching a pack of Ramen or a TV dinner, too :)

After this past month of studying hardcore, finishing projects, and turning in 2  9 page papers, I packed my belongings and before I knew it I once again walked through my front door of my home late at night. Everything was quiet and dark. It had been a long day with some time of parents quarreling once again, but as soon as I came home I could finally hear the peaceful silence that I needed. Josh was awake as he helped unload everything, being the same great "little" brother. It was different not having my own bedroom, but I didn't care as I was finally home with my family. I climbed into bed (and seeing Oscar's hairs on the quilt made me smile for once. They seem to never go away) after a memorable freshman year.

I should be studying right now

But then I got distracted. There's nothing wrong with a break in between many hours of studying :)

That's what can happen after you are stuck in your room looking over textbooks and notes for finals for so long.

Shaping up: How one Cyster Got Fit

I received an email with this article of a Cyster who has understood the importance of staying healthy, so here it is! It's a great one! :)


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Shaping Up: How One Cyster Got Fit By Jessica Muir    From soccer to softball, I have been active in sports since I was a child. It carried over into high school with the addition of running track. I wanted to challenge myself and prove that someone with a lung disease could run track with everyone else. I never thought about how much exercise was doing for me. During college, exercise was done at a minimum while I studied for my Nursing degree. Being a Nurse and running around for 10-12 hour shifts felt like sufficient exercise, hence my lacking in the area during this time. After graduating, and getting married, my husband and I were talking about starting a family. We consulted all of the appropriate physicians to make sure it was safe. During these appointments there was a common thread with each doctor, despite their different specialties. Each one of them had said I was healthy enough, but that I had to "be in the absolute best health of your life going into this." I thought to myself, how much more could I do? I do all of my treatments, go to all of my appointments and, overall, thought I took great care of myself. Then it dawned on me. What hadn't I been doing for quite some time that I already KNEW did wonders? Exercise! It was at that moment I realized what I had to do. Run. I was immediately inspired and began running that afternoon. I hadn't even figured out what my goals were, but I knew I had to start immediately! After not "pounding the pavement" for almost a decade, I ran a mile non-stop. To say it felt amazing would be an understatement. From that point on, I knew that this was my passion. This was something I used to love and I never realized how it had benefited me. It kept my lungs feeling great and kept me out of the hospital. It became a challenge. I wanted to see just how hard I could push myself. Running has done incredible things for me both mentally and physically. The feeling of accomplishment every single time I step off that treadmill cannot be put into words. I set new goals for myself constantly; entering several 5K races each year. My ultimate goal: running a ½ marathon.  Running has allowed my lung function to steadily increase over the last few years, as I have found this to be the best form of chest physiotherapy. I purchased a personal PFT meter and have tracked my numbers for years. The documented increase in lung capacity motivates me. Running has allowed me to challenge myself daily, push the limits, and continue to fight the good fight. Many times when I'm running I remind myself that I'm not just running for me. I'm running for all of us with CF. I'm running for those that CF took too soon. I'm running for those who aren't able to. I run because it strengthens me physically and mentally in the fight against this disease. I run because I can and I am thankful for that beyond words. I will never ever take that for granted. About Jessica      My name is Jessica Muir and I am 31 years old living with Cystic Fibrosis . I was diagnosed at the age of 5 months old with the most common mutation of DDF508. I've been married since 2004 to my wonderfuly supportive husband, Scott. I graduated college in 2002 with a degree in Nursing and currently work full time as a Gastroenterology (GI) RN. I Iove being outdoors and active in any way, cooking, entertaining, hiking, music, and have a passion for running.

So Glad for This Gospel

This last weekend was awesome. I planned on going home to watch conference, so when my mom picked me up she said, "Let's get junk food." I felt very full after eating a J-Dawg, a double scoop of BLUEBELL blackberry cobbler and birthday cake ice cream from a local parlor, but it was so worth it!!

Afterwards we headed over to the brand new City Creek mall, and ahhh I'm in love!!! We didn't do much shopping, but I can't wait to! They have many great stores like Nordstrom, J Crew, the Disney Store, Coach, and even Tiffany's!

They even had a water fountain show that was kind of cool. They somehow had fire burning from on top of the water by the end of it.

But something was so much better than all of this during this weekend. I am so glad to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. General Conference was amazing! I had written questions that I needed answers to in my life, and almost every single one was answered in very direct ways. I was able to receive comfort, guidance, and motivation through talks such as President Henry B. Eyring's, Elder Holland's, President Uchtdorf's, and President Monson's. Listening to our prophet, his apostles and leaders has always brought joy, hope, and helped me want to try harder to become better and more like our Savior. I don't know what I would do without the gospel in my life; it makes me so happy :)