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 :)

Speechless with gratitude

I just love tender mercies and good people. I had some great things happen recently, and tender mercies aren't always this large, but they are wonderful no matter what.

Earlier this week, I knew and felt that a few busy weeks filled with schoolwork while preparing for finals that are approaching. So, I prayed to be able to recognize tender mercies each day, and oh boy prayers are always answered.

A couple of days ago my Aunt Amy asked me if I liked Kelly Clarkson, and if I would like to go to her concert. I knew I couldn't turn down the offer! I was thrilled! I committed myself to working hard and getting a lot of homework done before the concert, so I did. Aunt Amy and I then headed to Salt Lake. We had the best time laughing our heads off in the car as she told stories about my younger cousin. Here's a funny story: while Amy had to write a paper for grad school, since her daughter is obsessed with Justin Bieber, she rented Never Say Never from Redbox for her daughter to watch as a distraction. But halfway through the movie, Amy heard her bawling. She rushed to the other room and asked what was wrong, and then her daughter cried out "I miss Justin!!!!" Aunt Amy told her there is no need to cry over Justin, just like how the mom did in the Youtube video of the girl crying because she loved Justin Bieber so much.

Anyways, I hope you like that story as much as I did. Once Aunt Amy and I reached the Maverick Center, we bought food as I could hear the one and only Matt Nathanson perform! He is honestly one of the best music artists. We rushed inside to our seats, which were pretty close to the stage!

Then it was time to wait for Kelly to come on stage

 Then she finally came! She did an absolutely incredible job as she sang her heart out and was very down to earth and hilarious. Before she sang "Because of you," she said that "There are always dis-functions in families, but sometimes, I'm the disfunction of my family." And as she introduced a new song of hers, she said, "I did not write this song because it's called "Forgive you." Haha love her!

Jason Aldean came to sing with her! Jk I wish :)

Although going to the concert itself was a excitement, I had another tender mercy happen as well. Aunt Amy let me rush over to meet Matt as I hopped at the end of the loooong line, where I started talking to a couple of girls. One in particular was very funny and friendly so we had a good time talking about our love for Matt Nathanson's music. Then the security guard came--he told everyone that we must have Matt Nathanson merchandise on us or we had to leave the line. I didn't have any cash on me, so the girl in front of me offered to buy a cd and pulled out $15 dollars, saying we both needed to stay in line to meet him. I said she shouldn't, but she really wanted to. It was extremely nice of her, so I took a picture of her to remember her awesome self and her kind deed.

Sooner than later the time came to meet Matt Nathanson!! I was almost speechless as I had some butterflies after listening, running, and singing to his songs for a few years.

After the concert, I was in what I called a "happy high"(ok, I still am; it was a great night). I couldn't shut up! Luckily Aunt Amy was okay with it because she likes to talk a lot too :) We continued joking around, but then ended up in some deep conversations later as the night progressed. It felt wonderful to talk about a lot of things that had been on my mind regarding college life, family life, and more as I could hear from a very wise and positive adult's perspective. After praying to see tender mercies, I had felt sooo blessed. I know that some stresses may come along with school and responsibilities regarding CF won't leave as some pains have become a little too much and things are always changing, but I had a great time. Tender mercies aren't always this large, and can be very small, but if we take the time to recognize them then our days become much easier.

Wedding bells

It's still hard to believe how quickly it came up, but Alicia was married Wednesday in Salt Lake. It was a great day and everything worked out as we had hoped.

It started out by waking up and getting ready for the big day. I met up with Kara and Uncle Jon, and then we headed to their house and then to Salt Lake. Carly and I waited outside the temple when we found out Josh and Brandon had gone to Panda Express without us (shame). Everyone then filed out of the temple while we waited for Alicia and Brady. Turns out they were waiting because they thought our parents had to come get them ha :)

Waiting with Carly. Thank goodness I could hang out with her later before she headed back to the AZ.

Hmmm I wonder what my dad was staring at? ;)

the Maid of Honor and I

the Groomsmen

bridesmaids

Since Brandon isn't into hugs and kisses, his expression was priceless when Alicia tried to kiss him :)

His face was redder than her flowers

the Roy side

Siblings for eternity, and nothing can change that

I'm going to miss her!

the Moody side

We also all 'got a kick' out of how green everything was. Josh and Brandon did a little heel click

Brandon aka "the stud" and I at the luncheon

At the luncheon Brady sang to Alicia while playing the guitar. He forgot a few lyrics but it was really sweet of him to do this for her.

my favorite place :)

While getting supplies to trash Brady and Alicia's car, Josh found his pot of gold!

 The reception finally came along. We took pictures for a while and greeted guests. I was worried at first because my enzymes that my mom had picked up from the doctor were misplaced by someone, so yes I was a little tired, hungry, and cranky, and had to search everywhere for them so I could eat. But after deciding I needed to get away from the noise, I prayed in a separate room to find them, and surely enough Kara's husband found them! Losing 6 bottles of pills can be nerve racking.

Groomsmen and Bridesmaids

                                                     Pulling off the boy band look like bosses

my family :)

the Milnes

the first dance

Josh dancing with one of my cousins

The day was very tiring and by the time I got home, I crashed in bed. Who knew a wedding could be so tiring even when you're mostly standing around waiting? But it all turned out well. I already miss Alicia but hopefully I'll see her around every now and then.