Blessings!!

Well the last time I wrote was November…. I have definitely been slacking on updating all of you!!! College life has gotten in the way of my updating and has taken up most of my time. This semester has been especially full of classes, work, projects, and of course getting into the classroom and teaching the amazing kids that often teach me more then I feel I am teaching them. They never fail at amazing me in their energy, love, passion for learning, and of course the many crazy things that they say. This semester I am surrounded by 19 wonderful 1^st graders who brighten my day every time I see them! When I am not in the classroom either as a student or a teacher I am normally doing work to be a student or the teacher. It is a never ending flurry of things to do, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

So many wonderful and positive things have happened since November that it is hard to pick a place to start but I think the best place to start would be the wonderful trip my family took to Disney over winter break during Disney’s Christmas celebration. This trip a year ago would have seemed impossible to my family and I, but we got there, we did it, and we had a wonderful time as a family. Traveling with Alpha-1 affecting our family can be challenging, exhausting, out of control, unpredictable, and extremely stressful but every second of that is so worth it. It is worth it to see the grin on my Dad’s face when we are doing some of the things he loves most, traveling and spending time as a family. My family has never been a family to sit still, prior to Alpha-1 affecting our journey we were always on the move and even now we try our best to continue to be on the move, it’s boring to be in one place for too long. This trip proved to be especially difficult at times between getting through security at the airport with oxygen concentrators and medicine that appear to be foreign objects to TSA, oxygen concentrators not working when we needed them to, motorized wheelchair losing charge for no reason when they have been charged all night long, and dealing with the normal daily difficulties of medicine and nebulizer treatment schedules. This was the first time we traveled to Disney with these challenges, we have been there many times before but this was new and there were days we tried to fit in everything we use to fit in before we had all these road blocks. We made it work and had a great time making it work, every time a curve ball was thrown I had to laugh about it, do what was necessary and move on with the day. There were days that was challenging and all I wanted to do was fall apart and break down into a ball of tears, and to be honest there was points in the trip that that is exactly what happened but after all that we would pick up the pieces and continue and go have a great time. It was worth all of the craziness and curve balls that were thrown.

One of the main reasons we were taking this trip was not only to experience Disney in its Christmas glory but to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As I have shared many times before on my blog my Dad loves space and the space program from the early days all the way through today’s new and exciting ventures. So our first stop once we got to Florida was going to the space center. If you ever have a chance to go see Atlantis do it!! The display at the space center is incredible and it’s amazing to see the space shuttle sitting there right in front of you. It was a highlight of the trip for my Dad.

After we returned from our trip from Disney and the Space center we had Christmas together. I look at Christmas so differently now that we have been faced with this detour in our journey as a family. Christmas has become a time of togetherness for me, a time where I can just enjoy my family and their presence. It is no longer about the gifts or the food, it’s about the love my family has for each other and the blessing of another year together. This Christmas was another Christmas of thanksgiving and love.

Another blessing that my family has had since I last wrote was the celebration of my Grandfathers 80^th birthday. It was a difficult year this past year with the many health issues he faced and my family as a whole has faced with alpha-1 affecting so many parts of it. But he is doing well and enjoyed the excitement of his surprise party with family and friends. It was great to see his face light up and his smile. My grandfather has been a role model for me my entire life. He has always been there for me and always supported me, even in my sometimes crazy ideas and adventures. He has sat through many concerts, sporting events, school events, and anything else you can imagine a grandparent would come to and support you in. Some of my favorite memories include sailing boats down the street on a rainy day, his ‘McKoenigs’ he would make me for breakfast, and the times we would go to the gym together for me to train for softball season. My grandmother and grandfather have supported me and given me the chance to do anything I want to do with my life. Their support means the world to me.

Well that is a short, very short, update of the many things happening in my life and my family’s life. Nothing is impossible with God and the many wonderful blessings he places in life. I hope to do better at updating and staying on top of posting.