Oops ... and #8 it is!

Obviously, I have a huge problem with tattoos ... lol!  Addicted just doesn't cover it!  We've begun to complete an entire back piece, so in saying that, we've added another piece to finish it up ...

#8 - Fan w/ Cherry Blossoms

We've added the fan with Cherry Blossoms under the Phoenix ... and it's turned out fantastic!  We did another little bit of work on the coloring of the dragon and flowers.  My previous tat is proving to be a pain to cover, and some of it is still showing through the Lotus ... but we have a few more trick to try to get rid of it.

I'm absolutely loving the coloring of the entire piece ... and no, this will not be the end of tattooing!  I REALLY WANT a quarter sleeve (maybe even half sleeve) ... so that will be in the works at a later time.

I can't thank Chuck @ White Scorpion Tattoos enough for all the time and care he has put into me and my tats!

Stay tuned ... there WILL be more to come!

More Work ... and a Little Explaning

My new tattoo is getting finished!!  YAY!!  It's not like me not to take pictures, but I noticed that I didn't take any of my last sitting in June.  At that time a lot of the black shading was done.  I also had to cancel my July sitting ... work got in the way ... so now we're a little behind in getting it completed.

In this picture, it shows the work that was done yesterday, August 6, 2011.  We are adding more to the bottom of the tattoo (underneath the phoenix and dragon ... stay tuned :), so we didn't do any more of the black shading.  Instead, we started the coloring!!!!  So far I have the lily completed, and the peony started (it stills needs to be completed and lots of shading done).  We also decided to try a new technique with my old tattoo cover up ... whiting it out!  As you can see (maybe not so clearly), white was used to color over the old tat.  Sadly, the black lettering covered better than the actual pink and greens.  I loved the design of my old tat, but after having it completed 2 times, it still turned out hideous!  It was supposed to be a realistic lily ... instead it turned more into a pink, lumpy, splotchy blob with green things sticking out of it!  I think my new lily looks a million times better!

I still have another 4 sitting at least to complete it.  Next sitting we will be completing the peony, adding the rest of the piece under the dragon, and hopefully completing that.  I'll need another sitting for the dragon and another for the rest of the shading ... and a final one to tighten it all up!

Can't wait to see the finished product ... I'm getting really excited now that there's coloring going it!!  HE HE!

I know a lot of people don't like tattoos, and especially the size that I have, but I've been addicted since my very first one ... and this isn't the last.  I get a lot of questions about why I would do something like this, and also lots of questions about tattooing post-transplant.

My reason for doing this is ALL FOR ME!  I absolutely love tattoos and see them as a work of art.  All of my tats have meaning to me, and none have been done just to have them (well, except for one which was done spur of the moment, and I just loved the design).  The rest have been designed and well thought out.

The new one symbolizes everything I've been through since 2006, and when I look at it, I had great meaning to me.  As for my transplant and having the tattoos ... my team was NOT in support of any tattoos; however there are a lot of things that they are against and warned me about.  This being said, I wouldn't put myself in any blatant danger, as this has been the GREATEST gift ever.  But in saying that, I also can't live in a bubble.  I worked very hard to get where I am, and in thinking/getting my tattoo, I also did a lot of research and thinking about it.  First off, I waited a year before even thinking about it (well, not really ... I thought about it all the time).  I know a year is not a long time post-transplant; but at that point I did not have any rejection or signs of any issues *knock wood* and really wanted to do something for me and my donor.

I worked with my tattoo artist and we discussed what I wanted and how to eliminate any infection.  We decided that doing the tattoos a little at a time and allowing extra time in between sittings to make sure everything was healed, would be the best route.  So far, things have worked perfectly for me.  He makes sure to clean the area really well before, during and after ... and I follow a strict cleaning routine.

It's still not something the docs want to see ... but I'm also not supposed to have plants/flowers in the house, pets, eat rare meat, sprouts or sushi ... just to name a few things.  I'm not saying it's silly, as they all have reasons as to why, as a post-transplant patient, you shouldn't do/have these things ... but again, I've never been one to follow rules around my health very strictly ... and this has worked for me throughout my life thus far, and I don't plan on changing it.

We're put on this earth for a purpose, and for me I have a second chance to enjoy even more of my life (or experience 2 lives if you look at it that way) ... and I'm living it to the fullest!  By no means am I ignoring my health or gift ... but I'm not isolating myself in spite of it. :)!

Another Boost of L-I-F-E

Again I find myself stuck in this mundane rut ... enjoying my new life, but not really doing much but working and living a "normal" life ... and by no means is my life normal!

I find myself falling into this space where I'm like everyone else ... complaining about the weather, that I don't get to do things, work ... just complaining.  I really hate to do this since my transplant ... but when you're around the general population, it just seems to swirl around you until you're engulfed in this depressing mood.

Thankfully, I received some really great news ... and again, boosted me back into "my" reality!  One of my transplant family members had an unexpected hospital stay during her transplant follow up, another had been waiting to hear if he could return home from his transplant, and yet another had received her gift, but was having a few bumps to get over.  Well, within a day, I had heard that the hospital stay was over, the other was heading home, and our newest transplant family member had turned 25 and celebrated her 1 month lungivesary!

Thanks for the boost back into reality ... nothing like hearing/seeing the miracles and things that REALLY matter, rather than dwelling on the little, insignificant stuff.

YAY LIFE!

Yet Another New Addition

I'm a self proclaimed animal lover ... well, particularly doggies.  Throughout my life time I've loved 6 pugs (currently have 2) and a Samoyed.  Most recently I've gotten into rescuing doggies ... and well, I can't seem to stop!

Just last year, we adopted a beagle, Willow into our home.  She's been a handful to say the least, but she's a joy to have.  I'm curious as to what kind of life she had before us, as she is quite scared of loud noises, etc.  She's proven to be very hard to train ... but we're still working on it, and I'm sure she'll master it sooner or later.

Just 2 days ago, we learned of a little pup (setter/lab mix) who was in need of a home.  Well, I saw a picture of her and fell head over heels in love with her.  I know it's a lot to take on ... but then again, what's another doggie in the mix??

The pugs just love her (plus the pugs are couch potatoes ... so they're not any trouble at all).  Willow does like her; however she constantly wants to play with Rosey ... and well, she just a tad too small to be push around, jumped on and bitten!!  Willow can't get this through her head as of yet.

Nevertheless, Rosey is now a part of our family ... and one that we'll love as we love all our fur babies!

Our little cutie taking a much deserved nap!  Welcome home Rosey!

Finally, a Start to Summer

I'll first apologize for not keeping my blog up-to-date ... however, I've been quite busy with work and home life that I just haven't had a chance to post ;)

The weather has been pretty nasty up until July 1!  The entire month of June was rain, drizzle and fog (RDF) ... of the 30 days in June, we had 27 days of rain!  Not once did the temps reach 20 degrees :S!  YUCK!  With all that being said ... July has come in full force!!  The past 2 days have been 25+ degrees and sunshine ... YAY!

I haven't been taking many photos lately ... see above ... lol.  But, as of today, I've taken my camera out and have it all dusted off and freshly charged.

Hubby and I are trying to plan a little weekend getaway ... sometime this summer.  Depending on work schedules, it looks like its going to be hard to plan, but we'll attempt it.  We're not looking for anything fancy ... after all, there are lots of places in Newfoundland we haven't even seen yet!  We're actually looking to plan a trip to the Northern Peninsula ... that should be fun :)!

Happy Summer!!

Back Under the Needle ... Tattoo # 7 (and counting)

April 16, 2011 - Tat #7

I didn't lie when I said I was getting yet another tattoo :)!  Yup, #7 has started ... and I can't wait to see the finished work of art!  This will complete my back ... making it an entire piece!

I've decided to add the dragon to complement my phoenix.  In Japanese and Chinese history, both resemble the yin/yang.  My tattoo artist found a beautiful dragon and the colors are amazing!  But everyone will have to wait until the color is added before I post any other pics :)!

As you can see, I've added the dragon and some Japanese flowers ... lily, water lily, etc.  I'm actually covering up my previous lily tattoo ... I wasn't pleased with it right from the start, even after having it re-done.  So the only thing I've asked my tattoo artist to do is incorporate the Stargazer Lily and the symbol for "inner strength".  The outline above isn't complete as of yet ... as we decided (when the first sitting was done) that a tail and Japanese fan are in order ... lol!

Keep posted for the next sitting ... EXCITING!!

Welcoming ... Sally Littlefoot

I've always enjoyed exotic animals ... and have always been an animal lover.  After all, I've had 6 pugs, a samoyed, and a beagle throughout my life ... currently loving 2 pugs and our beagle.  So when I saw the beautiful pictures that my friend had posted ... I just fell in love all over again!

HEDGEHOGS!!

Introducing ... Sally Littlefoot!

After seeing this beautiful little creature, I immediately contacted my friend and arranged to get me one of these little beauties!  I then picked out our little darling ... Sally!

Here's our little girlie enjoying a bowl of food all to herself ... hehe

And enjoying her wheel ...

Finally a pic of our little darling ... as of today, April 10, 2011 at almost 6 weeks ...

Can't wait to meet her in person on the 15th!!  Thanks Paulette for the opportunity to fall in love with and love this little darling!

Design Time Again

It's been a little while since I've been under the needle getting tattooed ... so, time to change that.  As we speak, I'm getting tat #7 designed.  It's going to almost complete my back piece :)!  I've decided on something to complement my phoenix and to symbolize my new life.

I know a lot of people hate tattoos, and to each his own.  But I absolutely love them, especially when they have significant meaning; which all of mine do.  There's really only one of my tattoos that don't actually "mean" anything, but it was something that I fell in love with.  Other than that, the others all have significant meaning.

I'm getting pretty excited ... first sitting is April 16!!

Up to My Old Tricks Again

Well, well, well ... looks like I've fallen right back into my old rut again ... on all levels!

The only thing I dislike about living in Newfoundland is the winter weather.  I'm not the real "out doorsy" person and don't really enjoy the baffling wind and snow.  Hence, I keep myself isolated inside, be it at work or home ... resulting in me feeling like crap.  Well, good news is, the weather seems to be getting better and as with anyone, the sunshine is always welcomed!

So, guess my next step is to get myself back into shape ... AGAIN!  Now, not that I was really in shape before, but at least I was moving and doing something.  It's this rut that I hate the most.  I feel so guilty for not be as active as I can be ... after all, these new lungs were not only a new life, but a very precious gift.  But as of TODAY, I've made a new commitment to my "buddies" ... healthy living.  Oh boy, do I ever had my work cut out for me!

First on the list is eating right and getting my sugars under control.  Then I need to add in the exercise.  It doesn't sound so threatening when you look at it, but coming from someone who ate WHATEVER I wanted for 30 years, and didn't do a whole lot (if any) exercising ... this is a daunting task.  And to add insult to injury, my mind and lungs are going full force, but my body can't keep up ... frustrating!!!!

Nevertheless ... it's time to get myself out of this rut!  Wish me luck :)!

Hooked on Cruising!

There she is ... Carnival Victory!

As you can tell from my previous post ... we had a BLAST on our cruise!  Not something I thought I would ever do ... now I can't picture another vacation outside of cruising!

Well, we've only been home a few weeks ... aaaaannnnnddddd, I've done it!  We've booked again for 2012!  YAY!

We absolutely loved the Carnival Dream and sailing out of Florida ... but we wanted to do something different this time.  There are a lot of places in the southern Caribbean that I want to visit and have always dreamed of ... St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados ... and guess what???!!!  We found a cruise that visits not just one or two of the ports ... but all three!!  And on top of that, we begin our journey at San Juan, PR!

The more I think of visiting San Juan, the more nervous I become.  I don't know what it is ... maybe it's the fear that everyone will speak Spanish and we'll be stuck not knowing how to communicate.  After all, I could handle Florida :D!  Nevertheless, the cruise is booked, fights are on watch, and the countdown begins!!

Fantastic Vacation!!

What a fabulous vacation!

First of all, myself and hubby have never been on an actual vacation ... not even a honeymoon.  So when we booked our cruise back in August, we didn't want to say a whole lot ... afraid we would jinx it :)!  Thankfully we were able to go and without a hitch!

We first arrived in Orlando, FL for a few days ... the weather was great; however we did have a few cooler days.  Of course, we had left freezing temperatures and about 3 feet of snow ... needless to say, we didn't mind the cooler weather :)!

We rented a fabulous house with some great friends ... and had a ball!  Even had our own heated pool - which made for some late night fun ... haha!

The pool was fabulous, well, then again, everything was fabulous!

Hubby and I enjoying a late night swim ... can't do that in NL!

Following our stay in Orlando, we heading for our cruise ... the Carnival Dream!  We had never cruised before and I was a little hesitant as I wasn't sure if I would suffer the week being sea-sick ... that thought quickly left me when I saw the beautiful ship we would be sailing on.

Carnival Dream, Port Canaveral, Florida

The boarding process was so quick, before we knew it, we were sitting on this beautiful wonder, taking it all in ... and enjoying our first cruise beverage!  Life is definitely great!

Our 7-day cruise began on February 12, 2011 ... yes, we got to enjoy Valentine's Day on board!  We actually had a lot to celebrate during February 2011 ... Valentine's Day, our first vacation, first honeymoon, and my 3 years post-transplant!!

FIRST PORT ... BAHAMAS (February 13, 2011)!

Horse & Buggy Ride, Bahamas

We only had a few hours at Bahamas, so we decided to do a little sight-seeing ... complements of the local people!  We had fantastic horse and buggy ride around town ... with lots of sights and sounds!

Following Bahamas, we decided to do a little investigating around the ship.  There was absolutely EVERYTHING to do ... including eating 24 hours a day.  Of course, we had to enjoy some late night ice-cream and frozen yogurt :)!  YUMMY!

Enjoying frozen yogurt midnight, Valentine's Day 2011

SECOND PORT ... ST. THOMAS (February 15, 2011)

After a well rested night and a day at sea, we arrived at St. Thomas!  I absolutely fell in love with this place and do plan on visiting again ... sometime in my life.  We were greeted with beautiful weather and hot temperatures.  The scenery was stunning!!

Coming into port

We decided to do our first excursion on St. Thomas ... snorkeling!  Neither of us have snorkeled before.  I am a have decent swimmer, but not the strongest.  Hubby on the other hand can't really swim at all ... not something we really worried about ... haha!  

Hehe, underwater shot of us enjoying out excursion!  We even got to see a wreck!!  Not the clearest picture, but it was fantastic!

Ship Wreck!

To end our day, we travelled up to Paradise Point ... we didn't really want to leave at this point.  I was quite happy to stay in St. Thomas ... forever :)!  Of course, the drinks helped that along a little ... well, A LOT hahaha!

Myself and good friend becoming a part of the show!
Thanks to the Bushwackers!!

Carnival Dream from Paradise Point, St. Thomas

THIRD PORT ... ST. MAARTEN (February 16, 2011)

Bright and early the next morning we were off to explore St. Maarten.  It was extremely hot that day ... not that we were complaining, so we headed off to another snorkeling adventure.  This one was a little more laid-back and relaxed, compared to our adventure in St. Thomas.  We didn't have a lot of luck with being able to see many creatures as the visibility was poor.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed dabbling in the water and relaxing at the Tiki Hut!

Tiki Hut Adventures

The views at St. Maarten were gorgeous as we the beautiful beaches and towns!  We again called upon a local taxi/sight-seeing company to take us around the island.  In 3 hours we had travelled the entire island ... both the French and Dutch side.  Even a stop at the nudist beach :)!

Just a casual walk down a street in St. Maarten

Leaving port at St. Maarten

Our next two days were at sea ... we enjoyed lunchtime BBQs, elegant evening dining, and just some relaxing.  Caught a few comedy shows, did a little dancing, and lounged in the Piano Bar.  Even did a little gambling and WON!!  WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!

The ship was just beautiful ... nothing I could even imagine, until we boarded!  

Lido Deck

PORT CANAVERAL ... (February 19, 2011)

To end our vacation, we decided to spend our last few hours exploring and touring the Kennedy Space Centre.  I think hubby took more pictures of the Space Centre than all of our vacation :)!  But he loved it!!

We were a little depressed to have to come back home to all the snow and wintery weather ... but we're definitely hooked and will be cruising again!  We even have our next cruise picked out :)!

Happy 3rd!

Happy 3rd Lungiversary

 Time has come again ... to celebrate!!!  It's LUNGIVERSARY time again ... YAY!  I decided to make some fabulous "lungs" for my cake and I think it turned out pretty darn good :D!

We decided to have yet another party.  Although not a huge turn out, we had all of our favs surrounding us ... couldn't ask for anything more!

The Lungiversary Gal

Here's to many, many more!! xoxo

Ashley

I had posted back in September a wonderful story about Ashley.  I had met Ashely through her mother, Caroline when she contacted me terrified for Ashley's life.  Ashley had CF and was nearing the end of her life at that time.  Thankfully she was listed for transplant and received her gift in 2010.

I was totally blown out of the water when I received information that Ashely had passed.  I was saddened that my only encounter with Ashely was when I was diagnosed as a b. cepacia contact and was battling if I was in rejection, in February 2010.  Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't really wrap my head around socializing, and even if I could, I really couldn't as I was "contact".  I do remember seeing her from a distance and briefly saying "hi".

I had been following Ashley via Facebook, and things seem to be going great.  When I received this information I contacted Caroline, only to find that Ashely was in perfect physical health; however post-transplant proved to be too much for her to manage, emotionally.

Ashely, you will be sadly missed, but I know you're free from all your troubles now.  Breathe easy friend xoxo

Just a little dose of reality ...

Having a transplant changes everything ...

One often forgets the "bad" things that CF brought to your life.  Fortunately it's easy to forget the trouble breathing, struggling for air, coughing day and night, coughing until you loose your breath, etc ... that's until you're reminded of it again.

I often read about and follow other CFer's who are waiting for transplant, and remember the agonizing wait, the nights spent praying that "the call" would come, and the realization that life was ending.  The problem with reading about this, is that it often times is quickly forgotten.

As the old saying goes ... " a picture is worth a thousand words".  It wasn't until tonight when I saw one of Eva's videos, that my old CF life came roaring back ...


nights like these from Eva Dien on Vimeo.

As easy as it is to forget or block out the painful things in life sometimes, just one little glimpse of what reality use to be like, brings one right back ...

After watching this video, I remember myself in the same situation ... gasping for breath, wanting to be "normal", being frustrated to no end ... and it's scary!  Unfortunately, Eva didn't have the opportunity to live her life over for the third time, but I thank her tremendously for being tough enough and having the compassion to record her most trying times.  Most of us with CF have been there, or are there now. 

Our looks can be so deceiving ... until we're laden with the oxygen tank, or until someone hears us coughing or trying to catch our breath.  CFer's usually "look" healthy ... and we CAN put on a great facade!  But remember, looks can be deceiving!