Some old, some new, life goes on...

An individuals story is made up of their experiences.  Places they've been, things they've seen, people they've met.  Life is about experiencing different things.  About stepping outside your realm of experiences and learning about others, their cultures, and their beliefs. For me, March was filled with that.  For those of you that don’t know, my girlfriend is Irish.  I am not, yet for the first time I had the opportunity to take part in her family’s celebrations.  First came the Feast of St. Patrick, or St. Patrick’s Day, for those that are more familiar with that name.  Well, my girlfriend’s family celebrates a little bit differently.  Yes, we drank some beers (well not me) and ate some corn beef.  Yes, we sang Irish songs and danced Irish jigs (well not me).  Yes, we listened to bag pipes and drums.  And yes, all those things were glorious.  But they celebrate by marching in a parade.  The Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  A real parade with bag pipers and drummers, firemen and police officers, and city and county officials.  There were jokes and laughs and good times had by all.  I think I fit in for the most part.  I wore green, acted jolly and strolled along with everyone else in proper marching order tyring to look like I knew what I was doing.  Not quite sure if it worked, but I'll practice for next year.

A few weeks later I got my first Easter basket.  Filled with Easter Eggs, chocolate goodies, jelly beans, and other assorted candies it was a diabetics dream.  In all seriousness, it was fun.  Had a great brunch and spent a great day with Meg's family.  From watching the kiddos go bonkers,  falling and crashing all over the place to find every single egg that was hidden to the endless sugar high we all felt, it was a real Easter.  Kind of reminded me of the afikoman search we used to do as kids.  For those of you that don’t know, that’s when the parents hide a piece of matzah and send the kids searching for the hidden treasure, normally for a reward of 5 dollars.  Either way, it was a far cry from my normal Easter celebration of cleaning my apartment and ordering Chinese food, but a fun experience nonetheless.  

All the while I had the pleasure of another PICC line.  The beginning of the year was a bit rough.  On and off, I experienced all the normal symptoms of a CF exacerbation – lung function decrease, sputum production increase, lack of energy, shortness of breath, etc. – the list goes on and on.  Either way, I was not feeling great and with spring right around the corner the decision was made.  My left arm would once again become a prisoner of the PICC.  IV medications every 12 hours; increased treatments and nebulizers; more sleep and rest.  A quick "tune up" and everything was back to normal.  Is it the most fun way to spend two weeks?  No.  Is it worth it so I can feel better and get back to the living the life I love?  Yes.  Well, I’m back.  Energy is back.  Bad jokes are back.  Solid runs are back.  And just in time.  Racing season is here.  First up is the Dick’s Sporting Goods half marathon in Pittsburgh followed 7 weeks later by the San Francisco Marathon.  Throw a sprint triathlon and a 5-mile race in there and you have a nice 8 week stretch of races.  So for now, head is high.  Goals are set.  Can’t think of a better way to celebrate life!