Gone for weekend!

Hey y'all, I just wanted to write real quick and let you know that I'm going to be gone for the weekend (and probably longer, almost a whole week actually) and I'd like to ask for prayers as we travel. Me, my dad, and my three younger brothers are heading out super early tomorrow to drive over to El Paso, Tx where my older brother and his wife live. My dad will bring my brothers back home on Monday but I'm gonna stay a few days longer and come back with my sister-in-law.

I'm really looking forward to hanging out with them (not looking forward to the really long drive) and I'm excited to be able to spend some girl time with my sister-in-law. :-D I'm also just glad I can make a trip like this since I wouldn't have been able to do something like this a month ago. I try hard not to take my energy and mostly good health that i have right now for granted and I hope you don't take your health for granted either. That's one of those things that can be taken away very suddenly.

Anyway, I will try to blog while I'm there and get pictures and stuff up here but if I'm too busy having fun with my brother and his wife then I might not be able to. So just a heads up in case I'm gone for a bit. I appreciate you keeping me and my family in your prayers. :-)

I'll write again soon!
<3

Long time, no update

Ok, so things around here haven't really settled down any but it's not nearly as stressful as it was when I last blogged to tell y'all I was taking a break from here soooo... I figured I kept y'all waiting long enough without hearing from me and, to be honest, I missed blogging.

I kept thinking "Oh, I need to write about this! I need to tell everyone about that! I need to remember this for my blog!" I'm not sure if I'm actually going to remember everything but I do have a lot to update y'all on and I'm sure I'll get to everything that's important. :-)

First off, my grandpa is doing much better and he is out of the ICU. I hope to be able to write and say that he'll be able to go home soon, we just don't know when that will be just yet but we are very grateful that he is doing better and has been able to tolerate the chemo treatments well. He did lose his hair and that's been hard for him as well as just all-around general discouragement so please keep remembering him in your prayers and for his family as well as we continue to walk through this difficult time in our lives.

As for me, I'm continuing to improve and finally feel like I'm back on my feet again. I still keep checking over my shoulder sometimes, just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I'm still pretty cautious about what I do but that's getting better too. College is still out for me, for now. I just can't quite bring myself to commit to anything "big" like that just yet but I am looking at getting a job towards the end of summer and am really looking forward to that.

Some big news is that my sister (my one and only favorite sister, mind you) is leaving early tomorrow morning to go work on staff at Southland Christian Camp in Louisiana (I'm too lazy to look up the website and link to it, I'll do it later...) and she'll be gone until August where she'll have 13 days at home before she packs up again and heads off to Heartland Baptist Bible College (again, no link. You can google them both if you're bored) where she will get a one-year Bible certificate before she heads off to... who knows next. This girl is so full of big, crazy plans that there's no telling where God will lead her next.

Some goofy pictures we took yesterday because.... we're goofy. Today at church, she was given a journal and was prayed over, along with some others who were leaving and was given lots of hugs and goodbyes (and there were tears... but I'm saving mine until tomorrow). Then we went out together with some friends to eat lunch, before heading over to the mall to watch Soul Surfer (LOVED THIS MOVIE) and then we shopped till we dropped (almost). Do I know how to send my sister off well or what? :-)

If you think of my girl, Bethany, say a prayer for her. This is going to be a big year for her with lots of fun, lots of difficulties, lots of growing and the Lord is going to be working in her life in many ways. She  won't be coming back the same girl, that's for sure and I'm so excited (and so sad because I'm gonna miss her terribly) for my sister. She's my goober girl, my roommate, my biggest annoyance and my best friend. And as much I'm gonna love having my own room for a while, I'm most definitely gonna miss her more.

I'll write again soon!

Just so you know

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while but there's been a situation in my family that has taken a lot of my attention and I haven't had time to post anything.

I wanted to let y'all know just so you don't think I've been ignoring my blog after I had just decided on keeping it up. I do still fully intend on posting more and I have some pictures that I want to share too so stay tuned for those.

My Grandpa has lung cancer and he hasn't been doing too well. Me and my mom drove down to see him (He's about two hours away from where we live) last weekend and stayed over with my uncle so we could spend some time with him. My whole family came down today (I'm sitting in a hospital waiting room while I type this) and we're waiting our turns to see him (He's in the ICU and only two-three people are allowed at a time).

I'll update more on him later when I find the words to say. Things could go either way right now because you just can never know with things like this. And until things calm down a little bit, I've got to turn my focus on some other things so Life Happens is going to be a lower priority for me right now. 

I know y'all understand and I promise to get right back into regular updating as soon as I can. (I've got too many fun pictures to share!) 

Please be in prayer for my Grandpa (he is doing much better today so that's a good thing), and the rest of my family as we continue to walk through this difficult time together. Thank y'all so much and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. :-)

Kristi and Lefty

It's my six month anniversary since Lefty and I got together. We met under unusual circumstances and the relationship was rather one-sided since Left really took a liking to me but I didn't really care for him being around. It was a rough first few months for us but it seemed to be only me and my closest friends and family who could see how hard it was for me to accept Lefty because of everything that had happened. Most everybody else seemed to think that Lefty and I were just perfect for each other and acted like everything that happened was just the most wonderful thing in the world. They just didn't understand but I was very grateful for the friends and family I did have who could understand and were there to support me.

After six months, though, I think I might be warming up to Lefty a little now. He's been a very good kidney and the more time that passes from when we met the better I feel and the more I like him. I can only hope that we are able to spend many, many years together and that he will never need help from dialysis or decide to quit altogether. I'm looking forward to our one year anniversary with great anticipation.

LS + KS

4EVER

And that was very lame but I didn't want to let my six month kidney-day pass by without writing about it and I didn't feel like writing some melodramatic spiel about how it only feels like yesterday, I can't believe I've made it this far, I'm doing much better now than I was last month, etcetera, etcetera, blah, blah, blah. 

So I wrote this silly story instead, as if Lefty were really a person (the LS stands for Lefty Stevens just so you know) and this is our relationship for the past six months in a little nutshell. Who knows, maybe I'll write a children's book on kidney transplants titled something like "The Adventures of Kristin and Lefty" :-p

On a slightly more serious (and happy) note: I do not have to take the painful, blood thinner shots anymore *insert loud cheering and applause here* and I will be able to drop another medication. *more cheering and applause* I have another appointment at the OU transplant center this Tuesday (the 10th) and this will be my last appointment with them (if everything checks out fine) for the next couple of months. Eventually, I'll only see the transplant surgeon once a year for maintenance and will be seeing a regular nephrologist (kidney doctor) for all of my check ups. 

And thank you so much for all the wonderful comments you've been leaving the past couple of posts. They make me smile to see and I enjoy reading them very much, even the little ones! :-D Thank you for all of your prayers and support that you have been over the past year and especially the last six months as I continue to get back up on my feet. I appreciate y'all more than you'll know and I'm very grateful for you being in my life.

Me and my Dad   :-)

My word for the day

Excited.

I'm excited because:

I made it to church this morning (this is HUGE victory for me)

My friend, Rachel is here. (She's so much fun)

I know how to drive a car (finally!)

I might be able to get a job, soon. (my first job and a real paycheck that I worked for? Yes, please!)

I've gone out almost every day this week. (And had the energy to do everything I wanted to do.)

My little sister graduated and is working at a camp all summer so I will have the room to myself (for the first time in my life since I can remember, I will have my own room!)

I feel (dare I say it?) better!

Life is good.... not too bad right now and I'm excited for what lies ahead. Yeah, sure I still worry about my health (and probably always will), still wonder when the other shoe is gonna drop, still wait for a *bad* day or the next time I don't feel well. But I'm at the point now where I can move forward and take the next steps. I can start making plans and actually see them happen.

It's good to be excited. :-)