Best kept secret.

This post has been a long time coming.
Then again maybe it hasn't? When I first started this blog, after all, it was just to keep my family & friends both near and far updated on our life abroad and the said bfs and fam already know this?

But then you happened, all 300+ of you. You who I'm so thankful for and that encourage my heart and make me laugh through each of your stories. You who leave the sweetest comments and brighten my days. You who can relate with moving and you who have been on some truly inspiring life journeys.
So it's to each of you that I feel like I should share a little bit more about me.

So lately, as in the past 6 months or so, there has been a weight on my shoulder.
A decently heavy one might I add.
I blog about the "real" and if that's the case what about this part?

If this blog is about me, isn't this part of who I am?

Shouldn't I share and be vulnerable? OR should I keep this tiny significant sized secret all to myself? If so when?

Then something thought why not now?

So here we go...
I'm like any ordinary 20 something year old.
I love my Lord, I adore my husband, my family is amazing and I'm a little obsessed with my incredible circle of friends. What else... I'm slightly addicted to coffee, I crave the sunshine, music makes me move, accessories and clothes make my wallet cry and my ultimate goal is to live out my purpose in life and honestly try to look on the bright side of every single day while trying to make every moment count.
But that's not all...

Let's go back say...25 years ago?
My parents were hit with some daunting news. The news that parents cringe to hear, although when they heard it they were unfamiliar {like most} and unaware of what those two words entailed.
At six months old I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.
Maybe you are also unfamiliar or know what "CF" is and your thoughts are more like, "who knew!?" But it's true. That's another part of who I am and something that I've lived with for my entire life. I'm not one to let this stop me from doing anything and if I wanted I could almost mask it from those that I didn't want to know.

This little secret I've left entirely off of this blog, merely because I didn't want it to be the "CF story" or the "poor thing journal".
Instead I wanted it to be about all of the other amazing blessings in my life and I think I've accomplished that but, something still told me to share this part of the story. 

It's so easy to paint life as a pretty picture with only the weather to complain about but that doesn't encourage anyone. If this post could bring hope or optimism to just one then I've already done enough by sharing my story.

So what is it anyway and how does it affect me?

CF is a genetic disease affecting over 30,000 children and adults in the United States today. It mainly affects your lungs but in my case it affected my liver more aggressively.

In 2005 I was blessed with a liver and pancreas transplant, the Lord's hand has been in it all, and everything went smoothly. I have a little mark left on my tummy as proof of this miracle. It was a time in my life that I will never forget and maybe I'll share more about that story a little later on.

The picture above is from the Rock N' Roses CF fundraising event in 2010. This is an event that was established by a few friends and myself.

Another goal in life is to raise as much awareness and money for research as I can in hopes of making CF stand for "Cure Found". When you are faced with something in life you could wallow around in it or you can turn it into a positive? Hitting it head on with a purpose sounded like the best option for me. Fundraising for this cause has been just as much a part of my life as living with CF. My parents got involved when I was young and I can't count on my fingers and toes the number of events that we have been a part of. I truly believe we are on the brink of a cure and the more research that's able to happen the sooner we will be to this ultimate goal!

R&R 2010 is also where Stephen and I met, you can read more about that here.

We had a 2nd Annual event in 2011 and you can read more about that here.

Oh and remember that race my Daddy-O did in London last year? That too was to raise some more mulah to help speed up the research process.

I'm now generally healthy but my lungs need some extra TLC sometimes and that brings us to now. I'm now going to be undergoing a "lung tune-up" per say for two weeks in order to improve my current lung function. These two weeks will consist of aggressive treatment in the hospital in hopes to increase my ability to use these babies to the fullest extent possible. After this stint hopefully I can run with the wind and not think about hacking up a lung ha. So this needed stay has nudged me to share this part with you. After all, if I was going on a two week vaycay I would share that with you.

So I couldn't let these next two weeks go by without finally whispering one of my best kept secrets.