Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

We were invited to San Francisco to be part of a video project for a Cystic Fibrosis community information website, called CForward.net. They are working to develop a better resource page for adults, and to that end they interviewed us about what it's like to be a couple managing CF. We were excited for the opportunity not only to be a positive and encouraging voice to CFers and their spouses, but also for a little weekend getaway. We've been through so much these last few months that it was a great time for us to reconnect.

Bonnie, if you read this, please know how grateful and truly appreciative we are to have been a part of this project.



Our trip started off on a high note! Originally our seats were not together on the flight, but Brad checked with the ticket agent and asked if we could be reassigned.

What a shame that the only seats they had available at the last minute were in first class! Is my husband resourceful or what?



Our hotel was about 20 miles away from the downtown area, so we took the hotel shuttle to the airport, where we were able to catch a ride on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit.)

I remember hearing somewhere that Fresno wanted to put in a similar public transportation system for the Fresno area, but were unable to come up with a suitable acronym. *rim shot*















We each took a turn posing beside this artsy-fartsy thing in the Justin Herman Plaza. It's called the "Villancourt Fountain" and apparently is one of the city's best known landmarks. It was quite interesting, that's for sure.



These sculptures reminded me of Paul's letter to the church at Colosse, particularly this verse:

He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
(Colossians 2:19, NIV)






This is the part I was looking forward to the most...the Aquarium of the Bay! I've become quite familiar with some of the details of the San Francisco Bay and its inhabitants, since there's a group of folks at work who go up there quite frequently for one of their projects.





Moon Jellies! Only bounce on their tops, okay Dory?










Brad and I each got to pet the Leopard sharks. I think we were more surprised by how cold the water was than by how the shark felt. This particular fella was very docile, but his buddy in the pool with him was all riled up after being handled roughly by a toddler.






After the aquarium, we walked around the Pier for awhile, stared across the Bay towards Alcatraz, and watched the sea lions huddle together for protection against the biting wind. The sky was every bit as gray and cold-looking as the water. Even so, there were some beautiful spring bulbs flowering nearby. The tulips were definitely the highlight of my day, since they're my favorite flower. I loved how bright they looked, even on such an overcast day.



Seeing something so lovely and serene in a big, indifferent city reminded me that no matter what is going on in life, there is something beautiful to be seen and appreciated. Sometimes it's where you least expect it, and sometimes you have to hike a few miles to find it, but it's there.






Here's the current front-runner in the race to be the Christmas card photo for 2007! Aren't they a cute couple?