Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

I've been in the doldrums for awhile (to say the least) but some things have happened this week that just blew the lid right off the doldrums and ushered in extreme joy.

The most exciting thing is that my sister is engaged! She called last night and we did our girly "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" noises for about half an hour before we decided to call it a night. She and Tom are a great couple, and I couldn't be happier for them. From what I've seen, the two of them are very well suited for each other. I've been praying for them for awhile now, and am very happy to see that God has brought their relationship to this point. It will be fun to have a sister who's also married. It's like having a built-in double-date.

An additional blessing is that the man she's marrying has a son. He's a very cute kid, polite, and has the best little gap-toothed grin you'll ever see. I hope that Brad and I will be an important and appreciated influence in that kid's life. Goodness knows we've got plenty of "aunt and uncle" energy to give!

Okay, so as if my sister's news wasn't monumental enough, today I had my performance review at work. Wow. This was my first review with my new supervisor. I didn't really know what to expect. I was very, very pleasantly surprised. My supervisor had good feedback for me about how to improve, and was complementary about my job performance. Very complementary. I received a promotion, and with it a nice raise. The best part is that I'm no longer just a "junior level technical employee." I'm now considered an industry professional. I'll have more responsibilities, but also more flexibility in my schedule. I think this might be just what I need to stay on track with my health while still being able to do my job well.

Other great stuff that's happened this week has been in how our home life is going. Brad and I have really settled into a good pattern of my work schedule, his work schedule, my resting, and keeping up with the house, etc. It's all in a nice balance. Being home more during the week has been good for my health, and our marriage. I have always enjoyed doing "woman's work" type stuff around the house, but couldn't always budget my energy for it and all the rest of life. Now that I'm home 2 days a week, I have a chance to catch up on laundry, plan the meals, keep the house in order and take the needed time for myself to rest. The end result is a happy, well-adjusted, healthy wife who greets her husband with a hot meal and a hot kiss! Hehehe.

It amazes me daily that the first relationship God ever established between man and woman was marriage. He is daily present in our marriage and we thank him for all the gifts he has given. I pray that my sister will have such a marriage, and that God will bless her soon to be newly-formed family.