Flying to Melbourne

I'm 6.5 hours into the flight - have 3:45 left to go. I am wiping away the tears of yesterday and looking into the smiles of tomorrow. I am looking forward to reconnecting with friends, meeting new, exploring, swimming, coffee drinking , eating, trying a new gym - having fun, trying a new transplant center, and just overall learning more about myself as a 35 year old woman. I am free to be me. I am free to take steps into an independence. I have been struggling at home. Feeling trapped and like a bird in a cage. This Lark is spreading her wings. This adventure is a walkabout - a learning experience - hopefully full of life, love, friendship. laughter, health,  triumph, failure, loneliness, growth, expansion, and discovery. But whatever else life has in store is ok - I am up for the adventure. I am up for the life experiences. I want to surround myself with positivity and strength. I want to believe I can do this, I can do anything. Everyday I will be grateful for whatever experience comes forth - good or bad. Without pain we don't have the growth or realization of how sweet happiness truly is. Now my biggest challenge is to not buy too many things over this time- hahaa! As I left Hawaii on Dec 30, 2016  I crossed the interenational dateline and will be landing on Dec 31,2016. It is New Years Eve when I land. I am excited to bring in the new year with this brand new adventure - I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year - and my resolution for 2017 is to explore and follow my heart ❤️ 

 

And I'm off!

Wow. I am sitting in the air right now looking into my future for the next 3 months. I have been going full force for the past few months in preparation. So fast infact I haven't had many moments to let the magnitude of what I am doing set in. Well it is setting in. I had no idea I would have tears streaming down my face as I enter into this adventure. I think it is reality setting in along with my body letting go of so much stress, and way too much lack of sleep. I will miss the comfort of home. I am so thankful Casey will be taking care of things at home and I know he will do a great job. I will miss him and my cats - but I must follow my own journey right now. 

Last night as I was finished packing - or so I thought I weighed my suitcases and they were WAY over the limit. I just didn't realize how much weight my pills and medical supplies took up. I had to take out about 20lbs of clothes - remember I am going for 3 months - this isn't just two weeks - and I will be training, exploring, swimming and going to events and such. I really didn't over pack as it was and I had to take out to the bare minimum. Casey will send me a package so I can have my jeans and few shirts I really wanted but just didn't have space for. It is so frustrating because I can't ship the meds - or have them delivered to Australia so I had to do it this way. In the end I got it all together and I will be fine. The other thing that happened was I went to pack a DVD I had purchased with Olympic swimmers explaining butterfly drills and ways to practice to develop your stroke. Well, I went to put the DVD in my bag and it was not in the case. We tore the house apart looking for it - to no avail. I will say for certain that threw me off my rocker to top of a very stressful night of packing. The good thing is it is done. Now I can move forward- we ordered the DVD and Casey will also ship that to Australia so I can encorporate the butterfly drills into my practices. 

I thought by 8pm I had everything under control then bam - had to reevaluate my entire suitcase. I don't know why I figured it didn't weigh so much - but I think I also had in my head the 40kilos which was for both suitcases and I was thinking that for one - but anyways. It wouldn't be an Anna adventure without some stupid drama. 

I think I really did accomplish everything I needed to get done except realized just a minute ago I forgot to deposit a check- oh well. 

Right now I am heading to Oahu where my dear friend Joanna recently purchased her first home! Yay! I am looking forward to catching up with her. We are souls sisters who have been friends since 6th grade. We have had different paths but always come together and support and love eachother so much. I am very much looking forward to her getting my mind and soul and heart in line as I proceed on my adventure. I hope I can also support her and see and enjoy her new place! 

We have signed up for a Orange Theory Fitness class today at 4:15pm so we will also be working up a sweat. Probably good to get all my wiggles out. Just hope I don't get too sore and uncomfortable on the plane. 

I want to sign off this blog post by thanking everyone for the unbelievable support as I go on this journey. The last well wishes, visits, drop bys, hugs, and texts. I feel the love and as much as it makes me feel strong it makes me miss home more knowing how I am surrounded by the most incredible people. I am with you all in your hearts. Love you all! 

With immense gratitude for my donor I enter into this next adventure...... 

10 days ...

I am sitting here on the couch, snuggled in with a cat at my side and a warm blanket on.  It is freezing cold outside for Silicon Valley Weather, 41 degrees F.  Christmas is in less than a week and New years will happen soon after.  The end of 2016.  It has been an incredible year reaching such incredible goals and health wise I have been so fortunate.  I have set goals and achieved them in the pool and I can't wait to achieve more in this coming 2017.  Working towards the World Transplant Games has been a dedication this year.  I started a few months ago starting back up with my Orange Theory Workouts.  I also started working with a trainer working on my strength and mobility training.  I also have been working on my breathing with special techniques that are changing the way I perform athletically.  It is incredible to see even further changes within my abilities.  Now, it is time for me to dedicate myself further as I head out on my "swimcation" in Australia.

The past few months have been filled with working 2 jobs, my usual at the YMCA and adding another with CFRI, in addition to finding new tenants for our condo and getting the old ones moved out and new ones moved in.  It is a job that doesn't happen often - but when it happens while having 2 jobs and getting ready for a trip, it is quite an undertaking! Despite the business  It has been such a joy to join the women of CFRI and work together for a cause my family has been supporting since I was just diagnosed 33 years ago!  I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to help out at CFRI and have learned a lot about myself as an employee and what I would like to do next and in the future.

In addition to the double shifts, I am catching up with friends old and new saying my "see ya laters" and filling people in on the goings on of my life.  I am so fortunate to have such incredible friends who have always supported me no matter what.  I wasn't sure how people would respond with me disappearing to the other side of the world for so long - but everyone has responded with love and understanding and simple support that I am on the right path to follow my heart, and my drive.

My other full time job is my health - and i have been making sure to get in a follow up appointment with all my doctors, get meds ordered and counted.  I need to bring enough meds for 92 days, plus extra.  It wasn't an easy feat and took months in advance to plan for this.  Strategic ordering, vacation overide refills, new prescriptions, new bipap machine, learning how to flush my own port - getting supplies for that.  Also figuring what vitamins and drugs I can get when I am in Australia so I can lighten the load.  It has been an organization feat!  I am so proud of myself though - there are so many potholes for fear and anticipation and i just keep pushing through and instead feeling excitement!

I am very excited to have my apartment, hang out with my Australian friends, spend time discovering the city of Melbourne by myself.  Pushing myself to ride public transport and not have a car of my own.  My biggest feat will be grocery shopping with my 2 hands and no trunk of the car - this CF girl eats a LOT!

I have made a few friends through Facebook who also have lung transplants or are waiting.  They have helped me get in touch with the transplant center in Melbourne and my transplant team is thrilled I want to be seen and followed there at the Alfred while I am away.  My team always tells me how impressed they are with the fact I want to always take care of myself.  I told them no trip is worth compromising my future health for - it is all done within reason.  I may be a little crazy but it is always a controlled crazy.

I am looking forward to Christmas with my family - seeing my sister as our time together is so few and far between.  I am getting some good time in with my family before I leave too - making my connections and sharing my love and gratitude for family and friends is so important to me.  I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you.

It feels so very special to me too that my layover on the way to Australia is on Oahu and I get to spend 20 hours with one of my dearest friends Joanna.  I am looking forward to her send off.  I arrive in Australia on Dec 31st, just in time to ring in the new year.  It feels very fortuitous that I get to bring in the new year in this new country I will call home for a few months.  I am launching on my new journey - dedicating my time and energy to swimming and exploring a new city and delving into my own soul and self exploration.  My version of eat, pray, love - why I re-named my blog Travel, Swim, Breathe. Bring on 2017!