Part of me regrets not blogging this year because it was such a momentous year for our family. However, I just wasn't ready. The thought of articulating my feelings about everything that was happening was too overwhelming and I needed time to process.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully process the events of this year though and I miss blogging so I've decided to start fresh and continue the tradition of a "Year in Review" post. I feel like this will give me a fresh start and allow me to continue recording our family's experiences without worrying that I have so much to catch up on!
One of the last posts I published before my Double Lung/Heart transplant in February was my 2011 "Year in Review." I ended that post with this sentence:
"I truly love my life and am so grateful for the experiences I'm having.
I feel like even though we faced some tough challenges this year, we
didn't let those challenges prevent us from really living and enjoying
our lives. Actually, the challenges we faced this year made the precious
moments even more precious and brought our families and our friends
together in such a special way. Here's to 2011 and looking forward with
hope and faith for an amazing 2012! Blessings!"
Well, we couldn't have hoped for a more amazing 2012. Here are TONS of pictures to tell the story from January to the end of May when we returned home from Los Altos...
Jan. 2011- We didn't know it then, but these visits in January would lift us and prepare us for what the next month would bring!
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| Best buds! |
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| Watching the seals off Pier 39 after a day at the Exporatorium |
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| Girl time with my adopted little sis's |
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| More Girl time with these angels |
Feb. 2011- We celebrated Harrison's 5th birthday and Valentines Day...
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| He was spoiled and he totally deserved it : ) |
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| Harrison and Mrs. Sarah at Kinderprep |
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| Big thumbs up on Suedy and Alfonso's gift, a KEN BLOCK car!! |
Feb. part II- Operation Lungs and Heart!
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Minutes after getting the call from Stanford on Feb. 15th, talking with family.
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| First moments after double lung/heart transplant... |
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| A few days post tx with my surgeon in the ICU. |
March 2011- Recovery and HOME!!
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| Harrison's first visit to see mom post tx. "Mom, is this a snowmobile mask from the X-Games?!" |
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| Sneaking outside for some fresh air. Harrison is an expert at steering the I.V. pole! |
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| Trading slippers for running shoes, I may have cried when I put them on... |
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| Home with my mom and boys, grateful beyond words for so many answered prayers. |
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March part II- Birthdays we'll NEVER forget...
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| On my 33rd birthday we said goodbye to my well loved and well used heart
and lungs and thanked them for fighting so hard to keep me alive. | |
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| The next day we celebrated Ryan's birthday by exploring! |
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| March ended with another wonderful visit from Suedy. I honestly lost count of how many times she traveled to Los Altos to visit/help. I love her so much! | | |
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April 2011- A visit from Merzy, Easter in San Diego, celebrating 8 years of marriage with Ryan and making the most of our time in the Bay Area...
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| So fun to have Merz come for a visit! I don't get why everyone was staring at me?! |
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| Reunited with everyone at Grandma's for Easter! |
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| Easter Egg hunt at Grammy and Grandpa's! |
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| Celebrating eight years married to the love of my life and my rock! |
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A Glorious Day in Muir Woods
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| Another Day Exploring!! (Lands End) |
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May 2011- Saying Goodbye to our Beloved Los Altos
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| A day in Santa Cruz |
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| Harrison's Kinderprep Class performing at the "Spring Sing" |
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| Walking across the Golden Gate bridge for CF! |
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My mom treated Ryan and I to an amazing trip to Carmel. Our first trip together post TX!!
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| Hiking
the "Dish" was something I desperately wanted to do post TX. We drove
by it every time we went to Stanford. I could not have survived 2012
without my angel mother. She was with us every step of the way... |
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| Harrison clinging to his best friends the night before we left. |
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| AND ...we're home in San Diego after 9 months!!! |
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