Vespa ride..

Start Time: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 8:00am
End Time: Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 11:00am
Location: Chicago to Burbank

Emily’s newest challenge is a cross-country ride from Chicago to Los Angeles where she hopes to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis with a large national audience. As you can see from the photos included, Emily shares a striking resemblance to Ellen DeGeneres and is a huge fan of the talk show host. Emily has maintained her health by becoming incredibly physically fit. Her fitness regime includes running, drumming, and biking. Two weeks ago, Emily took her Third Annual City to City Ride, 335 miles in four days from Detroit to Chicago on her bicycle. Her plan had been to return from that ride and then one month later begin her trek to Los Angeles. However, Emily’s Achilles tendon has been injured and now she is unable to make that ride as she had been planning to do. A lung infection in July, required antibiotics which have the unfortunate side effect of weakening tendons, and thus the Achilles injury, making a 2000-mile bicycle ride impossible.Fortunately, Emily doesn't recognize the word “impossible” and within minutes of hearing this potentially devastating news, Emily had a new plan…..”I’ll ride a Vespa instead!” Emily will be riding a very cool Vespa, from Chicago to L.A. which is critical in making her dream come true. ** Update** Emily will be riding 30-40 each morning and then finishing it up on the Vespa. Physical therapy has really been paying off and Em's Achilles is on the mend.Emily has received a great deal of press locally and nationally. She has appeared in a Forbes Magazine article, New York Times article, and a recent local article from the Detroit Free Press as well as an announcement of her recent Applebee's "Real Burgers for Real Heros” award.

Keep up to date with the ride at www.letsrockcf.org, www.e2e4cf.com and also follow SPIN Magazines coverage at spinearth.tv!

She'll be collecting donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation too. You can donate, track the ride and stay in touch with Emily at www.E2E4CF.com!

..Reining Reinless..

Wow you HAVE to see this video of Stacy Westfall... She is an amazing reinless reining trainer.. I think this would be so cool to be able to do, but the work that it would take would be a real dedication.. I can only dream that I would be able to do this one day..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMr4REbiW-s

Pic's are here!!!

These are some pics taken at my barrel race cf benefit.. It was a blast!!

Here I am headed to the first barrel..
Turning the first barrel.. Our turns were a bit wide

Turning the second barrel..

Turning the third

Headed home!!!

This is my sister on her horse turning the first barrel..

Here is good ol Calvin (Sarah;s son) racing with his pony named Brownie...

Here is Kait (Sarah's daughter) running the little paint pony..

11:10 PM

So it was 11:10 PM on September 14 2008 and I was about to eat a big bowl of pasta, when in walks Kelly.. I so knew what she was there for.. I was in total shock though.. Everyone says it will come when you least expect it.. Well it really does.. Anyway the first thing that she said was..."STOP don't eat that" lol. So I slowly put everything down.. I just sat on my bed listening to her and so ready for this but so scared at the same time.. It something that you cant describe in words.. So Kelly told me everything that I needed to know so I could get myself prepared.. Well as prepared as you can get in 6 hours.. When we gave each other a hug Kelly left and I started to call my family.. I had this felling that was saying this was no dry run this one was for real.. Again another felling you cant describe.. So I called my dad.. He woke up and was on his way down for the second time that day.. In the mean time I called my best friend Sarah who came to hang out till my dad showed up.. My room was pretty full that night.. I had Sarah, Chad, my dad, and my grama.. Sarah went home about 1:30.. But everyone else stayed.. I was so tired but I couldn't fall asleep.. Chad was right next to me the whole rest of the night.. He was not sleeping either.. We both watched the clock like it was the t.v.. Time went so fast but so slow at the same time.. Kelly said that the surgeon would get back from his flight from NM with the lungs at about 6:00 AM.. Well right at 6:30 they came in my room and got me all ready.. They took my blood pressure, which was almost triple numbers both sides.. They kind of chuckled and told me to take deep breathes.. UM hello.. it takes more than a deep breath to calm down your blood pressure when you know that you are going to be cut in half..
So I was wheeled into the pre-surgery waiting room, I was in there for only like 2 minutes tops.. I got to say bye to dad, grams, and Chad.. It was intense..The last time I looked at the clock it read 6:36 AM.. I rolled on the the surgical table and everyone introduced them selves to me.. I remember the room was super cold.. But it felt good cause I was always hot from working so hard to breathe.... From there I don't remember a thing.. The lights went out for me. Well that is a short description of the night I got the word my lungs were on their way.. I'm so blessed that I am here today to talk about that night.. I still pray for the donors family and thank them all in my prayers.. I am finishing my letter to the family.. I have wrote that letter so many times not knowing just how to thank them.. But I just think that if they cared enough to give the organs to save other lives then a simple thanks will be okay.. Ill I know is its hard no matter how you say it..

The Bucks

Later that evening I had decided to go down to Starbucks.. Little did I realize that would be the last time that I would have to wheeled down there.. I always did enjoy every drop of my delicious drink.. I loved going down to the Bucks.. It was an escape from my room..

Bye

My family was saying good bye.. They always would say "the next time we see you you you are going to be on your way in to surgery.. Well little did they know this time that would be oh so very true.. My nurse Amanda would say the same thing.. So she would tell me that the next time she was working she will be coming to see me in the ICU.. Well little did she know too that she was so right.. Amanda didn't leave till 7:30 so we had a little more time to hang out.. She would pop in my room every chance she got.. All the Aids would do the Same.. I loved 2E!!

Hoping

One year ago I was practically living in the hospital knowing that one day my whole life was going to change.. The problem was that I didn't know exactly when.. The hospital made me feel safe so I didn't mind being there at all.. In fact that were I wanted to be.. I know that sounds funny to someone that has never spent much time in a hospital.. It even sounded strange to my own family..
My friends and a family were up visiting me.. We were just hanging on to another day.. I was doing 5 to 6 treatments a day just to be able to keep on breathing.. I weighed 121 lbs.. But it was all water weight due to the steroids that I was on.. That is a miserable feeling, being full of fluids and not being able to move around much.. So I would just lay in bed and watch movies and t.v shows.. I think we had ordered dinner from pizza hut that evening.. We got the pasta that I so frequently ordered.. I ate till I was full and then I fell asleep for a little bit..

Well I will tell you a little more about my life changing moment in a few.. Till then I hope you are having a great day!!

Clinic

I went to clinic today and overall everything went well.. Except for my PFT's. They are down a smidgen.. So I go back in 10 days and redo PFT's to see were they are.. If they are the same or down more then we will do a bronc.. I'm not to worried, its just something that is minor..

I hope to have my pics from the benefit in the next day or two.. I have not seen them so I am excited to!
This is a short entry but I just wanted to keep you all updated.. Can you believe that in 6 more days it will be my year mark for the new twins (aka lungs) LOL..

Labor Day

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! We all had a good one here.. We had the barrel race benefit on Friday, we raised close to $3000.00 dollars.. I think that is great.. We grew from last year and I'm sure we will continue to grow through out the years.. I will post pics on here as soon as Mandy gets them to me.. I may have a video of my first barrel run in 6 years.. Super cool!!! I had an awesome run.. It was a great 16 seconds of my life!! Everyone had a great time.. It is so laid back.. We are not there to win its all about FUN and raising awareness!!

Saturday and Sunday was just kind of a chill couple of days.. I did not do to much, but a little shopping. Today was a fun day.. I went to the Idaho state fair up in Blackfoot.. I love that fair.. We had some friends that are in the horse races up there and they did good..

Wed is clinic day.. We are doing all the yearly tests.. Can you believe it has been a year almost.. WOW!!!! Well I'm going to get to bed.. I have a big day tomorrow..

Love lots
T

The Race

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4th Tanya Taylor Benefit Barrel Race Help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis! The barrel race will be divided into three groups. Senior entrance fee is 30$, 11-14 $15, and 11-under $10. We will also be holding a raffle, tickets are one for 3$ ...or five for 10$. All ages and abilities are welcome! Come out for a good time and help us get CLOSER to a CURE! Hope to see you there!!

http://tanyataylorcfbenefit.yolasite.com/

Photo Shoot!!

WOW!!! Here are some of the Photos Sarah Howard took... They are so amazing, she does such a FABULOUS job doesn't she..
I love them all!!!!
Which one do you think I should use for my Thank you cards that I send out to my sponsors???

THANKS SO MUCH SARAH!!!!

You can view her page at http://www.sarahhowardphoto.com/