Crashing in to 1st Grade

Yesterday it was official.  Summer is over and we are beginning a new chapter.  Anthony's first day of First Grade.  David and I dropped him off and he went straight in.  Of course we were the last to get there, so there was no picture time.  I can always get that later.  I told the teacher he wanted to ride the bus home.  And we left.  All I could think about all day was how fast he is growing up.

When we got home, things went just like always.  Alex played, David left for work and I tried to stay awake! Lunch then naps for both of us.  We woke up just in time to get dressed and head down to the bus stop.  Alex was peeking around the corner waiting for the big yellow bus.  Here it comes!  Kids get off, but no Anthony.  I asked where he was and the bus driver tells me " The little guy got off at the last stop with his friends"  To which I replied, He doesn't have any friends.  Ok I may have said it in a rude and snotty way.  But my baby was on the other end of the street with who knows who.  I went running.  Alex in one arm, camera swinging on the other.  Phone to my ear calling Melisa to go look for him.  Then David to freak him out too!  He was walking down the street with some kids and saw me.  No sweat of his back he was just walking along.  Go figure.

The rest of the day went almost as planned.  Snack, no homework, and play time.  Then came dinner, which went fairly smooth.  Everything was calming down until he decided to fly out of the bathtub.  Crack his head on the toilet and chest on the side of the tub.  Then falling down in a ball before I could scoop him up.  Rushed over to grandmas and then off to the ER! We got there at 8 and didn't go back till midnight.  Ant slept through his exam and woke up in the middle of his xrays.  And yes that went about as awful as you can imagine.  I think we got home around 2.  I think.

Today hes fine, sore, but nothing is broken. Praise the Lord!  He is still upset about missing school. But hes going back tomorrow.  I had planned out a whole post about how awesome his day was.  But I think we will have a redo!  So for now. Here we are before all the drama.  Looking somewhat awake and excited.

I hope you all had smooth and wonderful first days back.  Here is to a better tomorrow!

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Donate Life 5K

It is that time again.  Well not yet.  But on October 15th we will be walking in this years Vital Alliance Donate Life 5K. I'm so excited.  Maybe even more so than last year.  It was our first time ever doing anything like that so we were so clueless.  This year will be much better.  Last year I thought it was all about how fast you could get though the walk, only to find out it was so much more fun to chit chat along the way.  And Alex was loving all the dogs that were right at stroller level!

There were so many people out there.  Some were in huge groups.  Some were walking alone.  There were hats, shirts and whole cheering sections for people.  Some in memory of donors, some for loved ones who died waiting for an organ.  Some had had transplants themselves and others like me were still on the waiting list.  So many people there to support one cause.  Donate Life.  I cant wait to be a part of it again this year.  Its nice to know I am not alone in this!

This year will be very different.  A few of my twitter friends will be joining me.  Of course Melisa will be right there with me.  And hopefully the boys too.  I will have to register Anthony if he wants to go.  No biggie. I'm so excited to get out and show my support for something that is literally going to save my life.  And give me the chance to do many more years of this!

So here it is.  My fundraising page.  I set a goal this year to make more than I did last year.  Everyone that donated last year was so generous and I'm hoping that this year I will be able to raise as much if not more.  So what do you think?  Will I cross one more goal of this years bucket list?  Please feel free to share this page with  everyone and anyone.  And thank you all for the amazing support.  I couldn't have come this far without you all!  Much love!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kimbelry-munoz/2011vitalalliancedonateliferunwalk

And if you will be in town, there is no where else you should be!  So stop by Vital Alliance and register for the 14th Annual Vital Alliance Donate Life 5K Run/Walk.

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Making memories

When I first got excited about taking another family trip, I started thinking. It hasn't been that long since our trip to Austin. Why not stay home and just enjoy David's time off at home?o But when things started falling into place it seemed like it was meant to be. So here we go. The truth is, we might as well get away as much as we can now, while I am still able to. Who knows if this will be the last trip as a family we can take for a while. Or ever for that matter. You never know. And its something I'm very afraid of. Leaving this earth and leaving my boys without a ton of amazing memories.

I want them to look back and remember jumping on hotel beds. Playing I spy on our road trips. Slugbug. Trips to new and exciting places. And I want them to remember me right there with them. Happy, laughing and healthy. Like me, they love animals. So the first stop will be the zoo. We love the San Antonio Zoo, but any chance to see more animals is always fun! I love their faces when we make Texas shaped waffles at the hotel. Or the way Anthony always says Thank you for taking him to a hotel again. That boy loves to travel. I wish we could go to far off places. I wish I could take them home and show them where I grew up. Hopefully someday. But for now, we never go farther than 4 hours away. That way if I were to get my call, I could get back in time. Organs don't wait. And neither to moments like the ones we are about to make. So here is to making the most of the time I have now.

Much love!

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Another year. Another wish.

If someone would have told me years ago that I would be this thankful to be turning 29 tomorrow, I would have laughed and made some smart ass remark about how that's almost 30! But the truth is, I'm blessed to have made it this far. I'm married to a wonderful man, and our boys are healthy and full of life.  We just bought our first home.  My friends and family are the best.

But then three years ago, just two months after my 26th birthday I was diagnosed with Budd Chiari Syndrome. A very rare liver disease and also with a blood disorder that make me more likely to get blood clots.  I was put on blood thinners and was told that I would need to have a liver transplant. I was 18 weeks pregnant at the time.

My whole world was turned upside down. I had so many questions. Scared doesn't even come close to how I felt. I was beyond terrified. The big life that I had dreamt about, the life I had all planned out was being pulled right out from underneath me. I slowly lost the energy to play with Anthony.  I hated that part and he hated it more.  And then there was medication.  Every morning and every night I sat in my bathroom.  Trying to convince myself to get get over it and give myself those dreadful lovenox shots.  But at least now I'm not afraid of needles anymore.  But I put on my smile and stood strong.

My pregnancy was very carefully monitored.  There were months where I had Drs. appointments all 30 days.  I got to see Alex every Friday when I had my ultrasounds and stress tests.  Aside from all the worry, everything went fairly smooth.  On January 12th, we celebrated the birth of our second son. He was perfect.  As we all celebrated, deep down I remember being so afraid. I had just been given a miracle. And I was going to need another.

On May 25th 2010 one more name was added to the UNOS transplant list. Mine. It became real to me then. This was really happening. I need a liver transplant. So I waited. And more than a year later, I'm still waiting. The option of a living donor is not an option for me.  The damage is not only to my liver, but the vein that carries blood to my heart.  And obviously they cant take that from someone who is still alive. So why am I still waiting? Because sadly there are not enough registered organ donors in the United States.

Every day an average of 18 people die while awaiting organ transplants because of a critical shortage of donors. Today there are 111,737 men, women and children now awaiting heart, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas transplants. When you register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor you sign up to be a hero. Through the miracle of transplant you could save up to 8 people. And enhance the lives of up to 50 more. What reason is there not to!?

We don't get to choose when our time is up. But we can choose to give life when ours are lost. Are you an organ donor? If not, please click on the Become a donor tab up top and register. It only takes a few minuets and could give someone a life time.

**I set a goal to get 5 people to sign up this year and I am at #4 right now. Could you be #5?**

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And so I ran

There is nothing like an anxiety attack in the middle of making dinner.  Which you are already behind in doing because you cant seem to get though a day with out an afternoon nap.  Even though you haven't done anything because your body has decided to betray you and go out and get some extremely rare liver disease.  Yes that was me today.

I meant to get up at 5 and start dinner, but for the life of me couldn't keep my eyes open.  Had to peel myself out of bed at 6 and even then I was thinking about making a quick dinner just so I could go back to sleep.  But my chicken was all defrosted and ready to go.  And I remembered Anthony telling me he wanted real chicken sandwiches for lunch and not the flat (sandwich meat) chicken.  Everything was fine.  And then it wasn't.  Somewhere in between cutting the potatoes and basting the chicken, my mind went spinning and my heart went right along with it.

Now I have had anxiety attacks before.  Always at night, when I'm lying in bed thinking about all the horrible things I am going to have to endure.  Or thinking up all the what ifs!  But never once have I felt like this during the middle of the day.  Today was different.  I was like a dark anxiety.  It shook me to the core and I was getting scared.  I couldn't breath and just wanted to curl in a ball and cry.  It came out of nowhere.  And I just wanted to run away.  So I basted the chicken, reset the timer, put on my sneakers and went for a run.  I have never ran like it did tonight.  I've never been a runner.  My body isn't built for running.  Seriously, in high school when we would run for PE I would roller blade instead.  Add bad knees into the equation and I'm dammed.  I did it though, I just got on and ran.  And yes, I took a few walking breaks, but that's allowed right?  The best part of it all was that I didn't hurt.  Not my abdomen anyways.

Tomorrow I will probably pay for it, but I'm just so excited to have ran.  And ran more than I walked.  So yay me.   I've been walking/jogging for a while, but I've always gone with a program.  Like the C25K on my phone or one of the presets on the treadmill.  Not today.  I didn't care about time or speed or how many calories I was burning.  I knew I had 20 mins till the chicken needed to be basted again so I ran.  And after I cooled off, I felt amazing. My mind was calm.  My heartbeat settled. No anxiety.  No fear.  Amazing.  I know its nothing super but a little over a mile in 18 mins is a record for me.  Silly, maybe to some.  I know some ladies that can run like the wind.  Maybe someday....

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