I love a good tailgate party and today I stood outside in the rain for about an hour with a bunch of grateful individuals. Just like the excitement of waiting to get into a stadium or a concert, the line went around the corner and there were a few turkey’s in queue. Once inside it was a glorious view full of volunteers and healthcare heroes.
Today, I was fortunate to receive the J&J Covid-19 vaccine YAHOOO!!!
A few things to understand, we can’t change our lifestyle and I don’t get to hug all of you YET. To keep myself and my new lungs healthy, I take a large amount of immuno-suppressing medications on a daily basis. I need to wait 30 days to check my blood work to see if my body accepts the vaccine and I produce antibodies. We still need to stay pretty isolated until more people are inoculated but I look forward to the next month of private patio happy hours from a distance until I find out if I produced antibodies. If so, hopefully I’ll be able to hug other vaccinated friends after that!!!
TWENTY YEARS ago today, I met the man of my dreams🥰 Back then, Travis was hosting an after bar when he showed me where “the good stuff” was to drink. He pulled out a 1/2 pint of Jack Daniel’s from his closet😂
At the beginning of the pandemic, my doctors told me I shouldn’t eat takeout food. I recently received clearance to eat all food including one of our favorites, sushi!!
We were finally able to order from Billy Sushi in downtown Minneapolis so I asked our neice, Lauren, what her favorite items are? She’s a hostess there so say hi to her next time your dining out!
I surprised Travis by bringing home a delicious spread then we paired it with a Jack & Coke drink from our bottle that I have kept in the back of MY closet all these year. Cheers my love and here’s to twenty more!!
It’s unreal to think it’s been two years already since I held my daddy’s hand for the last time. My mom works Wednesday’s and for years, knowing my dad would be home alone, I would bring him a @davannis sub for lunch where we would spend quality father/daughter time together. We would talk about anything and everything. I miss those conversations and learning something new every time I was with him. That was the deal, we had learn one thing every time we were together.
He loved the Latin language and would give the derivative of a word in almost every conversation. My dad didn’t drink much but about once a year he would enjoy a Gin Martini. He would bring up the fact it derived from martinez and wondered if two drinks would be martini or martinis?
After bringing my mom flowers today it was only suiting on this Wednesday that we picked up his favorite assorted meat hot hoagie in his honor. @travmalnar prepared a martini to complete the meal which brought a tear to my eye.
I miss him so much but I’m so grateful I was able to spend “Wednesday’s” with him and will cherish those times forever. I love you Papa.
Started my birthday week today by dropping off toys to the Marines at @kare11 for Toys for Tots! This act is one of my birthday traditions that I absolutely love, 23 years in a row donating!! It’s not the cargo van full like past years but I was happy to drop off a truck load
Unfortunately 2020 has wreaked havoc on all of us in many ways. It is especially affecting my 23rd annual Toys for Tots collection for my birthday. Because lung transplant patients have very poor outcomes if we get the coronavirus, I need to remain isolated at home. The dream of delivering another truck load of toys has quickly vanished. Can Covid-19 be over with already?!?! It breaks my heart since last year with your help, I was able to deliver 918 toys! I was hopeful I was going to have even more this year. Next year I’ll have to make up for lost time and toys but until then there are options.
Here’s how you can help the Tots right now.
You can drop off toys on your own at KARE11 or if you see a bin at a store.
The Marines are asking for monetary donations more than anything this year Minneapolis Toys For Tots
There is another clever way to donate by purchasing toys from the virtual toy box using this link.Toys For Tots virtual shopping
They are closing the donation period a few days earlier than normal to give more time for the Marines to organize due to the lack of physical toys. All donations will be accepted through Monday, December 14th. If you were considering helping, please look at the website. If you have donated already, Thank you!
It’s all about making smiles on kids faces this time of the year! With more challenging times, I understand it’s more difficult but please think about any donation you can give.
I’m saddened I won’t be able to collect nearly as many toys, but I’ve done some online shopping and will order some more via Instacart and drop those off at the station. I’m looking forward to resuming my 23 year tradition in full force next year and donating more toys than ever in honor of my double lung donor, Jacob.
I am still blown away by the generosity of all of YOU!!! Thank YOU so much for watching, donating, and being a part of the virtual Breath of Life Gala last Saturday night!! YOU helped us surpass our goal, make a national record, and become closer to having CF stand for Cure Found!!!
It was a complete honor to accept the Angela Warner Friend of the Foundation Award💜 Thank you for listening to my story and making the night truly magical. Thank you for helping all that live with CF!
I apologize for the internet issues night of, my computer didn’t like being outside on a cold December night in Minnesota. Unfortunately it got too cold which slowed down the connection. If you missed the event and my acceptance speech, you’ll be able to see it if you click on the link, with a clear picture too😉 Breath of Life Gala 2020
Check out this video also from the end of the night, sorry for my squeaky voice in the video, I was just so excited!! I THANK YOU again so much!!
Nikki's New Lungs 