Holiday Happenings

It has been a few weeks since my last blog, so thought I would share with you the happenings of the holidays. It started on our (Leah, Travis, Rod, myself, and Hank, the 145lb Great Dane) drive to Boston from NC. We left Durham around 5pm, just after the snow began to fall. The usual four hour drive to DC took us 16+ hours. The snow fell so heavy that people just pulled off the freeway and abandon their cars and SUVs. After literally no movement for three hours due to a jack-knifed tractor trailer we continued our journey north. Around 9am we hit Jersey where the snow began to lighten up. Just past Philadelphia we were ahead of the storm. We finally rolled into my mom’s house at 4pm, the following day, exactly 23 hours from when we left. The trip was so long, but I must admit I didn’t drive any and probably slept at least 60% of the time. Thanks Rod and Leah for getting us home safe!

Christmas Eve was a quite time here around the Berry household. My mom and I met a few dear friends for dinner. Of course we missed services again this year. Christmas Day I cooked a full dinner for 12ppl and we opened gifts and shared in the joy of excitement and surprise. Later that evening my sister, her fiancée, and I headed to my father’s for another present exchange and a late night snack.

Then came my 30th birthday, December 27th, I can’t even believe it! The big 3-0!! The doctors told my parents I probably would never make it to my teens and now I am three decades old. My Aunt Susie surprised me with a visit too.

Travis is headed to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day in California. He has been talking about this since Oregon beat Oregon State in the Civil War around Thanksgiving. Go Ducks!

The weather here in Boston is freezing, and I mean like 13 degrees with a -5 wind chill factor. Since my lung transplants I am very sensitive to the cold, plus I think I climatized to the South real quickly. I am having a gynecological procedure at Mass General tomorrow morning. Hope for a quick recovery and fly home to NC in mid-January. I really miss the kids I sit for, both Elle and Griffin. Once I get home I will have another bronchoscopy, PFTs, and x-ray to see if the high dose steroids I took in early December worked to cure the rejection. If not I will be admitted to Duke for a few days for a heavy duty anti-rejection medication.

Happy Birthday December Babies: Bethany Kim, James, Marla, Jan, Sarah, Kellie, Dottie, Ashley, and Lindsey!

I am wishing everyone a happy, peaceful, and healthy New Year!

~Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.~