A very falafel Thanksgiving!

This was one of the best grown up Thanksgiving that I can remember. When we were kids we would shuffle between both sets of Grandparents. The Schaller's would be a bit more serious of an occasion with prayer and 20 people talking about all of our cousins, which I am still questioning..how can we be related to this many people with so many different last names? The Quandt's would be much smaller, my uncles would be throwing rolls across the table at us, "god dammits" would be flying from the kitchen and laughter could be heard a mile away.

Since we've all "grown up," Thanksgivings have been a little different. In my early 20's I experienced the "biggest party night of the year" and not been able to choke down Thanksgiving dinner the next day. Over the past few years I have spent turkey day in NYC or upstate NY with my uncles which was fabulous. Before Jason and Carrie moved to Orlando, Carrie would hammer out some of the best meals of my life. Since they moved (sadddddddd) we luckily get to spend our holiday with Adam, Marcy and Kacey. We do this on the west side of the state or like this weekend, up at Kacey's favorite place, da cabin!

Because of Thanksgiving day conflicts like work and races we had our official Turkey Day scheduled for Friday. Mama, Daddy and I headed up to the cabin on Thursday listening to the Lions vs Packers game. We got our asses kicked but we still had a great time snacking on Avalon pumpkin cookies and enjoying the sun.

Up north Michigan leaves you very few options for a Thanksgiving meal and as we found out the only thing on the menu in all 3 restaurants was Turkey. Weird. Now even though my mom can rival the Old Man in A Christmas Story for being a turkey junkie, she did not want to eat it on Thursday because she would be having it Friday at our feast and all the way through next Wednesday.

As we cruised through downtown Traverse City a purple light that read "Falafel" caught my eye. Perfect, a non traditional Thanksgiving, this is just what I was hoping for. As we were seated in this little Middleastern restaurant the waitress came to us and said "the chef is working on your plates.." "Ummm, plates of what" I asked. "Turkey!" Just our damn luck, a middle eastern joint is serving turkey and mashed potatoes. Well, our luck turned around when we sweet talked the waitress and she came back with a menu and this news "order anything you want, the chef will hook you up!"

Deb and I went for the falafel and pops went right to the shwarma. This is just what we were hoping for. (We really wanted Chinese food but all of the restaurants were closed..have they not seen A Christmas Story?).

After free pumpkin pie and baklava we tipped our waitress big time and cruised back to our little cabin in the woods. Friday came and so did Adam, Marcy and Kacey. We had a really delicious Thanksgiving meal, a few glasses of wine and some pumpkin cheesecake that I am still trying to digest. A very relaxing weekend was had by all and we all caught up on our sleep.

All I can say is watch out Christmas...all 3 Schaller kids will be home and things are gonna get wild! A Schaller 10K is in the works that will be followed by 200 push ups and planks. Oh and I'm sure the rolls will be flying at dinner.

Tips from Canadians

Today I met two Canadian women in their 50's. They were shopping at Pure Detorit while I was there and we got to chattin. I like just about every Canadian person I meet. They're always nice, courteous, fun to talk to and usually have some good things to say. These two ladies fit the bill and were delightful!

Canadian's travel tips from today:

You must go to San Diego, you'll fit right in. 30 somethings (yikes!!!!) all over who are fit, single, eat healthy. The ocean is there and you will love it!

Go to Vancouver! It's beautiful. Seattle is great too oh and Portland!

This n that:
You're not married are you? Good..don't! (no worries there!)

You're waist is tiny..how? (I then explain my running, biking, yoga...eating a ton)

Keep running beacuse pretty soon all that eating will catch up to you.

Well I'm looking for a sweatshirt..that doesn't say Detroit. ( ummm wrong store?)


Talking about Rock CF:
You don't have it do you?

I was going to say, you're just like my hairedresser. I used to do benefits for her. You're just alike, little, cute, same personality..you both talk fast.

That was my 10 minute conversation with these super nice ladies who I hope to see again. We did of course talk about the very cool seatbelt bags sold here..and one did buy one!

Put it on everything!

Today my mama and I hit up my Trader Joe's to get all of our goods for Thanksgiving. I got all my apple-cranberry- pecan stuffing ingredients and my fall veggies for roasting. Mama picked up her healthy little all natural, vegetarian fed, (no hormones or antibiotics), Minnesota Viking raised grade A turkey. We are now ready for our first Up North Thanksgiving! My brother Jay and my sis (in law) Carrie live in Orlando (land of Sea World, Disney and magic) so unfortunately they won't be enjoying the carb-fest with us. Soon enough we will be able to teleport..I cannot wait for that day!

I am on the Detroit 5/3 Turkey Trot Race Committee so I'm going to have my pops work with me on the course Thanksgiving morning while my mom runs the 5k. As soon as we are done with that we are hitting the road up to the cabin. Adam, Marcy and K will meet us up there Friday am and we will partake in our food party on Friday afternoon...after the Schaller morning run of course.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter is the moral of the story here though, the official start to my holiday season. I picked this treat up this morning and immediately came home to make an almond butter & pumpkin butter sandwich. For my afternoon snack I swirled that shit around in my plain Greek yogurt and topped it with granola. Now I'm ready for anything! This stuff is so good that I will put it on anything that I want. Waffles, toast, yogurt, in muffins, in oatmeal...you get it. So if you live near a TJ's and love pumpkin, eat this now.

I can't put my arms down..

A Christmas Story is my favorite movie of all time. Period. My TV is tuned into TBS for the 24 hour marathon, I have the special 25 year anniversary DVD, I've been to the house in Cleveland where they filmed it and I know every line in the script. My dad and I even tried to develop it into a musical on our way cross country after my ride to Ellen. Also, musical theatre and Broadway is my favorite thing. So when I heard my favorite were combining forces I had a mini stroke.

Just like when books become movies, going to see an adaptation from a movie to stage is always a little well, scary. Expectations are hard to meet and it could be being done just to be done. I went in to this show with some pretty low expectations thinking the music could be a little hokey, the cast would be a little thin and the whole thing would be cute and fun but not incredible.

Let me just say this, GO SEE THIS SHOW!

Jean Shepherd who narrates the movie as the adult Ralphie Parker was set down stage right at a table. He would narrate from there which was cool but he also became key characters in the show too. The leg lamp delivery guy, the mailman etc. Such a great way to incorporate and use him. Down stage left was a dude who did all of the sound effects for the show. He was the voice of the Bumpus hounds, the footsteps up and down the basement and also the sound for the nuts & bolts when the Old Man is changing the tire. This guy also sang and danced in some scenes too.

The music was very appropriate and the songs were great! My favorite was the You'll Shoot Your Eye Out number sung by Ms Shields dressed as the wicked Witch. Great song but when Scut and Grover came on as the monkeys and did a dance number I was dying.

This show is HILARIOUS and hits all of the marks in the movie. Ralphie to the Rescue is huge production that happens when the kids are writing their themes in class. It's a showstopper that is revisited a few times during the night.

Let's talk about Ralphie...this kid was great! He didn't have the blonde hair but he could sing! Randy was hilarious and played this part just right. The "I can't put my arms down" part made me wet myself a little. Old Man's character was great! Less all around grumpy than in the film and John Bolton added a nice humorous and sweet side to the character. Mother was great and just what I wanted to see, quirky, frazzled but sweet.

The flagpole seen happened, the Pink Nightmare was there, Oh Fuuuuuuuuuudge, the Major Award..they were all in it and done perfectly. My favorite was Up On Santa's Lap, when Ralphie tells Santa that he wants the damn Red Ryder. Santa is drunk, the elves are naughty and this combination made it hard for me to keep it together.

Of course the night ends at the Chinese Restaurant with the elusive "Deck The Halls" number but it also ends with a very sweet song that ties in the family aspect to the show and this is the heart. Any good show has a heart and this one's is big.

Us Detroiters are so lucky that this show made a stop at the Fisher theatre. It only hit 5 cities on the tour. You have until November 27 to see if here then it travels to Tampa and wraps up in Chicago.

Here is Lowell as the Pink Nightmare

P.S. I even loved this show so much that I had a dream that I got a Red Ryder BB Gun..

My Brother Adam

My brothers are the damn best! Jason was born first, then Adam and I came along. Having two older brothers is definitely the way to go, especially if you have mine. Adam was nominated (by you know who..) to compete for the West Michigan's Finest for the CF Foundation. This is a bathing suit contest and he has really been working out hard to win this...

Below is his cute letter asking for $$$..check him out!

My little sister, Emily Schaller, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when we were little kids. Being just a kid, I didn't understand exactly what it meant. I remember regular visits with Emily to the Detroit Children's Hospital, seeing her get sick and endure all sorts of medications and treatments, but it never really occurred to me as a child that she had a serious illness.

Our parents always told us that there was nothing different or weak about Emily having CF, and they encouraged Emily to participate in sports and other activities, and Emily proved that point well many times. Emily has since grown up to be a successful and inspirational person and a leading force in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis.

When I was young, our family participated in events with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation such as Bowl for Breath and Great Strides events. In the last several years, I have been very fortunate to be able to help Emily with her organization, the Rock CF Foundation. I will soon be honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at a special event recognizing outstanding young professionals in my community. In accepting this distinction, I have committed to raise money to help the Foundation realize its mission of controlling and curing cystic fibrosis (CF). Please help me meet my goal by making a donation. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with cystic fibrosis. Thank you for supporting my sister and the mission of the CF Foundation! If you would like to help Adam become West Michigan's Finest, click HERE or on the pic of him with his beautiful wife and my favorite little kid K!

Concord...Land of Subarus and... nice people!

Yesterday was a The Book of Mormon kind of day. I jammed it on both flights on my way to New Hampshire and even had it cranked on the treadmill when I got to the hotel. I cannot get enough of this show!

So I was invited by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock CF care team to be the Keynote at their annual Family night. I jumped at this opportunity right away because I love family nights and I have never been to New Hampshire..perfect! One of the docs (Sasha) picked me up from the airport and I knew I was in good hands when I climbed into her Subaru and ended up at a sandwich shop that uses local Cheddar, great fresh veggies and their own baked bread. She gets it!. Seriously in my mind, a Subaru was what she was going to be driving and I was only praying that lunch would not be KFC or Applebee's..it was exactly what I had hoped.

Now if you know me you know that I love a good ice cream. So when I heard I was coming this way, Ben and Jerry's immediately came to mind. It got out at NACFC this month that I love Ben and Jerry's and I was promised a pint at last nights talk.

Promises Promises...Kathy drove 1.5 hours with this pint of Fish Food in a cooler on ice. It was delicious and made my night, even if it was more like a milkshake. Yummmy!

The Ben and Jerry's theme continued on as I was presented this shirt from Lynn when she announced me. I draped it on the podium just to see if I could maybe score a sponsorship.

150 people showed up last night which is just a remarkable testament to this clinic. I have never seen this many people at a family night and it just really energized me and got me excited. I felt incredible during my talk and was super excited to share my story and the "Blue Lighting" stats...when I was talking about how shitty I felt last month when I was sick and how quickly I turned around once I start back on BL I got a little choked up. A 70% increase in my PFT's in 1 week. Amazing!

To be able to share this info with these parents, patients and families is something that is hard to describe. There is nothing better than to see their faces fill with hope and smiles. So cool! It was great to connect with some young teens who admitted to me that they were not being super compliant. I tried to be as honest as I could with them and tell them how important these meds are. I even bumped elbows with one new friend and this serves as our pinky swear that she would do her treatments.

Ok this pic is amazing. When the program ended these three gals came over not only to chat BUT to invite me to their dairy farms. I saw pics of their cows & the farm and got to know a little bit about dairy farming. I'm still trying to figure out how these 3 have 2 dairy farms but they do and they are cool! I plan to come out this way in July for the Seacoast Safari bike ride so hopefully I can get up and meet some cows!

Highlight of the night was when on stage, the docs and other folks were calling VX-770/Kalydeco "Blue Lightining" without any hesitation. Serisously...we are on to something and I WILL make sure we get this name changed! Picture it, we won't even need the words..You doc will just stamp a blue lightning bolt on your RX pad.

Until next time!

Em

Blue Lightning

(It ain't easy wearing two ribbons..just wait until next year.)

So I have finally recovered from NACFC 2011. It always takes about 2 full days of sleep to do this..late nights and early mornings! I spent all of last week and this weekend in Anahiem, CA speaking, going to meetings, presentations, hanging with old friends and meeting some incredible people.

To make it easy I'm just going to list a few of the highlights and some pics to sum this trip up;

* Speaking for the Clinical Trials A-Z Short Course was so fun and it taught me a lot..like how to run a roundtable discussion!

* Presenting my view on how to Keep the In Patient and Out Patient CF teams in the loop..and some of my frustrations with Cross Contamination.

Being able to hang with my friend Kat from the Blooming Rose Foundation: Quack..Quack..Quack..

* Meeting my CF doc for a 6:30 am workout.

$17 cab ride to the nearest In N Out for a Neopolitan shake and a veggie.

Hanging with Dr. Pat Sosnay..you can't quite tell but this is me on his shoulders during Journey:

Dinner and fun with old friends Steve and Carol..or is it Carol and Steve?

* Meeting the Blue Lightning crew..including the chemists who discovered it! I really think we can get the FDA to change the name...

* Meeting 1 of the stars of The Power of Two, Isa Stenzel Byrnes and also Tiffany Christensen.

This:

Hanging with these two friends a lot:

Finally, being able to see my buddies and heroes who work tirelessly for the CFF including, Bob Beall, Rich Mattingly, Preston Campbell, Marybeth, Elise, Mary Dwight, Jason, Cynthia, Deann and the entire crew that put on this amazing conference! Thank you for doing what you do!

There was this buzz of excitement the entire week that is super hard to explain. I know that it is stemming from Kalydeco/Blue Lightning and the future of treating the basic defect in CF. This excitement definitely carried out onto the dance floor Saturday night because I must say there was some major improvement in the dancing this year.

This is the John Hopkins crew after the dance..I was supposed to be the topper but row two & three couldn't hold on! It was a valiant effort but we will get it next year...next year, my friends.

This is always one of the best weeks of my life and I cannot wait until next year!

Em

Here is the video short for CFLiving.com that I shot in Idaho..no you da ho! It features some more of my amazing CF friends as well!

Video Short #3- Treatment Regimens: How CF Treatments Work and Fit into Your Routine

Now online! Knowing how your CF treatments work and finding a routine is important in your CF management. Watch http://bit.ly/oVuaFR to check out a Video Short where CF patients, experts and caregivers discuss how time management is crucial and how they stay motivated to make their health a priority. The video features Ronnie Sharpe, CF patient and author of RunSickBoyRun.com, and wife Amanda, who are founders of CysticLife.org; Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, CF patient, social worker and co-author of The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph of Cystic Fibrosis; Emily Schaller, CF patient and Founder/President of The Rock CF Foundation; LaCrecia Britton, CF Coordinator, RN and CPNP. The stories in this third installment of the CF Community Video Short series may help you to better understand how your CF treatments work and how you can fit treatment into your daily schedule.