Hello ONE LOVE!!!!!! yay!!!! :) :)

If everyONE cared and nobody cried,
                           ♥ If everyone LOVEd and nobody lied,
    If everyone shared and swallowed their pride,
             >> Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

>> Okay so basically if you like the band Nickelback, you know what song these lyrics are from. I don't typically listen to rock music (even though they've become really poppy), but I gotta say that I've always loved Nickelback.
I put these lyrics up for 2 reasons: 1 > because they go PERFECTLY with my first blog for the ONE LOVE!!! Seriously, this site is INCREDIBLE!!!! To Jade, Cassey, and Ben - HUGE KUDOS for the wonderful, beautiful, and inspirational work that you do :) 2 > is because a few nights ago I got to go to the Nickelback concert which was my FIRST rock concert ever {[ p.s. they nailed it!! ]} I was so entertained not only by their voices and tons of hits, but also by Chad's comedic relief, the unbelievable drum solo, and the way they connected with the audience - they tore it up! The point is that I went to Nickelback and these lyrics are inspiring like The ONE LOVE and that is why they are in my blog :)

A little background on me:
I was born an' raised in LaGrange, OH (small town outside of Cleveland). I have 2 younger sisters who are the most precious souls you'll ever meet - Kimberly (16) and Mackenzie Lynne (9). Mama is one of my best friends and such a beautiful person inside and out! My Daddy would do anything for me (even drive down to Nashville just to fix my car then drive back the same day - bless his heart). Oh and not to mention he's the funniest person I've ever known. My youngest sister and I both have cystic fibrosis which brings me to my charity of choice. I work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through a couple of events and to now be able to blog and have the proceeds go to the CFF makes me so unbelievably happy. It's weird because this is usually not the first thing I tell people when we first meet, or I guess in this case, when people get to know me through blogging - but - I would like you to understand why I chose this charity and why it is so important to me. I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when I was 4 months old. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). I was born in 1987 and my parents were pretty young when they had me, I think 21 & 22, so when they brought me home and I wouldn't stop crying because I wasn't digesting any of my food, they took me to the doctor, he did some tests and told them I had CF. THEY SAID EXCUSE ME, SHE HAS WHAT? They quickly learned all about the disease and how to take care of me. I have so much to thank them for: one thing being they always made me feel normal, like everybody else. Because I am. CF is not who I am - it is just a part of my life.

I have taken really good care of myself by always staying really active and staying on top of my treatments and medication. It may sound a little scary to you, but I do live a normal life. However, there a lot of people with CF who aren't as fortunate. I believe it's really important for parents of kids with CF to put their kids in some kind of active sport. I was 3 when my parents put me in gymnastics. I competed for 9 years, then continued on in middle and high school with volleyball and cheerleading. I'm also a country music artist, so obviously I was always singing (which is really good for your lungs too :). Then, when I graduated high school, I tried out for the NBA's Cleveland Cavalier Girls dance team and made it. Like, I said I've always been very, very active and believe that is why I am as healthy as I am today.

Now, I live in Nashville, TN and am pursuing a country music career. I love music. It makes you feel so much and can really inspire people in so many ways. I want to be a major recording country music artist because I love to sing, to perform, and to be able to make people feel through a song - but most of all because I want to be able to inspire others through it.
Which brings me back to The ONE LOVE!                             

                      how inspiring???

I LOVE IT! I just wanna say once again before I close this out - THANKS SO MUCH TO JADE, CASSEY, and BEN for letting me be apart of The One Love and for making it possible for everybody on this site to help give back :) I mentioned earlier about being apart of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) and if you would like to donate to my account for the Great Strides Walk for CF please go to: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/BethanyKokoski5228    --> any amount is greatly appreciated :) :) :) :) AND if you would like to walk with me at the Nashville Zoo on May 16th I would absolutely LOVE for you to :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my blog! I'll be writing again soon :) Take care!

♥ Bethany