Amazing progress...

Today was a very cool day.  I finally made it over to Santa Cruz to check out the progress on my new house and it was so exciting.  The doors and windows are in and as soon as they get the sprinklers in they are going to start sheet rocking, probably tomorrow.  I'm going back on the 5th of January to pick out the exact color for the cabinets, I cannot believe how fast it is moving along.

After we left the new house we went to have lunch on the wharf at Gilda's.  It seems like the place we always end up when we go to Santa Cruz.  My grandpa went there every chance that he got and was friends with the owner who was really sad when we told her that my grandpa had passed away.  One of the waitresses there always told my grandpa that she would give him a lap dance on his 90th birthday if he got a note from his doctor saying that it would be okay.

Christmas 2007

Christmas was wonderful, I just love it whenever family gets together.  We played cribbage before and after dinner, I didn't win anything but I have a lot of fun.  We have a glazed ham, Janet's awesome cheese potatoes, vegetables and Jell-O salad and regular Chinese chicken salad... more food than you can imagine.  The kids loved everything that they got and couldn't wait to try everything out.

I got a new caregiver that started on Sunday, her name is Maria.  She catches on quicker than anybody I have ever seen, she keeps herself very busy and we get along great.  I was really nervous at first but she put me at ease almost instantly, everybody from the company is very nice and very eager to help.

Today I stayed in bed because I have the beginnings of a pressure sore and I wanted to get it healed up before I got out of hand, they sometimes takes forever to get rid of.

Tomorrow Angie is going to take my mom and I to Santa Cruz to check the progress of the new house.  I talked to Charlie and he said the doors and windows are in and hopefully by the end of the week they will start sheet rocking, I get more excited about it every day.

Thinking about past, presant and future...

Tomorrow is the day my new caregivers start and of course I'm kind of nervous.  I'm hoping they're not going to be slow, I hope they're going to remember everything, I hope they're going to catch on quick... I am also anxious to get the awkwardness of the beginning of the trial period over with.

The lady that lives in my Aunt Kathy's triplex which is right next door to my new house works at a place called The Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz, she is a chef there.  She said that she would be willing to cook for me once or twice a week and that she loves to cook fish, perfect for me.  I know I'm going to be able to get a lot of fresh fish in Santa Cruz.  I went to The Coconut Grove one-time when a friend of mine got married, their reception was there and it was beautiful.  The ceiling opened up and you can see the beautiful sky, a great place to get married. and I remember the food being pretty awesome also.

The couple that lives next door to my aunt and across the street from me work in the emergency room at a hospital in Watsonville, they have worked there for about eight years and they said with their help I should have no problem finding attendant care, we already have people filling out applications.

My new houses on a cul-de-sac and it sounds like everybody knows everybody it is pretty much the party every weekend and every holiday, I'm really looking forward to that.

A lot of people of Valley Medical have already introduced me to some people who live in Santa Cruz but come over the hill for all of their medical attention, I will do the same.

I was watching an episode of Little People Big World and it was snowing and they were having snowball fights, making ramps and sliding down the snowy hills on cardboard, garbage can lids, sleds... anything that will work and it reminded me of growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  We got anywhere from two days to four days of snow a year which was perfect for us.  The parents would get snowed downtown and we would not have school so I would go pretty much from house to house and do what ever we wanted, we felt like we were getting a way with something really big but it was all very innocent.  We used to go up in the field and we would build igloos, slide down the hills, build snow statues and just have the time of our lives.

searching for caregivers...

I remember people telling me how hard it was to find a caregiver, I have always been really lucky.  Now that I lost my afternoon caregiver and I'm losing my morning caregiver I understand how they feel.  I understand that since I'm moving they need to move on and get a job here and take care of their family but it's really hard to see them go.

Madonna told me at the beginning of the week that Friday would be her last day, she starts a new job on Monday.  I went through In-Home Support Services and they were nice enough to send me a list of caregivers in this area even though I'm not a client of theirs.  My aunt heard of a care giving agency on the radio and told me about them so I gave them a call.  the lady just left and although I didn't give them much notice they're going to be able to accommodate me starting on Saturday.  After paying $16 an hour $21 an hour is going to be hard but hopefully it won't be for that long.  Somehow everything always seems to work out.

I think the hardest part of getting a new caregiver is the training and trying to get them to do things the way that you're used to doing it, they usually have their own way of doing things.  After a couple of weeks the initial anxiety and frustration will be over in life will be once again wonderful.

I cannot believe that Christmas is in only five days.  It sounds like were going to have a nice one though.  Stanley, Janet and the kids will be here as well as Uncle Dick and Aunt Kathy and possibly Rosy.

My Aunt Kathy called this morning and told me that they have the Windows and the doors in my new house.  Since I haven't been able to make it over there she has been taking progressive pictures for me so I'm really just missing much of anything.  Angie said that she is off next week and if I get a caregiver trained take me over there to see it.

Cribbage

Yesterday after we met Rich, the dog trainer, at Hellyer dog park my mom and I went to Wal-Mart to look around and kill a little bit of time before we met my aunt and uncle, Jim and Brenda, Rex and Sandy and Ellen at Holders for dinner.  There is a lucky supermarket right behind holders that usually has fresh, soft gingerbread cookies and of course yesterday they did not have any.  We had a really nice dinner and then came back here and played cribbage.  I broke even, we usually play for a dollar a game and I started out with three and ended up with three, better than losing I guess.

One of the things that a couple of people I played cribbage with said is that they noticed I have a lot more movement than they remember.  I guess that since I am around me all the time I don't notice it but it made me feel really great because I thought that I wasn't going to get any more return.  I have been exercising and using the tens units and I think that's helping a lot.  My uncle has a friend who is a welder and is going to help me out when I move to turn my garage into a workout room with a stationary bicycle that I can use while in my chair, pullies on the wall... stuff like that.  When I was in the Independent Living Center somebody had left a homemade eating utensils for somebody who had no grip in their fingers so the lady that ran the house said I could take it home.  I looked all over in stores and online and could never find anything that works as well as this one so my uncle's friends made me a spoon and a fork and they work great, we are thinking about patenting them and selling them.  I have had a lot of ideas that I wish I would have patented but I never did.  One of them was snow chains for wheelchairs.  I talked to a couple of people that live in the snow and they use bungee cords and say that it works okay but it could be better.  I was going to get my brother David to make a prototype and go from there but we never did.  There was another one that Sabina, my OT at Transitions, we're going to try to patent but I forgot what it was now.

Today I stayed in bed and slept most of the day because yesterday and the day before were pretty much marathon days.

Tomorrow I hope to finish decorating my house.  The fireplace looks so bare without our stockings hanging in front.  The tree is beautiful and I love looking at it.

I think I'm going to put off my search for a new service animal until after I move.  I hate to get her used to this place and then have her get used to another one.  I have gotten some really great answers to my e-mail and hopefully will not have a problem when I'm finally ready.  Brodie is ready to retire, it's time for me to take care of her now.

Everything new...

My mom, my Aunt Kathy, Ellen, a friend of Ellen's and I went to see the movie August Rush, it was a very good movie.  Definitely a chick flick and a little unbelievable but definitely a great movie.  My Aunt Kathy took me to Moorpark Health Clinic to talk to one of the OT's about getting me the proper mattress for my bed.  While I was there I also asked the OT about getting another service dog so I can retire Brodie.  I think Brodie is older than I was originally told and she's having a lot of health problems and she can't seem to get over her anxiousness when other small animals are around, I can lose her certificate from that.  After that we went to Mini Gourmet and had lunch.  It is a little hole when the wall but they have great food.

The OT, Lynn, said that she would look into and get back to me about the service animals.  When I got home I looked up The Delta Society and seemed to hit the jackpot.  I e-mailed about eight to 10 people and already heard back from about six.  Some of them already have puppies that are in training and some of them will train a puppy that I take out.  I have always won the chocolate lab because they're so beautiful and so smart.

While we were there my aunt asked about getting me a new wheelchair and Lynn said that she thinks it has been over five years so I am due.  Lynn is very busy summer going to start looking in the beginning of next year, which really isn't that far away.

I just now got tickets to see Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood here in San Jose on March 11, March 11 is going to be my 13 year anniversary of my automobile accident, I am so excited... about the concert part and not the automobile accident part.  This is going to be the fourth year in a row that I have seen Keith Urban and he just keeps getting better, I also really like Carrie Underwood so this is going to be a great evening.

Keeping in touch with former friends...

Yesterday was a really good day.  A friend of mine that I have not talked to for 12 years came by to visit.  When I worked at Xicor as the mail coordinator he to come by the mail room and talk to me while I was sorting mail and I used to see him on my rounds.  We had a really great talk and caught up on everything.  I was really nervous but immediately at ease when I saw him, he looked and acted like the same old Craig.

This weekend is going to be pretty low-key.  I got my Christmas tree up so I love laying here and looking at the lights and watching movies, listening to music or listening to e-books.

Next week I need to get really serious about looking for an afternoon attendant.  I was hoping to find somebody private but if I cannot I will go with an agency.  I'm not looking forward to training, getting used somebody new and somebody else looking at my privates... which really aren't very private anymore.

Since I have not been able to make it to Santa Cruz my aunt is going to take some progressive pictures for me and put them on a disk.  Charlie called me and told me that the windows are all in as well as the electrical and next week they're going to start sheet rocking.

Oh Christmas tree

Yesterday morning before the massage therapist came my mom called me and said that Stanley and Corinne were coming down to bring me my Christmas tree.  Stanley e-mailed me and said that if I wanted she would pick me up a Christmas tree.  Every year they go with a group of friends to cut down a tree and then they have a party after.  They brought it and set it up and it looks gorgeous.  Now I really feel like Christmas.

We're going to go to breakfast this morning and then they're going to leave.  I hope the weather is nice so we can take the dogs to the dog park before it starts raining.

Brodie is looking and feeling so much better, she is back to her old self and it is so great to see.

Tomorrow I meet with Rich at the dog park and hopefully this time there will be some dogs there.  Last week there was nobody there.  I bought a stuffed animal and a retractable leash so if there's no real animals can simulate our own.

On Thursday I have an appointment at Moorpark Health Clinic with Lynn, my OT from Valley medical, to try to figure out a better mattress for me and how to better position me so hopefully I won't get any more skin break downs.

Catching up with old friends...

Tonight I talked to Sandy for a long time and it was so nice to catch up.  After my Jeep rollover accident in 1980 when I moved to Stockton to live with my aunt I became really good friends was Sandy who lives a couple houses down.  After my cousin Cheryl and her husband got a divorce and she moved back in with her mother there was no room so I moved down the street with Sandy, her mother and her son Kevin.  I have seen her a couple of times when I've gone to Stockton but it was always a very short visit.  I don't know why I don't call her more often because I feel really great after talking to her... I'm going to make myself do that.  My older brother Stanley says that once a week, on the weekends, I call somebody did he hasn't talked to for a long time and I think that is a great idea.

I've sent out a couple of applications to find an afternoon caregiver so I'm hoping for the best.  For right now especially on the weekends I'm pretty much stuck in bed and that is way too much time to think.  I remember a couple of girls that works for me when I had an agency and I wish I could remember their names because they would work out really well.  I did talk to one last night and she said that she has a job but that her aunt might be interested.

I picked out the color of cabinets that I wanted for my new house and the floor is going to be a shade or two lighter.  It's going to be real wood instead of the simulated wood that I have right now so it's going to look totally awesome.  I remember last night I had a dream that I went to see my house and it was almost done.

On Friday a friend of mine that I used to work with from Xicor is going to come by for a visit, I'm so excited.  I have not seen him for 12 years so it will be really great to catch up with not only his life but everybody that we used to work with, there's nothing I love more than a really good gossip session.

Stanley just e-mailed me and she said that he was going with his family on Sunday to cut down a Christmas tree and asked me if I wanted them to cut one down for me and of course I said yes.  Madonna decorated inside this morning for Christmas but I haven't got a Christmas tree yet, perfect timing.  I love Christmas.

Getting ready for Christmas

Today I had two appointments at Moorpark Health Clinic.  The first with Tony and the second one was with Nancy.  I see Tony every three weeks but I saw Nancy the last time I saw Tony because of the blisters on my ankles, she is a wound care specialist.  She was really surprised and thrilled at how fast I blisters are healing, actually I really am too.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with Rich, the dog trainer.  I have not been able to work with Brodie or take her to the dog park as much as I wanted but we did what we could.

Thursday I'm going to have Madonna decorate for Christmas.  She really had a lot of fun decorating for Halloween and Thanksgiving and she really does us.  Good job, she's very creative.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was bittersweet.  We had a lot of family here and we really had a great time.  My mom and my Aunt Kathy cooked dinner and it was awesome.  We have of course Turkey, honey glaze ham, broccoli cheese casserole (my aunt made this dish up and it was really good)... pretty much everything else was the routine Thanksgiving dinner.  After dinner we played cribbage, like we always do.  I can't wait to move to Santa Cruz and be able to play cribbage every night.

Stanley, Janet and the kids came down on Thursday morning but Stanley and Janet had to work on Friday so they left the kids here and Stanley came back last night and cooked split pea soup with the left over him and then made breakfast and dinner, 12 bean soup with the rest of the turkey and some sausage, the man can cook.

I had to let Lulu go on Friday, that is the bitter part of Thanksgiving.  She has worked for me since 2000 and it's really hard getting used to the fact that she will not be back here anymore.

Since Madonna is off on the weekends I ended up staying in bed which I'm sure wasn't too thrilling for the kids but I think we made the best of it, watching TV and eating pizza and leftovers.

Another loss...

My morning attendant, Madonna, lost her mother on Friday.  She was getting weak and in and out of the hospital and finally could not fight anymore.  Madonna will be off until Thursday.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost here already.  This year has gone by unbelievably fast but it was a really great year.  This year were having Thanksgiving at my house although they're cooking everything out my mom's.  My mom and my Aunt Kathy are doing the cooking so I know the meal is going to be awesome.  In the past we've bought made meals and it just isn't the same.

Stanley, Janet and the kids are coming down tonight but unfortunately Stanley and Janet has to work on Friday so they have to go home.  The kids are going to stay here and Stanley and Janet are coming back Friday evening, it will still be a really nice visit.  Depending on how much time we have, the time always seems to go by so fast, we will drive to Santa Cruz over the weekend so that Stanley, Janet and the kid can check out my new house, they have not seen it yet.

On Monday I took Brodie back to the vet again because she is still shaking her head, her left ear is still bothering her.  Dr. Moore said there is still a slight infection but they did not give her any more antibiotics, they gave me some more pads to keep cleaning out her ear.  The paralysis on her face is almost completely gone.

The blisters on my ankle are looking really good.  Usually it takes a long time and they usually get really bad before they get better but I think because of the healing lamp and the TENS unit.

Next week I'm going to meet Craig, an old friend from Xicor, for lunch.  I'm not sure if I'm going to meet him somewhere or just have him come over here, whatever he wants to do.  I'm so excited.

Another weekend

The ladies support group was really nice.  The time always goes by so fast.  We had salad and lasagna and this really good five layer cookie thing, it was delicious.  I missed the support group last night and I really did want to go.  They had a Doctor there talking about spinal cord injury and insomnia.  Cindy said that she went and it was very interesting.

I'm not going to Santa Cruz tomorrow because Stanley and his family are going to be here on Friday and would like to go see my new house, they have not had a chance to see it yet.  Usually as it ends up there is no time but we will see what happens.

It really makes me feel good that after a relationship ends you can still talk and keep in touch.  I never thought I would ever talk to my ex again especially on good terms, it's great that we can talk as friends.

Tomorrow I'm going to have Lulu take my Halloween decorations back to storage and get the Thanksgiving decorations, I figured I'd better hurry up because it's almost hear and this is where everybody is going to be.

Awsome dog park

While Madonna was here on Friday she got a phone call from her sister in San Diego to let her know that they had rushed her mom to the hospital and she was unresponsive.  Her health has been going up and down for a while and it sounds like it's just a matter of time.  She then called me on Sunday evening and told me that she was in San Diego and she would not be in to work on Monday.

The weekend was pretty laid-back.  I started listening to audio books and I really am enjoying them.  I used to love to read and there's a lot of interesting books out there.

On Monday I talked to my brother David a couple of times.  I'm trying to find a way to get some air blowing underneath my sheet when I'm in bed hoping it will cut down on pressure sores and he had a couple of really good ideas, he always does.  The first time that he called my Aunt Kathy was here and she always has really creative ideas also so between the two of them they came up with the perfect plan.  We're going to try mounting an industrial-strength blow dryer at the bottom of the bed and hook it up so I can use it with my Smart home program on the computer.

Last night my ex called me and it sounded like he was having a really hard time.  He lost his dad about a year ago and he said that his father-in-law was due to have surgery the very next morning, his second triple bypass, and he was really worried about him.  Also he said that his aunt had a stroke and she was also going in for surgery.  It is really hard to lose a member of your family or a friend and it seems like the old were we get the more people we know that pass away.

Today I met Brodie's trainer trainer at Hellyer dog park.  I take Brodie to Hellyer Park all the time and I heard that they had a dog park but I had never seen it, it is awesome.  I put the address in Magellan and it led us right to the dog park.  When we first got there I wasn't anybody there but after about 15 minutes a bunch of people showed up so it worked out perfectly.  I talked to about three of the people and they said that they need their everyday at the same time and they were very sweet, dog people are so cool.  Brodie did really good and tried her hardest to ignore all of them.  After we take her over their couple of times to meet the trainer he will take Brodie inside and eventually be able to play with them, I'm so excited.

Friday is the ladies support group.  It's usually at Janie's house but a couple of months ago they had it at Cindy's, she has a day room in her complex, and it worked out really well so I think they're going to start having it there.

Saturday I'm going to Santa Cruz to take updated pictures of my new house, the last two times I forgot to take my camera so I hope I remember this time.

A friend of mine when I used to work at Xicor e-mailed me, I have not seen or heard from him in 12 years.  He said that he was having lunch with John Dutra and she gave him my e-mail address, it was so great to hear from him and it brought back a lot of really fond memories.  He could always make me laugh.

Brodie's better

Today was a nice relaxing day.  The last couple of days the sun has come out early and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day but after a few hours the sun went away and it was overcast, now it's raining.  Although we need the rain it's going to be sad to see the sun go.  Lulu made me a breakfast burrito and the rest of the day I just watched movies on pay-per-view.

My brother David called me on his way to church, he sets up the sound system and then goes home.  He often calls me on his way home so we can keep each other company.  We got the greatest news about Anna Maria, she does not have cancer and we are also thrilled about that.

I called Cindy to see what she was up to and she told me that this Friday is the ladies support group.  Usually it's at Janie's house but the time before last Cindy had it at the day room in her complex and it went really well so she's going to have it there again.

I cannot believe in less than two weeks is already going to be Thanksgiving, this year is going by so fast.  The next thing you know it's going to be Christmas and then it looks like I will be in my new house by Valentine's Day.

I went to see Nancy, the wound care specialist, yesterday and she said that the blisters I have on my ankle are not infected and she gave me a couple of kinds of cream to put on them, one is for debreading and the other has silver in it, silver is supposed to be the best for healing especially blisters and burns.

Brodie is doing so much better.  I put her on the treadmill today and she was even playing a little bit with her favorite toy, it makes me feel so good to see her back to her old self again.

Pressure sores and blisters

This has been a really busy week and it has gone by so fast.  Yesterday I had an appointment with Tony to get my SP tube changed.  While I was there I had him take a sample of my urine to see if I have a bladder infection and sure enough I did so he sent it to the lab and I go back tomorrow to see what they're going to do for me.  Also while I was there I made an appointment to see Nancy so she could help me heal some blisters that I got.

I was going to get up today to go to Beverly's fabric and get some material, they are having a big closeout sale, but I thought it would be better to just stay in bed and try to give my pressure sores and my blisters a rest.  I got a muscle stimulator so I put that on my blisters for a while today along with the healing lamp and it looks like they're healing pretty good.  I got the muscle stimulator to see if I can tone up my leg and stomach muscles, since I'm trying to lose some weight and eat better I want to see if I can tone everything up.

Hanson concert in San Francisco

Dave and Deziree arrived on Sunday evening about 11:30 p.m. looking exhausted and ready for bed, it was great to see them.

On Monday we got up and went to breakfast at the Original Pancake House and then we drove Santa Cruz, this was the first time that Deziree has seen my new house in progress and a first-time Dave has seen it since I bought it.  I probably wouldn't have this house is it wasn't for David.  My uncle called me and told me about it and David happened to be here and said that he would drive me to Santa Cruz to look at it.  When we got there after breakfast Charlie and two of the guys that work with him were there.  One of them I had met before because he did some work on the place where I live now, they were both very nice and I have a good time talking to them... of course I again forgot to bring my camera.

Then we drove back here and rested for a while and headed out for the concert in San Francisco at 4 p.m.  It was really easy to find, thanks to Magellan, and we got to stand/sit in the front of the line and we were one of the first to be taken up.  It was general admission but on one side of the wall were tables that were assigned to people with mobility issues.  The concert was AWESOME.  I had listened to some of their music for a couple of days before I went to the concert and really liked it, they put on a great show. Brodie stayed with Lulu because I'm always afraid that the loud music will be too much for her, it was really loud and there were a lot of girls screaming.

I remember Hanson for many years ago when Aubrey and Deziree first learned of them and became addicted, even though Aubrey will now no longer admit it.

Unfortunately, Dave and Deziree had to leave this morning because they needed to go back to work and school tomorrow.  As usual we had a really nice visit and I can't wait to do it again really soon.

More lookers

Brodie looks a whole lot better today and I am so thrilled, it's really depressing he someone or something that you love in pain and not be able to do anything.

Today I went to the storage unit and got my healing lamp.  I have not used it for a long time, in fact I forgot all about it until I e-mailed Rich and I asked him for advice on getting rid of pressure ulcers and he suggested getting a desk lamp and using that.  Then I went grocery shopping.

When I got home there was a couple parked out in front of the House and they asked if they could come in and look at the place.  They were looking for a place for their daughter.  They were very impressed with this place and said that their daughter's husband has a mild form of MS and is possibly going to be getting worse so a couple of hours later Pat, my realtor, called me and said that the daughter would like to come and look at this place tomorrow afternoon.  I'm going to Santa Cruz to check the progress on my house but I will be backed by the afternoon.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is always a lot of fun.  The kids get so excited and some of their costumes are so creative you can't help but smile, I even have some candy left over. this year we had a lot of kids come to the door.

Tomorrow I'm going to stay in bed and rest, still battling pressure sores.

The next holiday is Thanksgiving, I love Thanksgiving.  Stanley, Janet and the kids are going to come down and hopefully my Uncle Dick, Aunt Kathy and maybe even Rich, Vanessa and their kids will join us.

Next week David and Deziree are going to come down and go to a concert with my mom and I in San Francisco and stay for a couple of days.  It has been a long time since I have seen them and I'm really excited.

Rich, the trainer came by today and said that he thought Brodie had a stroke.  When I saw her on Monday morning that's what I thought also.  The doctor said it was an inner ear infection but you could touch her ear and she doesn't move away, it's her ear was really infected I think she would be screaming if you touched her ear.  Regardless of what happened she's getting back to be her old self.

Corinne called me last night to see if I felt the earthquake.  They did not feel it in Modesto but they heard about it and wondered how we were doing.

Shake, rattle and roll

I was woken up at around 8:00 p.m. by the sound of rattling and by bed shaking, talk about a rude awakening.  I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be and it really didn't seem to last very long.  My mom called me to make sure everything was OK and to let me know that everything was OK with her except that she can't find one of the birds, Sweet Pea.  I immediately turn the channel to CNN and found out that we just had a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, 9 miles from San Jose- Epicenter is near Alum Rock, CA.  My niece Corinne called to see if I felt it and if everything was all right.

Today was a good day.  My pressure sore is almost completely gone so I got up today and went to the mall.  I was talking to my mom on the phone and she said that she needed to go to the mall and to go shopping and since I had to go to those two places also I stopped and picked her up on the way.  We only made it to the bank to and to the mall because Brodie was looking really tired and I didn't want to overdo it with her.  Tomorrow the trainer is coming so I guess I will go grocery shopping on Thursday.

Brodie scare

Monday morning scare

This morning right after the massage therapist showed up Brodie started acting really weird so she said that she would take her to the vet for me so I called Lulu to meet her down there.  I have noticed since Friday night, everything always happens Friday evening after 5 p.m., Brodie's acting really lethargic, the left side of her face was really droopy and she was sleeping all the time.  It was even hard to get her to go outside and go to the bathroom.  She was still drinking a lot of water but not hardly eating anything at all.  At first I thought that she had had a stroke.  After a couple of hours the doctor called and said that it looks like either Brodie has a really bad deep inner ear infection or something wrong with her brain so they sent her home with some antibiotics, steroids and some cream, five different prescriptions, and said to watch her for a couple of days and did she was not any better I need to take her to Santa Rosa for a MRI, that sounds really expensive.

When Lulu brought Brodie she seem to be a lot better, back to her old self.  She is still sleeping a lot and the left side of her face is still a little droopy but she is eating again and even trying to play a little bit.  I never had children but it is really heartbreaking to see something that you love so much miserable or in pain and not knowing what to do. The doctor said that her face would always be droopy and she would never be able to blink her eye again.  Last night I saw her blinking her eye and her face was less droopy.  the doctor is going to call me today and give me the final results of her tests.

I called Rich, the dog trainer, and she said to go ahead and see how she was doing this afternoon and if she's doing better he's going to come over and work with her again tomorrow.

Closer and closer...

Wow, the progress on the House in Santa Cruz is amazing.  I haven't been able to get updated pictures for a while and I can't believe how great it looks.  They have the apartment above the garage framed so you can see what it's going to look like and the stairs inside are done.  I didn't get to go check it out because my Sunday attendant didn't show up again and Brodie is looking really sick, I'm going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning, I feel so bad just looking at her and I wish I could take the pain away is.

Santa Cruz

Today I was supposed to go to a support group in Los Gatos but I didn't make it.  Lulu is filling in for her cousin, Gracie, who had surgery and wasn't able to get here until noon, that's when the support group started.

I went to Eastridge Mall to get a toe ring sized because it was too big, they told me that it would be ready on Monday.  While I was there I went to Clare's and got a couple of ankle bracelets with matching toe rings.

Tomorrow I'm going to Santa Cruz with Angie, Rosie and my mom.  I haven't been there for several weeks and I hear there's a lot of progress being made.  The roof is on, that is a big relief because it looks like it's going to start raining, and the stairs are put in so my mom can see what her upstairs apartment is going to be like.  I'm so excited that I cannot sleep.

I'm trying to drink a lot of water because I've had a real dull headache the last couple of days and I think I have a bladder infection.  My whole body, or what I can feel of it, feels like a million pins are sticking in me and everything hurts. sometimes I just get tired of drinking water all the time but I need to make myself do it anyway.  I haven't been drinking my juice in the morning and I can really feel it.  I have a pressure sore and two really big blisters on my foot and ankle.  In order to lay on my side I need to strap my leg and see if you don't do it just right I end up getting blisters.

I worked with Brodie for a little bit today and she did really good, I just need to keep it up and I plan to.

Dog trainer

The dog trainer came out today and he really seem to know what he was doing.  He taught me how to get and keep Brodie's attention, I was really shocked at how easy it was.  He said it would probably about four to six months to get rid of her aggression towards other animals.  I was very impressed with him and I'm excited about working with Brodie every day that I can. He is also a big fan of the Dog Whisperer, Caesar Milan, and wait to see him last Sunday at the Flint Center here in San Jose.  I was so bumbed that I missed the opportunity.  I have been watching the web site and I get the newsletter and I don't not how I could have overlooked it.  I hope he comes back this way again.

For me one of the hardest issues after my injury is time.  Before my injury I lived 150 miles from my job.  By the time I commuted to work, worked, commuted home and did the laundry, the dishes and clean the house and the yard I really wasn't much time left to do much of anything else but I did not mind at all.  Since my injury it seems that I have nothing but time.  A lot of time to sit around and think about what I used to be able to do that I can do now.  Do my own laundry, clean my house, get dressed and ready to go within 20 minutes, now takes about three hours, drive, walk... When you have a problem or something bothering you it's nice to get up and stay busy and not have to think about it, I can no longer do that. it is especially hard when there is a problem or you're worried about something.  Most of the time since I'm not very active during the day, even when I do get up and get out, I don't sleep very good at night.  I used to really panicked me but now I just try to watch TV, play cards or chat on the computer.

Another weekend

Lulu ended up going home early on Friday because she could not find a masks to wear while she was spraying the material adhesive.  She started getting really quiet and squinting her eyes so I knew that something was wrong.  I finally asked her what was wrong and she said that she was very sick and very dizzy and needed to sit outside for a while and she was going to call her husband to come and get her.  Her husband came in and said that he was going to take her home and leave her car here so I told him to tell her not to come in on Saturday.  She looked really bad.  She came this morning, Sunday morning, to pick up her car and said this to his feeling much better and that she will be in tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. so I can go to the support group at Valley Medical Center.

My mom came over and maybe some breakfast on Saturday.  I remember growing up one of my favorite breakfast was Rice with warm milk, butter and a little bit of sugar so that is what she made for me, it was perfect for the cooled morning.  The rest of the day I just sat around and watch movies and played cards on Pogo.

This morning Leticia called and said that she wasn't feeling very well and she didn't get much sleep last night so she wasn't coming in.  She called at 6:30 a.m. and I can't believe that I slept right through it.  I woke up at 9 a.m. and I was looking at the monitor, I have four cameras set up around my house so I can see what's going on, and I didn't see her moving around and then I noticed I had a message on my telephone.

My brother David called me yesterday to see if my mom and I would like to go with him and his daughter to a concert in San Francisco on November 5th.  He said he was going to find out for sure if he could get the days off so that they could fly down here for a couple of days, go to the concert with us and then go home.  He called me this evening and told me that he got the days off so I ordered the tickets.  I haven't seen Dave or Deziree for a long time and I'm really looking forward to it.

I was going to call and see if Deziree wanted to come and help me decorate for Halloween, they are not allowed to celebrate it in Georgia because they believe it is evil.  She is very creative and I know she would have done a great job but it just seemed like time flew by so fast and I never got around to asking.

I've been having a really hard time trying to pick out what colors of granite, tile, stucco... everything for my new house.  It seems like every time I go I see a different color that I like.  Finally my aunt suggested that I just let Charlie pick everything out and what a relief that was.  I assume that Charlie was busy building my house and didn't really have time to help with stuff like that but he said that between him and his tile and flooring guy they could put together a great place, I am so thrilled because they have been doing it for several years and I know that Charlie has really good taste.

Fabric

Today I went to Beverly's fabric to get some material for my headboard and footboard.  It doesn't look too hard when they do it on TV and a couple of the ladies at Beverly's fabric were a big help so I think it can be done.

Hopefully by tomorrow I can get the rest of the Halloween decorations up so I can finally get all of these boxes out of my living room.

Tomorrow Aunt Kathy is going to come over and finally finalize my will.  A friend of hers is a notary so she's going to come by so we can get that out of the way and after that it looks like finally it will be downhill.

I just have to sell this place and sell my mom's place hopefully by the end of this year and by February or March we will be in our new place.  I think my mom is excited about living in the two-bedroom apartment above the house and I think she's going to be really happy there.

Decorating for Halloween

This year Madonna pretty much decorated for Halloween and she really had a lot of fun.  Apparently where she is from they do not celebrate Halloween and she has never decorated but I knew she would do a good job because she is very creative.  I haven't been outside to see what she has done yet but I can see the inside and it looks great, I'm excited about seeing what the outside looks like.  I stayed in bed today as I wanted to hurry up and get everything decorated before Halloween and the only way girls have time to do it is a they don't have to get me dressed and in my chair.

Target finally opened

I found some material in one of the closets in the back room so I took it to the lady that makes my camps for me.  I'm very tall and I always did have a problem finding pants that were long enough and it makes it even worse when you're sitting down all the time.  It really bugs me when my pants aren't long enough so I found a lady that will make pants for me as long as I need to feel comfortable and I don't have to worry about pockets or buttons.

They opened up a new target down on the corner from where I live so I went down to check it out, was pretty big and they seem to have just about everything except for material which I was looking for.  My headboard is falling apart and I need to reupholstery so I'm looking for some heavy material.  They are actually building a really big shopping center and it has just about everything you can think of, he figures that they would build it when I plan on moving to Santa Cruz.  One of the problems with living here we go anywhere by myself, everything is too far away.  At least I will get to enjoy it for a couple of months before I move into my new house.

Tomorrow I think I'm going to go to Beverly's fabric to see if I can find some material for my headboard and maybe even get enough to make the footboard match.

I used to know what I was going to do from day-to-day and didn't really have very much time for anything else.  Get up, take a shower, go to work, come home, eat dinner and go to bed.  Saturday and Sunday was basically clean the house, do the laundry and take the dog for a walk.  Now it seems like I don't really know what to do with myself most of the time.  I try to make plans every day to do something but there really isn't anything that I have to do or anywhere that I have to be.  I guess there's good and bad to both lives.

What is your favorite time of day?

I think my favorite time of the day is early morning.  I was talking to a friend the other day and the subject came up.  I usually wake up about 2:00 a.m. and really don't want to go back to sleep.  It's the only time that I really have two myself to look around and appreciate my home, my family, my friends... basically my life.  I know that I have until 7 a.m. where nobody will be asking anything of me.  Unfortunately, that is the same time that Brodie chooses to release gas, she can be pretty potent sometimes bad enough where she has to leave the room, I wish I had the same convenience.

Today I go to see Kathy to get my teeth cleaned.  Last time I was there, I go every four months, she told me to try brushing with warm salt water becomes my gums bled a lot so I started doing that and I'm curious to see if it helps, if it doesn't it was just a really nasty experience.

Service animal

Stanley, Robert and Corinne came down on Friday evening and we ordered pizza, it had been awhile since I had it and boy did it tastes good.

On Saturday we got out of here early trying to beat the traffic to the Gilroy outlets, always a fun place to go.  We hit just about every store and then had lunch at Applebee's, this was only my second time eating there and it was pretty good.

The only bummer of the day was when I was trying to go into the Sony store.  The security guard that was there at the door denied my access into the store because I had Brodie with me.  I told him that she is a service animal, she has her service animal bandana on and she could go pretty much where anybody else can go but he said no matter what she still a dog and cannot come in the building so I asked him if he could call the manager.  I don't like to cause problems but I feel that everybody should know what the ADA laws are so that the next person going into that building with a service animal will not have any problems.  Stanley saw that something was happening and came to the front door and said that he was done and we should just leave.  After leaving I ran into Rich who is the co-facilitator for the Monday support groups at Valley Medical, he was furious and offered to go back with me to explain the laws to the security guard but by the time we got back neither the security guard that denied my access nor the employee that was calling the manager were there.  We did talk to the security guard that was there and he said that the guy was new and just didn't know the laws but the manager had told them that service animals were allowed in the store.  After I got home I wrote a letter to Sony and I sent them the laws for service animal.  I also printed a few extra copies to keep in my backpack in case this happens again.

The weather is getting cooler, it was a nice day to day

I just talked to Charlie and the house is coming along great.  It looks like were going to get the roof on the second story apartment next week.  I'm not going to be able to go see it this weekend but I will be able to either next Wednesday or Thursday or the weekend after that.  I just know that there's going to be a lot done by the time I get over there to see it again.

Yesterday my mom made some killer chili and my uncle Dick and Ellen brought me some down last night along with some garlic bread and some kind of Mexican salad.  My mom had a leak in her wall and they had to tear up the carpet to fix it so my uncle, my aunt and Ellen came over yesterday to help her put her room back together.

Stanley, Robert and Corinne are going to come down on Friday night and on Saturday we're going to go to the Gilroy outlets.  We don't usually see Robert very much but my brother told him that if he did not come out to pick out his school clothes that we would take them out that we would pick them out for him and you know how finicky teenagers are?

Today we went to my new favorite place and I got some eggplant and then we went to Home Depot to get some tomato worm repellent for my mom's tomatoes.  After that Brodie and I walked down to the park, only about four blocks, and Lulu drove down to meet us.  We ran around the park for a little bit and try to get Brodie to chase the ball.  It's funny because when she's here at the house she gets all reved up and wants to play but when we take her to the park she will catch the ball a few times and then take it and go under a tree and try to prop it.  Dogs are so funny.

Santa Cruz was beautiful

I cannot believe how incredible my house in Santa Cruz is looking.  Every time I go there I am more amazed at how gorgeous it is.  This time we remember to take pictures.  The apartment upstairs is framed and it looks like they are going to get the roof on before it starts raining.

After we went to Santa Cruz my mom and I went to Holders Country Inn for lunch but we both ended up having breakfast, I think that is my new favorite place for breakfast.  I had a spinach, sour cream, bacon and green onion soufflé with Swedish pancakes.  Of course it was so big I brought half of it home for breakfast tomorrow.

Ladies Support Group

Today was a really good day.  I have always wanted to go to the all women support group at Janie's house but I just never made it.  Janie was my disabled counselor when I went to DeAnza College, she also taught a class on how to higher attendants at the Independent living Center and she came to my house warming party when I moved in here about five years ago.  Jamie is on vacation so my friend Cindy had it at her place.  Cindy lives in a really beautiful disabled complex and she held the support group in the day room.  I have always wanted to live in a place like that because I love talking to and meeting new people.  Everybody there may be feel really comfortable and they had lasagna, a regular salad and a fruit salad and brownies for dessert.

Tomorrow Angie is going to drive us, my mom and I, to Santa Cruz to take pictures of the progress on my new house and to visit with my uncle and aunt.  Charlie is going to meet us there to talk about Windows, this is really coming together very nicely.

The guy came to fix my lift today so my mom came down to meet him and let him in because I was at the support group.  He was getting ready to leave as I drove up so I got to meet him.  He said he's going to be the one to install the new system in my house in Santa Cruz, he was such a sweet guy.

Sunday's usually just my day to stay in bed, watch movies and rest.

Broken lift

After I took a bath this morning my lift broke.  Luckily it's only on the bathroom side and I can still get in and out up my chair on the bedroom side of it.  I called Bill from West Coast Mobility and he's going to send somebody out tomorrow.  Bill lives in Santa Cruz and actually has started kind of a spinal cord injury community and it sounds like everybody is really close, I cannot wait to move up there and be a part of it.  His son Levi, is also a quadriplegic and was a friend of my cousin Patrick, who passed away in 99.

They also have another wheelchair community in Santa Cruz called Shared Adventures and they do a lot of outings and barbecues.  I have a feeling when I moved to Santa Cruz I'm going to be very busy in the a lot of really cool people and I know I'm going to love it.

Today I went to a Halloween store called The Spirit Store.  It is pretty much right across the street and usually I wait until the last minute and all of the good stuff is gone so this time I decided to go early and I got a bunch of really cool stuff.  I'm going to have a Halloween party, this might be the last chance that I have two have a party in this place.  I'm really excited about it.  I am getting recipes online for some really gross food and I'm trying to think of some Halloween games and I even saw a Halloween pinata.

Tomorrow I'm going to a support group that a friend of mine told me about.  She is having it at her place because the lady who usually has it is going out of town so this will be the first time I will attend.  I've been wanting to go for a while so I'm just going to do it, it should be a lot of fun.

They also have one on the last Thursday of every month that I have been wanting to go to and I guess I better start going now before it gets too late.  When I moved to Santa Cruz I'm hoping to start a support group so I would like to experience as many as possible so I will know what to expect.

Supposedly the apartment above the garage garage in Santa Cruz is framed so I'm hoping to go there this weekend and take pictures since I forgot to last time I was there.  It sounds like it's really coming along great.  Charlie really knows his stuff.

Just another week

I cannot believe that it is Friday already, this week really did go by very fast.

The more I go to the support group meetings the more I really enjoy them and I'm hoping it will help because it's really hard for me to talk in front of groups of people.

On Wednesdays my mom and I usually go out to dinner to Holders Country inn but last Wednesday we decided to get the food and bring it back here, pretty much everything they have there is great.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and probably forgot a bunch of things that I really needed because that's what I usually do.  Today I took Brodie and Tue tue to the lake.  There wasn't a lot of people there and it was really nice to get out and I know Brodie appreciated it.  We ran around the lake twice and played catch and then she just laid underneath the tree and rolled around in the grass.  I found a new place to eat on the way in the food was really good so I think we're going to do that every Friday.

Sick caregivers

There must be something going around.  Thursday and Friday Lulu was sick with the stomach flu and Madonna was sick on Friday so I ended up just staying in bed.  Last week my mom was sick for a couple of days... I hope I don't get it.  I do feel really bad that I didn't get to go to the hospital and visit Dewey but there's always this week.

On Saturday Angie drove my mom and I to Santa Cruz to see that progress on my new place, it is coming along so fast and it looks awesome.  I got to visit for a while with my Uncle Dick, my Aunt Kathy, my cousin Rich, his wife Vanessa, who is pregnant, Alexia, and Seth.  I also got to meet some of my neighbors and they seem like they are all really great people.  The couple that lives across the street from me work in the emergency room at a hospital in Watsonville and have so many resources.  I told them I will need new caregivers and that I would like to start a support group when I moved there and he seemed really anxious to helping in any way.  It sounds like they have a lot of cul-de-sac get-togethers and it just seems like it's going to be so much fun living there.We ended up visiting so much that I did not remember to have the Angie take any pictures but we will be going back in two weeks.

This morning my Sunday morning caregiver, Leticia, called in sick.  It is the year anniversary of her husband's mother passing away so they were going to have mass.  My mom came up and gave me breakfast and coffee and now I'm just relaxing and watching Lifetime Movie Network, they are actually having some movies on this weekend that I have not seen before.

I'm going to be happy to move to Santa Cruz but I'm also going to miss living here.  This is the very first place that I have owned and I have a lot of great memories here and I have made a lot of really good friends in my neighbors.  It's always nice to have people just stop by and visit and that always seems to happen a lot here, I hope it also happens in Santa Cruz.  Rosie, a longtime friend of our family came by today with his sister.  Growing up I remember our families doing a lot together.  Richard and his family came by for a short visit also.  They were down here at Home Depot and had to wait for some paperwork to be done so they stopped by.

Tomorrow is the support group at Valley Medical.  On Saturday when I went to Santa Cruz the wheelchair lock down in my van was not working but we finally figured out how to get me out of it.  Next week I'm going to have somebody take it apart and clean it, I hope that's all it needs.

Dewey

I talked to my ex for about an hour on the telephone and it was actually really nice to catch up on everything that is going on.  Come to find out his friend Dewey is in Kaiser Santa Clara Hospital so I think I'm going to go visit him on Thursday or Friday, it will be really great to see him.  He had surgery on his hand and the nurse said that he was doing pretty good but had a lot of morphine.

I've been kind of grounded for the last couple of days because Brodie is not feeling good and I don't want to take her anywhere until she's feeling better.

taking out flooring and cabinets

On Saturday I went to Southern Lumber to pick out the kind of wood that I want for the floor and cabinets for my new place.  I picked about four pieces of wood that I liked and Charlie is going to stain them different colors and then I can choose from there.  I think I picked Oak, Mahogany, Hickory and for some reason the other one I can remember right now.  We also went over to lamps plus and I picked out a couple of pendulum lights that I liked for the bar between the kitchen and the living room.

My uncle Dick and Aunt Kathy were working on their duplex on Elm Street so my mom went over to visit and they ended up going to a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant.  They called me to see if I wanted anything and of course I would never pass up an offer for food... especially when Uncle Dick is buying.  I had chicken tacos and I was really good.  I don't know how he does it for my uncle always seems to find these great little hole in the wall restaurants with awesome food.  I'm really looking forward to moving to Santa Cruz and spending a lot more time with them.  My Uncle Dick LOVES to go to yard sales on the weekends and I'm really looking forward to that also.

My ex called me the other day.  He was going to be in the area visiting a friend who had just lost his brother and he was going to try to stop by to say hello.  Apparently his friend is having a really hard time dealing with it which is very understandable.  Dave had lost his brother several years ago and I remember how hard it was on him so I'm really glad that he could be there with his friend Dewey.  Dewey was always one of my favorites.  He was not only very funny but very kind and just a lot of fun to be around.  Dave told me that he was having a really hard time on Saturday and totaled his car and ended up in the hospital with a crushed hand and a broken shoulder.  I really wish there was something that I could do because Dewey is such a special man.

OK...not sold

Angie drove my mom and I to Santa Cruz on Saturday and we met with Charlie and Terri and my aunt and uncle and checked out the progress on my new place, unbelievable.  The subfloor is in and it's all framed or you can see where each room is and they spray painted the floor so you can see where everything is going to go.  It is a lot bigger than I thought was going to be.  It just keeps getting more and more exciting.

As it turns out the guy could not get funding to buy this place so we're back on the market again, I thought that was too easy.  Today is a holiday so on Tuesday I'm going to run around and pass out more flyers if Pat gets them to me in time.  I'm going to take some more over to Valley Medical Center, Stanford, Transitions and Care Meridian.

Sabina sent me a picture of her new baby, I can't believe she had it already.  I can't wait to meet her and see how big her sister has grown.

SOLD

I finally accepted an offer on my house so it looks like I need to be out of here in 40 days, from when I'm not sure yet.  I'm going to be living with my mom for about six months until my house is ready.  I've been looking into companies that pack stuff for you but it is very expensive so I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm also trying to decide if I should keep my stuff in storage here in San Jose where in Santa Cruz where I am moving.

Tonight I'm going to the support group at Valley medical.  I haven't been there for a long time and I keep saying I'm going to go back because I really enjoy it with something always seems to come up, I hope nothing does today.  Today my friend Cindy and I are on the calendar to do patient visits.  I'm not sure what that is but I guess I'm ready for it.    

I have so much fun at the support group talking to everyone.  I don't know why but every Monday something seems to come up but I really do miss going and going to give it my best effort from now on,at least until I move.

Tomorrow I'm going to Costo where are we seem to get a little out of hand but I'm going to try to hold down.

Next Saturday I'm going back to Santa Cruz to take pictures of the progress of my home.  Charlie said that the subfloor is in and the framing is all done so I'll be able to better see what it's going to look like, I'm so excited.

My brother David is going to come down at the end of September and help me move and help hook up my TV and stereo system and Max in my mom's house temporarily.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

We almost didn't get to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Right before we were getting ready to leave Brodie started breathing really weird so we ended up rushing her to the vet.  I was a little worried because we had taken her to the zoo today before, probably not a good idea.  The vet said that she was just trying to cough and that she would be okay.  We went to the Monterey Bay aquarium and my mom stayed here and babysat Brodie.  We have a really great time at the aquarium and even got to take some pictures before my camera broke.

Thursday I just stayed in bed and relaxed and Janet came to get Corinne to take her home, we had a really nice visit and of course it when my way too fast.

My realtor called me yesterday and it looks like we finally got an offer on this place, were supposed to meet this morning at 10 a.m. to talk about it.  It sounds like the guy that wants to buy this place is a veteran and he wants to buy this place cheaper and have me take all of the handicapped stuff out because the VA hospital will put it in for him for free.  I know there is the perfect person for family out there for this place as it is and I hope that we find them in the next couple of months.

I never heard anything else from my cousin Debbie and she never did show up.  I understand that the fair is in town in Sacramento so maybe they decided to stay there.

my busy life, I would not change it from the world

On Saturday my contractor's daughter, Angie, took me to Santa Cruz to take updated pictures of my new house.  I cannot believe how fast it is coming along.  Santa Cruz is supposed to be the hardest place to get building permit and really difficult to pass inspections.  The concrete is poured in the houses all framed so I can actually tell where and what each room is.

Stanley brought Corinne here on Friday and stayed all day Saturday to repair things in my house and my mom's.  He ended up going home early Sunday morning and Corinne stayed here.  On Monday we went to Oak Ridge Mall and got some glitter stuff for Stalina to do Corinnes hair and makeup and then went to the Sushi Boat restaurant in the mall and it was really good.  Corinne said she had had California rolls one time before and loved them and wanted to try them again.  On Tuesday we went to Happy Hollow Park and zoo and had a really good time.  There was one area that I was approached by one of the parks security and asked to not bring Brodie in the area.  The animals in this area were very prone to heart attacks and it was just a safety precaution.  Tomorrow we are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, that I am really excited about.

Tomorrow my cousin Debbie and her two kids are coming to visit and it sounds like they're going to stay for about three or four days.

I got some bad news the other day.  My cousin Kelly has cervical cancer.  In the last couple of years Kelly has stayed here was me a lost and I have gotten to know her pretty well and I'm really glad for that because she is awesome.  Her husband Tom called my mom and told her that everything went well and Kelly is back home.

My little brother David called me today and when I called him back he told me that his daughter, Deziree, was in an accident.  She was backing out of the driveway and thought that she hit her cat so she stopped and got out to check and forgot to set the parking brake.  She was dragged and the van ran over her arm.  Luckily she is okay... and the cat is okay too.

cousin Debbie

My cousin Debbie called me this morning.  I have not seen or heard from her for about six or seven years, it was really great to hear from her.  Her, her husband and their three kids live in Las Vegas and she said that her husband is going to be in Sacramento towards the end of this month so while he is working she's going to come and stay here for a couple of days.  Corinne will be here and she has a son about her age so that will be great.  I am so excited to see her again.

As it ended up I did not get to go to the movies.  It sounds like my mom has a flood underneath her house so she's waiting for a plumber to see what the damage is... it seems like it is always something.

I had a really nice relaxing weekend.  On the weekends I only have an attendant for a couple of hours in the morning so unless I have family or friends over the usually stay in bed, relax and watch movies.  I feel really bad for Brodie but she's getting pretty good about staying on the treadmill and she seems to be tired after.

Tomorrow I will take her to the lake so we can run around and get some fresh air, there's usually nobody there in the early morning so I can let her run around and have some fun.

another fast week...

Today was a really nice day.  Luckily I got to take a bath and get up before they shut the water off.  Apparently something happened down the street and they had to shut the water off throughout the park.  As I was leaving I saw Donna from across the street so I talked to her for a while, she is such a neat lady.

I took Brodie over to Hellier school and let her run around for awhile, pretty soon school is going to start and we won't be able to do that until next summer.  Then I went grocery shopping and bought way too much food, I know I shouldn't go grocery shopping when I'm hungry.

Tomorrow I'm going to take Brodie over to the lake in the morning and then go to the movies, to see The Bourne Ultimatum, and then go out to eat at the Macaroni Grill that they just opened over by Eastridge.

My ex-boyfriend called and he's going to be in this area to visit a friend who just lost his brother so he wants to come by and say hello.

A friend that I met on Yahoo awhile back message to me tonight.  I haven't heard from him for several months and it was really great to talk to him again.  He has a great sense of humor and is really fun to talk to.

concrete...

It has been a while since I've written anything.  Let me see...

Saturday Leticia and her husband renewed their wedding vows.  It has been 20 years and they decided to go through with it again.  I wasn't able to go because all of my caregivers are pretty much related and I didn't want any of them to have to miss anything because they had to get me up or put me to bed, even though they said it would be no problem.  I had a nice relaxing weekend in bed and lots of time to myself.

On Saturday Angie, my contractor's daughter, came by and we went over  the tile, wood flooring and the granite counter tops again, for some reason I'm having a really hard time trying to pick out the granite.  She's going to take me to the granite place one more time I need to make a final decision.

On Monday I took Brodie to a schoolyard that I found a couple weeks ago that was abandoned.  I have taken her there are a couple of times and I'm kind of bumbed that I found it so late in the summer because school is almost about to start.

Today I met with the realtor and is trying to sell this place and it wasn't really all that good news.  I know there is the perfect buyer for this house the problem is finding them.  I'm going to take some more flyers to Valley medical Center and Stanford and we'll see what happens.

Charlie called and said that they poured all of the concrete at my new place, he said after that for the concrete everything else does really fast so I'm even more excited.I can not wait to go back and see it and take pictures.

Charlie and I were kind of reminiscing and he said that he has known my family since Stanley was a year-old, now he's 48 years old... that is a long time.

Good girl...

Today was a really good day.  As I started to leave the house I took Brodie out to wait for the van and this little dog from down the street came running out from the neighbor's house and when Brodie saw him she started barking and ran towards him.  I yelled for her to stop and she did and then she turned around and got into the van, I was so thrilled because I didn't think she listened to me that well, I was so proud of her I took her to the store and bought her a piece of beef jerky.  Jack is a little Russell Terrier that lives down the street and goes around the neighborhood and leaves little presents on everybody's front lawn, Brodie does not like him at all.

I was going to take Brodie downtown to walk around for a while but when I got there it looked like they were setting up for some kind of NASCAR race.  They had part of the lanes blocked off in huge bleachers around the park.  Instead I decided to take her to the big park on Curtner.  I love this park because it reminds me of the place I live when I grew up, a lot of redwood trees and a really nice breeze.  It's always really hard to find a place to park in front of the park but I drove around back and there was tons of parking.  I went to get something to eat at this place that got a really good review on a web site that I follow called Jatbar, Jason and Terrys Bay Area reviews.  It was a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and the food was AWESOME.  I had the super taco which was recommended on the site, cheese quesadillas and a bowl salad... I will definitely be going back.

Last Saturday my contractor's daughter took me to Santa Cruz to see the progress on my new home, it is so exciting to see the progress.  They had it framed out and you could actually see how it was going to look.

Manicure and Pedicure

Finally... there's a lady that used to have her own beauty shop and she retired and now she goes to people's homes and does their hair, manicure and pedicure and waxing.  There is about six ladies in the park, including my mom and I, that she does every couple of weeks.  I have been trying to get my mom to get a pedicure because she wears a lot of sandals and she doesn't wear socks.  She decided to do it today but unfortunately I had to leave because I had an appointment with my dental hygienist.  When I got back I called her but she was at her friend Chris's.  When I asked her why she was there there was a long pause so I told her she could tell me later and she said "it might be much later", that cannot be good news.  I hear that Chris is really not doing very well and getting worse every day.  She has been a really good friend of my moms for many years, I wish there was something I could do.

Tomorrow I'm finally going to be able to go to Santa Cruz and get updated pictures on the progress of my house.  I have not seen it since before they started and I'm so excited.

IMAX

I had a great weekend.  Stanley and his family got here on Saturday morning so Stanley, Corinne and I took Brodie and Tue Tue to the lake to run around for a while.  We saw Harry Potter the order of the Phoenix on IMAX at 2 p.m. and then went out to dinner at Holders Country inn, it was a great day.  Whenever Stanley comes down we seem to have a bunch of errands and maintenance for him to do and we really appreciate it.  We went to Orchard Hardware Supply and ran into Leticia and her husband.  One thing we went to get was a 50 foot garden hose for my mom.  While we were looking Stanley dropped three of them on his toe and it started bleeding, very strange since I hurt my toe the day before.

On Saturday we went back to the Tech Museum and it was very interesting.  I can't believe I have lived here all this time and have never gone there.  Then I found out that you can see the IMAX movie and then see the museum for free.  I took Brodie to the park across the street and we walked around for a while and watch the kids play in the water.  It is a really neat park and I plan to go there a lot more.  It's right downtown and every Thursday they have a band there and a lot of really good restaurants that I would like try.  Then we came back home and ordered pizza.

Today I'm just relaxing and staying in bed and watching movies.  My morning attendant left at 10 a.m. and I have the rest of the day all to myself.

My poor toe...

Yesterday something happened that I have always been afraid of since my injury.  It started out as a really nice day.  I went to IMAX and picked up the tickets to see Harry Potter and then went to Smart and Final, I have always wanted to check it out and it's basically right across the street.  I really liked it.  You don't have to buy as much bulk as Costco.  After we came home I took off my AFO's,Ankle-Foot Orthoses, basically braces that I wear during the day so I don't get foot drop again.  Then I decided to go get some KFC, I have been wanting to try it since they change the recipe, and because my brother and his family were going to be here and I wanted to have something for them to munch on in case they were hungry when I got here.  So instead of putting on my shoes I decided to strap my feet in and just go in my socks.  When I was getting out of the van at KFC Lulu looked at my feet and said "Oh My God", never a good thing to hear.  She lifted up my foot and her hand was covered with blood.  I remember hearing that there's really nothing you can do for broken toes except for rest them up and let them heal so I decided to go ahead and get the chicken and go back home and take a look at the damage.  When I got back into the van there was a puddle of blood where my foot was, that was a little bit scary.  When I got home Jerry was outside so I asked his opinion and he agreed that there would be nothing they could do in emergency at Valley Medical except make me wait for six hours.  When Lulu took off my sock it looked like it was just the toe nail on my Bigfoot got pulled away from the skin.  That doesn't sound very good but it was a relief, nothing was broken.

When I was living in Los Banos I went outside one time and for some reason took off my shoes and as I was driving down the street I felt my chair roll over something so I immediately stopped.  I thought I ran over my foot and since I cannot feel anything it's hard to tell.  I went in the House and call the hospital and they wanted me to come in right away to get x-rays, I was an hour and a half away from the hospital and no way to get there so they told me to put my foot up, put ice on it and if it started to swell somehow I had to get to a hospital.  It turns out I think I just ran over my shoes that I had taken off but it was pretty scary.

While I was in the Independent Living Center I went outside one day with my hospital moon boots on and my foot jumped off the pedal and Iran over my foot.  I could not see my foot but I could see blood in the moon boot so I had to just sit there until somebody came by or came home.

Like I said my biggest fear is always to break something for hurt myself really bad and not even know it.  I have heard some real horror stories from other people who don't have full feeling in their bodies.

the last day of the fair

I didn't make it to the fair to see Colin Ray, I was just too hot.  I went Friday because I figured it would be cooler in the morning but I only ended up staying an hour because of the heat.  Usually I wait too long and get myself overheated so I left before it got too bad and it's a good thing that I did because when we were pulling in the groundskeeper stopped and said that the electricity was out and asked if I needed help with my generator.  They are always so nice and when the electricity goes out they come down and start my generator for me and turn it off when the electricity comes back on.  Luckily I turned the air conditioner way up before I left so was kind of cool in here.

Next Thursday Stanley and his family are going to come for the weekend.  We're going to go see the new Hairy Potter movie at IMAX, that should be pretty cool.

I was going to go to the support group tomorrow but Madonna just called me and said that she would not be in because her mother is in the hospital and she went to be with her.  I called Lulu and asked her to come in early so everything will be okay.  I just hope everything is OK with Madonna's mother.

Alameda County Fair

I really have a lot of fun with Deziree and David.  Stanley brought David here and Deziree flew in the next day.  We went to a miniature golf course and then of course the next day I saw even bigger and better one.  After miniature golf they played Wheel of Fortune and one about a thousand tickets.  We also had one night where we got pizza and watched movies.  We went to the Alameda County fair in Pleasanton and a bunch of food that was not good for us and then had cotton candy.  It always seems to go by really fast when family visits and there's never really enough time to do everything that we would like to do.  Luckily they will be back in a couple of weeks.  It will be nice to have everybody here.

Tomorrow's Fourth of July and Lulu is off.  My mom and I are going to go out to dinner and maybe go see a movie, there are a lot of good movies out there.

On Thursday Colin Ray is going to be at the Alameda County fair so I'm going to go see him and spend the day at the fair.

Cribbage

I had a really nice birthday.  My mom called me this morning, David called me this afternoon, Stanley sent me a package, I got a card from my good friend Johnny and my longtime friend from New Mexico, Rick, called me.  I met Rick several years ago online and we became fast friends, we never seem to run out of things to talk about.  When I move to Santa Cruz Rick promise that he would come to my house warming party.

Yesterday I had an appointment with Dr. Yim and as usual he was very impressed with the progress in my right arm.  He said it's about time to go back to Stanford to do more research study so I'm just waiting for Lisa to call or e-mail me.

Tomorrow I'm going over to Valley Medical.  Sue called me and asked me if I would bring my van over for a couple of the recovering injury people to try out.  This way they can see if they can fit in a minivan comfortably or if they need to get a full-size van.  Later that evening my uncle and aunt, Ellen, Rex and Sandy and possibly another couple are going to come over and play cards.  We're going out to eat first and then probably come back here.  It is always so much fun to play cards with them.

Keith Urban

Keith Urban sure does know how to put on a good show, he is definitely a crowd pleaser.  Whenever he comes to San Jose I make sure I get tickets and I am never disappointed.  The concert was Friday and by the time I got home and in bed it was 3 a.m. so needless to say I didn't do anything on Saturday and today I'm taking it easy also.

There's a restaurant at the HP Pavilion and I always wanted to try it.  It looked like a really nice place but I was not very thrilled with my meal.  I ordered a bacon wrapped fillet and although it looked nice it was overcooked and the sauce that they put on it tasted like a combination between soy sauce and barbecue sauce.  The vegetables were good and the garlic mashed potatoes were also good.  I think I would have rather had a hot dog from the concession stand.

Tomorrow is my birthday and after that the next couple of weeks are going to be really busy.  David is coming here next weekend or the weekend after to cook me breakfast for my birthday.  He always tries to come down when he can to make us a special meal for our birthdays.

On the 26th Modesto David and Deziree are going to come down and stay for a few days.  I'm trying to think of things so that will not get bored.  Pleasanton has a county fair and that is always fun.  I have been going for the last couple of years because the one here is only for like three days and not very exciting.  It's always really hot too because it's at the beginning of August.  I think my mom and Deziree are going to drive David back to Modesto because they're having a birthday party on the 30th for Janet, I don't think I'm going to go unless the weather cools down.

In July everybody will be here, Stanley and his family and David and his family, I can hardly wait for that.  We're going to go see the new Harry Potter movie on IMAX and there's a restaurant right across the street that have been wanting to try.

Progress in Santa Cruz

Today is going to be a nice relaxing day.  I have a lot of movies that I got from pay-per-view and after my morning attendant leaves I'm going to watch them.

Yesterday I went to OT at Valley Medical and Lynn said that I am doing so well she already discharged me.  The grip on my right hand is so amazing I cannot help but lift everything I can, it is really a great feeling.

When I met Tom in the park the other day he was really amazed at how much I can move my arms for my level of injury.  It really motivates me to do the best that I can.  Lisa from Stanford wants me to do more testing probably next month, her and her staff are so cool is nice to hang out with them.

Tomorrow I'm going to Santa Cruz in the morning to take pictures of the progress on my new house.  I have not seen it since it got started but I hear they are making a lot of progress.  After that I was supposed to go to OT with Lynn but since she discharged me I don't have to go so I probably just go to the lake and cruise around for awhile.

This weekend is going to be pretty slow.  Saturday I don't have anything planned but I think on Sunday my mom and I are going to go to the movies and out to eat.  We used to do it once a week but then both of our lives got pretty busy and we haven't done it for a while.

I cannot wait to move to Santa Cruz.  I met someone yesterday at Valley Medical that lives there, in fact right up the street from where I'm going to live.  My houses on a cul-de-sac and from what I hear everybody there is very friendly and they have a lot of block parties and barbecues.

Deziree visiting

This was a really nice weekend.  Deziree came down from Georgia for the weekend and to go to a book signing at Barnes & Noble.  Saturday we just kind of hung around and watched movies.  Sunday we went to Eastridge Mall and saw Spiderman 3 and ate mall food.  My favorite is the Chinese Gourmet and I always get the same thing, Chow Main, eggplant and tofu and orange chicken.  My mom and Deziree got a sandwich from Subway.  Deziree went back home on Monday, it always seems to go by really fast.

At the end of June my nephew David and Deziree are coming down for a week so I'm trying to find entertaining things to do.  Last year we went to the Pleasanton Fair to see Carrot Top, I have gone there to see him for the last four or five years.

In July, about the middle of the month, both of my brothers and their families will be here and I am so excited.  We're going to go see the new Harry Potter movie at the IMAX theater downtown.  There is a restaurant right across the street that have been wanting to go to for a long time so that will be the perfect opportunity.

Today Brodie is that the groomers so it's going to feel kind of weird going anywhere without her.  I'm going downtown to pick up some pants that I had made and then to Costco and then grocery shopping.

Tomorrow and Friday I have OT with Lynn at Valley Medical.  Yesterday Brodie had a vet appointment and we got there early so I went to Almaden Lake to cruise around for awhile.  A guy on a bicycle stopped to ask me about the park because he had just moved here from Colorado.  I got to talking to him and found out we know a lot of the same people at Valley Medical.  He does films about spinal cord and head injury.  He was a very nice man and hopefully I will see him again.

Kelly visiting

This was a really nice weekend.  On Saturday I went looking for flooring for my new house.  Whole Foods had a customer appreciation Day and they had a free barbecue for everybody who stopped by.  They had hot dogs and fish shish kebabs, garlic bread, potato chips, macaroni salad and fresh pineapple.  In the evening my Uncle Dick, Ellen, Rex and Sandy, my mom and I got together to play some Cribbage, they are always so much fun.  Ellen brought some lasagna and a salad and then we had some desert.

Kelly came here on Sunday and we were going to drive to Santa Cruz and look at the new house but by the time we got to Highway 17 the traffic was so ridiculous we decided to turn around and go another day.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant which had really great food and then we dropped my mom off and Kelly and I went to the mall and watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean.

Today I'm just taking it easy and enjoying a little time to myself.  Brody has not been feeling well and she was really sick all day Saturday but she seems to be doing fine now so she needs a rest also.  Pat, the realtor, came by this morning to drop off some flyers for the House and tomorrow were getting together to discuss putting it on MLS, she did a really nice job on the Flyers.

In July Stanley and his family and David and his family are going to come down for a weekend and Kelly's going to try to see if she can be here, I hope she can.

Meandering Mississippi tour

My Aunt Kathy went on a bicycling tour called WomenTours.  It is an inn-to-inn road bike tours for women only. they design their bicycle trips for women of all ages, abilities and lifestyles, and in the most beautiful places around the United States and abroad. This trip is called Meandering Mississippi and started on May 10th in New Orleans and they are going to end up in Itasca, Minnesota and it will end on June 18th, my Birthday.  On the Meandering Mississippi tour they will follow the mighty Mississippi north from its mouth in New Orleans for nearly 2,000 miles to its source deep in the woods of Minnesota at Itasca. They will travel through 10 states,It sounds like they are having a lot of fun and I love to read along every day about their adventures in Mary's blog, and the food.  These are amazing ladies and I am so proud of my Aunt Kathy.  This is her second trip.  They are visiting a lots of really cool places wherever they go and needing a lot of neat people.

sometimes life is just full of surprises...

I got my cast off last Wednesday and started OT on Friday.  Everyone was impressed with how well the operation came out and the strength that I have now in my right arm.  I think I'm still going to switch the control of my chair over to the left side and see if I can drive with my left hand, my OT said that it would be really good idea.

I'm taking it easy this weekend because next weekend is going to be really busy.  I'm going on Saturday morning to pick out flooring for my new house and Saturday evening I'm going to Lulu's birthday party.  Kelly is going to be here Saturday evening and we're going to spend the day together on Sunday, maybe go to Santa Cruz and have sushi at Momo's, and then she has to go back to San Francisco on Monday.

My ex contacted me by e-mail last week to my surprise.  I have not talked to him for about 10 years but it was nice to catch up on what he was doing and where he was.  Next month he's going to help a friend of his move and he said he might stop by for a visit.

Is really a beautiful evening.  I'm sitting here watching movies and through my skylight it is so clear outside I can see some moon, it is not a full moon but it is beautiful.

Mother's Day

The surgery went great. They forgot to tell me to bring my sling because they got a new hoyer type lift and the sling that they have is too hard to in the wheelchair. Everybody is always so nice and helpful and the surgery only took two hours, I was home by two o'clock p.m. I have this half cast/half ace bandage thing on my arm and they asked me to constantly exercise might pinch grip so that the scar won't adhere to the tendon. I get it off next Wednesday.

Stanley, Robert, David and Corinne came down on Friday evening to spend Mother's Day with my mom and I. Janet had to stay home because she had some studying to do for a class that she is taking. We went Mother's Day shopping on Saturday and then took my mom, Chris and Bill out for dinner. They got my mom some beautiful plants and planted them in her front yard to surprise her. When David was here he got some tomato plants and planted them in the back so now she has a really nice garden, front and back.

I think I really overdid it on Saturday so it was nice to just stay in bed on Sunday and have a quiet dinner with my mom. Stanley had made us some white beans and ham and it was really good.

They are really going at my new house. The inside is gutted out and the garages torn down. Kelly is supposed to be here sometime this month to stay for a while and I cannot wait for her to see it.

Surgery

Tomorrow is the big day. I went in for preop today and my surgery is tomorrow at seven thirty. Unfortunately the anesthesiologist went home early so I have to go in early tomorrow to finish my preop, I have to be there at six a.m. They said I would probably be there until about two p.m. tomorrow afternoon and I'm pretty sure that I won't be doing much the rest of the afternoon. I'm going to have a boxing glove type cast on my right hand/arm for about a week and then a brace so I won't be able to straighten my fingers out all the way for several weeks and then back to rehab. I'm thinking about switching the control on my chair to the left side so I can learn to drive with my left hand, if I can learn to do that it will be a lot easier to reach things since I am right-handed. I just feel sorry for everybody else until I get used to drive a left-handed.

I can't wait to get a break. It seems like everything is just happening all at once... my trip to Georgia, my surgery, the beginning of my house in Santa Cruz being remodeled.

Stanley and Corinne are going to come down on Friday and spend the weekend for Mother's Day, that is so sweet and my mom will love it as will I, I just hope that I'm going to be able to get up and out of bed.

Georgia vacation

We had so much fun on our trip to Georgia. I was really nervous about the flight but it went just as smoothly as last year. The time difference is a little hard to get used to. On the way they are we left at eleven o'clock and arrived at eight o'clock, on the way back we left at eight thirty and arrived at ten thirty.

David and JohnPatrick picked us up at the airport, we got the rental van and headed for Newnan. The hospital bed and the hoyer lift were already there. This time I got a travel agent and it sure was a lot less stress, she took care of everything and did a really good job.

It was really nice to see Anna Maria and Deziree, it has been a long time. They have such a great family.

Friday was my mom's birthday and at my brother's house in Georgia when it's your birthday you are King/Queen for the day, I want to go there for my birthday. Everything that we did that day was my mom's choice. We went out to dinner at the Olive Garden and it was really nice. Tom and Kelly came to visit and we all got press on tattoos that David's family got my mom for her birthday. I have been watching Miami Inc series on TV and have been thinking about getting a tattoo. Kelly lives in Florida and she said that she would come here and fly with me to Miami, spend a few days because I have never been there and take me to get a tattoo. My mom and my aunt were not at all thrilled so if they don't talk me out of it by February I'm going to do it. Probably just a little one on my ankle.

I finally got to meet Anna Maria's sister-in-law. I know her brother, I have met him several times and we keep in touch on the Internet but his wife works so much I never had a chance to meet her. They are such a neat family and her brother, who has the same name as mine, have a similar personality. They are both very funny and very caring people.

Kelly and Tom arrived on Friday evening, it was so great to have everybody in the living room talking and reminiscing. Kelly and hopefully Tom are going to be here around the middle of the month for a few days.

The last night that we were there my brother made spaghetti and meatballs, I ate so much I thought I was going to bust but they were AWESOME. He also made mashed potatoes because Anna Maria and my mom can't have too much tomatoes because of the acid. He also made sweet tea which is very popular in Georgia and also very good.

Our flight on the way home was at 8:30am so I decided to spend Saturday in bed and get up Saturday evening and spend the evening in my chair so it would not be so much work in the morning to get ready to go to the airport. When I got up in my chair it was not working. my brother tried all evening long to fix it, my brother can fix anything, but he could not figure out what was wrong so he decided to take a couple of days off of work and fly home with us to see if he could figure out what was wrong with it. I have an operation coming up about a week after I get home and if I took my chair to where I usually get it fixed it would take a lot longer and I wouldn't have been able to make it. Of course he  had it fixed within half an hour of his second try, it is usually something pretty simple but time-consuming to figure out. It was nice to have my brother here for a couple of days and really enjoyed his company. There's always little projects around here and my mom's house that he takes care of while he is here.

I think the part that scares me the most about flying is transferring, I have to transfer to an aisle chair and then to the seat in the plane. The way that they are trained to lift you is somebody grabs underneath your knees and somebody else grabs underneath your armpits. It is really painful to have 180 lbs. of dead weight supported by your armpits and your shoulders. My shoulders are sore to begin with and I'm usually in pain for about an hour after they transfer me. My brother devised a sling so that they would be lifting more with my butt and only supporting the shoulders. I was so excited to try and it made everything so much easier, my little brother is a genius.

It sound like in July both of my brothers and their families are going to come down and see the new Harry Potter movie on IMAX and just in time being together.

I'm going Saturday to pick out the flooring and Cabinets for my new house. It is Cinco de Mayo so after that I'm going to go downtown with Lulu and her family for the celebration, her daughters, granddaughters and grandson and nieces and nephews are going to dance and I have been running to see that for a long time.