Lots of family and the surprise 50th birthday party...

Monday was a beautiful day. I got up and took Robby on our very long ritual cruise. I stopped along the way at almost every souvenir shop to see if I could find something to put up on my back porch, I decided I wanted to go with the nautical theme. I found a fishing net and I already have a bunch of shells, starfish and sat dollars to hang on it. I found some outdoor metal wall decor that looks really cool. I found a mermaid, some fish and shells... I found a bunch of stuff I just have to figure out what I want to do. I came back and worked with Robby for a while although he was really being a butt head and didn’t want to listen to me. When I ask them to do something and he’s in a silly mood he will lie on his back and roll around, stretch for scratch himself.

Tuesday was really frustrating and I ended up staying in bed again. Personal care took a long time and then it got to be too late to get up. The ladies were coming to clean the house at 11 a.m. and my dentist appointment was at noon... needless to say I missed my dentist appointment. Heather came by and cooked a really nice dinner for Teresa and I and Teresa and Jess got me a big copper tree for my front porch, it is awesome. The last time we went to Costco I was saying how much I liked it and wanted to get it and of course we conveniently forgot it so they went back and got it for me for my birthday.

Wednesday my personal care once again took a long time and maybe feel miserable so I missed an eye appointment that I had made at Cosco. My new caregivers fiancé works for an alarm company so he came out to look at my monitor and see about moving one of my surveillance cameras, the cameras in the back and there’s really no reason for one there so I would like it moved to show down the driveway. Dave and Desiree got here Wednesday afternoon to stay for a couple of days, it always goes by way too fast.

Thursday kelly came to stay for a while. We all went out to the ideal restaurant because of the third Thursday of every month everybody with a birthday that month get a free prime rib dinner. Nine of us went, three with a birthday that month. I cruised down there and met everyone so that little early because it was getting cold. Stanley, Janet and Corinne were here when we got back. I also found out that my uncle Ronnie, aunt Patty, their son Shawn and his girlfriend were coming to visit also. We were planning on having a family reunion around this time of year so I didn’t think too much about it although I did cancel it.

Friday I wasn’t going to have Susan coming at me a massage because my family was here but I was just so sore. I wanted to get up a little late because I was going to be up late at night, the first free concert on the beach was starship. After I got my massage I had a really nice surprise, my cousin Kevin came from San Diego to stay for the weekend. I haven’t seen him for years. Most of us ended up calling to the concert and they put on a great show. It is so awesome when all my family can be here.

Wow Saturday... I knew that there was a lot of family from all over the place gathering at our house is and it was awesome but I never even thought that they were there for a surprise 50th birthday party for me, I don’t know how I didn’t even think about it. Everybody decided to have a barbecue at Oak Meadow Park because that’s where we always got together when family was around. Teresa and Karen gave me a ride in my new van and while they were parking it I followed Corinne and Lexi through the park. I looked up and saw my mom so I knew we were getting closer and then I heard a voice say “are you even going to look up?” I looked up and saw Angie and then I started looking around and seeing all these other people and I can’t remember if they all yelled surprise or not but I definitely was. There was people from fifth grade, eighth grade, people I had worked with... I was just so overwhelmed. It was a really great birthday party. Apparently my brothers had been putting this together for a long time, I don’t know how they kept it from me but what a great job they did. I spent the whole afternoon chatting with people I had not chatted with for a long time and people that I have. I usually don’t like to be the center of attention but I was really grateful for all these people that came to celebrate my 50th birthday with me, I won’t forget that for a very long time.

Sunday everybody got up and had breakfast and just visited for a while, it was really nice. Pretty much everybody had to go back home on Sunday but it was sure nice seeing everybody. My uncle Ronnie was going to stay for a week and Kelly is going to stay for a couple of months, her husband Tom is going to come and stay for a while also... and of course Bailey.

A boring trip to the doctor...

Monday turned out to be a really good day even though it was supposed to thunderstorm, it did not. Robby and I finally got to go on a long cruise through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf, through the crowded boardwalk, down the reservoir to pet Smart and then back through town. Robby practiced pushing the button to make the traffic light change, he gets a little over excited sometimes but he does a great job. We came back and Heather was cooking some barbecue boneless pork ribs, they were awesome. I forgot about the standing frame and ate a bunch of them. I got an e-mail from CCI saying that they’re going to be in Santa Cruz in the end of July for recertification, I’m so glad I don’t have to drive to Santa Rosa.

Tuesday was such a beautiful day. Gabe and my uncle came over to see if they could move where the tie downs are placed in my new vehicle. Both of the tiedowns are way over to the right, they should be on the outside of each wheel to make a wheelchair more secure. Gabe is going to be able to fix it. Teresa and I took the van in to see about getting a backup camera, a GPS and an XM radio. The guy really knew his stuff and said that he could start it that day so we left it there and walked over to pick up Robby who was having a spa day. We came home to get Robby’s vest and his collar and then went downtown to get something to eat at the Tiki room, it was closed until 4:30 PM... it was noon. We wanted to be out of the way while the girls cleaned the house, we rehired a company that we used a while back. We went down to tonic where Karen was getting a haircut, manicure and pedicure for graduation. We hung out with her for a while and then when she was done we stopped at a couple of shoe places on our way to El Palomar for lunch. I had chicken tacos, Teresa had a chimichanga and Karen had a burrito... everything looked and tasted so good. I like going there and they have a push pad so Robby could practice opening the door for us, always such the gentleman. We came back here and I talked to my uncle for a while while Teresa took Karen home and then I went to bed, I was exhausted.

Wednesday was another beautiful day. When I got the sun was barely coming out so we started to our cruise through the lagoon, through the wharf where it was REALLY windy, through the boardwalk which was really crowded, down the reservoir, to Ross and back through town. Sometimes Robby does really good hitting the button to change the light and sometimes he just doesn’t hit it, sometimes he turned his whole body sideways when he jumps and he hits the part on the top with the arrow but not the button... we’re working on that. I just found out today that CCI representatives are coming to Santa Cruz to the Capitol Mall July 29, Robby’s appointment is at 11 AM. I came home and my van still wasn’t ready, they said they will have it tomorrow afternoon. I went to bed and then Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage. My aunt was my partner and we lost all three games, we’ll get them next time!

Thursday the weather was perfect. Teresa got me up and went with me to my doctors appointment at Dr. Owens. She gave me my Depo-Provera shot, froze a couple of weird looking barnacles off of my face, gave me a new anxiety medicine and I think she’s going to fix me up with a psychologist for a while. I just seem to have so much anxiety built up and I am frustrated and annoyed all the time. She suggested I get a bicycle that you work your arms and possibly even one for my legs, she thinks exercise might help. After that we went to Home Depot to get some concrete anchors to hang some stuff on the back porch and some stuff in the house. We got everything and went out to the car and after she frantically looked for the key founded in the ignition with the doors locked. When we left the key was not on the back of my door where it’s supposed to be so we just figured we would take a spare key out of my wallet and use that one. My aunt had to drive all the way over to Home Depot to bring us the key. We went to Costco and actually just got what I really needed this time, so proud of myself. We came back and she put me to bed and Karen called and asked if she could come over and wash the sheets, her family is coming to visit. She brought over her new little kitten, Juno, to play with Robby. We have so much fun watching them play in the kitty was not at all afraid of Robby, even though Robby is about 10 times bigger than Juno, Juno didn’t even put her claws out when she patted Robby. It was so adorable.

Friday looked like it was pretty nice outside but I didn’t get up, I just don’t feel very good and I’m exhausted. I just wanted a day to stay in bed and relax. Teresa and cleaned up the yard and scrubbed down the patio and rearrange the furniture so it will look nice when my family comes next week. Janea is cleaning out the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen and is going to put pledge on the furniture outside. Earlier this week she put it on the metal furniture in my bathroom and it looks really good, it will protect it a lot too we hope.

"Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend."
-- Corey Ford

Saturday I got up and went to see Claudia to get my hair dyed, manicure and pedicure. It was still kind of cold when I got out of there so we cruised around the boardwalk and around the wharf and then came home. When we got home it smelled SO good in here so I went to the kitchen to see what smelled so awesome, Heather had made some barbecued pork rips. I went outside with Robby to practice a few of the commands, we try to practice three every day, and the neighbor came over to talk for awhile. It was really hot out and Robby was just done for the day so we didn’t get to practice our commands, luckily they are three that we use almost every day. I hope I’m not going to have a problem with the neighbor coming over every time I go into my driveway and try to work with my dog.

Kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness... nor forgiveness as acceptance.. it is the knowledge that hate and resentment are not the pathway to inner peace.

Sunday was a beautiful day and I have been really looking forward to it. The personal care lasted a long time and just wore me out. I tried to get up in my chair hoping that feeling would go away but it just didn’t so I ended up back in bed. Dr. Owens was going to bring Bella and Ozzy over for a puppy play date, we were going to Patrick’s birthday party in the mountains and we were going to go watch Karen graduate. I missed all of it. It was nice to stay in bed because I was so exhausted but I’m looking outside and the weather is perfect, that sucks.

The new girl, we found a winner...

Monday I got up early so I can go and check out my new van. We had a problem with the safety Sensor mat, we just have to wait for a couple weeks and then get rid of it. We cannot put the ramp up or down while I am on the mat but if I’m in the van I’m on the mat. After I got up into the van we couldn’t get the ramp to do anything, we finally figured out that one of the wires got pinched and broke in half. Luckily we called Gabe over and he figured everything out quickly, Gabe retired from taking care of the wheelchair ramps on the Metro bus line... he is a really handy guy to have around. He’s coming over tomorrow to put some eye bolts on my chair so it will be easier to tie me down. We all loaded in the van, there was seven of us, and went downtown for lunch. Robby and I cruised around for a while and then came back home, I am exhausted.

Tuesday morning Gabe came over and put some eye bolts on my chair so it’s a lot easier to tie me down in the van. He also took out that noisy Matt and we had a really nice long chat, he is such a neat guy. Teresa got here around noon and it was cold and windy outside so I decided to just take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed, it felt great. My uncle came over for a while and we talked about how awesome my new van is, I can’t wait to take it for another spin.

Wednesday was another long frustrating personal-care day, REALLY getting tired of this. I am following the diet and it’s not doing any good, I only have a couple weeks left and then I will be able to eat whatever I want again... problem will probably not be solved so I will go to my spinal cord injury doctor like I probably should have in the first place. Today was Cassy’s last day, she’s going to go to school and work for her parents. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage tonight... my uncle was my partner and we won four dollars each.

Thursday was very cold and windy. Teresa came over and got me up and we had an interview for my new afternoon caregiver. Her brother is a quadriplegic and she helps him out, she was not nervous at all... I think it’s going to work out great. She comes back tomorrow for training. The company that used to clean our house came back out to give us an estimate and they start on Tuesday. It seems like everything is coming together. Gabe and my uncle came over to visit for a while and Gabe said that he would help me out with my van, I’m not really happy with where the tie downs were placed. Teresa is off for a couple of months so hopefully we will get a lot done around here, I really missed having her around. Not just because she gets things done but because she’s really fun to hang around with. We went to a sushi place downtown and had a really nice lunch, I found out about them through groupon. Then we went to the nursery and got a few things, went to cost plus and looked around and then went to Ross. We were going to go to Costco but for some reason I haven’t felt really great all day so I just wanted to come home and go to bed, I hope I feel better tomorrow. This is going to be a very busy month so I hope I’m not going to be sick. Hopefully I just need to get a good nights sleep.

Friday turned out to be a really good day. The massage therapist was sick but I still got to sleep in and until 9:30 AM, it felt great. I got to take a nice long hot bath before getting dressed and getting up. Karen mentioned that there was any student art show at UCSC so Teresa and I decided to go up there and check it out, we were not at all impressed and didn’t stay very long. We came home and talked to uncle Dick for a little bit, stole some groundcover from the back of one of his triplex’s and came home to train the new girl Janea. She did really well and I think she’s going to work out great, I am so excited. Instead of standing back and watching she just jumped right in and helped. Her brother is a quadriplegic since she knows a little bit more about the personal feeling stuff, it’s very nice to have somebody like that around. We did the standing frame and some exercises and neck stretches, I am a little bit sore right now but I’m sure I will be really sore tomorrow and for a couple of days. The weather does not look promising in the next couple of days.

Saturday was not looking like a really good day. I got up and took Robby for a cruise but it sprinkled the whole time and by the time we got back we were both soaked. Teresa and I were going to go to Costco but when we got there it was really packed, we forgot it was Saturday. We decided to go to the nursery and instead, I’m still on a quest to find some art for my back porch, it looks so bear out there. I did find a hanging plant, string of hearts, to go in a hanging bird cage that I got a while back. I also found some little garden mushrooms that I don’t know what I’m going to do with yet. We came home and trained Janea one more time before she is on her own, she is going to work out great. I did the standing frame again for an hour and exercised, my arms are really really sore. I took a couple of Tylenol PM’s so I hope I sleep good tonight.

Sunday was another rough day but it’s all better when I get a nice long hot bath. I didn’t get up so the new girl dusted and straightened up both bathrooms and cleaned my room really good, I hate clutter. The day went by really fast. It was supposed to storm but it didn’t, I hope it’s like this again tomorrow.

My new van...

Monday I got to sleep in until 10 AM, I love it when I can sleep in. Daniel was coming to change my tires, check the shocks and replace the headrest on my chair at 1 PM so really wasn’t worth getting up. I did get to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. By the time Karen left the day was almost over so I watched some TiVoed programs and just relaxed. It’s nice to have new tires and know that my shocks are okay. It looks nice outside but really windy, it’s supposed to be like us again tomorrow and then rain on Wednesday, I hope the weather person is wrong about Wednesday. Today went by really fast and I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long night, it’s already 10 PM and I’m not even tired.

Tuesday is hopefully the beginning of beautiful weather, except it’s supposed to rain tomorrow... but after that. I got to sleep in a little bit and then I got up around noon. I took Robby for a cruise down to the wharf and to the boardwalk and then met Teresa downtown for some shopping, LOVE shopping. We got something for Karen for her graduation and looked at a lot of shoes, Teresa got a really nice pair of shoes for a wedding that she is going to. We went to the Tiki room and had some killer calamari and we split a burger with bacon, avocado, pickles and pineapple, the best burger in the world. We also had sweet potato fries. They have a horseradish and ginger sauce that is AWESOME. Our new favorite place to go on Tuesdays... Tiki Tuesday.

Wednesday was another long personal-care day, I’m getting really tired of them. I hope the doctors can figure out what’s wrong. I should have went to my spinal cord injury doctor here but I didn’t, I guess I’ll go see her now and she will probably be able to tell me what is wrong right away. I got a nice long hot bath and went back to bed just in time for the afternoon girl, Cassy, to show up. She fed Robby and then did some grocery shopping for me. I finally got those potstickers I have been craving.

Thursday was a really great day. I got up and got dressed and cruised over to the wharf and the boardwalk while Teresa was interviewing cleaning companies, Teresa and Karen clean my house right now but they are both getting way too busy so we decided to try to find a company to do it. The company that she interviewed was VERY expensive and they don’t do Windows or clean the birds cages. I called another company and they were going to come out today but she got really busy so she’s going to come out on Saturday, when I explained everything to her over the phone she sounded like she would be a lot more inexpensive. Jerry, a friend of mine that was my neighbor when I lived in San Jose, came by today and I’m glad I was home. I had just gotten back from taking Robby on a cruise. We talked for a long time and caught up, it was really great to see him. I took Robby for another cruise, our usual cruise and then came back and rested for a while. Karen came and put me to bed, Robby is sleeping like a puppy.

Friday I got a nice long massage, she straightened out some vertebrae’s in my neck because it was hurting really bad. After she finished it felt so good. Personal care took a really long time again and made me feel miserable so I just took the nice long hot bath and went back to bed, by the time I got back to bed the day was already three quarters of the way over. My mom went to spend the night in Modesto to see my niece graduate, I wish I could have gone. My uncle and my aunt came over to play cribbage, I didn’t start out very well but I only lost a dollar so that’s pretty good.

Saturday the weather was supposed to be a lot nicer than it was. I had another housekeeping company come over to make a bid on my house, they are so expensive. She said that she would work something out with me but I left so that the lady that cleans my house can talk to her and tell her what I need, I didn’t want to keep butting in because sometimes I just can’t keep my mouth shut. I cruised through the lagoon and up to Bay/California Street to look at your sales, they have a lot of them on the weekend. Cassy text me and said that she was out of school early so I was going to meet her at the crape place for lunch. We cruised down to the wharf and through the boardwalk, it was so busy now that it’s open daily, down the reservoir and to Ross. I went through town and then met Cassy and had a crab and avocado crape, it was so good. On the way back it started sprinkling a little bit but in the sun was out by the time I got home. Cassy met me here and put me to bed. Cassy and her family are almost all moved in across the street, it’s good to have them back.

Sunday we were going to get a puppy is together again for a play date but the weather was so nice and Dr. Owens and her family decided to go hiking, I saw the pictures on face book and it looked gorgeous. It’s a good thing because my evening caregiver wasn’t feeling well and said she wasn’t going to be able to make. I slept a lot of the day which felt really great. My van finally arrived about 8 PM and everybody was saying how huge it was, kind of nervous but I will find out in the morning. The lady that drove the van here stayed the night and is going to show everybody everything about it this morning. Gabe is going to be here to check everything out since he is the one that is going to be taking care of it for me, Gabe is awesome. I thought I was going to have a hard time sleeping since I slept all day but I slept really good.