Getting back to life...

I just had the best dinner I have had for a long time... yes, Heather is back. I have really missed her, I used to see her just about every day. She was still a little sore from her operation but she slowly getting back to her old self. She made blackened Mahi with Mango sauce, rice pilaf and green beans... it is good to have her back

It seems that I have been having problems for the last month or two and I’m really getting tired of it. First it was bowel problems and now I have a major bladder infection, I got some antibiotics and hopefully I will be back rolling around Soon. Tomorrow my aunt is having about 15 people over for cribbage and dinner, I really hope I’m going to be able to make it.

Luana ended up in the hospital with pneumonia but thank goodness she is going to be okay.

The little girls down the street were having a birthday party and part of their party was a scavenger hunt and they were supposed to come and sing me a couple of lines from the song somewhere over the rainbow but they ran in here so excited that they just grabbed the next clue and ran out so when they came over yesterday they sang the song for me, they are so cute.

Yoda, the neighbor’s dog, stayed here with me last night because my aunt and uncle went to San Jose to play cards with some friends. It was really great to have a dog in the house again. I got a not so gentle wake up reminder at 2 AM why having a puppy next to your bed is not always a good thing... really really bad gas.

I bought a collar for Yoda on Sunday so I can take him for a walk and I am so excited.

We need to order a part...

ATG rehab came out on Tuesday to try to figure out the same problem I had with my chair two weeks before. They calibrated it again and said that they were going to order our part. The guy told me they start with the little things and work their way up until they find out what is wrong, to me this sounds very frustrating and very expensive.

I finally found material that matches the chairs I had reupholstered and I am so excited. I had some antique furniture that I got from my uncle reupholstered and while I was out at I had a couple of chairs that my mom had redone in the same fabric. I got rid of the antique furniture and I now have the chairs that my mom had in my room. I have been looking since I moved here, about eight months, and I finally found it so I'm going to do the drapes and the headboard and footboard. I have the blinds and the drapes for the living room, they just need to be installed.

Yesterday I had an appointment with Dr. Owens because I have been having bowel problems. I always considered myself really lucky because a lot of people in chairs have an ongoing battle with the bowels, I think mostly because they take a lot of prescription medication. I only take one prescription anymore, the rest are all supplements. Unfortunately it is very hard to do an examination in the office, it would be really hard to transfer me out of my chair, so the doctor agreed to come here and I am so glad that she is so accommodating.

Next Saturday a bunch of us are going to get together to play cribbage at my aunts house and Sharon is going to come in early and make me some pillows for the living room that match the drapes, I am so glad that I found her because she is awesome, she can not only sew but she is a massage therapist and a really neat person.

Stupid chair...

When I first the only new wheelchair it took me about eight months to like it. After driving it for a while and even sometimes when I just turned it on it would start beeping and then just shut off. I called several times but they would always tell me that it sounds like it needs to be charged... make sure it's plugged into the wall, make sure it's plugged into the chair, make sure the lights are on on the charger... I have been in a chair for almost 15 years and I really do know how to charge a chair. Finally when I took it in to be repaired for something else it happened with the technician twice so they called me and told me that there was something wrong with the driving mechanism and it would have to be replaced...geeeez. A couple of weeks ago the recline feature would not work every once in a while, usually I would get stuck reclining back and have to wait until it decided to work again. I called and they send somebody out who plugged a diagnostic machine in and said that it needed to be homed so he did that and luckily he could see how many times it got stuck and he called tech at the shop and told me it was Fixed. Last Thursday it did it again so I called and they said that they would send somebody out on Tuesday. It’s done it at least once a day since but yesterday was the worst. On my way to my dentist appointment I was trying to adjust my chair at one of the stoplights and I noticed that it wasn’t working, my first thought was to turn around and reschedule my appointment because the dentist works on me in my chair and it needs to be reclined. I decided to just go one in and see what they say, it was a beautiful day and I wanted to cruise through the park. When I got there I told the receptionist that I was having problems with my reclined system and she said they would just do what they could, they are all so sweet there. Right before she started cleaning my teeth my chair miraculously reclined so everybody was happy. After she finished cleaning my teeth of course the recline system would not work so I was stuck in that particular room for about two hours while they called my mom and she came out with the van. I can drive while my chair is in a reclining position but is definitely not very safe and the hallways were too narrow so I just waited. My dentist came in and started checking out the chair and started pushing it up and it started working again, I was so happy and I’m sure that they were glad to get their exam room back. Hopefully the guy will just take my chair and have somebody check it out and bring it back when it's working, thank goodness I kept my old reliable chair.

I think we're going to see the sun again for awhile...

Just as I say that I look outside and it's pouring rain, I guess I'm not going to the movies today. The last couple of days it has been really nice but it seems like every time I get ready to go for a cruz something happens... a phone call, a visitor.

Heather made another one of her amazing signature wraps, barbecued portobello mushrooms, avocado, red bell pepper and lettuce. I don't know where she comes up with these ideas but I'm just glad that she does.

Charlie came by yesterday and we had a really nice visit, I haven't had a chance to to him like that for a very long time and it was really nice.

It sounds like there's a possibility that Stanley and Corinne are coming for a visit this weekend, it supposed to be really nice.

it has been almost a month since I have written anything so I hope I remember how. Most of the reason is because my voice type dictation was not working and it really takes a lot for me to type.

I guess the biggest change is that I am now... or now trying to be a Mac user. I have noticed that PC users are pretty much treated like reformed smokers treat people who still smoke, I don't smoke by the way.

I went to the Apple store in Los Gatos on Tuesday and I was on my way back Thursday to get my files transferred. It was pretty frustrating the first night and a lot of the next day but I think I'm catching on. All in all I really love it.

I had to be without Heather for almost 4 days, she made sure that I had enough food... or an army but I really missed for stopping by everyday just to say hello. The Coconut Grove sent her to Las Vegas to a seminar. By the time she got back home and got back into the groove of everything she came over yesterday for a couple of minutes. She's going to come back this morning and fix a couple of things and then she's going to come back next week to set me up again because she is going to have an operation and she's going to be out of commission for awhile... it looks like it's my turn to feed her and I sure hope that she likes sushi and Mexican food.

My new home automation system is working really good, technology is so awesome when everything is running right and my brother is a genius.

Next month I'm having a baby shower for Vanessa, my cousin's wife. The last party that we had here turned out really good so I know this one will and I hope we have a lot more.

I decided one day to change the drapes in my living room so my mom, my aunt and I took a trip over to bed Bath and beyond and I really like what we got. We went to get some shears because at night you can see everything that goes on in my house but we ended up getting these really nice-looking shades and instead of a valance we decided to get scarves for the top and we kept the side panels that I had and I really love it.

My neighbor and I decided to start cruising down to natural Bridges on her days off so I had my wheelchair adjusted to go faster so that I can keep up with her, she is like a lightning bolt. She jogs for a little bit and then stops to do push-ups and waits for me... I really love doing it and it's great to spend some time with her and get to know her.

I got two new caregivers and I think they're going to work out really well. They are both massage therapists so that is a huge plus. Unfortunately one of them, Kimberly, is going to move in April but it is really great to get to know her. The other one, Sharon, is also really great and is going to take Kimberly's place when she moves... although Kimberly is going to be really hard to replace.

It looks like Patrick is just about done with the landscaping and it is so unbelievably gorgeous, I find myself going outside just to look around the yard a couple of times a day just to see it. I was going to put a little waterfall on my deck but I think now I'm just going to get a bird bath and put it in front of the deck. There's so many beautiful birds around here and I love to watch them play. I have an orange tree, two tangerine trees and the lemon tree.

I think today I'm just going to stay in bed and relax, watch movies and play with my new computer. I haven't been sleeping very good because I'm too excited about trying to figure everything out but I think for the most part I got it.

A great weekend with friends and family...

It seems like I have been having to stay in bed a lot and it really gets frustrating. It seems like my morning caregiver has been going through a lot and I feel really bad for her. Her baby got real sick and they had to take her to emergency and then of course after that one by one her kids have been getting sick, she has four kids. Then her vehicle got stolen and they totaled it and now her mom is sick in the hospital, she fell in the tub and hit her head... I hope everything gets better for her.
I finally got my permanent tooth, at least I hope it is permanent because I hate breaking my teeth.
Melissa came by Wednesday to wash the Windows and paint them for Valentine's Day, they look so cool.
My brother David got here Thursday night and my brother Stanley is going to come down Saturday morning, Saturday was my cousins daughters first birthday, it is so great when family gets together. I think there was about 40 people here and everybody had really good time. They ordered a bounce house and while the guy was setting it up and older lady slammed into the side of his truck, I felt really bad for her but to be honest don't think she should have been driving because she couldn't see very well. After party at my house we went to Harvey West Park for Linda's 50th birthday party, it was really great to it meet Heather and Linda's friends and family.
Stanley, Janet, David and Corinne went home on Sunday afternoon and my younger brother David went home this morning. It makes me feel so good when all our family can get together and we always have such a really good time... unfortunately it goes by way too fast.
David got most of my home automation programs set up, all that he could anyway. He sent a box through UPS and it was supposed to be here on Friday but I guess they took it upon themselves to reschedule it to be delivered today. Teresa call them and told them that David flew down here from Georgia to install a home automation system for his sister who is a quadriplegic and he has to fly home on Monday, of course are very sorry but there was nothing they can do about it and hopefully Teresa got David a refund because it cost him $80 dollars to send it. I need to find an electrician who can come out and switch out the switch plates for the lights on the walls.

Are you ready for some football...

Everybody keeps saying that after losing a dog they never want to get another one because it is too painful to lose them. It is the most painful thing I have gone through but I cherish the memories and the times that we had so much that I will definitely do it again. The sad times as well as a happy times make us who we are today and that is a good thing.
Everybody was so excited about last weekend being Super Bowl weekend. I went across the street to my aunt and uncle's place and watch the game with them, my cousin and his friend and although the food was great I wasn't really thrilled with watching the game.My first boyfriend cured me of wanting to watch any kind of sports. Him and his father would sit around every weekend and watch anything that had to do with sports and I remember it used to make me crazy. We did go to a couple of hockey games and I started to like that until I got hit in the shoulder. The puck bounced off my shoulder and when it popped up but I thought might be grabbed it and said "that looked like it hurt" and stuck it in his pocket. I was so pissed, I thought that it went without saying that if you got hit by the puck you automatically get it... apparently that I'd ever heard of that and the guy that I was with didn't kick his butt and get it for me.
Friday I went in to get fitted for a back brace. My spine seems to be curving to my right, it has been doing it for some time in my left arm is always sore from leaving on it. They fitted me for a brace and also noticed that my left leg kicks out to the left which makes the top part of my body bend to the left. She suggested bracing my left leg so that it cannot move, in bed is where I have most of the problem because my legs are strapped when I'm in my chair, or start taking Baclofen again. I quit taking Baclofen because it makes you drowsy and I did not have spasms very much, Baclofen is for muscle spasms.