As some of you know I have been chosen as a Top 10 finalist in the Rotel Across America recipe contest. Thousands of recipes were entered and I was one of the lucky ones selected! I need votes in order to win the prize of $2000, all you have to do is be a member of Facebook and Vote Here! I would love your support- you can vote once a day through June 30th.
I don't post often anymore, (mostly lurk these days) but I am longtime member and the caregiver to my husband, Patrick, who had a massiv
February 16th is the anniversary date of Patrick's stroke. I have never really known how to properly acknowledge this date. On the one hand I feel like it deserves to be recognized. On the other, it's not really something I want to "celebrate".
I know some of you celebrate the anniversary, Jean with her "I survived" parties for Don, and Asha combining it with her Valentines day celebration to name a few. I respect that their stroke anniversaries are remembered in a way that is right for the
I love him, don't get me wrong. But I have been secretly contemplating on ways I could kill him. Okay, kill is a bit strong. Mame would work...
We are in the process of getting OUR first house. Overall this has been allot of fun, looking at what is on the market, and finding out what our tastes are, what our needs are, and what out wants are. It has been a challenging process, as Patrick and I have different ideas on what will work for us. Thankfully though, we have found our "perfect house"
I feel so down today. So does Patrick. While gathering ourselves to leave OT and go to Speech, Patrick had another mini-seizure. It only lasted two or three seconds, but it was what it was. He was sitting on the mat and just slowly slumped over on his side. I was sitting in a chair next to him in the direction he slumped, so I was able to catch him before he fell completely over. No sooner had I started to upright him than he came out of it, unaware what had just happened. He felt fine, so we de
On Thursday, Patrick and I decided it was now or never to take a drive into the mountains and get some pictures of the Aspen trees in all their fall glory. I am so glad we did! The day was sunny and gorgeous and we were able to get some great pics.
We started up the mountain around 11am with our delicious lattes (sugar free, skinny vanilla, 1/2 the syrup...I am SO that person) and Peter Gabriel playing on the CD player. We drove the same basic route that we took last year. It starts in a qu
I have done something kinda crazy and impulsive, and I am so excited about it!
A few weeks ago, I was window shopping on the internet for a cheap get-away to anywhere. After looking at what was being offered, I saw some deals that I thought might actually be possible. I showed Patrick how much it would cost us for a hotel and plane tickets, and we decided to go for it!
The really crazy part is NOT us deciding to go on the spur of the moment. It is actually because of how long we are le
Tom is a "regular" who comes into the restaurant usually on Mondays and Fridays. He is probably in his eighties, although I have never asked. As a matter of fact, I ask very few questions of him. Usually, I listen.
He has his regular server, Angie, who waits on him. She was the first waitress he had at our restaurant after he and his wife moved here from California two or three years ago. They "got such a kick out of her" they requested her every time since. Tom even says Angie is his "adop
I didn't WANT to do it, I swear!!
Patrick and I decided to clean out the flower pots and flower bed today so that when we are ready to plant, the containers are also ready. They were full of dead plants and flowers.
The first few pots were easy, we just had to remove the dead flowers from the center of the pots, and we left the evergreen plants in there, as they are already starting to perk up for spring. We then moved on to the side of the house where the flower bed is. It is about
Yesterday was a good day. I had Friday off and had planned to do our first deep clean of our new apartment since getting all unpacked. Saturday I am also off, and I had told Patrick and Brandon we would go up in the mountains for the day.
Things didn't go as planned. We got up Friday and started getting ready for the day, and by lunchtime both of my guys decided they wanted to go up Friday instead of Saturday. Well, I comptemplated it a bit and decided, what the heck, I can clean tomorrow,
Patrick has been a busy bee these days! On Monday he had his first day as a volunteer at the adult day care center. This day care program is for those with Alzheimer's or dementia and is located in a neighborhood church. He is volunteering through the local hospital and there were a few hoops to jump through to get started, but Patrick did it with flying colors. His therapists personally recommended Patrick to the volunteer coodinator which was really great of them.
Patrick was adamant a
I am SO EXCITED! Patrick and I are going to go see Les Miserables next Thursday, (Sept 18th) for my birthday! Patrick had told me a few days ago that the show was in Denver so I decided that seeing it again would make the perfect birthday gift. I went to the website and tried to purchase the tickets online but was unable to get any seats except in the "value" section. I called the box office to see if they had any better tickets and it just so happened that they has just had four tickets returne
Miss Sue asked me to update my blog so she would have something to read while she was out running all over the Land of Oz.
I wish I could give an upbeat entry, saying how everything is coming together in my life, but I can't. It isn't all falling apart either, but it's full of frustrations and worries right now. Sometimes it feels like I have so much more to worry about than other people my age and it doesn't seem fair. But at the same time, I usually comfort myself by saying that although my
My family got some bad news Tuesday. My 87 year old step-grandmother had a stroke early that morning. While she may be 87, she was very active and still enjoying life.
It appears that the damage was on the left side of the brain, and she has not spoken and has failed the swollow test she was given yesterday.
She has been very sleepy and has shown nerve sensitivity on her right side. These, as we all here know, are both common reactions to the brain trauma.
My mom and step-dad
I have been meaning to blog forever, just seems I haven't have the motivation and time at the SAME time-lol. So here goes...
APRIL- "Tax day" was actually spent doing something fun. My mom and I were in Dallas so she could participate in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I flew out of Denver and she out of Moline, Illinois and we met up in the Dallas airport for our 2 1/2 day trip. The bake-off paid for her trip but we had to pay for mine, so this was awesome that she chose to take me with her instea
It feels so incredible to be back after well over a month of NO INTERNET! UGH! It's so amazing how addicting and how much I depend on the internet for information. How many things I wanted to investigate, people to talk to....
Well here's what's we have all been up to:
We had a great trip going back to Iowa and Illinois last month. We put over 2200 miles on the car driving around to see everyone! Just call me the road warrior...
Patrick finally got his Bioness about two weeks ago and
Patrick has had an eventful autumn this year. At the end of October he started a two week study at UNC using constraint induced therapy. It was hard for him to follow the program of wearing the mitt while at home, and hard for me to fill out his daily diary of activities, as many nights of the week I was at work while he was home. We both did our best to do what was needed. There were also days where he wasn't in the mood to go in the morning (he had to work HARD!) but I was able to convince him
Patrick is ready to put up the Christmas tree as I write. I am wishing that we wouldn't have to drag any of that sh*t out this year. It's not that I WANT to be a Scrooge, it's just coming at a bad time of year this year. Its not like I am surprised, "Whoops, how did Christmas end up in December?" but just this once, couldn't it come in April?
So I am trying to create the spirit since I am not finding it naturally in myself. In the past, feelings of Christmas would probably would have been
"It's only a matter of time". I've heard that phrase a million times, but never thought too much about what it really means. Isn't everything only a matter of time when it comes right down to it?
************************************
Stevie Ray Vaughan wrote this song, which has always been a favorite of mine. It has as beautiful of a melody as it does lyrics. If you are not familiar with the song, I HIGHLY encourage you give it a listen (a link is at the bottom of the page). It appeals to
Things have changed since the last posting about Grandma. My step-dad made another trip to see Grandma last weekend. I sent him a few communication boards to try and use with her, and my mom had sent a music box for Dad to play for her.
He felt that when he saw her on Friday, she responded well to the music box which I believe plays "Amazing Grace". He also used a communication board her speech pathologist has given her, and he felt that while she could not POINT to the appropriate answers,
That is what it boils down to. We- Grandma most of all- are all at her (the aunt's- I'll call her *B*) mercy right now. Apparently, mercy is in short supply.
I am livid with *B* for the way she is treating my mom, and greatly saddened by the way she has given up on Grandma without even TRYING to get all the facts. She is basing all her opinions of Grandma's recovery on what the INTERN is saying and not even on what the doctor is saying.
My mom, dad and Grandma's sister all believe that
Well, we finally made it. The move is over, the miles behind us, and a new frontier lays ahead.
It seems many of us here on Strokenet are making changes in our personal lives. I would call this, "The Summer of Change". For me, the location of where we live is the smallest of the changes I want to make this year. The real change I want to make, IS me.
I have been thinking for quite some time about my personality traits, or "character flaws" and there are some things I really want to ov
Las Vegas!
We arrived about 930am and managed to get to our hotel by 10:30. I had expected to just check our luggage then check into the hotel around 3-4pm, but when we got to the front desk, they actually allowed us to check in.
That was awesome to have a few minutes to settle into our room and refresh ourselves a bit before hitting the strip.
After we pulled ourselves back together, we headed across the street to the Bellagio hotel to partake in their lunch buffet. We heard it was
After jumping through many hoops, dropping off forms, having evaluations, paying over $1000 out of pocket for driving instruction, modifying our vehicle,
PATRICK TOOK THE WRITTEN AND DRIVING TEST TODAY AND PASSED!
We have been working towards this goal since the first of the year. He passed both on his first try! It is such a relief to have this off our to-do list!
He is now liscenced in THE STATE OF COLORADO! WAY TO GO, SWEETIE!
Should continue to be a good day, we see Les M
Ever wondered what life is like through a dog's perspective? I just read the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and this book was written through the eyes of a dog. I bought it yesterday and finished it this morning- it was so enganging!
(I won't spoil the story, the plot I will tell you about can be found on the book jacket- I hate when people tell you too much-lol)
The book begins with the end of the dog's life. On the eve of his death the story unfolds as Enzo (the dog) tells of his
It just goes to show life aint over after a stroke. Even though for a moment I thought it might be. Please check out this video of me, Patrick, and Brandon. Things we do for love, huh?
Please be patient, it seems to take a moment to load!
Kristen
