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Entries in this blog

The last of 2008 and A New Beginning

Today, December 31, I feel inspired to write down some feelings for the last time this year. Considering my earlier hesitations, Christmas came together pretty well. The house was festive even without outside lights or a tree. The dinner was good even though my brother and sister-in-law were an hour late. I had thought we could have an hour before dinner to chat but that was not to be. Plans are meant to be changed

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi All: Well my emotional roller coaster is coasting along a lot better right now. Most of what has changed is I found my positive attitude again. I still have my friggin' cold (it's not contagious any more) but I am "well" enough to drive with Jerry 50 min from home to take his 96 year old mom out to an old fashioned Thanksgiving buffet at her country club. I don't know if I want to live to be 96 but, if it happens, she is what I'd like to be like. She still lives in her own house, drives, d

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

I'm Still Here

Hi All: This will be quick because I just wrote a blog update and somehow it got lost. Boy does that p.... me off :Tantrum: To make a long story short we got back from vacation and in the midst of my trying to get back to "normal" and on track , our computer crashed :throw: This has been a month from H...... but I am surviving and am on-line altho everything is not as I am used to. The new office program I had to install looks like greek--give me the OLD stuff for this Old girl.   A

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Update

This was the blog I was working on when my computer crashed. So instead of trying to edit it, I'm going to publish it as is. Stroke has taught me it doesn't help to try to be a perfectionist.. So here 'tis: written about October 1:   It's been a couple weeks since we've been back from California. The trip was nice but I am now spending time un-tripping (LOL I know that isn't a word). What that is for me is resting from the travel day, unpacking, doing and sorting the mail, paying bills, c

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Here We Go Again

I think that's a song "Well Here We Go Again" by Dolly Pardon!!! We go to California again Sept 7 for 8 days. This time we are going to fly - nonstop from Tucson to San Diego is only 1 hour and the Tucson airport is small and hassle-free. I've asked for a wheelchair to and from gate. Then we have a shuttle to the rental car. I got great prices on both the airfare and car rental and it sure will make everything easier.   Our destination is Carlsbad again, just an hour north of San Diego

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Time for an update

I never know how to start an entry so I'll just do it! In July we went to Carlsbad, Ca for 12 day (it's about 450 miles; we drove but stopped half-way). Our condo (a timeshare exchange) was VERY nice with many amenities, a full kitchen, separate bedroom and an ocean view from the balcony. The resort had a work-out room my husband Jerry used daily, a great pool and it was easy for me to get around. I took my walker which worked great when I wanted to go to the pool. I used my cane when we went o

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Another Trip!

We leave Saturday for a 12 day trip to Carlsbad, CA. Not a bad drive from Arizona and it will be wonderful to get out of the 100+ degree heat. For some reason I am "confused" with my packing this time, maybe because I have been doing too much and am tired - DUH. I will soon have a few days to do NOTHING except look at the ocean, read, do cross-stitch, listen to calm music when my husband isn't in the condo, etc. (he always has the TV on). Well, I was going to write more but we are ready to lea

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

more expectations

Just checking in with ME and YOU all after a 2 week trip (only part of it was a real vacation!). We got back April 16 but it takes me a while to get back in my "routine" whatever that is! I keep learning things about this new stroke body of mine. I hope one of these days I can learn to to live within realistic expectations. Our trip to St. Lucia was what I call bitter-sweet. St. Lucia is a gorgeous island not too far north of Venezuela, close to Martinique. It takes a LONG time to get there fr

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

I'm way overdue in my blog entry!

I've been meaning to do another blog entry since Christmas...I can't believe it is already April 1. My plans of visiting the strokeNet board more frequently have been in vain altho' I have looked around on occasion; I'm just not active. Since we are getting ready to leave on a vacation, what better time to get my "house" in order!   Things have been busy but not really hectic as hectic goes. We have had something going every month, including relatives visiting from out of state 3 different

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

What will be will be and Happy New Year !

My last blog entry was Dec 23 and I thought I had it SO together for Christmas Day dinner etc. I rested while Jerry picked up mother-in-law Dec 24; the house was clean and things were about as ready as they could be. We had a very nice dinner out that night and we all settled down for a "long winter's nap" while vision of sugarplums danced in our heads !!! Well Christmas Day didn't turn out as I predicted...I should know better to predict. I forgot that with my stroke I cannot multi-task and

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Merry Christmas - I can remember all of this one!

Merry Christmas to me ! My present to myself is my progress. When I look back at last year I can see many improvements so it is obvious that my rehab is paying off. Last year we only had my mother-in-law for dinner and my husband cooked the whole dinner; my 94 year old mother-in-law cleaned up! I didn't invite my brother and his family because I knew I couldn't handle it. I remember sitting in the family room when dinner was being made and crying. I took a lorazapam and went to lay down so

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Better To Do It than to Feel Guilty I Haven't!!

I told myself I was going to blog before Thanksgiving which now it is the 4th day after turkey day and here I am just doing it now. I never liked to journal which may be one of my hang-ups or blocks about this new blogging phenomena. Anyhoo, things have been same-o-same-o with very small improvements. I only know this because other people notice it when I don't - YEH for the other people. My husband and I took my 95 year old mother-in-law out for turkey day dinner. She lives about an hour awa

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Leah's update

It's been over a month since I started this blog and I am WAY overdue for an update. It helps me to know if I am growing forward or backward and right now I feel like I'm going backward. But this too shall change. Our trip to Carlsbad, California, was bittersweet for me. I had to adjust once again to life after stroke and go through another level of acceptance that I could not walk down the steps to the beach or walk to dinner and stroll through the village in the evening. We rented a wheelc

AZ Leah

AZ Leah

Leah's vacation

Well, here goes nothing! I am just starting my blog today and I'm not sure what all a blog is for but I get the general drift! I stroked on May 24, 2006. and was in the hospital in rehab when 2 weeks later I had a large (aren't they all large?) brainstem stroke on June 7, 2006. "They were losing me" so I was put in a medically-induced coma and tubed. To make a long story short, it was pretty apparent I was going to make it after all, after hundreds of prayers from family, friends and people

AZ Leah

AZ Leah