What a week-end. We celebrated Bill's 57th birthday here Friday evening with about 15 friends. I'd gotten a 3' sub, made baked beans, Watergate salad, put out some chips and dip and even bought his cake. I wanted the fellowship, but not the work - getting the house ready was enough!! It was really alot of fun and Bill did enjoy it. He still hasn't quite grasped that he is 57 and asked again yesterday how old he was on his birthday. Everybody is different, but Bill's family seems to treat this as an "old" age - not just in Bill. My grandparents both passed away at 90 and in their 80s still referred to their friends as "those poor old people" - somehow excusing themselves from that "old" group. My folks, likewise, until they got very ill in their 80's had never admitted knowing "how it feels" to be old. So, I keep reminding him he isn't old! Because I'm older than he is and I sure am NOT.

Yesterday I did a first. A new shopping center has opened here and Bill sent me off shopping while he slept. He was really tired out from all the festivities of Friday night and wanted to sleep. I decided to do it. Off I went - and ladies - my trip was VERY successful. I hadn't bought anything in a store other than underwear since Bill's strokes, for me that is. I've begun to feel like I really LOOK the role of caregiver since I've made a concerted effort to help him maintain his dignity by always dressing just as he did beforehand. He is just now wearing jeans, startched of course, and of course his shirts are startched. In the meantime I'm still wearing the jeans I got off the internet 4 months ago with tops I've had several years. So, I did it!! It was fun, and he liked everything I got so I think it had to be successful. Besides, he handled his sleeping without me just fine. (I kept thinking about something Marty told me a long time ago about his hesitation about having his wife leave his sight after his stroke, but how that had changed and now he actually enjoys those times when she goes about her way. He's progressed further than Bill ever will, of course because Bill won't ever be able to be independent to Marty's degree. But Marty's words kept coming back and I remembered how thankful I am for his wisdom and sense of humor and hope!!)

Last night we went to our Saturday night AA speaker meeting where our good friend picked up a 7 year chip for sobriety. Then about 24 of us went out to dinner afterward. I always am amused when the big crowds go to restaurants with bar service and they come around offering drinks and we get cokes, tea and coffee! I can almost hear the 'oh sh**' they're here again! I know normally a crowd like that is going to bring in pretty good money to the bar - we just eat alot!!! It was a good time and it was kind of funny - they couldn't put us all together so, the "kids" (the under 40 crowd) got the table for 16 and we got the table for 8! Again, another lovely evening.

So, this morning Bill is still asleep and I'm awake and able to take some time with more of my favorite people here at the stroke network. What blessings I've enjoyed this week-end.