Last week, I wrote about bad days. Well, I must confess, I lied. I actually had a good week. I started the beginning of the week in good shape. I worked on the treadmill (don't get excited, its (5) minutes and if I feel good enough, (3) times a day). Usually, I might have (2) or (3) good days in a row, then I am wiped out for about a week.

Last week, it was important that I keep up my streak of good days because this past weekend I was going to stay w/ a friend for the weekend. I wanted to keep up my streak. I don't know why but I did it! :Clap-Hands:

My friend came and pickled me up and took me back to her new house. We watched her son play ice hockey and went to a very nice restaurant for dinner. The restaurant opened right before I had my stroke and I made reservations but had my stroke instead. So this was the first time I dined there. The food was scrumptous. After not beiing able to eat for (9) months give or take, food is very near and dear to my heart.

I ran into a couple of other friends, it was great to see friendly faces. I overdid and went to bed early and woke up at 11am the next morning. I'd say I overdid.

That day, we baked Christmas cookies, the purpose for this visit. My friend, Charlene, and I have a tradition of baking Christmas cookies and drinking champagne. Now the champagne is an essential part of this process. In the past, the more champagne we drank, the better the cookies tasted. This year it didn't happen. (BTW, after stroke, I can't drink very much. My half glass of champagne lasted me (6) hours). Even the cookies out of a bag didn't turn out. We decided next time, I will be lead cook. I think Charlene's problem is she uses a measuring cup for liquids instead the proper measuring cup for dry ingredients.

It doesn't matter how the cookies turn out. Charlene cracks me up and I laugh all the time with her.

On Sunday, we went down to my small hometown where an antiques shop was having their Christmas Season Open House. I have been walking more and more without the walker. My decision was: hmmmm... lurch like a drunken sailor in an antiques shop OR walk w/ a walker. With visions in my head of "Bull in China Shoppe," I took my walker.

However, the walker was more trouble than it was worth. Yes, the shop was crowded w/ antiques. So, I ditched the walker in one of the rooms ladened w/ antiques and walked around. I did not break anything! It was better this way because they offered hors d'oeuvres and champagne, so now I had both hands free. :cocktail:

As we were leaving to explore other shops, I went to retrieve my walker. There were a bunch of people in the room where I left it. As I entered the room, I exclaimed, "Wow! Look, an antique walker! Wow, I wondered how much it is. This is sooo cool!" I turned to one of the guys who put on this shin-dig together and asked him the price. His face was non-plussed. "Its free," he said. Darn, he caught onto my humor!

I was very pleased w/ my doings for the weekend. I had enough stamina to keep up w/ the crowd and I had a lot of fun. When I returned home, I was exhausted and went to bed early. I awoke at an ungodly hour in the am and couldn't get back to sleep. The next day, I didn't get out of bed until about 11:30am. I talked myself into taking it easy for the day.

Boy, am I Turkey! :im stupid: Today, I am paying for my laziness. I don't feel so hot and I feel I have regressed. So, I have to get off here and get on the treadmill and start getting my stamina back.

But I now have another theory, too. I laughed the whole weekend. Charlene is one of these people who just makes you laugh. She'll say, "Good Morning," and make you laugh. I have had problems w/ my breathing and my oxygen level gets low. I think all the laughter this weekend has opened my lungs and I am breathing better. Which means, I need to exercise and laugh a lot. Laughing is good medicine.

But I'm still a Turkey.... Take Care.