There were some different decisions and complication.

But it was LOTS of fun.

I was incredibly hot.

Supermodels were jealous.

You’re thinking “HOW DO I GET THAT COOL?”

You can’t. Just deal.

Today I’m celebrating my 64th birthday.

THEORY: If I lie and tell people I’m 29 they’re going to think that I look like absolute crap! If I tell them I’m turning 64 they think I look ROCKING for my age!!

And at Babble you can read about having an example at dealing with handicaps.

And because it IS my birthday I extended your chance to win a necklace from Blend Creations!

Not because I had critically important thing to say, but because my therapists would recommend working my brain.

Write, they said.

Think, they said.

Post, they said.

But, do it well. Notice they didn’t say THAT!

After I got back in the habit of posting and relatively comfortable sharing the thoughts inside my broken brain, the doctors pushed me to keep working my brain.

“Words With Friends” – a Scrabble-esque Facebook game – became my next hurdle.

There were huge hurdles.

The phone.

The radio.

Being with people who stared.

Words With Friends.

The words started out very basic. I was an opponent’s dream, a sure win for them.

It was almost a physical pain to look at the letters and make a word form THEN transfer from the bottom of the screen to the the appropriate spots.

It was a blow to my pride to know I used to never lose a Scrabble game.

I could barely make the word D-O-G if you spotted me the D and the G.

But I kept playing.

I kept losing.

I started to get more comfortable with the letters.

The point margins got closer.

I don’t remember the game but I remember the feeling the first time I won.

Since then I’m more of a challenge with every game.

I play for fun along with brain strain.

I will keep playing.

Hopefully, WWF becomes less of a brain drain and mere relaxing pastime.

Someday I will win more than I lose.

Someday.

photo credit

We got him as a kitten from the Humane Society.

He’s what you call a “Manx”, or a cat with no tail.

He has an attitude, walks like John Wayne and is the perfect cat.

When we got Puppy I didn’t know I was going to end up in a wheelchair.  I just took him because REALLY? A kitten with no tail?

Destined to be ours!

But, life happened and I had the strokes and ended up in a wheelchair.

I didn’t really think about it, but our cat would have had his tail run over more times than I could count.

Which, cat revenge?

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at Babble I wrote about putting on our grown-up panties

It was pretty.

We got to see the B-52′s!

We ate a brownie.

With carrots. and spinach. and orange juice. and flaxseed.

THAT.WAS.PHENOMENAL!!

For real.  I bought one.

Yes, the Harvest Moon Festival was a lot of fun and Callaway Gardens was a lovely experience.

But, what made it wonderful?? The fact that we had every expectation of the place to be inaccessible and were WRONG.

Yeah, the beach was off-limits, but I plan to tell them about the wonders of having a few sand beach chairs available.

The music was loud was loud, but because it was outside I could get away from the direct noise and still enjoy the concert…my first since the strokes.

It was a hilly, but for someone that doesn’t get to enjoy being out side much because of the lack of concrete, the walkways and paved paths were a joy.

We go a LOT of places and experience how loosely they use the the words “handicap accessible” when building bathrooms.  The bathrooms at CG were large enough that we could both get in without the BATHROOM DANCE we’ve had to learn.

THANK YOU, Callaway Gardens to opening our eyes this great place we could enjoy as a family.

THANK YOU, for not forgetting how important accessibility is, not just convenience, a must-have

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I wrote at Babble about how you can help your kids be better hospital visitors.