July 21

I forgot to mention some of the other highlights from the beach...our friend, Judy, welcomed Dusty and I into her beach condo and even offered it up as a place for us to stay if our house didn't work out. It was so great to have another place to go and a good friend to share a glass of wine with. Her and her husband even had us over one night for fresh crabs and it was such an amazing night.

Dusty and I came home last night since he had to work today and tomorrow. Mom and Dad are at Deep Creek Lake with friends for the week, so Dusty is staying the night at the house to help me with whatever I need before he heads to work. And Grandma is here during the day. I've also been fortunate enough to have several friends come by for company and/or food. Today, Maureen spent a long time here and brought over lunch, which we got to enjoy on the porch. And tonight, Christy Jaye is coming by with one of my favorites- sushi! I knew Grandma would be here these two days if I needed anything, but I wanted to have a few friends stop in, just in case we needed anything else and I figured having company would make the days go by faster since we're kind of stuck here. It was amazing to me how quickly people responded to my messages and how willing everyone was to help. I'm continually shown how blessed I am with such wonderful people in my life.

Some fundraisers are coming together. We have a date for the walk/run event at Parks and Rec- October 15! Dusty's aunt and some friends are organizing that and I'll post more information as it becomes available. The thought is that we'll have sponsors and tshirts and really just make it into a big event. Another fundraiser is with LuLaRoe. A friend sells that clothing and wants to have a party in my name. It'll be on Thursday, August 25 at 8pm and we're calling it "Leggings in Motion for Kelly." For every pair of leggings sold, the company will give me $2-3, but she wants to also give $5. They're the softest leggings I've ever owned and I'm hoping it'll be a big hit.

I really want these fundraisers to be successful. Not only to help with the bills that have been piling up, but also to help pay for some of the equipment I need, like the stim bike and a standing frame. I want to have these pieces of equipment in my house because I'm hoping to return to school at the end of next month. I'm stopping therapy in the middle of August for the time being. Dusty and I are meeting with a few of my professors in Philly next Friday. They talked about possible options in order to have me return to the program, and I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone's suggestions. I don't know if they have any of the courses I need available online or if I'd have to move back to Philadelphia full time, but having the equipment would allow me to continue my own therapy at home.

As much as I don't want to stop therapy (mainly because I still haven't hit a plateau and am still slowly improving), I really just want to get this last semester of courses over with. I've come too far to take this much time off and I'm too passionate about this profession to not achieve my dreams. Dusty and I are going to the school for that meeting and then hopefully going by clinic as well. I think I just need to see myself back on campus again and get a better feeling for what I'm capable of doing. Wish me luck!