December 1

I know it's been awhile since that last update, but that just means there's more news! It's nicer for me to reflect after a couple weeks or even week to week instead of day to day. You don't really notice many differences each day, but you actually appreciate changes after a little bit of time has passed.

Thanksgiving was definitely a day to be thankful for...well, more like a week to be thankful for. We always have Dusty's family over each holiday to have just appetizers. Mine and mom's specialty is all the appetizers and it's always a big hit, so we started a tradition of  "snackmas" a couple years ago, then continued it for Easter, as well as "snacks giving." So, that's what we did on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, James was hunting and everyone was kind of off in different directions (and I knew Dusty would want to watch the Redskins game), so Mom, Dad, Grandma and I went to my friend Katie's house. We've been friends since high school and it was just her and her parents since her sister was at her in-laws with their baby. So, it was just the 7 of us, but it was so great! They were so inviting and really made us feel at home. The only thing that sucked was when I got home that evening (after staying off social media and my phone all day) to watch the recorded Redskins game and saw the Cowboys take the win. (Darn!!)

Oh, but the real highlight of the day was that Mom woke up that morning after having a dream that I could stand with the walker. So, before we went to Katie's, I stood with the walker! I needed a little help getting up, but then I put my hands on the walker and stood completely on my own...not for long, but I still did it! And that's better than the last time I stood with Dennis. He had to block my knees and have a harness around my hips to support me.

On Saturday, Katie and I spent some time catching up and watching the VT game (and I got to teach her how to help me take apart and put together my chair after getting in her car). Life skills, right? ha

Other than all that, I've just been slowing making it through my school work. I took my final (with a 91%!!) and finished one of my classes. Granted, it was just a short course and I still have a lot left, but getting one completely done really made me feel good.

This Monday was my last PT session with the SU students, which I was so upset about because I've really been getting a lot out of it. Luckily, I was talking to one of the girls about adaptive skiing and she told me that her next clinic rotation was at Wintergreen (only about 2 hours away). They were so excited that I showed interest in it that they called the instructor, who came right down to talk to me about it. They do a program called "PT and ski"each Thursday in the months of February and March. They do PT inside, then hit the slopes. I told them to sign me up! I'll be back at KKI by that time, but we'll just have to schedule it so I'll have Thursdays free. I know it'll be a busy few months, but I'm really excited to see all the changes since when I left in August. And we all know I don't do well with down time, so being on the go like that and having PT almost every day will be great.

Lastly, I went to the pool at the gym today for the first time in a few weeks. My arms are already sore from swimming! And I took the walker in the water. I usually stand with it, but have never tried walking, so Mom and I decided to attempt it today. It took a lot of coordination, but I'm glad we tried! Mom had to stand in front of me and push whichever leg I was standing with straight while I stepped forward with the other one. I can't keep my knees straight for very long at a time, so I needed her to push it straight while I weight shifted. I think that'll get better as my legs get stronger. Even with my toe dragging a little bit and her assisting me, I still took four steps! and I didn't have any hip support, so I'm really excited about how aqua therapy will go in a couple months on the treadmill.

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is the abilities expo in DC. Registration is free, so I signed everyone up several months ago. It's a huge event with tons of vendors, workshops, seminars, etc. There's adaptive dancing, wheelchair basketball, art therapy, acupressure, etc. I've been looking forward to it for a long time and think the whole family is going to get a lot out of it. I feel like we are constantly learning new things and having a bunch of actual vendors and other wheelchair users all in one place is going to be so beneficial. And I'm really excited about all the workshops, like yoga, dancing and wheelchair skills. I can't wait to update everyone on what we learn this weekend! Mom and I are going tomorrow, then Dusty and Dad are joining us Saturday...and James might even come on Sunday.