Mother's Day 2017

Wow! What a glorious weekend we had.  Mother's Day was perfect this year.  We all went to Tilden Park in Berkeley after church and had a BBQ, played some football and soccer and basically enjoyed each other. The holidays have taken on new meaning for me, and yes, Mother's Day is a holiday in our house 😁 Any excuse I have to be with my kids and my grandkids is a blessing. Of course it was my daughter Danielle's mothers day as well, so we celebrated her too.

We spent some time walking around one of the ponds. It was beautiful! Danielle's partner Lisa shared that her mom's ashes were spread there. I love that idea. I love that Lisa and her family always have a place to go where they can 'visit' their mom and feel connected with her. I love being outside and I love the idea of having my ashes somewhere other than at a cemetery or in a box. I would like to do the same thing when it's time for me to go to heaven. I want my ashes to be given to my kids and family, but I also want them scattered so that there is always a 'place' for them to be with me. I find that comforting, and I think they will too when the time comes.

The weeks leading up to Mother's Day have been busy. The clinical trial at UCSF went well but it was a long day, and after the testing for the trial, KVIE from Sacramento filmed another series of testing so that they could use it in their PBS special on Baby Boomers. A few days later I had an appointment with the Social Security office. Wow, that was very difficult. It was another series of cognitive testing to see if I qualify for social security since I'm on long term disability now. All these tests and all the paperwork is extremely demanding and overwhelming. I'm just not good at those types of activities anymore. My brain doesn't comprehend or retain all the information.
 and it stresses me out.

We had a good turnout for the Rivet Revolution fund raiser for Move For Minds. I'm not sure how many bracelet's were sold but we sure had fun. And we made a video of me telling my story to Ellen! One of my goals is to be on The Ellen Show so that I can tell her how much she inspires me and keeps me smiling. Of course I also want to make sure everyone knows the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's and gets to the doctor if they think something's wrong with them. My fingers are crossed that this will come true. Dream big, that's my motto now!! What do I have to lose? If she selects me to be on her show I will be thrilled, if not, I will keep on fighting and raising awareness on a local level.

The rest of May is filled with activities and tests, visits from friends and a short speech in San Luis Obispo, but as I've mentioned before that's my new normal. I made it through the testing and blood work that was done at UCSF on May 1st, but still have to undergo an MRI later in the month. If my MRI is normal I think I will be 100% cleared for the trial!! Fingers crossed and praying that it all goes well.

As I approach the one year mark of taking medical leave from Intel, I can't help but reflect on all the amazing people I have met because of my disease. The list is too long to mention but I have made some very dear friends and reconnected with some old friends from my past. I am CERTAIN that would not have happened if I wouldn't have gotten sick. Thank you all for continuing to support me, taking me to lunch, sending me notes and cards and visiting me when you're in town.

It's a perfect example of taking lemons and turning them into lemonade! Let's all drink lemonade and be happy, and get rid of those sour people, situations and feelings in your life. Rid yourself of lemons and be happy💜