FAMILY

FAMILY
I fight for a cure for me & our amazing children❤️

Thursday, October 21, 2021

LIVING WELL - FEELING WELL๐Ÿ˜


Greetings from cloudy Danville CA. We need rain and we were expecting rain today but so far we've just gotten sprinkles. I mention the weather because this is a good day for me to blog!๐Ÿ™

It's been a few weeks since I've shared my journey with you so I will do my best to capture all the fun I've had! I've spent most of the days listening to my books, walking, meditating, hanging out with friends & family and doing my yoga. I've also found a new love of painting! 

Amazon has adult Paint by Number kits. The first one turned out great and I can't wait to see it after it's matted and framed. The kit cost me $10, the framing cost $200! ๐Ÿคฃ The second one I bought dropped me to my knees. It's very difficult and so intricate & tedious. Some days I can only work on it for an hour. It's looking lovely so far but it sure causes exhaustion and sometimes headaches. I will keep going and can't wait to see the final product. This one will go to Kristen. She picked out the painting and I can't wait to see it in their home.

I'm able to drive now so getting out and about is joyful. Bobs still going back and forth to Chico to care for Jonny and a week ago my bestie and ex-neighbor Sylvia came over to visit when he was gone. We had SO much fun! We watched The Voice and re-watched some Grey's Anatomy! We are both HUGE Grey's fans and don't mind watch the episodes, even if we've seen them 10 times. I'm sure Ellen Pompeo has millions of followers who do the same thing....I know I'm not the only one!

Kristen and I attended a three week 'Connected Horse' workshop in Pleasanton last month too. Being with the horses was amazing and I truly did connect with them. I'm not a rider and I had no idea what to expect but very quickly I fell in love with the horses. We aren't allowed to ride them, this is more of a spiritual experience and a way to be fully present. After each session with the horses the staff asked us to say one word that expressed how the session went. Words like strength, love, peaceful, calm were expressed by all of us. The caregivers learned a lot too and it was beautiful to see the smiles and joy of washing a horse, grooming him/her and leading them around. I would definitely do it again when the next session opens up.

I've been reading a lot too, mostly listening while I'm painting or walking. I just finished AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins. It's part of Oprah's Book Club and I definitely recommend it. I also finished THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger. The non fiction I read this month was THE EYE of the ELEPHANT by Mark Owens. Let me know if you want more info on these books. And please send me your favorites too! Reading/Listening on Audible really helps my brain work and maybe that's why my cognition has been great these past few months๐Ÿ’œ

This year for our WALK2ENDALZ we started fundraising early so we could raise as much money as possible to find a cure. My Intel buddy Terry Raymond has always been a huge and generous contributor but this year he wanted to do something special. We are both fans of Mike Yastrzemski so Terry decided that every time Yaz hit a home run he would donate $100 to #ENDALZ! 

Bob hopped on the band wagon too and decided to match Terry's donations. Guess how many home runs Yaz hit??? 25! He hit 25 home runs this year! The only Giant who hit more was Brandon Belt - he hit 29. I'm not good at math anymore but Terry - the amazing generous buddy that he is - donated $2500 to our WALK2ENDALZ!! When the news got out that Terry was a fan of Yaz and was helping us find a cure, our local chapter of the Alzheimer's Assoc invited me, my husband and Terry to their event at Oracle Park. 

Prior to that one of the Alz Assoc staff and one of our dear friends Ondine had asked us if we were going to the game. We talked about the fundraiser and I told her about Terry's donations and how awesome it would be to meet Yaz and tell him how much we appreciated him. I really wanted to meet him and get a photo. They don't really do stuff like that anymore and nothing else was said and that was OK. Bob and I were going to the game regardless. 

When we arrived at the ball park Bob bought me a YAZ jersey and I was all set for the game with all of our friends. We were strolling down towards the field talking and the next thing I knew we were watching the players warming up. A few minutes later guess who walked over to talk with us....MIKE YASTRZEMSKI!!! I was so overwhelmed and I actually started crying. We talked and hugged and took photos and he signed my hat!!! It was SO fun and I was so thankful for our local chapter for their support. Living with Alzheimer's totally STINKS but it's times like this that bring me so much joy๐Ÿ™

So if that wasn't enough excitement a few weeks later Bob & I attended a black tie fund raising event - PART THE CLOUD. It was at a private residence in Woodside. A gorgeous venue surrounded by beautiful redwood trees. 100% of all the funds raised through PART THE CLOUD support the Alzheimer's Assoc International Research Program. That night over $2 million was raised! It was our first formal event since COVID. It felt so good to be surrounded by friends and collogues from the Alzheimer's Assoc National Office. I'm so very thankful for this event and give all the thanks to Karen Stevenson who gifted us her tickets! We love your Karen๐Ÿ’œ

So as you can see I'm doing pretty well! Feeling good, cognition is good, sprits are high, but my stamina is up and down. I do rest most afternoons and try to close my eyes and regroup so I can enjoy dinner with Bob. Connection with friends and family keep me going!

Rusty continues to be by my side every single day. He's definitely the best caregiver kitty I've ever had. Our connection with family and friends is strong and our WALK2ENDALZ is this Saturday!! I'm very excited to see my friends and family in person and to treat them to lunch afterwards. So far I've raised $20,960 and our team, BUNI'S BUDDIES has raised $37,939!!! I'm super happy and so thankful for everyone's support to help us find a cure. 

That's my update for this month - I will keep blogging as long as I can and I hope you are enjoying this crazy journey of mine. Some days good, some days bad, but I always end the day with a smile on my face.

Sending love and blessings to you and your family. I'm here if you want to talk! ๐Ÿ’“๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’“

 

5 comments:

  1. Pam!What a magical night at the Giants. Such a gift to spend time with you.
    Hugs,
    Ondine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure was!! We couldn’t have done it without you!! ๐Ÿ’œ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ’œ

      Delete
  2. Miss you! Have a great time at the walk on Saturday and hoping maybe I can make one in person next year! Cheers Pam!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That would be awesome Julie!! Thanks so much for your supoort ๐Ÿ’œ

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so happy to share this with you that can read / see this now. When I started trading binary and forex a few months ago, I really didn't have the necessary tools to trade and I lost a lot until I met Pablo Martinez who taught me all about market psychology as he managed my account for me. Today I am grateful to him for his great offer and help because it really changed my financial situation with an investment capital of $1500 and now I'm earning around $35,500 - $30,000 profits per week. Here is his WhatsApp no: +44 7520 636249 or his email address: pm7234029@gmail.com
    Https://www.facebook.com/PM-Fast-Trade-104912912155335/

    ReplyDelete