Well, it's been quite a while since I sat down to write another blog! It's hard to believe that we are in the month of April! I've been busy and thankfully COVID is calming down. BTW this is blog #117! I've been sharing my story and my journey living with Alzheimer's for 7 years! Whew -- so much has happened over those years and thankfully I'm still able to write, read, knit, drive, cook, make reservations and share my journey - with the hopes of helping others dealing with this disease.
Most of my days have been pretty good! I enjoy listening to my books, meditating, my bible plans and listening to the 'Pray As You Go' app. I also really enjoy knitting and connecting with my friends and family. The weather is warm now so I'm able to sit outside and hang out with all the birds!
My cognition is ok, actually pretty good. I do struggle with short term memory and have found that I need to write down important details. A few days ago Bob mentioned some events he was going to. I made the mistake of not writing it down! Most days I keep my journal with me and when I get on the phone with my friends & Family I make sure to take notes on what we talked about. It's not that annoying but I'm sure it's not fun for my family and friends.
I am staying active and enjoying my Yoga classes and my walks around the Iron Horse Trail. I still enjoy my audible books too. I just finished the Sea of Freedom by Sarah Lark. I also really enjoyed Anatomy by Dana Schwarz and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I'm so thankful for the Audio version of these books. I don't think my cognition works well when I'm reading so I just don't bother with it.
I had a lovely time connecting with one of my hero's - Eric Dishman last month! All of my Intel buddies will know who he is. When Eric got sick many years ago he shared his journey and wrote about his struggles. He is the one that inspired me to be brave and share my story in order try to help others too! That's why I started blogging after I got my diagnosis. I'm so glad he's doing well and hope to connect with him again soon.
In February we lost our dear friend Michael Chernow😭 I was able to fly out with my friends Monika & Louis so we could attend his funeral. Michael's wife is Monica and we've been friends for over 30 years. I told Bob I needed to be there and he helped me get my flights. It was rough but I'm so glad I was there to surround Monica and her kids with love and hugs.
On a happy note I was able to attend the East Bay Women's Conference in San Ramon. Bob was very involved in this and I was so happy that Brittany came with me. She was my caregiver for the day! The speakers were phenomenal and I'm so glad I was able to attend. I even got dressed up and put makeup on!
I've recently been speaking at a few events over Zoom. I did a FaceBook Live event with Claire Day and earlier that day I spoke to the staff at Genentech! It was so fun to share my story, my journey of living with AD. I'm really hoping that I can do some IN PERSON events soon! I do think that COVID is slowing down so lets hope and pray we can hug each other again💓
Kristen had a birthday this month and it was nice to go to a restaurant! Her bestie Candi and I took her to dinner and a Peruvian restaurant! YUM - it was delicious. The downside was that it was SUPER LOUD!! I thankfully had ear plugs with me. I'm sure I've mentioned how sensitive I am to loud noises now. And I ALWAYS have ringing in my ears so adding loud noises really messes me up!
A few weeks ago my high school buddy Jane came over. She ordered food for us, picked it up and we ate at the dining room table! It was so much fun. Normally we meet at restaurants but eating at home was really fun. I'm so thankful for her - I know she's still working full time but she still makes time for me.
Bob's son Phil was in town last week! I hadn't seen him since COVID and it was so wonderful to hang out. We sat outside at one of our favorite spots - CRUMBS. These little moments mean the world to me.
A week prior I had a WONDERFUL visit with Matt Gunsul and his family. Matt used to work for me at Intel and he promised when he was in town he would make time for me. He was on Spring Break with his wife and kids and we had a wonderful time at breakfast. Thank you Matt & May💜 Oh- and since I paid for lunch he donated to my Alzheimer's Walk! That's the kind of guy Matt is.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about Celly and my time with Ryan & Kristen! Celly is always the center of attention and is the sweetest dog EVER. I just love spending time with them and thoroughly enjoy wrestling with my grand doggy🐕
I also had a lunch date with Rebecca in late March! And a few days later she got married!! She also adopted a new doggy! Her name is Maisy and I can't wait to meet her. After our lunch date we went to a pet store so of course I had to buy Maisy a toy. I bought her a SLOTH!!! And guess what, she LOVES it. Thank you Rebecca for sending the pictures of Maisy playing with her Sloth!
Every day is a gift and I am so thankful for all my friends and family who look out for me! A few days ago Debbie and I connected and talked and talked. Friends are EVERTHING! It wasn't anything special - we just grabbed two chairs, ordered some coffee and talked about anything and everything! That's what I like - no agenda, no drama, just lots of fun and love and support.
So that's what's been going on with me. YES I have constant headaches, YES I have constant ringing in my ears. But the good news is I am fully functional and other than the short term memory stuff I'm doing pretty darn good!!!
Many thanks to all of you for your love, prayers and support🙏 And I look forward to seeing all of my Intel buddies on April 23rd at PEDRO'S!!! I cannot wait to see you and give you a BIG HUG🤗.
