BEACH FEAT...OR BEACH FEET??

Feat...an astounding act of courage...endurance...or strength!!

Feet...take me where I want to go...with courage...with endurance....and strength!!

See these feet...hard to believe they are 66 years old...they don't hurt....they still get me where I need to go...and the most amazing thing is while every other part of my body has grown...my feet are still the same size as they were in high school...and not wanting to brag to much I also need to say that my earrings from my high school days still fit.

Last Thursday my feet completed an amazing feat!!My four week 1,120 hour Parkinson's study at

OHSU in done...finished...completed.  The purpose of the study was to prove that with a daily exercise program you can delay or stall the progression of this disease. I also need to add here that this exercise schedule needs to include at least 3 varied forms of exercise. They had me kayaking...Yoga...boxing...and crazy agility stuff that involved tires and jumping....and then....they would have me do these different exercises while counting from 100 backwards by threes. Jumping through tires...now that was a feat for these feet!!

Two years ago I did this same study with OHSU before they had funding to do the actual study. Before each study began they would hook me up to all kinds of wires and electrodes and then do very technical testing of balance, agility and other things involving cognitive thinking tasks. My goal was to continue with this crazy form of exercise to see how it affected the progression of Parkinson's.

They called me the other day with exciting news. They compared my testing from two years ago with my current testing and I actually scored better now than two years ago. WOOT...WOOT

But....now I have to continue this crazy exercise program...and they have added skipping. So if you happen to see me skipping around my house....while pretending I'm in a kayak....screaming out numbers at the top of my lungs....please don't call the white coat people.


 

A few of my favorite things...

With my very very busy schedule this past couple of months I was thinking I needed to slow down...don't plan so much....say no more often...go back to when life was less hectic. I did have a very hard time remembering that far back...you know..back when life was less hectic. But I did remember a few of my favorite things.

I remember my Mom coming to my room every morning and singing "Good morning sunshine". When a teenager I hated to hear that song because I knew it was then time to get out of bed. Oh how I wish I could hear her sing it just one more time. She loved flowers. Flowers in the garden...flowers in a vase...or just pictures of flowers. I wonder if she would enjoy looking at the 179 pictures of dahlia's I took a couple of weeks ago at the dahlia festival. YES MOM...one-hundred and seventy-nine. What was I thinking??  I think I must have inherited Mom's love of flowers.

Today must be a day of reminiscing because I was also thinking about my husband and pay phones booths. Remember pay phones....oh what fun they were!!  My husband was the king of seeing how many friends he could cram into a phone booth. On Saturday night dates that was not only a past-time but a hilariously fun hobby. I wonder at times what fun things are left for our young teenagers to do now a days? While in the restroom at the hospital the other day the lady in the stall next to me was just chattin away on her cell phone. I think she also misses the booth and so she pretends while in her little stall chattting away on her cell phone. I could say something here about making her deposit...but I won't.

Another favorite thing that I miss is traveling in our motor home with family and friends. When you loose your husband you also loose your lifestyle. I miss sitting down at the dinner table and eating a real meal....yes I know no one does that anymore but I did for 45 years and now it's dinner on a TV tray or standing in the kitchen. My lifestyle this past 19 months has changed 360 degrees....and I miss my old life. 

I miss my husband's friends. He had three really close friends that would visit him often his last year of life...and I miss them. It was fine when I was married to sit for hours and visit with them while Reub snoozed...but now I'm a single woman and they are married and with that status comes a host of other issues.

But since I am a glass half full type of person I would rather count my blessings and list them one by one....but there's not time in this day to finish that list. But I think it did my heart and soul good to reminisce, because by remembering what I miss most....reminded me what I still have.

EZEKIEL 34:26 .....there will be showers of blessings.

The pirate bride!!

This weekend my sister and I were invited on the sailboat of long time family friends to attend a pig roast on an island in the Columbia river. It was a three day event and about thirty sailboats were docked on the island for the festivities. The pig roast was attended by 50 or so people dressed as pirates....acting like pirates....and I think at times they actually thought they were pirates.  Saturday evening they had a pirate wedding performed by a young man dressed as a pirate with his newly acquired internet license stating he was legal to perform marriages.  I had a fun weekend with some old friends and some new friends.

But I arrived home with a sad heart. Sad for a number of reasons. Sad because I had been reminiscing off and on most of the day yesterday. It was the anniversary of Reuben's and my marriage 47 years earlier...and  sad because I received some very depressing news of a dear friend who's long time marriage is ending....and sad because two people dress up like pirates and are married by a reverand toting a internet license to marry...a toy gun...a plastic cannon...a patch over one eye....and a belly full of rum. I was sad because the wedding of these two people was a joke....legal as all get-out...but treated as a joke. 

So this morning I am praying for my very close friend and her broken heart. I am praying for her peace as she talks to her attorney today...and I am praying for the new couple that started their marriage as a joke.

Please God hear my prayers and see my tears!!