Hello Everyone,
I have lots of wonderful things to report and a new video to share. First, an update on the Sparta house. Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers. Despite our initial concerns about our insurance coverage due to the house being vacant, we are going to be reimbursed for the repairs of the damage caused by the frozen and subsequently leaky pipes.  The house has had a lot of showings and interested buyers but no solid offers have surfaced yet.  We sometimes wonder if the house has not sold because it wants us back!  We miss you too Alpine Terrace…but if you love something let it go (LET US GO!).

Now let’s talk recovery.  Approximately 2 weeks ago, I started working with Ted Dardinski, creator and owner of Project Walk, twice a week for one hour sessions. His experience is obvious and his approach is creative. It’s been a pleasure to learn from him and to plant seed in his head about a northern Virginia Project Walk. Come on Ted, you can’t beat the weather in NOVA!
In addition, I have discovered with the help of my trainer, Eric that using a weighted walker gives me more stability.  This has led to me walking unassisted around the gym faster than I have ever been able to before.  The walker does get a little heavy on the arms, so God bless my BBJ’s (Biceps By Jerry, more on that next post). 

I retook my DAS exam. The DAS is an assessment exam you take at Project Walk which attemptsto quantify any physical return you might have achieved as a result of your exercise program.  When I got to Project Walk, I scored an 11 out of 40.  Last week, I retook the exam and scored a 27!  A gain of 16 points in 17 months- EUREKA!  To go from not being able to stand at all when I got here, to being able to do unassisted sit-to-stands during my exam felt really good.

Yesterday it was gorgeous here! In the morning, Mandy and I when to the Batiquitos Lagoon which is a nature reserve here in Carlsbad. We spent about 90 minutes exploring the backyard paradise with Marley in tow and the sun shining down. It was a hoot! Mandy has off on Wednesdays so we’d like to make it a regular trip. Most of the paths are flat and hard-packed so it was pretty accessible, and when it wasn’t, Mandy made it accessible.

I’m also posting a new video of my trip to Lake Tahoe. Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted a new one, let’s just say there were some “hardware issues”. You should be able to see the video below or in the videos section.

That’s all for now and thanks for checking in,
Rob