We are heading home!  After 1 1/2 years of hard work and sunshine, Mandy and I are packing up and moving to Northern Virginia.  We have made the fiscally prudent decision to move in with Mandy’s parents and take up residence in the basement (yes we still own the house in New Jersey which is 100% wheelchair accessible).  Conquering the basement stairs is not the biggest concern (I’ll consider the stairs free exercise), it’s how our animals will integrate with theirs.  They have two dogs, one is a thoroughly insane Dalmation with an addiction to chocolate and broken glass.  The other is a geriatric mutt who’s dominance is well established but often questioned by her maladjusted sibling.  How Marley will fit into this hierarchy is indeed a question for Cesar!  As for the cats....we stopped clipping their nails, the rest is up to them.   
Several factors played into the decision to leave California:
1.  Money
2.  Mandy’s Career/Cobra
3.  Robbie’s Career/Cobra
4.  Fleas
5.  Coyotes
6.  Wildfires
7.  Rattlesnakes
8.  Sand...it’s everywhere!

In all seriousness, we both get the feeling that we are ready to move forward.  I have accomplished alot in terms of recovery at Project Walk and have learned the skills necessary to continue the work on my own with a personal trainer.  When I first arrived at Project Walk, I could barely slide my right leg off of my chair, had difficulty standing due to blood pressure and general weakness, and had no activity in my left leg. Today, I am using a walker, and have confidence that my gait will continue to improve and that one day in the near future I will not need this chair at all.  I have made lots of friends and had a tremendous amount of fun during my stay in Southern California.  Although we are excited to begin the next phase of our lives this departure is bittersweet.  Mandy and I have developed great friendships with the people we have met here. Thank you for having us over for holidays when you knew we were alone, for keeping us company during the wildfires, for helping me surf, for watching our animals when we were away, for laughing with us, crying with us and helping us fight the good fight.  I will never forget my experiences in the gym from taking my first steps post injury to watching others take theirs.  I know I have said this before but I’d like to thank all of the trainers I’ve worked with at Project Walk. Your creativity, work ethic and dedication have helped make my dreams come true.     

Our plan for the return trip is as follows: Depart March 28th-head north to the Redwoods and then south east to Northern Virginia with hopes to arrive April 7. We have rented an RV which will house 3 animals, 5 pet beds, a basket of dog toys which includes at least 20 tennis balls that Marley has collected on her walks and that Mandy is refusing to throw away, a litter box, two wheelchairs, parallel bars, stairmaster, a shower chair, and food/water for 10 days. Mandy’s brother Kyle and our friend George will be accompanying us on the trip to help drive the RV and Escape which is coincidently too heavy to be towed behind the RV because it is a Hybrid and chuckablock full of batteries. This is the same Hybrid that is currently in the repair shop because it suddenly needs 4 new tires, new brakes, a wiring repair, new windshield wipers and an alignment.  Have we mentioned our luck isn’t so hot?  The Escape will contain our clothes, Rob’s cath kits (thank God for that Thule!) and our supply of audio books to get us through the midwest.   We have several stops planned along the way and we’ll be sure to take lots of photos and video of the adventure. 

That’s all for now-we’ll be off the grid for a bit starting Friday but we’ll post an update once we are settled in on the East Coast.