dinner

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Workout #Homeless #Strength

Today started out great for Janet according to Jess who said she was laughing a lot, working hard in the gym and just generally really bright. Of course when I got there she was in bed but not sleeping and the first thing she did was ask me “what the lady said about her house”. It’s amazing to me how Janet can lock in on an event or topic and remember it for a few days yet not always remember my name or what she did a few hours earlier. I was thrilled she did remember about the house and Jess told me Janet is worried about me as I have no where to live. Unfortunately that remains the case as the lady who owns the house we had our eye on is apparently in no hurry to sell. Looks like we will be renting something until we find a place worth buying.

Following her little rest time Janet had the choice of helping with dinner or going to the gym, she chose gym and ended up having time for both. She delivered a very strong performance on the Shuttle this afternoon, an improvement from yesterday and a dramatic improvement from earlier in the week. I can see she’s making gains and I think we’ll come out to Connect on Sunday and hit the gym so she doesn’t lose much of what she’s gained. Janet isn’t too happy with that idea but I think that almost three days off is too much and gaining strength is too important. A good example of her improved strength is her ability to transfer from the wheelchair to the Shuttle unassisted except for a little lift of the right leg at the end. When Janet first started using the Shuttle I had to literally carry her onto it. Her pole transfers at the bed and in the bathroom continue to get better as well and tonight she made a couple of good steps with her right leg while transferring from the toilet back to her wheelchair. Nice move!

In order to give Janet time to help prep dinner we postponed the stretching routine and made our way to the kitchen. Janet was able to work with Curtis in making a salad to go with the smokies and perogies on tonight’s menu. I could see Janet cringe when she heard what was being served and I give her a lot of credit for eating what she was given. That’s a pretty lame meal and if it wasn’t for the salad I’m not sure what nutrition anyone would have gotten. Janet did a decent job of chopping things but still moves from one thing to another before completing the first thing and ends up with a mess of half cut stuff on her cutting board. Curtis taught Janet to use some nails embedded in the cutting board to hold whatever she was cutting still and that seemed to help. Janet was very determined to complete her task despite the challenges.

The sun surprised us after dinner so I insisted we go for a walk. Janet wanted to get the Standing Frame over with but I felt the fresh air and sunshine ought to be taken advantage of and we ended up enjoying a nice warm walk. We spent the hour with Janet in the Standing Frame looking online for rental properties and have a couple options to check on tomorrow. The rest of the night was pretty quiet and Janet was asleep minutes after I got her tucked in just before ten.

Praying for a place to live and for Janet to continue gaining strength and awareness.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #realestategames #house4sale #standup

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Within twenty hours of the For Sale sign going up on our front lawn we got word of an offer being readied. I gave Connect a heads up that I’d be taking Janet home for the evening and when I arrived she was waiting in the living room all smiles and ready. No one had told Janet why she was going home today and when I asked her she very smartly and correctly said “the lady that looked at the house wants it”. Brilliant!

Janet’s day had been a full one and she pointed out that she’d already done an hour in the Standing Frame, meaning she wasn’t doing any more. We had time to stop at the grocery store on the way home and Janet was a good helper again especially in loading stuff onto the conveyor for checkout. We got home in time for a Fresca before Les arrived with the offer. Janet enjoyed the discussion around the subjects and dollar amounts and I’m really glad she could be a part of it all. She did another great job signing her name and initials. We went back and forth a few times on the dollars and as of this writing we don’t have a deal. There are two showings scheduled for tomorrow, so here’s hoping.

After the initial offer presentation it was time to make dinner. Janet did a great job cutting up some green beans for us and wiping and setting the table outside so we could enjoy the nice warm evening. We had agreed to stay around the house as long as we could in order to play the real estate game as long as possible so we watched SYTYCD before driving back to Connect arriving at 9:45. I thought maybe Janet would be too tired for a trip to the gym but she agreed to go as she acknowledged she was only ready for bed if meant not going on the Shuttle. Once again she did a great job but blew me away with her standing afterwards. This time I watched the clock and for two minutes twenty seconds Janet stood without assistance. She even managed to sway a little from one side to the other to try and get more weight on her right leg. I had to talk to her the entire time and remind her she wasn’t going to fall and this time she did the best corrections she’s done with the fewest attempts at grabbing me. Very exciting.

Her efforts in the gym were enough to make her agree it was bedtime and just before eleven I said goodnight Janet and she said goodnight George. Oh well. I’m thankful for the time we got to spend at home tonight and for the incredible progress Janet has made. Praying for rest, healing and a day of more firsts tomorrow.

Anniversary. We celebrate ten years together. #TSJ

April 19, 2003. Lynn Valley United Church

April 19, 2003. Lynn Valley United Church


Today I am happy to say is the tenth anniversary of Janet and I being married. At our age, ten is not a huge number for married years but boy has a lot happened over that time. All seven of “our” kids are “grown up” and are out on their own, we moved to Kelowna and have been through career changes and life changes and have developed a network of friends and supporters unlike anything either of us has ever had. I am blessed to be married to Janet and we are blessed with family and friends that we love dearly.

The day together got off to a bit of a rough start as I delayed my arrival so that Janet could do her routine things, including a nap and be rested and ready for our dinner date tonight leading into the weekend at home. Janet was in bed when I got to Connect but wasn’t sleeping and after the surprise of seeing me wore off she started crying as she had been waiting for me all afternoon. I told her last night I’d see her towards the end of her nap and we would get ready to go out to dinner. She remembered the going out for dinner part well as she refused lunch but forgot about the arriving after nap time part. It’s nice to be wanted but that wasn’t the way I wanted to start the weekend. After lots of talking while laying down with her she fell asleep for an hour and awoke refreshed and determined to go out. I had brought some fancier clothes to try on her for dining out but the pants that barely fit her a month ago no longer do so back to the usual pants we went with a slightly dressier shirt than normal.

Dinner was at Bouchons, a French bistro in downtown Kelowna. I had showed Janet the menus from there and one other restaurant that we both really like and she chose Bouchons and a great choice it was. Very good service, beautifully presented and prepared food, a good wine list and a really cute room that is bright and lively without being loud. Janet really enjoyed her dinner, even commenting on it later on her own, something that never happens. I’m sure it was the food but it could have been the wine too. Janet actually had two glasses tonight as the baked pear tartlet she started with commanded a lovely Sauternes to accompany it. A great start and it was pretty funny watching her drink the Sauternes and a glass of Viognier during the main course. Just before the mains arrived I presented Janet with an anniversary ring. Something I would not have gotten away with prior to the aneurysm. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she knew how to put it on and on the correct finger too. There is a video of the presentation on Keek.

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Janet chose ice cream at home for dessert in typical Janet style and we enjoyed that while I showed her our wedding pictures from ten years ago. There were lots of laughs, a few surprises and some memories kicking in as we scrolled through them all. We both have to laugh at the fact there isn’t one photo of just the two of us on that day. Silly us.

Janet went to bed, full and happy and looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.

The intent of this blog has never been to shine a light on myself at all and I don’t want you to read this next story in that way. I include it so that we all may remember the power of words and the importance of taking action.

As Janet and I were leaving Bouchons we spent a few minutes having the hostess take our picture and after that we went outside so I had room to put Janet’s coat on. While doing that a gentleman who had been at the table next to us came out of the restaurant saying he wanted to thank me. My first response to him was “for what?” but I knew by the look on his face what he was going to say next. He went on to praise me for my care and love of Janet and how inspired he was to see us together. I’m never sure how to respond to compliments like that so I reiterated by commitment to Janet and thanked him. I truly thank him for leaving his table, coming outside to shake my hand and “thank me”. Kind words delivered that way have enormous power. Janet almost cried after he left saying “that was really nice” and I am touched thinking about it now. Something prompted him to take the risk and come out and talk to us and by obeying that prompt he made two people very happy. It has been my prayer since very early on in this journey that Janet’s situation be used to inspire others. That prayer has been answered many times and I pray it is many more. If you get a chance to say a kind word to someone, anyone, do it.

Thanking God for everything.

Devious? Janet planning to avoid the gym. #TSJ

I took my time going out to Connect today as I had an appointment to look at a Condo then get my haircut so I figured on arriving near the end of Janet’s nap time. She was waiting for me in the living room with a cup of juice in one hand and a big grin on her face. Former resident, Clint, was there to meet with his “worker” so it was nice to see him. Janet was not showing any signs of needing a nap so we hung out for a while chatting to Clint and Jess reported she had had a good day so far. Lorne had her in the gym “for a long time” and Mary Lou did some speech with her. She ate a large breakfast and lunch and hadn’t argued about drinking yet. She did argue about nap time though. After all the updates and chit chat we headed to Janet’s room for a bio break and were talking there afterwards when Garrett stopped by to ask Janet if she was going to have a nap or help prep dinner. In one of the quickest and surest responses ever, Janet loudly said “help with dinner” and was wheeling out the door immediately.

Dinner tonight was the roast chicken that Janet helped to spice up yesterday and she was given the task of chopping some asparagus and some potatoes to go with it. Using a rocker knife she needed no help with the asparagus and a little downward pressure from me on the potatoes. She then set the table and was visibly pleased to be doing these things, repeatedly asking in a loud voice if there was anything else she could do. Not sure where all this energy was coming from but I’ll take it.

We had to wait a while for the chicken to cook so I read some Slow Dance to Janet and once again there were a lot of similarities to note and this time they centered around rehab and the importance of Physio Therapy. Towards the end of dinner Janet was given the choice of going to the gym or the coffee house down the road to listen to some music. Normally she would reject a social activity like the coffee house but when it was placed against going to the gym the decision was easy. As we headed to the car I mentioned to her that this is the second night in a row where she hasn’t had to go to the gym. Janet said “ya, it’s great!” So much for what we read earlier, or maybe she remembered the part about rest being just as important? Garrett took Derick and Humberto and new staff member Keri (new to Janet’s house) and Janet and I followed in our car. Unfortunately when we got to the coffee house it was closed as they only do the live music thing on the first Wednesday of each month. The others went for a drive to Kelowna and Janet and I drove around Lake Country a bit since we are still rather unfamiliar with it. We managed to get up high on the hill to the east of town where there was a nice view looking down to where even Janet could see Connect. We also explored the area near Wood Lake and were disappointed at how inaccessible the waterfront is there. Most of the beach is privately owned and the one public area is not wheelchair friendly at all. Made me appreciate all those walks to the beach last summer at KGH even more.

I thought Janet would crash early tonight since she had no nap and she did fade a little during our drive but once back at Connect she wanted to play a game on the iPad. She chose the math game and did amazingly well for the first fifteen minutes or so, actually the best she’s done with me. Maybe it was the lollypop she was enjoying while we played or maybe she’s just getting smarter in her old age. I was impressed. That brain exercise did use up the last of her energy for the day and she very willingly got ready for bed but not until she was able to bite that lollypop into oblivion. It was quite difficult for her but when she finally did it she smiled with satisfaction.

Thankful for an enjoyable time with Janet today and the spark she had. Praying for rest and healing tonight and a successful session in the pool tomorrow with lots of energy for the rest of her day.

Poker Queen. Janet cleans up at Poker Night. #TSJ

With the idea of trying to figure out why Janet complained of a sore throat the last two nights after taking her Dilantin, I stopped by for a chat with her doctor before going out to Connect today. Without seeing Janet and being able to examine her throat it’s hard to say for sure what’s going on but based on the fact Janet seems fine the rest of the time and is not bothered by trying to swallow any food or drink her doctor suggested trying to flush the capsules down with a good portion of water. When I reminded her how hard it is to get Janet to drink anything she suggested yogurt or something like that. Depending on what the capsules are coated with it is possible they would cause some irritation if not completely swallowed. The doctor was surprised to hear that the neurologist has not contacted me yet and will follow up on that as she feels it’s important Janet sees him soon.

Janet had just finished her sing along session with John and was having a bio break when I arrived. She smiled then started crying complaining that “I don’t belong here, there’s no way I’m going to go”. Realizing she was talking about going to the bathroom I told her it’s a good thing to try before nap time and I walked over to her desk and back. By the time I got back she was peeing and laughing about it. She was having a good day so far. Jess said she showered well and toileted well this morning then had a really good workout in the gym. Janet said it was fun singing with John, even singing the Titanic song. Glad I wasn’t there for that one. I had to lay down with her for a few minutes until she fell asleep then I went to talk to nurse Jen and Tez.

I filled Jen in on the sore throat thing and she agreed the water and yogurt would be good things to try. Tez was pleased with my report on Janet’s pool experiences and will come with us next Thursday to see for himself and give me some pointers on how to improve the routine. He says it’s important to work on the big things like kicking and floating and standing as opposed to little things like range of motion stuff. Just prior to speaking with Tez I got a surprise call from Dr. McCann’s office. There is a spot open next week where he could Botox Janet’s legs! I am still in the process of trying to reduce our Pharmacare premiums so I was worried that if we did the Botox now we might be paying too much if Pharmacare changes in our favor. I asked Tez for his opinion and he feels that although there is no guarantee Botox will work for Janet the window of opportunity for having success with it is closing so the sooner the better. Her actual appointment is July 10th and that is too long to wait by passing up next week’s chance. I called Pharmacare and they said they would reimburse any difference after the review of my application is complete. So Janet will go next Tuesday for another round of Botox in her legs and then the focus of her PT routines will be on stretching them as much as possible.

After her nap I told her the good news about the Botox and she immediately started to cry. Seems she remembers all the needles that treatment requires and does not want to go through that again. It took about a half hour to get her calmed down enough to have the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Mary/Gaga was a big help in giving Janet a sense of relief about the Botox and as the evening wore on I had Janet share the positive news with everyone she saw so as to build it up as a good thing. By dinner time she could talk about it without crying.

Setting the table and helping to make mushroom gravy built Janet’s confidence tonight and her and Garrett seasoned a chicken for roasting tomorrow as well. That kept her focused for half an hour and feeling useful. Maybe she was too confident as both Garrett and I failed to convince her to go to the gym tonight. She caught on to the fact that if she agreed to play poker she wouldn’t have to go to the gym so that’s what she chose to do. And a good call it was. Janet has no clue how to play the game and with all the chatter going on around the table and a new dealer who didn’t really know what she was doing it was not the night to try and learn. But it was fun as I helped her along. Each time she won a hand she got a massive smile on her face and by the end of the night it was down to her and Brandon left in the game with Janet holding at least twice as many chips as him. Because of the time we agreed to play one hand all in and Brandon won so he got to chose from the prize box but Janet couldn’t have cared less as she was still playing with the colorful chips. She helped me put them away and I think she enjoyed stacking them in separate colors as much as she did playing the game. That was a fun and different experience for her.

With water and yogurt ready I gave Janet her Dilantin before she started her nightime routine thinking the longer before she lays down the better too. There were no problems tonight at all. She took the capsules first try each time and drank a good amount of water along with a few spoons full of yogurt. No complaints or coughing or anything.

Praying for a restful night and an active day tomorrow.

Energizer Janet. Party all night long? # TSJ

When I arrived at Connect early this afternoon Janet was working on a bowl of chili for lunch. I had to help her speed up the process a little as we had an appointment downtown and I wanted to stop at the lab first for her Dilantin test. While she was slurping away, Karl’s puppy, Charlie, came to the table for a visit. I picked him up so Janet could pet him and I’ve not seen such a happy face on her for a while. She had a huge smile while Charlie kissed her and ate the bits of spilled chili off of her shirt saver. Apparently they have developed quite a relationship as a couple days ago Janet was sleeping in her comfy living room chair and Charlie was sleeping on her lap. Karl says he’s pretty hyper with everyone but Janet, he loves snuggling with her.

Our afternoon appointments went well and we even had time for a nice walk through City Park before going home. Janet didn’t remember being there before until we got right out to the lake where you can see the bridge. That was familiar to her. It was a beautiful day here and I’m glad we got out to enjoy some of it because when we got home it was nap time.

Janet didn’t resist the nap at all today and would have had a great one if she wasn’t woken up twice by Nash barking stupidly. I wasn’t sure how long she’d last tonight based on the sporadic sleep but it didn’t seem to phase her at all. In fact she set a record for staying up tonight and was very much engaged the whole evening.

Wayne and Brenda had invited us for dinner with Joel and Kiko and Ramona and Felis. I was confident Janet would enjoy the company but had no idea she would do as well as she did. She was smiling pretty much the whole time we were there and laughed loudly a few times and engaged in conversation a couple times too. She ate well and hardly spilled anything, she drank water, wine and coffee and gobbled up a delicious dessert. Brenda had kindly agreed to start the evening early for Janet’s benefit so we were all there by 6:30. I thought Janet would be good till maybe nine or so, it was 10:35 when we got in the car and we’d only done that because I didn’t bring her Dilantin thinking we wouldn’t be out that late. Janet was very chatty during the drive home, was in no hurry to go to sleep once we got there and in fact didn’t start snoring until about 12:30 which is why this post is so late. It was a really fun night with everyone and especially fun watching Janet enjoy herself so much.

Praying for a restful night of healing and a fun day tomorrow.

Surprise Ending. Janet finishes strong. #TSJ

By the time I was half way through my visit with Janet today I was prepared to write about another day where she took a step back. Our visit started off with her eating pieces of cantaloupe while watching TV in the living room. Lorne told me she didn’t want any lunch today hence the fruit snack. Janet told me she didn’t have time for a nap yet and reluctantly went to her room with me to try. No dice, as there was a lot of noise outside her room with Derrick moving in and Clint getting ready to move out. Every time I felt like Janet was nodding off she would open her eyes and smile at me like she was playing a game. Her day had been busy but not too busy for a nap. Jess had her in the gym and said it wasn’t Janet’s best effort ever. The singing session with John was cancelled again as he is still sick so actually Janet had lots of time to nap. It was very obvious the rest of the day that she felt the effects.

I got her up and ready for the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Janet was talking much better than a couple weeks ago but not as good as yesterday with Cam. She still demonstrated an increased ability to recall short term memory stuff and relate to the topic of the conversation. We called Laurel right afterwards, Janet’s volume was turned down a notch and she wasn’t quite as engaged but still came up with good answers to questions and enjoyed the chat.

Tuesday is Janet’s day to help prep dinner for everyone. Tonight’s menu was salmon, quinoa and asparagus. Garrett coached Janet through opening the packages of salmon and placing them on baking sheets. Janet poured and spread teriyaki sauce on them then chopped some peppers and cucumber to add to the quinoa she had measured into a pot. Despite being visibly tired Janet did a good job with everything needing help with the peppers but not the cucumber. She thought it was fun to chop and measure things. She ate a relatively small portion for dinner and I attribute that to her tiredness.

The plan after dinner was for Janet to go to the gym with Curtis once he’d had his dinner. While we waited we looked at Nancy’s pictures from Africa on Facebook and Janet put away her laundry. Another task Janet strangely gets pleasure from. She got more and more tired as time passed saying she’d rather just go to bed early tonight. Curtis came in and I asked Janet one more time if she wanted to try the gym for half an hour. To my shock and awe she said yes and off she went. I’ve been speaking to Janet a lot about the need to keep working at getting better and so have others and I think it’s starting to sink in a little. There is no other explanation for her decision to go to the gym tonight. It would have been so easy to give into the tiredness and go to bed. I was really happy with her choice and we had a good talk about it when she got back forty five minutes later. She didn’t have the big smile on her face like last night but was able to understand she had done some good for herself.

So ended a decent day for Janet, not a full step back from yesterday, just a notch down and with a good strong finish. Praying for a good night of rest that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.

Uneventful. Janet tired today. #TSJ

Today was one of those days where I feel incredibly blessed to live in Kelowna. I woke up to sunshine, went skiing for a few hours in powdery snow and sunshine and on my way to Connect saw the first golfer of the season and a kid riding his bike in shorts and t-shirt. Spring has sprung and it’s awesome. Janet was really happy to see me and we had a good talk for about forty-five minutes with her sitting on the couch with me in the living room. She tried real hard to tell me about her day and managed to get the basics right with some prompting. Brian joined us for a brief chat prior to his week away in Cabo San Lucas starting tomorrow. We wish him a well deserved relaxing vacation. When he returns we will start looking to upgrade Janet’s bed, the falls mats are gone now, using a transfer belt for transferring Janet to the toilet and Shuttle etc., and getting started at the KGH pool. Tez spoke to pool guy Jim and it was agreed to wait two weeks for Janet’s former peg site to heal completely and then she can go “swimming”.

Brian exited around four and Janet said she had not had a nap so I suggested she have one even though it was kind of late. I was hoping for a more energetic Janet at dinner time and through the evening and she agreed. I had to wake her at 5:30 and she didn’t really want to get up then but it was dinner time and I was worried she’d be up really late then too. Quite the opposite. Her energy level was quite low all evening. She ate a good dinner cooked by Chris and monitored by Connie who was checking Janet’s swallowing and chewing abilities. No real change from the last time Connie saw Janet and she recommends we watch the Chipmunking Janet is doing on the right side and encourage her to chew on the left. Also, Connie wants us to monitor Janet’s coughing to see if it only happens when her head is lifted up or if it also happens with her head down. So far I’ve only associated the coughing with tiredness so it will be interesting to watch for the other trends. Apparently head down is a safer position to swallow in as the airway is restricted and Connie would be concerned if Janet were coughing then. The conversation at dinner was really good tonight but Janet was too tired to participate or maybe overwhelmed by it all. Often the table is on the quiet side so maybe tonight was hard to process for her. It was fun though.

Garrett weighed Janet after dinner and recorded another small gain. I asked her to put away her laundry which she happily did but needed a lot of coaching as she was very tired. I even had to rebrush her teeth tonight as she seemed unable to master the needed motion for that task. I had asked for her bedtime med to be switched to pills from liquid and tonight was the first go at that. Should maybe have stayed with the liquid. Hopefully she’ll do better when not so tired.

A rather uneventful day for Janet. She did have Speech and used her new workbook but could not remember doing so. I saw it on her desk after getting her into bed and asked her a couple questions from it and she answered correctly with a smile. Tired but not out of it. Praying for a restful and healing night and for a good day of rehab tomorrow.

Helpful #TSJ

I took my time before going out to pick up Janet today knowing she’d be home all weekend. After doing some minor chores around the house I went for my first bike ride of the year. It was a beautiful sunny day and warm enough for shorts. Barely.

Janet was waiting patiently in the living room for me and after a final check of the wound care protocol we took off for home. We got there a little too late for a walk as the sun still sets a little too early so Janet played with Nash for a bit while I got things set for dinner. My plan for this weekend is to have Janet help out around the house as much as possible and tonight was a good start. She set the table for us and with no coaching got it all right except for missing forks and putting the knives and spoons on the wrong side. She pulled salad ingredients out of the fridge for us and I taught her how to tear the lettuce with one hand. She caught on really fast and after I chopped the peppers and tomatoes she added the croutons and tossed it all up. High five! Putting things back where they came from was a little challenging for her and she needed quite a bit of coaching on that. She also needed some help when it came to eating as well tonight. We had penne with meatballs thinking that would be easier to eat than spaghetti. But she struggled with the concept of stabbing with her fork, she always wants to scoop.

Friday night is turning into movie night for us and while scrolling through titles we came across The Kids Are Alright. I asked Janet if she remembered seeing it before and she said no but as I contained scrolling she said “there it is”. That was the one title she could read on the screen so we watched it “again”. Janet did not remember any of it but enjoyed it “again” and was able to give me a reasonable summary afterwards. Of course we paused about half way through for dessert. Vanilla frozen yogurt with butterscotch sauce is Janet’s new favorite.

The bedtime routine is a little longer now with having to change the dressing on her former peg site. It looks like its healing well to me. Janet fell asleep quickly and is looking forward to a fun day tomorrow. Praying for rest and healing tonight and recovery and learning tomorrow.

Easing Back In #TSJ

Monday, a day to get back into the “normal” routine. Janet apparently was too tired to jump back into her routine so took it pretty easy today with just a short workout in the gym and a little bit of reading for Speech. The rest of her time before I arrived was spent hanging out in the kitchen and living room mostly just watching what was going on. She was pleased to see me when I got there and seemed upset that she hadn’t done much but when she was reminded of what she was offered and attempted she agreed she was kinda tired. That led to a more than an hour long sleep with some of the loudest snoring I’ve ever heard from her.

I was prepared to let her sleep until 4:30 but she woke up just after four and wanted “to do something”. She managed to get herself up from laying down on the bed and elected to go and see if she could help prep dinner in the kitchen. She flat out refused my offer of playing games or reading. Just not into “school” today at all. It’s a good thing we went to the kitchen when we did as the guys had made another beef stew but there was plenty of time to prepare something else for Janet. Bob made her a nice chicken and pasta dish while we laughed at the movie Happy Gilmore. Janet wasn’t too thrilled by the pasta dish and was kind of jealous of the leftover enchilada I had brought for me. I continue to struggle with this dinner thing. I want her to participate in the Connect dinners and she really wants me to eat with her. If I bring my own dinner then she’s going to want that instead of what Connect has made, evidenced tonight. If I bring her dinner all the time then she’s somewhat disconnected from Connect. I think I’ll stick to eating when I get home for now.

After dinner we got a Skype call into Andrew and I was pleasantly surprised at how well Janet spoke to him. She had been pretty quiet and gurgley before that but turned it on nicely for Andrew. We listened to some music after that as I tried to find some she could sing along to. She was all over a couple of Brian McKnight songs and very readily agreed with me that she likes muscley black guys that can sing. I’m OK with that as I tan pretty good in the summer so I just need to work on the singing part and I’ll be fine.

Lights out at 8:30 for a tired but content Janet. The chat with Andrew and the singing before bed really seemed to brighten her spirits and I think set her up for a good nights rest. Praying for an active day of learning tomorrow.