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The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #workinghard

Renovation Day 72. Randy installed the glass doors on the remaining cabinets today and I think only has a small job in each bathroom before declaring the renovation complete. Yeah!

Janet did her regular morning routine which included a bike ride and some stretching after a shower and breakfast. She told me she handed out the last of her Christmas cards and did some comprehension work with Mary Lou.

As far as Janet is concerned the day didn’t really begin until Laurel arrived at Connect and the two of them went out for lunch and did a little Christmas shopping. Laurel said her mom did well at choosing and paying for the items she chose and Janet seemed pleased with herself and was all smiles about it when they got home. Janet was a little worn out though and agreed to try a nap for a bit. I think she did sleep for half an hour or so and gained more energy as she ate dinner and watched the final performance show of X Factor.

The deal was if we stayed home for dinner and watched X Factor then she’d have to go to the gym when we got back to Connect and that’s what she did. Since she rode the bike in the morning and did a little walking at home the Shuttle was the best option for tonight. Janet of course didn’t like that idea but cooperated and put in a very strong effort. Her extension is now a consistent twelve inches and occasionally nears thirteen. She managed some good pushes with just her right leg even with more tension on there than she’s used to. There were protests at first but once she realized she just had to try her best she bore down and worked hard. We tried a little balancing board after the Shuttle and got some decent pushes with her right leg then as well. Janet has trouble bending her knees which I think is what you have to do on that board but she tried hard and had a good rhythm going for a while.

I’m not sure if the staff have started Janet’s self medication program yet but for her evening ones I’ve only had to ask Janet questions around what time it is and she clues in that she needs her meds. She doesn’t hesitate at all to find a staff member and ask them for her drugs, medicine, meds, medical things, pills, special things or some other word close to that. We will work on the names of each one over the Christmas break and also see if she can remember to ask for them without prompting. I think she can in the morning for sure.

We all watched a little TV so Janet could wind down and she called bedtime a little earlier than normal after a pretty busy day. Praying for a good sleep tonight and lots of energy tomorrow as well as a safe and on time flight for Heather.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Home

Renovation Day 53. I finally got the dining room light installed and purchased what I hope will be good replacements for the way too hot halogen lamps under the cabinets. LED all the way baby. Randy came in and did the backsplash in both bathrooms and is almost done cutting, priming and spraying the shelves and doors for the kitchen.

To my surprise Janet was in bed when I got to Connect. I thought she’d be packed and waiting for me so she could go home for the weekend. She told me she thought maybe I changed my mind about when I was coming to get her so she decided to have a little rest. Her day had been busy starting with a shower, breakfast, The Shuttle, stretching, lunch then Sling Walking. I think a rest was totally appropriate. I’m not hearing any real complaining about the workouts now, they are still hard and they tire her out but there has been a shift in attitude and I think it’s due to Janet realizing she is making progress.

We stopped at Save On for some supplies then hung out at home where I encouraged Janet to do as much on her own as possible. She was able to get herself a glass of water, get numerous cooking tools for me, access the fridge and freezer, set the table and started to learn how to operate the cooktop and the oven. She never once complained about not being able to do something and went about each task determined to get it right.

Sitting down having dinner gave us a chance to look closely at our new house and Janet is very pleased with how it’s turning out. One thing we haven’t figured out yet is the furniture configuration in the living area and Janet came up with a good suggestion tonight that we’ll try for a while and see how it goes. The first test for it came as we watched X Factor and I think she may be on to something. We enjoyed the show and Janet came up with a very valid analysis as we discussed the results. We questioned how her choice to win it all ended up in the bottom three and Janet surmised that perhaps it was because she performed first and by the time everyone else had gone they forgot about her. I thought that was brilliant and very possible. As to why my choice was eliminated, Janet agreed that she just never moved out of her comfort zone enough to win a broader audience. Janet doesn’t always look like she’s engaged in something but tonight’s discussion is proof that the wheels are always turning and producing useful and retrievable data.

The bedtime routine was easier tonight as they are fewer things to trip over in the bathroom and bedroom. Janet will try the left side of the bed again this weekend and I think she can figure out how to manoeuvre from that side just fine.

I feel blessed to have Janet home this weekend and we look forward to sharing it with Laurel starting tomorrow. Praying for a deep and healing sleep tonight and lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #TrinityKelowna

Renovation Day 51. Randy continues to work on drawers and shelves for the kitchen. I took the morning to catch up on bill paying and other paperwork knowing Janet was coming home in the afternoon to help unload a few boxes.

Janet was helping Jess do dishes when I got to Connect and she was quite cheery. I dare say she’s ramped up the brightness level a little since her walking yesterday and the confidence level seems a little higher too. Thanks to all of you that sent comments to us. I read them all to Janet and it really helps her to hear what you all think and have to say about her. She knew exactly what we had planned for the day and wasn’t too excited about going home to unpack saying “its a lot of work”. It is and she’s a big help to me especially in deciding things like what colour of towels go where. We got a good start on the last of the boxes today and I’ll be able to handle the rest on my own so we left the house early to run a couple errands before dinner and SHElife.

Dinner was at Milestones tonight and Janet was looking pretty tired before the appetizer arrived. The food gave her an energy boost and by the time I dropped her at the church she was doing fine. Tonight was the church AGM combined with a group packing of Christmas hampers. Janet really enjoyed the meeting but couldn’t give me any details on what was discussed. She did name a few of the speakers and very accurately described her challenges when it came to packing the hampers. Whoever pushed her down to where that was happening didn’t realize Janet can’t really write and left her at that station. Unfortunately she didn’t think to move on her own but someone came along and realized the problem and took her to the station where she could help load things into bags. Janet had nice things to say about quite a few people she interacted with tonight and that has been a huge benefit of her SHElife experience. I hope she decides to go again in the new year.

There were no big break through moments today like there was yesterday but Janet was very bright despite being tired and I noticed a lot more initiation of conversing than ever before and her response time to questions seems faster as well. It was a good day overall and one that Janet was happy to let happen at a slower pace than yesterday.

Praying for complete healing soon.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #energy

Renovation Day 48. Not much renovating going on today but Janet and I managed to empty a few boxes and have declared the Den/Second Bedroom completed except for decorating and hiding TV cables. After all the purging at the old house we surprisingly still have excess furniture so will be selling some things soon I guess. Still can’t find our lamps although we didn’t really look today.

Overall, today was a low energy day for Janet. She woke up with a bit of a spark but after breakfast and a Skype chat with Heather she started to fade. She was a big help in arranging furniture and she managed her first two loads of laundry with minimal assistance. I’ve no doubt she’ll master those machines very quickly. She’s pretty much got the ice and water dispenser down and can easily put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I’m liking this already!

I suggested a nap before going to the Grey Cup party and got know argument from Janet, in fact when I woke her at the agreed upon time she asked for another half hour. Not sure why she was so tired today but there’s no problem with taking a restful day and the long nap did enable her to enjoy the party. It wasn’t the most lively event we’ve ever been to and we didn’t hardly know anyone there but it was a good place to watch the game and Janet liked the Bingo game that we all played. You filled out your card with random numbers that corresponded to questions you could only answer by talking to other people. Janet had no problem going up to a few different folks and asking them the appropriate questions. She got enough correct answers to earn a line on her Bingo card but no prize. Oh well, it was fun. Not as much fun as watching Janet eat, to my knowledge, her very first chili dog! With no other dinner choices Janet didn’t even hesitate at eating some classic football food. High five!

Upon our return to Connect Janet surprised me again by agreeing to a bike ride and promptly tying her personal best. She kept saying how tired she was but she peddled and peddled the entire thirty minutes. High five!

We closed the day with a few minutes of real football and Tootsie Rolls and with Janet looking forward to Wednesday when she can come home and help set things up some more. Despite her tiredness today there were lots of encouraging signs of improvement like, Janet knowing where her slippers were after not having them on for over an hour, waking up with me telling her it’s two thirty and her saying “we have to go soon”, and the very good “tired” bike ride. It was fun having Janet home again and will be even more so as soon as we are totally unpacked and settled in.

Praying for a night of healing sleep, total control of her right leg and lots of energy for an active tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Home

Renovation Day 46. Finally, the electricians showed up today! We now have laundry, dishwasher, cooktop and oven along with some countertop plugs and under cabinet lights. There is a problem with the plugs on the island and one set of counter top plugs so they likely will need to return to fix those unless Randy and I can figure it out tomorrow. Randy worked hard to get everything ready for the electricians and can now finish the last two closets before focusing on the kitchen drawers and cupboards.

Surprisingly, Janet was asleep when I got to Connect. I thought she’d be raring to go knowing she was going home for the weekend. She woke up when I went into her room but clearly needed more sleep so she did for about an hour. That paid off nicely as she had good energy for the trip home and was a big help in putting away more of her stuff and helping to arrange furniture in the living area. That is very much a work in progress but at least things are in the general area so we can see exactly how it all fits instead of imagining it.

We could have cooked something for dinner and that would have been nice but there really wasn’t time so we ordered out pizza. LJFirstLanfrancouse
Kind of lame for the first sit down meal in a new house but thats the way it goes. Next weekend we’ll cook for sure.

Janet was comfortable sitting on the couch tonight watching X Factor. I could see the contentment in her eyes. There is still a lot of work to be done here but it was awesome to take an evening and spend it with Janet in our house, something we haven’t done in fifty five days.

Praying for complete healing and a finished home that we can soon for God’s intended purpose.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Home

Renovation Day 45 was more of an unpacking day for me. Randy continues the renovation side of things, finishing Janet’s closet and the one in the Den/Second Bedroom. He also did a great job installing our new dryer which required adapting the exhaust vent to run out of the bottom of the machine. Still no sign of the electrician but rumour has it he’s coming tomorrow and if so we will then be able to do laundry. Yeah!

I met Janet at the pool this morning along with Courtney. It was great having Courtney there as we were able to take Janet into the deep pool where the water is warmer. Janet swam well there but that’s all you can do so we did a little time in the lap pool as well so she could practice balancing and walking. She had virtually no push down in her right leg at all but was able to move it forward well. Janet enjoyed having Courtney in the pool with her and went the entire session without whining, pretty much a first.

After lunch with Courtney at The Asian Pear we went home and Janet was able to load some of her closet. She admitted it was a little overwhelming trying to put all of her stuff away so I stopped her after an hour and a half and got her into our new bed for a nap. I had hoped to give Janet the side of the bed closest to the bathroom so that’s what we tried today. The transfer into bed was OK and will be much better using a stripper pole when we get that installed. Janet found it a little hard to manoeuvre on the bed, feeling its a little soft. She slept well and really liked the bed once snuggled up in it. Getting out proved more challenging as she has to use her weak side more being on the opposite side of the bed from Connect. I think we’ll try it for the weekend and see if she can adapt, otherwise a switch may be in order.

We don’t yet have any means of cooking at the new house so out for dinner we went. This time to Original Joe’s. We hadn’t been there since early in the summer but Janet remembered the room once we were in it. The food was good but the place was very noisy so I think we’ll leave it as a lunch option as it should be quieter then.

Janet had enough energy in her to put in a decent bike ride when we got back to Connect and closed a busy day with some TV and Tootsie Rolls. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep, lots of exercise in the morning and complete control of her right leg.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #dayoff #house #skype #standing

I promised Janet a day off from physical exercise today and that’s exactly what she got. It truly was a “terrible” sleep for her Friday night, I know because she woke me up at least three times, once to ask “when are we going to look at that house?” at seven AM. We did have an appointment for eleven so I made sure we were into the morning routine by 8:30. After that poor of a sleep I was worried how Janet would function. That worry was laid to rest during a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga. Easily Janet’s best one ever! She was answering questions correctly, remembering things accurately from a few days ago knowing what was coming up in the next few days and saying it all loud and clear and topping it off afterwards stating, “my mom’s fun to talk to…” Maybe I should wake her up a bunch of times each night if that’s how bright she’s going to be. Very impressive.

Janet was very excited about viewing the house we were scheduled to see, probably because its yellow. I wasn’t too hopefully but thought it was worth a look. I won. Janet liked it but couldn’t tell me why and I didn’t like it for a whole bunch of reasons, mainly the fact it was quite squishy and difficult to maneuver around. Oh well. Having a backup plan we drove by a home in the neighborhood we’d most like to live in to see if it was worthy. The home is in a townhouse complex that I have shunned since the beginning due to an age restriction of nineteen or older to live there. I do not agree with a policy like that and also am not keen on a Strata situation however facing the reality of renting made me rethink and as Janet I walked around the complex and looked at the outside of the unit for sale we agreed this was our best option. Thirty minutes later our realtor had arranged a viewing and twenty minutes after that we decided to write an offer! The home is all on one level, easily accessible and priced in a range that will allow us to upgrade to our requirements without breaking the bank. After our offer was presented it was learned that there had been a low ball offer made last night that was still pending. The owner rescinded that one in favor of working with us and at the time of writing we are waiting to hear a response to our counter counter offer. I’m confident we’ll reach a deal sometime tomorrow and soon we can remove our #homeless designation.

We returned home a little dizzy from all that happened so quickly and Janet agreed to a nap during which she actually slept. She was nicely re energized for church and we were thrilled to be part of the Trinity family blessing Carrie and Roger as they plant their church in West Kelowna. It’s called West Mount Church and we know they will do powerful things through it. During most services I’ve always sat with Janet when the house stands up as she can’t and I feel bad standing when she can’t. Tonight that all changed. For the last few weeks I’ve been asking Janet if she wants to stand when the house is asked to and each time she’s said no. Until tonight. Wayne asked everyone to rise to pray near the start of things, I asked Janet if she wanted to and she shocked me by saying yes. She was determined to get up as much on her own as possible and didn’t wait for me to get on the left side of her and help her. She grabbed the pew in front of her and stood up! I balanced her while she was up and completely lost my focus on the service as she probably did as well. A minute later, back down she went, upset she couldn’t last longer. It was a brave first try and we practiced a little afterwards and have a better method for next time.

The rest of our night was quite, sushi dinner, AGT, then bed with the possibility of going to the gym at Connect tomorrow but Janet started to battle against that as soon as I said it. We’ll see. Praying for deep healing sleep tonight and acceptance of our offer to buy that home. Thanking Jesus for Janet’s brave act in standing in church tonight and for the healing that allowed her to try.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #home #sytycd #homeless

Another good first part of the day for Janet today. Garrett reports lots of smiles, laughs and a good attitude towards all she was asked to do. Janet is still laughing about the tan lines on her feet from her sandals. Not sure why its so funny now as she’s had them for a couple of months. It doesn’t matter though as laughs are always good. When I arrived Janet was “napping” with her eyes open and a smile on her face. I was surprised she was in bed as she’s usually waiting for me on going home day but Garrett said she asked for a nap around one so I’m sure she got a bit of a rest.

On our way home we drove through several neighborhoods looking for possible places to live and have arranged with our realtor to look at a little house in the morning. Of course after driving all over the place the one most appealing to us is quite close to where we live now. The rental game is proving quite difficult to play so we are looking to buy something that would suffice while Janet is at Connect and we can keep an eye on our preferred neighborhoods in the meantime. Then when she’s done and if we aren’t totally groovin on where we live we can move again. Sounds like fun right? Janet did well with all the driving around and seemed to enjoy looking at the different areas and houses. This is proving to be an important issue for her and she’s been able to give me some very insightful feedback on some places. “Feels like an old persons place”. “Not very fun looking”. “Too dark and dreary”, are just a few of her comments. The place we are going to see tomorrow got a “what’s wrong with this place?” As in “why not” look at it. Why not indeed.

I guess her nap at Connect wasn’t very long because as soon as we got home Janet asked for some nap time and was out minutes after hitting the pillow. She woke up an hour later and did a great job building pizzas for dinner and commented afterwards that “that was a good dinner”. I think last night’s meal at Connect is still haunting her. We did a little online house hunting then enjoyed a nice hot tub under a clear sky that was dark enough to do some star gazing. That’s one good thing about it getting dark so early now. Janet had trouble seeing some of the things I was pointing out to her so next time she can leave her glasses on and that should help. We watched a very enjoyable So You Think You Can Dance before bed and even with the late hour Janet was fully engaged the whole time. She even initiated comment on a few of the routines instead of waiting for me to ask her about it. Fun times.

Praying for a deep and healing sleep tonight, lots of energy for tomorrow and a clear message as to where we are supposed to live next.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #tsj #home #Connect #Swimming #KGH

Another good nights’ sleep for Janet and a good start to the day this morning. She knew it was Monday and that we’d being going back to Connect later, she knew there was something else, just couldn’t get the word swimming out. We got to the pool in plenty of time and the first session was alright with Janet’s right leg doing its own thing instead of what she was trying to get it to do. Her walking was not as strong as last week partly because of that right leg or maybe totally because of it. Some days she just seems to be overly buoyant and today was one of them. Janet tried really hard to get her feet down to the pool floor from floating on her back but had a heck of a time today as they just wanted to stay near the surface. Tez joined us for session two and was happy with Janet’s sense of balance and her ability to swim. What he observed from her walking challenges confirmed the need to really go hard at making that right leg stronger. He reinforced that with Janet and will do the same with the Connect staff.

As we were leaving KGH I had Janet drive by what I thought was the room she described to me a week ago or so. No bells went off though and she didn’t even really remember telling me about a room before. I will have to strike sooner next time she does something like that.

Janet built herself a nice sandwich for lunch once we got home then agreed to try and have a nap. I should have bet her as she of course didn’t think she’d sleep but she did for a little bit and helped me start making dinner before having a late Skype chat with Andrew.

The return to Connect was smoother than I expected and Janet cooperated nicely in going on the Shuttle and into the Standing Frame. This was not her greatest Shuttle performance ever but considering the time of day I’ll take it. She tolerated the Standing Frame very well and we enjoyed some interesting conversation with Kieran, a new resident from North Vancouver who’s mom’s name is Janet so he calls Janet mom. He’s twenty four and very positive and Janet liked him as soon as they met. Janet stayed up a little late because of the Kieran conversation but that was a fun way to end a good day. Praying for rest that brings lots of energy and strength for tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #sold #home #preschool

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The SOLD sign went up at our house today! The Subjects are removed and we are headed for a September 26th closing date and September 30th possession. Now we just need to figure out where we are moving to. Suggestions?

Janet was very excited to see me this afternoon saying she didn’t want to be watching anymore silly television. She’d had a pretty good day so far with a good Shuttle routine and Standing Frame session but she was more than ready to go home for the weekend.

Once at home and after a brief chat with our realtor, Les, we got busy sorting out the remaining boxes from under the stairs. Janet was a little tired but determined to see this through. There were a couple more boxes that triggered some sad thoughts about never being a pre school teacher again but those were alleviated today by realizing how much work was needed to be a good one. Janet worked extremely hard as a teacher for very little reward the last few years and she remembers that and so is able to part with that stuff. We aim to find a worthy pre school to donate all the toys and supplies to. Naturally we had to keep some things for future grand kids and Janet instantly exclaimed that was what the Barbie stuff and Duplo stuff is for. That was the last of the really tedious purging expeditions so I think the priority for the remainder of this weekend will be to find somewhere to move to.

Just before we finished with that load of boxes we stopped for dinner and Janet was very helpful in building our BBQ chicken pizzas. With work all done and before watching SYTYCD we went for a hot tub. The weather is noticeably cooler in the evenings now and I wonder how Janet will manage hot tubbing in the winter if we are fortunate enough to have one still. I have my doubts about her out in the cold but we’ll try because the benefits remain huge. I thought Janet would fade quickly while watching TV tonight but she was quite interested in all of the routines on SYTYCD tonight and didn’t fade until she hit the pillow a couple hours later.

Praying for deep and healing sleep and stronger legs. Sending a special prayer to Barb and Gary as they drive to Powell River tomorrow for a month. Enjoy kids!