My daughter-in-law did not want her picture taken because she said it would just end up on my blog. Guess I will have to post her picture here just for the fun of it. Kelly and her daughter, Lauren, were playing a game and that is why their arms are raised. I have included another picture of just Kelly and one of Nana, Mike and Josh.
Happy 13th birthday Joshua. You are now a teenager. Our grandson turns 13 today so that is a big deal. It means we are really getting old to have a teenage grandson. The kids get to pick their restaurant of choice on their birthday so we will be celebrating at Chili’s this evening. The first picture if of Josh and the second picture is of Nana and the Grandkids (click picture for larger view). Actually, this took place yesterday but we spent a lovely evening at the kid’s house talking and watching the grandkids swim.
Update on the hip. It is still healing but very slowly and I still cannot put the anti-embolism stocking on by myself. I need to continue to use that stocking to keep the edema down.
I will miss Group this week because we are going on a trip for a few days. We will be camping in Birch Run and visiting the outlet mall there and go into Frankenmuth. It is a quaint little town with a very German atmosphere.
It is County Fair time in our little town. The fair is actually the Berrien County Youth Fair and really draws a crowd. We go for the junk food and to watch the people. It is great people watching in this area. I think we must be too close to the nuclear plant because the county has some strange people living here.
For lunch, we had “walking tacos” and for dinner, we had sirloin tips with potatoes and mushrooms. For dessert, we had ice cream cones. Nothing like fair food while watching the kids rides around on their horses getting ready for shows. We really enjoy the sights and sounds of the fair. We have a weeks pass for both of us so we will probably be having lunch and dinner there all week. Everyday, we will probably try different foods and pick different spots for people watching.
Prior to going to the fair is a double Xanex but I got through it okay. We missed on Monday because I just could not get ready mentally. I should be okay for the rest of the week now that I have made it through one day. Tomorrow will more horse watching and we always have to check out the Llamas. They are such a strange looking animal but always have a happy look on their face. A little rain is predicted for tomorrow but I hope it holds off until the evening and after the events.
Guess it has been a while since my last post. It is difficult to sit down and write out what is happening when PTSD keeps you from doing many things. Just getting me out of the house is a problem and I have all kinds of excuses why I do not want to go somewhere. My wife is good at getting me mobile but it is a struggle. Veterans with PTSD need to stay within their safe zones and we avoid crowds at all cost. As one member said today, he needs to be warned ahead of time (like a day or two) if the wife wants to go somewhere. We have difficulty just spontaneously going somewhere. We need to get our minds ready to leave the safe zone.
Well…we are going camping this weekend and I have had a couple of weeks to get my mind prepared. It is a short trip to Amish country to relax and take in the sights and sounds. It is fun listening to the “clop clop” of the horses all over town. There are some nice antique shops and a great hardware store in town. Going to that hardware store is the most fun of the whole trip. This store has anything and everything you can imagine.
Health wise, the hip is slowing getting better but not fast enough for me. With PTSD, I have little or no patience and that seems to be common with others in our group. I want to be walking normally again and that is not happening the way I envisioned. We did camp at Little River Casino in
