Answers - Part 1

If you could only have one body/motor function back to 100% what would it be and why? How do you keep from being angry? - Chelsea
I would talk and those who knew me pre-stroke know I wouldn't stop. And I don't keep from being mad. I choose not to show my anger.

What is your favorite color? What shows are you watching right now? Any good books I have to get and read? - Michelle Julian
Why hot pink, of course. Right now, I'm watching Ellen, but I watch a lot of HGTV. My DVR is set to record Revenge, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, Parks and Rec, The Blacklist, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, Chicago PD and Hart of Dixie. We also really like Top Chef when it's on.

Do you remember the physical therapist man-handling you when you were in the hospital for pneumonia? Did you wonder if I was ever going to do something about it? - Sheila (MIL)
Thankfully, I don't. I do remember coughing in the face of the speech therapist who was feeding me chocolate pudding. What? I had pneumonia.

What's it like to be married to a Wilson? Where in the world would you like to visit? What hobby do you still enjoy, outside of writing? - Claire
Marrying a Wilson was the second best decision I have ever made. I did go to Poland, landing in Krakow and riding a bus to Warsaw. I was headed to Belarus. A sidenote, I have often said I would go back, especially to Krakow, because it was relatively untouched during World War II. The next year when I visited Belarus, there was a short stop in the Prague airport. I really want to go back. To Prague, not the airport. And I don't really don't have new hobbies, though people close to me seem to. For example, cooking and sewing and reading.

What is your biggest focus on in therapy right now? What are your goals by the end of the summer? I think I saw where you and Chris have been going to some movies? What is a favorite that you have? Do you think  that you will ever go and speak to people about what happened to you....like a tour? - Anonymous
My goal is always complete recovery. Far-fetched, maybe. Impossible, no. As for movies, I really liked Despicable Me 2. Before my stroke, I favored children's films, if clever. I also like The Great Gatsby and Silver Linings Playbook. Assuming people would listen, I would consider.

When you were having your stroke what did you feel? Have you ever had an out-of-body experience throughout any of this? - Julie Miller
I was nauseous and extra tired the day before, though I don't think I was awake during the stroke. No out-of-body experiences here. I do, however, believe they can make for lucrative books and movies.

What is your favorite thing at this point? New equipment, trips out, soft awesome sheets? - Patty Maples
My absolute favorite thing hasn't changed. I love it when Chris sits beside me and tells me he loves me.

What are your newest dreams and plans? Do you miss being at PSU? - Mayra
I don't want a whole lot, except I hope to be a singer with my all-new voice. Not really. I brought my favorite part from Pitt State with me. In all seriousness, I miss learning. I was a step away from applying to grad school before my stroke.
Who is your favorite therapist? Also, have you become a soccer fan yet? - Robin
My favorite therapist will be she who first gets results. About soccer, I would like to plead the fifth.

Blog 10

Help. I need your help. If I don't get it, next week's blog will be awful. Very bad. Send in your questions and I will answer them. It's that simple. OK, within reason. I will answer questions about what it's like to become handicapped for no apparent reason and by that I mean I wasn't skydiving. Anyway, I'm going to tell you not to park in handicapped parking spots unless you have a serious medical condition and your doctor has signed a form attesting to that fact. Don't. Just don't.

Blog 9

This is not at all timely, except I ride past it all the time. I really like IKEA. I really do. I like the merchandise and the Swedish meatballs. Our location doesn't open until this fall. Now I have something to look forward to besides my allergies. There's the part where IKEA is Swedish, but that doesn't bother me at all. I am somewhat obsessed with Sweden. No, I'm not Swedish, but British with a bit of Dutch and Native American. “Where,” you are probably wondering, “is her melanin?” I have wanted to know that my whole life. H&M is Swedish, too. So are Volvos. I want a Volvo convertible. I don't know why, but I really do. I want to wait until I'm better, of course. Once IKEA opens, I plan to be there a lot. Lucky for me, my caregiver shares my penchant for shopping there. My husband keeps saying, “Oh no,” every time he passes by. He likes it, too, so don't let him fool you. Stockholm is only the most expensive city in the world yet IKEA is inexpensive. In general, I have expensive taste. I, however, do like IKEA. And for the record I have tried to reign in my taste and failed. It's innate. And I didn't win the HGTV Dream Home... again. Almost every year, except when I am having a stroke or something. At least I can always go to IKEA.

Blog 8

Feeding the swimming pigs near Staniel Cay, Bahamas.

Before I get into the actual content of this entry, I am going to rant. I am currently exiled from therapy. I am not in any way upset with my therapists, simply the system. I don't think this is what the founding fathers had in mind. For insurance to cover my therapy visits, I have to be making progress. You would think just saying “she can't walk or talk or move her arms and we're here to help” would be enough, but nooooo. Last year, my speech therapy visits ran out before the days in the year. Thank goodness for the Falling Forward Foundation, a local non-profit covering therapy when insurance doesn't. I actually received three visits from the benefactor. I also have a great caregiver who cares genuinely about my home therapy program. An aside before moving on, therapy is hard.
This blog is about travel. I absolutely adore it. Our honeymoon was in Eureka Springs, Ark. We spent eight years trying to make up for it. We drove to Galveston en route to Houston. Our one and only camping trip, when we slept in a tent right by the beach. We went to Vieques, Puerto Rico, where we stayed at Martineau Bay, now a W. While in Vieques, I had the most surreal experience of all my life thus far. It 's almost indescribable, but here goes. A bioluminescent bay where the water literally glows like turquoise neon when disturbed. Literally. There was the time we went to Vegas and rented a red Mustang convertible. Next, we visited the Bahamas. On this trip, with a destination of Staniel Cay, I had the best time yet. The boat probably had something to do with it. Protocol seems to be: ask if anyone in the party has ever driven a boat before handing over the key and a map... Of the ocean. While exploring, we found a gorgeous sandbar and an island with swimming pigs. We went to New York City and the airline lost our luggage until one hour before our dinner reservation just before the Broadway show we decided to see. Oopsies. We visited Chicago a few times and fell in love. I often said said that I would live in Chicago in the summer and somewhere warm in winter. So far, no one has offered to bankroll my proposition. Humph. We stopped in LA when I was there for work. We traveled to Florida to swim with manatees, but they decided not to show up. I still haven't been to Paris. We have talked about Bora Bora and the rest of the west coast. I guess I'm saying I'm not done yet.