“Leos on Parade” – Out being social again!

I’m feeling great and I’m claiming my life back! Slowing down the drugs are making me more alert and wanting to have conversations; pretty much being a normal person again. I missed the last party because I wasn’t up to it yet, but one month later I am! Jerrod and Melissa invited us to a pool party to celebrate the August birthdays of these Leos: Wayne, Eddie, Juli, Chris and Richard. Wayne and Janice were nice enough to host at their beautiful home in Steiner Ranch. They served us a feast and we had a great time getting to know new friends; Amy & Eddie, Jennifer, Juli, and Al. Oddly enough, most of us live at the same condo complex and we’d never crossed path or officially met. It may have something to do with Larry and I being cat people and everyone there having a dog. I take my hat off to the owners as those were the best behaved dogs I’ve ever met; they were the life of the party! I’m thankful to have met Melissa because it is very nice to have someone to relate with since we both had back surgery. She is a terrific person and it has been great getting to know each other and sharing our experiences. Larry was also very happy to meet another husband with whom he could relate to. This whole journey has made me more attentive to people and opened to the fact that everyone has a story and may be carrying some baggage behind the smile that they put on. Time flew by at the party and I had a great time but after being there for about 4 hours we decided to leave before I pushed my limits. I had already spent all morning standing up in the kitchen on my GelPro mat (which helps tremendously to remove tension in my legs and relieve pressure on my spine) making hummus! I love cooking and I’m finally getting the strength back to cook and it feels great. My creative side takes over in the kitchen too and I love to make food pleasing to the eye; it’s more appetizing. So I made what I call my trio hummus: white; garlic & artichoke, red; dried tomatoes and red pepper, green; avocado & jalapeno, and it turns out that it was worth the effort because everybody loved it! The party was about 1/2 hour away, and that added an hour of riding in the car. I can tell that the bone fusion is taking place, or at least that I’m healing, because my spine is getting more and more sturdy; I’m not as sensitive riding in the car like I use to be, feeling every little bump in the rode. I took my noodle with me to float in the pool and that way I was able to hangout with everybody else. Being weightless is heaven and I even hung in the deep for a while, which expended my spine and acted as a pain reliever, without anybody even knowing it. It had been a very relaxing and entertaining day but most of all, a new level and success story for me. I have to admit that I was exhausted and sore when we got back home but it was great to be out there with friends and feel like myself again. Thank you Melissa for giving me this great opportunity!