So I don't know how many of you noticed but I put a counter on the blog site, on the lower left hand side. I put it up there on Sunday morning and as of that time, 31 people have visited the site. So you are all probably tired of reading the last update. I guess I was a bit tired and slacking off, but due to the traffic, I'm all fired up again. Its great to see how many people are checking in on the "Main Man" during the Easter Weekend.
Tricia and I drove separately, I arrived at Dominican at 12ish, and was amazed at how simple it is to get to the facility. Basically, you exit Morrissey Blvd off of HWY 1, go towards the Ocean, make a left on Soquel and a Rt on Frederick, it's 610 Frederick. You'll check in with the Security desk and he's in room 101. It was pain free for me and the room was very spacious, he's got many pictures and drawings on the wall from the grandkids, the aroma of flowers permeates the room and it's a complete rehab facility. I was sure of what to expect of a rehab facility but this met and exceeded my expectations. Each Thursday, the therapists and MD's, make their rounds to discuss the progress, assessments and improvements with the patient and their family. Thursday's will definitely be big days.
So on Saturday when I arrived, Skip was snoozing, my mom and I went into his room and I went around to his right side and grabbed his right hand. I squeezed it and said "Hey, Main Man...how are you and he didn't quite wake up all the way but instead he squeezed my hand ever so slightly with his right hand. He hasn't shown much movement in his right side but he definitely attempted to squeeze my hand. We kept trying to wake him up but he was tiiiirreed! So I took my mom to lunch at a new place in Santa Cruz with the most amazing ambiance...Jaques de la boxa, also known as Jack in the Box. It was the first time in many years my mom had eaten fast food, so I encouraged her to go with a Grilled Chicked sandwich, it was worth a good laugh to watch someone like my mom eat "Fast food". So we bolted after eating and went to wake up the Main Pappy. He finally awoke and we started conversing with him. He wasn't too into showing me how he can speak but instead, I brought out the paper for him to write. He wrote a bunch of stuff and I was challenged to read it. his letters are all very clear (for a lawyer) but they are out of order so you can't determine what he's trying to communicate. So it looked like this "In do saganda bong", I took it as how is Savanna doing (my daughter) and he was so very delighted to see that I understood! I hugged him dearly, and said she and Hudson are doing well and love him very much.
So we kept writing for a bit and it was very tough to understand. He's trying to get everything out, but I don't want him to get too frustrated. So I said to him that i'm sorry I don't understand all that he's trying to write, but told him I appreciate him trying and these things will come in time.
I also asked him if he was getting frustrated with these things and he shook his head "no", and I told him that if he does get frustrated, that that's OK. I said that sometimes you'll have your periods of frustration but you need to be patient and accept the Highs and the lows. I told him that we would all be here for him and with him to help pull him through the lows. Just like a salesman's job, there are highs that are really high, then there are lows that are really low. Because he shook his head no, I felt fairly happy, but I just hope he keeps the positive attitude. I also asked him to squeeze my hand with his left hand, to show me if he was encouraged and he gave it a big squeeze and shake. That was a great feeling!
On Saturday it was a nice day, Skip was in an upbeat mood, so I asked if he wanted to go outside for a stroll, and he nodded and was up for some fresh air. So the nurse, helped me get him into the wheelchair and next thing ya know, we are rolling through the parking lot and enjoy the fresh air together. He had my hat on and we just enjoyed the breeze and sunshine on our backs. Then I got creative and decided we would go on a "wildflower walk" just like he and Annie do at the Preserve. So we toured the parking lot picking all the different kinds of flowers and trying to find the one with the best smell. We picked everything except the California Poppy, but it was tempting. The walk was great and something creative and lighthearted for both of us. Then Scott and Lisa and their kids arrived and Skip was very happy to see them..we bumped into them in the parking lot at the close of our walk. We then took Skip inside and went to the Koi and turtle pond. We hung out there for a bit and then one of Skips friends from College and Stanford football came by, as he and his wife live in Santa Cruz. He was a very nice man, and I apologize i'm not recalling the name, I wanna say it's Les or Len or Wes?? Again sorry about that, but the reason I'm having a hard time remembering is because Skip was pointing for me to take him somewhere shortly after his friend got there. he was pointing to the bridge by the pond so I was wheeling him over there, then he points inside and continues to take me to the Mens Restroom. He needed to go to the bathroom, but there's no way I could get him there on my own. I took him to his his room and the Nurses helped me out and assisted. So anyhow, the point of this is to let you know he's able to feel himself and know when he needs to go. So I think this is positive news.
So I hung out for a little longer but I felt it was a good day. It was fun, and we both enjoyed ourselves.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Easter Weekend - Saturday
So I don't know how many of you noticed but I put a counter on the blog site, on the lower left hand side. I put it up there on Sunday morning and as of that time, 31 people have visited the site. So you are all probably tired of reading the last update. I guess I was a bit tired and slacking off, but due to the traffic, I'm all fired up again. Its great to see how many people are checking in on the "Main Man" during the Easter Weekend.
Tricia and I drove separately, I arrived at Dominican at 12ish, and was amazed at how simple it is to get to the facility. Basically, you exit Morrissey Blvd off of HWY 1, go towards the Ocean, make a left on Soquel and a Rt on Frederick, it's 610 Frederick. You'll check in with the Security desk and he's in room 101. It was pain free for me and the room was very spacious, he's got many pictures and drawings on the wall from the grandkids, the aroma of flowers permeates the room and it's a complete rehab facility. I was sure of what to expect of a rehab facility but this met and exceeded my expectations. Each Thursday, the therapists and MD's, make their rounds to discuss the progress, assessments and improvements with the patient and their family. Thursday's will definitely be big days.
So on Saturday when I arrived, Skip was snoozing, my mom and I went into his room and I went around to his right side and grabbed his right hand. I squeezed it and said "Hey, Main Man...how are you and he didn't quite wake up all the way but instead he squeezed my hand ever so slightly with his right hand. He hasn't shown much movement in his right side but he definitely attempted to squeeze my hand. We kept trying to wake him up but he was tiiiirreed! So I took my mom to lunch at a new place in Santa Cruz with the most amazing ambiance...Jaques de la boxa, also known as Jack in the Box. It was the first time in many years my mom had eaten fast food, so I encouraged her to go with a Grilled Chicked sandwich, it was worth a good laugh to watch someone like my mom eat "Fast food". So we bolted after eating and went to wake up the Main Pappy. He finally awoke and we started conversing with him. He wasn't too into showing me how he can speak but instead, I brought out the paper for him to write. He wrote a bunch of stuff and I was challenged to read it. his letters are all very clear (for a lawyer) but they are out of order so you can't determine what he's trying to communicate. So it looked like this "In do saganda bong", I took it as how is Savanna doing (my daughter) and he was so very delighted to see that I understood! I hugged him dearly, and said she and Hudson are doing well and love him very much.
So we kept writing for a bit and it was very tough to understand. He's trying to get everything out, but I don't want him to get too frustrated. So I said to him that i'm sorry I don't understand all that he's trying to write, but told him I appreciate him trying and these things will come in time.
I also asked him if he was getting frustrated with these things and he shook his head "no", and I told him that if he does get frustrated, that that's OK. I said that sometimes you'll have your periods of frustration but you need to be patient and accept the Highs and the lows. I told him that we would all be here for him and with him to help pull him through the lows. Just like a salesman's job, there are highs that are really high, then there are lows that are really low. Because he shook his head no, I felt fairly happy, but I just hope he keeps the positive attitude. I also asked him to squeeze my hand with his left hand, to show me if he was encouraged and he gave it a big squeeze and shake. That was a great feeling!
On Saturday it was a nice day, Skip was in an upbeat mood, so I asked if he wanted to go outside for a stroll, and he nodded and was up for some fresh air. So the nurse, helped me get him into the wheelchair and next thing ya know, we are rolling through the parking lot and enjoy the fresh air together. He had my hat on and we just enjoyed the breeze and sunshine on our backs. Then I got creative and decided we would go on a "wildflower walk" just like he and Annie do at the Preserve. So we toured the parking lot picking all the different kinds of flowers and trying to find the one with the best smell. We picked everything except the California Poppy, but it was tempting. The walk was great and something creative and lighthearted for both of us. Then Scott and Lisa and their kids arrived and Skip was very happy to see them..we bumped into them in the parking lot at the close of our walk. We then took Skip inside and went to the Koi and turtle pond. We hung out there for a bit and then one of Skips friends from College and Stanford football came by, as he and his wife live in Santa Cruz. He was a very nice man, and I apologize i'm not recalling the name, I wanna say it's Les or Len or Wes?? Again sorry about that, but the reason I'm having a hard time remembering is because Skip was pointing for me to take him somewhere shortly after his friend got there. he was pointing to the bridge by the pond so I was wheeling him over there, then he points inside and continues to take me to the Mens Restroom. He needed to go to the bathroom, but there's no way I could get him there on my own. I took him to his his room and the Nurses helped me out and assisted. So anyhow, the point of this is to let you know he's able to feel himself and know when he needs to go. So I think this is positive news.
So I hung out for a little longer but I felt it was a good day. It was fun, and we both enjoyed ourselves.
Thanks again for your time and Support, The Crist Family
Tricia and I drove separately, I arrived at Dominican at 12ish, and was amazed at how simple it is to get to the facility. Basically, you exit Morrissey Blvd off of HWY 1, go towards the Ocean, make a left on Soquel and a Rt on Frederick, it's 610 Frederick. You'll check in with the Security desk and he's in room 101. It was pain free for me and the room was very spacious, he's got many pictures and drawings on the wall from the grandkids, the aroma of flowers permeates the room and it's a complete rehab facility. I was sure of what to expect of a rehab facility but this met and exceeded my expectations. Each Thursday, the therapists and MD's, make their rounds to discuss the progress, assessments and improvements with the patient and their family. Thursday's will definitely be big days.
So on Saturday when I arrived, Skip was snoozing, my mom and I went into his room and I went around to his right side and grabbed his right hand. I squeezed it and said "Hey, Main Man...how are you and he didn't quite wake up all the way but instead he squeezed my hand ever so slightly with his right hand. He hasn't shown much movement in his right side but he definitely attempted to squeeze my hand. We kept trying to wake him up but he was tiiiirreed! So I took my mom to lunch at a new place in Santa Cruz with the most amazing ambiance...Jaques de la boxa, also known as Jack in the Box. It was the first time in many years my mom had eaten fast food, so I encouraged her to go with a Grilled Chicked sandwich, it was worth a good laugh to watch someone like my mom eat "Fast food". So we bolted after eating and went to wake up the Main Pappy. He finally awoke and we started conversing with him. He wasn't too into showing me how he can speak but instead, I brought out the paper for him to write. He wrote a bunch of stuff and I was challenged to read it. his letters are all very clear (for a lawyer) but they are out of order so you can't determine what he's trying to communicate. So it looked like this "In do saganda bong", I took it as how is Savanna doing (my daughter) and he was so very delighted to see that I understood! I hugged him dearly, and said she and Hudson are doing well and love him very much.
So we kept writing for a bit and it was very tough to understand. He's trying to get everything out, but I don't want him to get too frustrated. So I said to him that i'm sorry I don't understand all that he's trying to write, but told him I appreciate him trying and these things will come in time.
I also asked him if he was getting frustrated with these things and he shook his head "no", and I told him that if he does get frustrated, that that's OK. I said that sometimes you'll have your periods of frustration but you need to be patient and accept the Highs and the lows. I told him that we would all be here for him and with him to help pull him through the lows. Just like a salesman's job, there are highs that are really high, then there are lows that are really low. Because he shook his head no, I felt fairly happy, but I just hope he keeps the positive attitude. I also asked him to squeeze my hand with his left hand, to show me if he was encouraged and he gave it a big squeeze and shake. That was a great feeling!
On Saturday it was a nice day, Skip was in an upbeat mood, so I asked if he wanted to go outside for a stroll, and he nodded and was up for some fresh air. So the nurse, helped me get him into the wheelchair and next thing ya know, we are rolling through the parking lot and enjoy the fresh air together. He had my hat on and we just enjoyed the breeze and sunshine on our backs. Then I got creative and decided we would go on a "wildflower walk" just like he and Annie do at the Preserve. So we toured the parking lot picking all the different kinds of flowers and trying to find the one with the best smell. We picked everything except the California Poppy, but it was tempting. The walk was great and something creative and lighthearted for both of us. Then Scott and Lisa and their kids arrived and Skip was very happy to see them..we bumped into them in the parking lot at the close of our walk. We then took Skip inside and went to the Koi and turtle pond. We hung out there for a bit and then one of Skips friends from College and Stanford football came by, as he and his wife live in Santa Cruz. He was a very nice man, and I apologize i'm not recalling the name, I wanna say it's Les or Len or Wes?? Again sorry about that, but the reason I'm having a hard time remembering is because Skip was pointing for me to take him somewhere shortly after his friend got there. he was pointing to the bridge by the pond so I was wheeling him over there, then he points inside and continues to take me to the Mens Restroom. He needed to go to the bathroom, but there's no way I could get him there on my own. I took him to his his room and the Nurses helped me out and assisted. So anyhow, the point of this is to let you know he's able to feel himself and know when he needs to go. So I think this is positive news.
So I hung out for a little longer but I felt it was a good day. It was fun, and we both enjoyed ourselves.
Thanks again for your time and Support, The Crist Family
Sunday, March 27, 2005
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