Welcome to 2013

Overall it has been a great year so far.  My 30th birthday was fun.  Me and some friends went to a New Year's Eve party.  My best friend, Laurie, had a baby boy in February.  His name is Landon.  I just love to go visit them!  I've been on two dates this year.  They first one seemingly went well and he said he wanted to go out again but then he just never called me.  So i decided to move on to the next.  The second one was just this past weekend and he seemed very nice.  We laughed and I felt comfortable around him.  I told him about my ataxia and he didn't seem to be bothered by it.....but I don't know what he really is thinking.  I haven't heard from him yet, but I'll give it about a week or so before I figure he's not interested.  He even walked me to my car which was nice.  I've been using OkCupid to find men in my area.  Dating or finding a boyfriend is not a huge priority for me and I tend to not put myself out there, but having a boyfriend would be beneficial i suppose so I'm trying to put myself out there more and meet more guys.  And the ones who are bothered by my ataxia aren't worth my time anyways.  I had a physical performed last week.  I haven't had one done in like six years.  And guess what? I'm healthy!  All my blood results came back in the normal range,  Well except for Vitamin D.  But that's not a big deal and i am taking a supplement to up those levels.  Work is going well so far this year.  Our office has been staying pretty busy.  We signed up for our first ever internet advertising gig this month.  It's kinda awesome and I will post a link below to the video that we made to promote our services.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v93Bg_jcjvA&feature=youtu.be

It's Been a Long Time...

Mucho has happened in the life of me since my last entry.  I think I'll just make a list of all the events instead of writing a story.

-  Bought a new car in December.  Yay!

-  I decided to go back to the reddish brown hair color I used to have.  The color goes better with my skin tone than blonde did (eventho blonde is my natural color).
-  Bought a new phone. Samsung Galaxy SII!  My first touchscreen phone and i love it!  Just like a mini-computer.
-  Graduated college in December.  Awesome!

 I'm officially a paralegal now and can bill clients and I have my own business card!

-  I celebrated my 29th birthday!
-  Celebrated my friend's, Holly, 28th birthday!  We partied it up at Grahams Central Station.
-  My niece, Noella, turned 9 in February and I went up to Dallas to visit her and see my brother's new house!  It's amazing!
-  I had two cavities filled.  Not that fun.
-  One of my really good friends from college got married last week and I was a bridesmaid!

-  My beloved cat of 16 wonderful years, Purky, passed away last week :(

She was amazing in every way and it hurts my heart to come home and not have her greet me.
-  I have a new kitten, Bella, who helps me cope with the loss of a great companion.  I love Bella very much and look forward to many wonderful years with her!
-  One of my really good college friends, Laura, moved back to the Austin area.
-  Made a new friend :)

And I am now excited to announce the UPCOMING EVENTS taking place:
My brother will be marrying his fiance, Dorothy, in April!  I am so happy he found that special woman to spend the rest of his life with.  I am a bridesmaid in their wedding also.  The dress is gorgeous!
Dorothy's bachelorette party is in a few weeks and we are going on a wine tour!  I've never even been to a winery so this is exciting for me.  Not only do we get to tour multiple wineries, but we also get wine samples!
I put together a wedding shower for Eric and Dorothy that will be held next week.  I'm hoping everything runs smoothly.  My invitations to the event were so cute and included all 3 wedding colors.

-  My friend's, Jennifer, birthday party is April 7th.  So excited because she wants to do a girly day at the spa!  I'm not sure if i want a mani or a pedi, but they provide FREE margaritas and wine.
-  I am starting a workshop in May called Discovery.  It's completed in 3 parts.  I really don't know anything about it, but my friend swears it's a life-changing experience.  Even when I ask her about it, she won't give me any details.  I guess I'll have to trust her and participate and find out for myself :)

In conclusion,
I realize this blog is called Ataxia Adventures.  This is because I live my life everyday with ataxia and this condition shapes my life.  However, not all of my entries are going to be or need to be about my ataxia because there is so much more to me than this disease.  It doesn't consume my life and I don't want people to perceive me being that way.  I know this is a serious disease and you should know that too, but life is so much more than the hand you are dealt.  It's what you make of it that REALLY MATTERS!

Breaking News

Car update:  the fan that cools the air has stopped working so the shop is going to replace it.  They found nothing else wrong with my car so that shutting off thing must've been a one-time glitch.  I also told them to go ahead and do an oil-change since my car is already there.  I'm not for sure if I need one yet, but in this weather it's a good idea to keep on top of things, especially since my car is my lifeline.

Doing Better

I am physically feeling much better today.  Not as weak as I was yesterday but still a little lethargic.  I just need to get back in the habit of eating regularly to replenish my body.  And drink lots of fluids because I've also been dehydrated.  I get that way sometimes too.


In other news, my car is broken =(  The air conditioner just blows hot air now and the car just dies after it is in idle mode for a few minutes.  I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow to find out what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost :/

Blank

I am having a really bad 'disability' day today.  I don't know why some days are better than others.  But today my walking has been all over the place.  My balance seems to be the only thing affected on days like this.  They don't happen very often, maybe a few times a month.  But days like these make it hard to get through the day.  I mean, I'm bumping into walls, walking more zig-zaggy than usual, and my leg muscles just feel fatigued.  I didn't have a busy weekend at all.  I just relaxed and hung out.  So that is not to blame.  I even fell at lunch today; i tripped on a chair :(  Nice thing is, like four people came over to help me and make sure I was ok.  Man, sometimes I really am in disbelief I have ataxia.  I have class tonight but because of the day my body is having, I don't even think I'm gonna go.  The more walking I do, the more likely I will fall.  Especially on days like this.  I'm glad I have a desk job...lol.  I am just thankful my bad days are few and far between.  But when I ponder the situation, I'd rather have these kind of days than go through the things some people have to deal with.

Truckin' Along

People may beg to differ but I feel I have totally accepted my ataxia.  Without treatment I will have these symptoms the rest of my life and that they will get progressively worse; it's only a matter of time.  With that said, I do not by any means give up on improving my body and fighting the ataxia.  There is no reason to give up just because you have a chronic condition.  Like I always say, nobody knows what the future holds.  Why not be optimistic of treatment?  There are medical breakthroughs everyday.  My life has not been easy since I was diagnosed with this condition, but I will never give up til the day I die (and then I will be in Heaven where everything's perfect).  I think the main thing I can do right now is do anything I can to slow down the progression of my ataxia.  And I think what I've done the past 6 years has helped because my two MRIs show maybe like a 5% difference.  So I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing and continue to check-in with my neurologist once a year.

Bummer :/

Although I got to rest all day Sunday,  I did way too much this weekend.  My legs still feel like jello :(  I was literally on my legs all day Saturday playing with the kids at the pool and then going dancing that night for almost 5 hours..  Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, and I would never sacrifice having this much fun because of my ataxia, but I agree it probably was a little much.  Look, you only have one life to live here so live it up!