Weekend at Becky's

Becky and I spent a wonderful weekend together again. 
On Thursday evening, I rode the bus from El Paso to Las Cruces which is a short trip of about 30 minutes. Way cheaper to go by bus at $3 rather than driving when gas is so very expensive.  Becky & her caregivers picked me up at a little cafe near the bus stop and we went to her apartment.  Becky and her roommate, Melissa, have made their apartment so nice and homey.  Melissa has 2 parrots that make just enough noise to let you know they are alive. Becky loves the birds too.  So Thursday night was all about catching up on gossip and figuring out what was on the agenda for Friday. Becky and Melissa have become very close and are like sisters.

Becky's house has been designated an "awake" house by her residential care company. That means the staff does chores around the house while the girls sleep i.e. laundry, mopping, cleaning, etc.  That also means that I no longer sleep on Becky's sofa when I crash at her place.  So, I took come cushions off the sofa & made myself a bed on her floor. She was happy because it felt like a slumber party. lol...it also felt like my rear end was destined to be on the floor between the cushions. Luckily, one of her staff brought over an air mattress for me on Friday night. 
Friday, Becky went to Sunland Park, NM to the casino with her friends from Dayhab. She was very very excited and determined to win some $$$. And she didn't do to badly. She took $20 and came home with $5....better than I usually do at the casino. 
My agenda on Friday was an appointment with my rheumatologist who has an office .6 miles away from Becky's apartment. I walked the .6 miles...downhill...and was so pleased with myself. Lupus has been rearing it's ugly head lately and I've been taking physical activities very slowly.  I got good news from the doctor...no new or additional drugs!  WooHoo!
My good friend, Lesley Maguire, took me to the local printing company and we got Becky's Dream Cookbook set up and ready for printing.  It should be ready for her to start selling next week!
Lesley had such a brilliant idea when she came up with the cookbook project.  Thank you so much, Lesley! Becky will use the money from the cookbook for her spending money when she goes to NYC! 
Becky had her regularly scheduled bowling practice for Special Olympics on Friday night and wow, did she do great!  One strike after another!  She made the highest score on her team with a 278.

Saturday I woke up in the middle of a full blown Lupus attack so I stayed in while Becky went grocery shopping & then on her date with Robbie.  Seems that walking .6 miles was too much to ask of my body this time.  So instead of spending Mother's Day with Becky, I had to go back to El Paso where I could take my meds and crawl into bed for a couple of days.  
Becky is so empathic and caring. She called to make sure I was doing better, to see if she could help somehow. She is a stunning example of how people who have many challenges in life are often the ones to extend their helping hand first.

Becky's Going for Her 1st Independent Adventure into the World!

Well, it's happening!

 Becky is going to NYC with the help of Hammer Travel from Oct. 2 - Oct. 6, 2011.  She'll be touring the city with a group of new friends that have various disabilities and several very capable, well trained staff members from Hammer Travel. 
Becky's dream is coming true due to the help of several key people and many other new friends. The donations all began with my nephew, Becky's first cousin, Matthew Roessler. He donated money after reading Becky's blog and got us all excited about the possibilities that we could actually make this adventure happen.  My first cousin, Scott Robison, was very creative & playful in his generous and surprising donations. And the brother of Becky's godfather who passed away years ago, donated to her efforts. One of my very good friends from Field Kindley High School, Lynn Bastian Morrow, made a large donation and encouraged my other friends on Facebook to do the same.  
Becky's brother, James Wilkinson and her sister, Corey Taylor gave large amounts to help their sister in her efforts to be independent....they have never let her down and have always lifted her up!
My heart was moved deeply when a very special friend of mine who also has a chronic illness, Brenda Jones, made a large donation. Her donation was just one of many made by people who have chronic illnesses such as Lupus, Fibromyalgia and MS. It moved us greatly that people with health problems of their own were often the mostly likely to help Becky.  


Then a very special person surprised us all. Rory Albanese, executive producer and writer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart contacted me and asked for more information about Becky. He then donated the remainder of the amount needed for Becky's New York City trip.  His generosity simply overwhelmed us. Becky has been watching the Daily Show and clips of Mr. Albanese's comedy online every since!  

We are extremely thankful for these people and the many others who have helped us financially, encouraged us with their own efforts, and those who have pledged to continue helping Becky.  Becky is planning on completing her cookbook project and selling the cookbooks so that she'll have spending money when she hits Manhattan!  

Again, THANK YOU ALL!

Becky's Dream Closer to Coming True

We're so proud of Becky! And the good news is: We made the down payment on her NYC trip this morning! Woo Hoo!

Thank you so much to all the friends, new friends, and family who helped us reach this part of her journey.