Becky and Robbie's Night Out

Becky called me last to tell me all about her evening with her long-time boyfriend, Robbie.  They went to karaoke at the ARC.  They talked with their friends who were there and had a fantastic time catching up on all the chisme (gossip). 

Then they got busy dancing to the music. Becky loves to dance in her electric wheelchair, using her joystick to move side to side and twirl around.  But her favorite way to dance is to hold onto Robbie's hands as they sway to the slow, romantic songs.  Sometimes he will lean down to let her put her head on his shoulder as they dance.

I keep encouraging her to sing at karaoke, but she would rather dance. Becky has a sweet singing voice that makes everyone smile.  But, actually, she makes people smile no matter what she's up to!

So Much Has Happened!

Since the last time Becky and I blogged, alot of things have happened.

Becky went to Albuquerque last month and competed in the Special Olympics state games.  She won gold medals in both of her wheelchair slalom races!!! She traveled to Albuquerque with a couple of her younger staff persons and spent two nights in a hotel, visiting with her friends and going out to eat at different restaurants. It's always a big treat for Becky and she loves trying new foods.  She's a very adventurous and curious young woman.  Of course, the best part of the trip was the big dance after the olympics were over.  The dance is held under a big tent with a deejay and competitors from across the state of New Mexico.  Becky loves to get there early as possible and has to be one of the last to leave!

Becky's cookbook was completed so she has been selling the cookbooks to her friends, staff & therapy professionals.  The cookbooks are selling for $10 and contain about 16 recipes donated by her care providers, family and friends.  Becky will use the money from the cookbooks for spending money when she goes to New York City.

Becky has also been spending time online researching places she wants to visit during her trip to NYC including Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Broadway.  She has gotten to be an expert at communicating through Skype with me and the rest of her family.  It's been a godsend as a way to stay in touch. 

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.

Bowling, Becky Style!

Becky and I had a wonderful weekend together!

On Friday night, I met Becky at the Sun Lanes bowling alley where she and her Special Olympics bowling team practice every Friday. She is always so proud to show me her latest tricks and skills! Becky bowled a score of 183...which is about 100 points more than I've ever bowled. Becky uses an adaptive ramp when she bowls. She places the bowling ball on the ramp, points it down the alley at the pins she wants to knock down and then pushes the ball down the ramp.  It takes lots of strength, coordination and a better sense of visual perception than I possess!

 Between her turns to bowl, Becky races from one place to another in her electric wheelchair. She goes to catch up on the gossip with one friend, gives another friend a big hug, then goes to give encouragement to yet another friend. She has such a full, happy life. Becky has one friend in particular, Sophia, who just loves helping her. Sophia helps lug the ramp on/off the alley-way. And she finds great pride in allowing Becky to use her personal bowling ball.  It's purple...Becky's favorite color. They both just glow as big smiles spread across their faces when they lift the purple bowling ball onto the ramp.  Then Sophia happily backs away and cheers Becky on as yet another set of pins falls.  Of course, since they are young ladies, there is lots of screaming, high-pitched squealing and giggling. 

After bowling, Becky has the tradition of going out for supper. We always tease her that she is never tired and last night was no exception. She was in the mood to play so after a trip to McDonald's she went home and played on her Wii for hours! No wonder she slept in late the next morning!!!

Blue Ribbon Becky!

Saturday was the Big Day for Becky. She participated in the southern New Mexico regional Special Olympics held in Anthony, New Mexico.
It was such a perfect day for the games! Nice and sunny, but not too hot, we had one of the bluest skies I'd ever seen. Anthony, New Mexico is a very small town half-way between Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. The high school where the games were held is out in the country surrounded by farms & ranches with horses & llamas on one side and fields of grapes & a winery on the other side. Flocks of ducks flew over the football field as I sat on the bleachers waiting for Becky's arrival.  It was quite the picture of peace...like the calm before the storm of happy chaos.
Special Olympic athletes are a very happy, raucous bunch of people and their families and caregivers, coaches and organizers are easily infected with that same joy and uninhibited celebration. Nearly everyone has a big smile on their face and you hear laughing, squealing, and excited yelling in every direction. As I arrived, the walking race was going on.  "Go! Faster!....Don't Run! Slow Down!....Go!" On the track, were about a dozen athletes wearing their team tee-shirts, walking as fast as they could...some of them almost breaking into a jog. As they got closer to the finish line, two of them were neck and neck. They finished the race in a tie and hugged each other in pure joy of having finished.
Becky arrived with her caregiver and was already squealing in excitement. She put on the bright turquoise tee-shirt like it was made of gold. She traded her sun hat for her "racing hat" and was ready! We found the staging area & she got acquainted with her competition...a lovely young lady named Lindsey. There are not many people in wheelchairs at the games. There were only 3 in motorized wheelchairs and 1 in a manual chair. One of the motorized wheelchair athletes competed alone in a timed race.
Becky's events were the 25 yard and 50 yard slaloms. She and Lindsey had to spin their chairs around once then take their chairs side to side, maneuvering cones set in their way, completing the slalom was another spin at the end. Becky was SO fast that I was fearful she would tip her chair! She had her chair on high speed and whipped around the cones like a crazy woman! When she was done, she had a very satisfied grin on her face. That grin got even bigger when I told her she scared me.
We made our way to the awards tent and her friends all greeted her with cheers and hugs. Her name was announced and ROTC officers pinned blue ribbons on her shirt. Becky was beaming. She had won first place in both events.
Her boyfriend, Robbie, and several of her other friends showed up to congratulate her & lots of laughing, squealing, and hugging went on. What joy, what pure unadulterated happiness and celebration they expressed! It's contagious and I'm glad I caught it.
Becky will go to Albuquerque with her friends, coaches and caregivers in May for the state Special Olympics. They will be held at the University of New Mexico football stadium. She will be a part of the opening and closing ceremonies, cheer for her friends during their events, complete her own events and then the best part....the Big Dance after the closing ceremonies. I never fail to shed many tears at the ceremonies. But the dance is particularly touching. It always makes me wish we could all enjoy life, enjoy each other, that much!

Special Olympics Prep

This is a picture of Becky winning the gold medal at the Special Olympics Bowling Tournament!

Going to the Special Olympics is often the highlight of the year for many of the participants as well as their families and the volunteers.  Becky began taking part in the games since she was around 8 years old.  The games provided her with a much-needed sense of independence.  Becky's first night away from me was when she went to the state games in Oklahoma City back in 1992.  She was so happy and so proud! 

Becky used to participate in the softball throw.  Even though the ball always landed just inches away, she squealed with joy and had huge smiles. Of course, her specialty has always been the wheelchair races.  She does sprints & 100 yard dashes but really enjoys the obstacle courses.

After the state games, the biggest event...the event everyone loves the most...happens.  The dance!  

I have to say that there is nothing more joyful in this world than watching the Special Olympic athletes dance.  There is none of the se-conscious awkwardness so common at most dances. They get out on the floor and boogie!  They enjoy the slow dances that allow them to pair up with a special friend. But if you are on the dancefloor when the DJ plays Love Shack or La Bamba, you had better run for cover because they simply cannot be happier or more enthusiastic dancers. 

We found out today that Becky's team is going to have to do some fundraising in order to go to Albuquerque for the state games.  That's really no problem; in fact, Becky LOVES doing fundraising for Special Olympics. It's another opportunity for her to be with her friends and it's a party atmosphere.  This year they are selling tickets for an enchilada dinner.   Because Becky has to be transported in her electric wheelchair, she has to take a big van on the trip to Albuquerque....which means lots more gas.  Plus, because of her physical needs, she has to take along two caregivers to help her get from her chair to bed and vice versa.  So Becky's expenses will be higher than the others as she will be responsible for providing the caregivers with a hotel room.  


Oh well, there are always obstacles that make life challenging, huh?  Guess we'll meet those obstacles like Becky does with everything else...with a huge smile.

Special Olympics

Becky is "in training" for Special Olympics again!  

Becky is going to be in the wheelchair races again this year.  The regional games are in Anthony, New Mexico April 16 and the state games in Albuquerque are the weekend of May 21. 

For now, Becky goes to the track two times a week and practices staying between the lines as she runs her wheelchair on high speed.  She loves being with her friends as they practice for their events.  Becky is the only person in a wheelchair at practice so she has to be very independent and highly motivated to keep at it.  But she never complains about anything.  She works through the bright sun, the heat and gets the job done!

Here are some pics of her at Special Olympics last year.