Florida: It Was SO Worth the Trip!!

We just returned from a week spent with our kids and grandkids in Florida. Traveling is always a BIG Deal with Parkinson's! Packing and remembering all the things we need to take with us is exhausting even before the trip begins...Don's Meds, check; Carol's Meds, check; manual wheelchair, check; electric toothbrushes, check; extra unders, check; Living Will, check; Power of Attorney, check; walker, check; etc., etc. Oh, Yes...and a huge kite for Kami's Birthday and the "butterfly in a jar" and "firefly in a jar" that slowed us up going through security( even more than usual). We had such a good time, in spite of Don falling out of A.J.'s bed, and briefly losing his suit pants at the temple (belt too loose and no suspenders). It's way TOO HOT and HUMID in Florida this time of year, but we wouldn't have missed the long awaited Hashey Family's sealing and spending every morning in the community pool at Jessica's was refreshing. We just can't figure out how people lived in Florida before air conditioning. We missed the best week of summer (so far) in Seattle and traded it for rain and thunder storms in Tampa, but how we loved being with the kids and grandkids! Don bought Truman a bow and arrows so he can go hunting with his dad this fall; I enjoyed working two puzzles with Kami and Jessica and playing their new digital piano and listening to Kami practice. We watched Kami's dance class and A.J.'s gymnastics. They treated us to the CherryBerry Frozen Yogurt Bar and Kobe, Japanese Steakhouse and a local family's grill (with the best hamburgers ever!!) and of course, we went to Chick-fil-a and breakfast-for-dinner at IHop. All of that, and the lunch with Mindy and Billy and family and friends at Olive Garden meant that we were fed and entertained like royalty. A BONUS was when we were able to volunteer for a later flight when our flight was overbooked (Thanks to Jessica for being flexible picking us up) and were rewarded with a voucher worth another trip for the two of us...Yay!! We'll be going back again next year for Alishia and Zach's wedding...in June...(oh, why couldn't they have chosen January or February?)!!

For the Bookshelf

Two more great finds for our Parkinson's library.  First, "Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier" by Shelley Peterman Schwarz; I didn't think that after more than 20 years of living with PD in our home that there would be anything that we hadn't tried to make life easier...but...this book is filled with wonderful suggestions for making everyday life at home and while traveling or having an evening out, easier and there were several things that we had never heard about or considered; we will be trying some of these out shortly.  If you or a loved one is newly diagnosed with PD this book is worth every penny of the $16.95 price tag. Next, Parkinson's Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients & Families by William J. Weiner, M.D, Lisa M. Shulman, M.D. and Anthony E. Lang, M.D., F.R.C.P., is exactly what it claims to be: "a comprehensive resource for coping with medical, emotional and practical challenges" of Parkinson's Disease.  This book, published by Johns Hopkins University Press is the most comprehensive and up-to-date book that we have found on PD and , while it is very thorough in covering all aspects of the disease, it is very easy to read and to understand; not steeped in complex medical language and doctor talk.  If you only had one resource for your information about Parkinson's, this would be the one we would choose.

The Dodge: Guts, Glory and Living at Full Throttle

Bellingham, WA (PRWEB) May 31, 2012  Artist and Chef Couple to Embark on a Guts and Glory 2, 000 Mile Road Trip Book Tour in their Classic 1941 Dodge Celebrating Transcendence over Parkinson's Disease by Living Life at Full Throttle. I just found this link and thought I'd pass it along...sounds like a good read.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9557886.htm

   Another book for my reading wishlist....

“Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease: Dynamic Lifestyle Changes to Put You in the Driver’s Seat” has been named to the Top 20 List of Books in Demand Nationwide by Libraries and Bookstores from Quality Books in the March 1, 2012 Library Journal. A “how-to” for boosting physical and emotional resilience with brain healthy nutrition, exercise, and enlightened caregiving, “Take Charge” contains more than 80 original recipes with the widest variety of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich ingredients, and culinary herbs and spices known to favorably impact the brain. Author and French trained chef, Anne Cutter Mikkelsen, shares the stirring personal story of how she and her husband, diagnosed in 1993, have discovered how to live well with PD. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012Top_20_Parkinsons/03Books/prweb9239782.htm