Hey gang,

Sorry to be missing in action for the past week. Lots of stuff going on. I still haven't replaced my smart phone but will finally do it this week. Jim managed to get my old phone sort of running--so hopefully I can get all my contacts and other stuff off the SIM card and loaded into a new phone.

Last week I spent nearly every day running around hospitals getting myself set up with a new rheumatologist and new PCP. Finally!!! I've been frustrated for years that my primary doesn't coordinate with my rheumy, and now not only are the two in the same system, their offices are right next door to each other, AND my new primary also has a weird autoimmune disorder, so he is familiar with the risks of and precautions that need to be taken with immunosuppressive drugs.

We also welcomed an AmeriCorps/Vista worker into our home last week--a LOVELY young man from Kansas named Zach. A dear friend of mine from Alaska asked me to look out for him--he just finished a year in Montana where she is living now. He also did a year in Cairo, of all places!, and hearing his stories about Egypt has been really entertaining. Jim and I have decided that adopting an adult child makes so much more sense financially than adopting a child child, so I think Zach is our new son, LOL. Today, he's moving into his apartment, and I've been digging around for things he might need--just found an extra stovetop espresso maker, yay!, and dug up an extra table and blow up mattress from the shed.

So all that has been going well, but I am really discouraged by my sciatic pain. I haven't been able to get to physical therapy for a week, and I KNOW I need to go, but when just hobbling down the stairs leaves me sobbing on the couch for 20 minutes, the thought of going into town and working out seems impossible. Yeah, yeah, I know... put on your big girl panties and just do it. I'll call tomorrow and schedule my next appointment.

I'll read all the missed threads and pick up the challenge later today. I'm IN, whatever it is. Nancy, happy belated birthday, and HURRAH to the rest of you for staying motivated and getting healthy!

xxoo
K.