*8:30 AM* I hear some faint sounds asking me to wake up. I guess it is that time again. I am starting to like and getting used to this routine. I slowly put my feet at the edge of the bed and realize I can almost get out of bed by myself. But as I look up Joey and Hussain help me as they see that I am still a bit tired. They help me get into a wheelchair and I meet Patrick and Thomas in the hallway.

I am told that we are going downstairs to do some more exercising. This should be fun as I used to love to exercise, even though I cannot quite remember the last time I did. We get into the nice bright room and my lovely therapist, starts me off by putting some weights around my ankle. She asks me to kick her hand 10 times. I can do the left side fairly easily, but having the foot touch the ground was a bit of a chore. Nonetheless I was done rather quickly. It took the right foot a little longer to get the hang of it, but then within minutes, I did 10 repetitions.

Next she holds a dumbbell out for me to grab. I grab it with my left hand and do 10 bicep curls with it, then gingerly transfer it to my right hand and do the same. Then she brings over a big wooden stick with a curled end. She puts the cane down in front of me and asks me to hold it with both hands. I do. Then she asks me to spread my hands apart. I do. Then she asks me to lift the cane above my head, this was a little difficult at first. But after the 4th repitition I was about not only lift it over my head but also COUNT along with the therapist. I went "Five, Six, Seven, Eight" and then with a little help from the therapist, "Nine, Ten!" It was an awesome feeling as I got to ten and everyone was clapping and encouraging me.

Alright, I am not facing down my biggest challenge, the parallel bars. It is that time to walk. They asked if I remembered walking yesterday, I don't quite recall it, but who knows? They tell me I did about 6 steps on 2 attempts yesterday and I know deep down inside I can beat that. Today I went an entire length of the bars, totaling over 8 feet of walking distance. It was amazing. I was a bit tired and got to rest right after. It was a great feeling as everyone was thrilled for me. The therapist told me that I was strong enough to walk with just a walker, but I need to work on my balance and order of steps. No sweat, I will get that nailed next week.

After taking a pretty long break, I made another attempt to stand up and take some steps. I was just too tired. No big deal, the therapist looked outside and realized it was a beautiful day and asked I wanted to enjoy it. Before you know it, I was outside enjoying the bright sun, green grass, tall trees and fresh air for the first time since the 17th of April. Today was a great day. I am a bit tired now, but have some speech therapy coming up this afternoon. Will need some rest for that...Goodnight.