Happy New Year

As I approach my 1 year ANniversary, which is on Feb 8th, 2014 my emotions are running wild... Its been one hell of a  journey! I can't thank all my family, friends and followers enough for all your love and support. I've come so far and yet have a long way to go. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year celebration. I was just so happy to spend the holidays with my family and friends without Gumbi growing in my head.  

As I mentioned in my last blog I was headed to Glamis sand dunes to ride my dirt bike with my folks for New Years. For those unfamiliar with Glamis its located in the southeastern portion of  California, near the border with Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California. The dunes are approximately 45 miles long by 6 miles wide. Its a huge place and has been a childhood dream of mine to ride there. Check that off the bucket list. Again riding in the dunes is another true balance test and great exercise. I don't feel it was any easier from the beginning of December when I rode in Dumont Dunes. I can still compare my skills to riding a bicycle on the beach. Extremely unstable and difficult. Like everything else I've accomplished its taken a lot of time and hard work. I know my mom was a nervous wreck watching me ride. Sorry mom. Its time to stop playing in the sand and get back in the dirt. 

Whats next I keep asking myself....? Dirt bike aside, I have always had a passion for snowboarding. On Feb 6th, two days before my ANniversay my amazing friend, Joanne, is joining me in Brianhead, Utah as I test out my snowboarding skills. Not sure what to expect, but I sure can't wait to try. Not promising any back-flips or 360's.... Last time I went snowboarding was in January a year ago. I will let you know how it all works out in my next blog. Stay tuned.

I'm still practicing Bikram Yoga on average of 2-3 days each week as well as working out at the gym. Yoga is amazing and my balance postures improve every week. I Still struggle on my left leg quite a bit. I can almost complete the tree pose transition to toe stand. I spend on average about 90 minutes at the gym splitting my time up between weights and cardio exercise. I am still juicing my fruits and veggies and drink about 16 ounces a day. I have found some tasty creations. I switch it up occasionally but my go to is typically Spinach, Kale, Cucumber, Apple, and Lemon. Sometimes I use Dandelion Greens, Carrots, and Celery as well. If you're not a juicer I highly recommend it. As much as I like animals I have been walking dogs, and pet sitting. It keeps me busy, earns me a little income and helps aid in my recovery. All around a win win. If you know of anyone that needs pet care in the Las Vegas area please have them contact me I really enjoy it and would appreciate the referral.

My bowling average is on the rise. A little better each week, I'm currently rolling a 172 average and even rolled a 600 series a couple weeks back. 200 games are not uncommon anymore. Due to my uncomfortable dry eye it still presents a challenge as I approach the line to release the ball. My depth perception tends to be a little off. We bowl with about 32 teams and for the first half of the season our team finished in the middle about 15th place. 

I'm still learning to accept this so called "new normal" with so many challenges from single side hearing, tinnitus, dry eye to daily balance issues I find them becoming easier over time. While still all extremely frustrating I'm dealing with it. A positive attitude and healthy lifestyle keeps me going strong. I was having a drink with some friends the other night and a lady in the group mentioned she was an audiologist. I immediately engaged in conversation with her. She was very knowledgeable about my situation after I shared my story with her. She practices in Florida and wants to help locate me a local audiologist. She feels that there is  a way with a hidden hearing device in the ear canal to restore my ability to hear from the left side. The way she described it to me is that the device would tuck down into the ear canal and reroute the sound via wireless to the working ear. She also mentioned it would help tone down the tinnitus. I'm interested!  After some research I believe she was describing the CROS.  

As mentioned in my last blog I received a nice email from Adrienne. I had been meaning to connect with her and see how she is doing. About a week ago she emailed me informing that she would be in Vegas for a few days with her husband and would like to connect. I called Adrienne that evening to confirm. During my conversation with her it sounds like shes doing great - about 8 weeks post op and shes has started driving and doing balance therapy. I am excited to meet with them while they are in town.

Happy 2014 Cheers!