Getting Back into the Groove

At the end of August Lindsay, myself, my parents, and my parent's friends went on a trip to Las Vegas.  My first flight with my chair went very well.  A couple of problems we did face included the flight attendants not knowing how to transfer me correctly and the fact that I could not get up to let a passenger through to their window seat.  I didn't even get first class haha!  After flying in we arrived via accessible cab (where Lindsay left the slide board) to Caeser's Palace.  We went to dinner and explored the hotel and casino our first night.  The second day we went up and down the strip, went to the wax museum, and went to Margaritaville.  On our last day in Vegas we went to the pool to recover, went to see the Lion King, and watched the fountain show at Bellagio.  Gambling was scattered throughout the trip but we are still not millionaires.  Overall, it was a really fun trip and I can't wait to go back!

We had the privilege of attending the Celebration of Courage at the Earle Brown Heritage Center last month.  It was an incredible event that celebrated the strides that so many people have made with help from the Courage Center.  It was fun to get all dressed up and enjoy a fancy event.  Thank you Rick and Joan Ahmann!

I am currently attending Gustavus Adolphus College to finish my degree in business management.  I go down to campus once a week and do the rest of my work online.  I am enrolled in organizational behavior and marketing this semester.  It has been great to see all of my friends and all of the Brendan bracelets around campus. Everything is working out very well and I am excited to be back on track to graduate.  I even made it down for homecoming this year and had too much fun!

In recent news, I have applied for a service dog that could help me gain some independence.  This can be a long process but I think it is something that is worth the wait.  I am also doing the the ABLE walking program once a week and am seeing improvement; the therapists even felt muscles firing in my quads! This is in addition to my weekly workouts where I have been feeling stronger and stronger everyday.  Yesterday I did the arm bike with 20 electrodes hooked up to my body including electrodes on my abs and lower back to enhance my core strength.  A few hours later it felt as though I had done 1,000 sit-ups! 

I am looking forward to watching the Twins spank the Yankees tomorrow night!