Food after stoke

So I bought this cookbook (pictured below) and we made the Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins recipe.  I don't have a giant muffin pan, only a regular.  On my first attempt, I tried to fill all the muffins, but they didn't turn out so good.  Second, attempt, they actually turned out to be a little more of a muffin.  When we make them again, I will try and triple the recipe and have the tins even more filled.  I also added one more teaspoon of milk, which made the batter creamier. 

 

 

Nathan's Sroke

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday evening, June 22nd, my husband Nathan, our son, my FIL and I were taking a walk, before a much-anticipated early morning drive to Galveston to begin what was supposed to be an amazing family vacation to Belize, Honduras, & Mexico, unaware that it was about to take an unexpected, harrowing turn. As we neared our home, just a block away, Nathan suddenly realized something was terribly wrong. He stopped, called out to us, and began shaking, struggling to keep his balance. In the tense moments that followed, we sprang into action, calling 911 and assisting the first responders who rushed him to the nearest hospital. The doctors soon determined that Nathan had suffered a stroke, caused by a blood clot that had formed in his body and traveled to the base of his brain. Despite receiving a clot-busting drug, Nathan's condition rapidly deteriorated - he lost the ability to speak clearly, identify basic objects, and control the left and right sides of his body. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the medical team quickly transported Nathan to Medical City Plano, where he underwent a life-saving thrombectomy procedure to remove the clot. As I waited anxiously with family and friends, the surgeon emerged with the news that the procedure had been successful. Though cautioning that Nathan's recovery would still be a delicate process, the surgeon's cautious optimism provided a glimmer of hope. True to that hope, within 30 minutes of being settled in the neuro ICU, Nathan was talking, moving, seeing, and remembering - a remarkable turnaround that spoke to the skill and swift action of all those involved in his care, from our family to the first responders to the medical professionals who saved his life. I'm truly grateful for the outpouring of support and love we've received from everyone throughout this difficult period. Thank you to all who reached out by phone, text, and Facebook messages. Nathan was humbled and deeply moved by the many visitors who came to see him in the hospital. The team at The Martial Arts Lab set up a meal train for us, which alleviated the stress of having to immediately go grocery shopping. My sister has been by my side every step of the way, and she also organized a GoFundMe campaign [https://gofund.me/bda96685] to help with the incoming medical bills. I never imagined such a situation could happen to us, and I couldn't have been as supportive for Nathan without the support of everyone around me.

Merry Christmas 2023

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. 

In contrast to previous years with more active and busy schedules, this year was intentionally calm and relaxed. Our main focus was on financial stability, which involved saving for upcoming vacations and diligently paying off debts. It was a year of prioritizing financial responsibility and building up our savings. However, with exciting events in the pipeline for next year, I am eagerly anticipating a change of pace and am excited for what lies ahead.

Christmas 2023

2022 Summer Road Trip

So we made a hell of a road trip to go to Nathan's friends wedding in Canada. 

All of my full length reviews can be found on my Yelp page :) 

Day One: Driving - We have a friend who lives in Arkansas so we were able to crash there for the first night!

Day Two: We stopped in Nashville, TN at a place called Vegelicious. (513B Fisk St., Nashville, TN 37203).  It was DELICIOUS!  I totally forgot about the time change so we made it to Aberdeen, MD WAYYYY later than I thought we would've.  The hotel (super 8) was not friendly upon check in. They felt the need to continually call and remind me that we were super late.  Upon check in they told me that if I was any longer, they were going to cancel our room and give it to someone else.  Because they clearly had people beating down their door for rooms (sarcasm). 

Aberdeen, MD you are beautiful 

Day Three: Lunch was at a place called Grass Roots Kitchen. We stopped at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  Oh my god! What an absolutely GORGEOUS cemetery! 

Day Three: After sleepy hollow, we drove up to Manhatton - Never mind the almost $100 in tolls we racked up in NY! EEK!! High Line Park is SOO COOL! We met up and had dinner with one of my friends in downtown Manhattan and let me tell you - compared to Dallas, I felt SO SAFE there.  Even though my anxiety was through the roof with the amount of people during the day, at night. I was happy as hell walking around there. 

Day Four: Salem, MA - I love you.. So much.  We basically did all the free things around Salem.  The next time we go back to Salem, I am spending so much money. 

Some of the free things we did:

•  Picture: Max & Dani's House (HOCUS POCUS)
  4 Ocean Ave., Salem, MA 01970
• Picture: The Witch House
  310 Essex St., Salem, MA 01970
• Walk around The Witch Village
  282 Derby St., Salem, MA 01970
• Walk around Salem Commons
  30 Washington Square, Salem, MA 01970
• Winter Island
• Samuel Parris Archaeological Site
  65 Centre St., Danvers, MA 01923

Day Five: Niagara Falls - on the Canadian side. There are no words.  It's magical. Amazing.  A must do. There is an excursion we took that brings you right up in the horse shoe of the falls. Do it.  Viewing the falls from the top is one thing, but from the bottom super close is unforgettable.  There was also another one that allows you to walk behind the falls, but we got there too late and missed out.

Day Six: Toronto.  It's pretty dirty IMO, but it's fun to walk around.  I don't know that I have the "I want to go back to Toronto" vibe, but it was great to experience it. We walked around Cherry Beach, Toronto Island Park, Graffiti Alley and a Skullstore Oddity Shop.  CN Tower was really cool as well! We ate dinner at a place called Storm Crow Manor, which was SUCH A COOL EXPERIENCE. Especially the downstairs bathroom!