Day 227

I'm finally home and getting settled in.  Yesterday was my birthday, and I celebrated it in the quiet comfort of my home with my daughter.  I'm 35, in case anyone is curious.  Wow.  Time really does fly the older you get.

I miss Minnesota.  Or, maybe I just miss one person in Minnesota.  Perhaps I need to spend Christmas break up north.  I'm sure my daughter would love that, she loves the snow.

I am keeping the step ticker even with the 274 steps a day required to make 100,000 in 365 days, but I know for sure I have walked more than that.  Maybe after things quiet down even more I'll start keeping track again to give us a better idea of how much I'm walking these days!  I know it's a lot.  I no longer have a house chair, and I only use my outside chair for very long distances like grocery shopping and the like.  I would like to eventually get to the point where I don't need that one either.  If I keep getting strong like I am, it shouldn't be long.

My endurance when simply standing has improved ten-fold.  I used to only be able to stand for short periods before I would have the need to sit, but now I can stand a lot longer.  My neighbor caught up to me a couple of days ago to fill me in on the goings-on while I was gone, and I must have stood talking to him for a good fifteen minutes.  I shift my weight and move my legs around, putting some weight on my walker for support, and that makes it much easier to stand much longer.

All in all I have gained in strength by leaps and bounds.  So much so that it has made me all emotional and weepy!  I'm just so happy to be back on my feet that I'm now a big mush-ball and sentimental freak, but I love it.