It's a celebration!

Happy Birthday to Chuck, Happy Birthday to Chuck, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday....Happy Birthday to Chuck!

Wow - Thursday, April 29 is one glorious year since surgery.

I take my birthday off work every year, I have no idea why I didn't take his birthday off to celebrate.

I cannot remember the last time a year went by without me missing out on something, or being curled up in bed for weeks at a time. This year has been a glorious gift and I like to think I've made the most of it.

1) I ate and ate and ate and ate some more.

I have eaten more corn on the cob this year than I have in 12 years combined and I'm already looking forward to another season. I have to say that corn on the cob was the one thing that I really missed when I was sick and couldn't eat things very high in fibre. In celebration of my corn on the cob eating days I bought a Butter Buddy. Paul still makes fun but even he admits it's a handy little tool. It's a little holder that has a butter stick in it and it is shaped like your corn on the cob so you can butter everything evenly without a big pile of melty butter on your plate.

2) I have gone on vacation to Las Vegas and partied it up like a 30 something should be able to do. I have also just returned from a trip to Lake Louise where I also consumed copious amounts of alcohol. I have a sneaking suspicion that my lack of intestines means that I could probably now drink most people under the table. I had a whole lot to drink in Lake Louise and the next day didn't have a lick of a hangover and wasn't even fuzzy and warm feeling the night before. Interesting.

3) I have started going to the gym. Every morning at 5:00 a.m. my alarm clock goes off and I roll my sorry self out of bed and head for the gym here for 5:30 a.m. I work out for an hour, shower and get ready for work there. The reason for this is explained in #1 of this list - and because it's just so good to feel healthy. I even hired a trainer who set up an awesome program for me. I am really just focusing on fitness, weight isn't what I'm worried about although if I had have kept up with #1 and not done #3 then it probably would have been! Paul has been coming to the gym too and we've both noticed a big difference.

4) I have started playing slo-pitch again this year - our first game was Monday night. I have never played when I felt this good and I played like a freakin' machine if I do say so myself. I wasn't exhausted and unable to run the bases, I actually had a couple of really good hits...and had a great time and I'm already looking forward to the second game.

5) Paul bought me golf clubs and this year I'm going to learn! I didn't learn before not because of the physical activity thing (although that was part of it) - but because golf courses aren't known for their abundance of bathrooms and the last thing I wanted was to get stuck on some fairway and have to run into the bushes to take care of business...besides I think the courses have some kind of rules against that.

So - I think I should buy Chuck a nice pair of leather boots for his birthday. He'd look fabulous in them! Fine - so the boots are for me and I haven't bought them yet. But I did buy him something - stay tuned for my next blog when it comes in. The Ostomy Stealth Belt. I'm excited already just from the name - it makes it sound like a ninja device.