The weekend in a nut shell

Wow, it's Sunday night already. Bob came in Saturday morning. We got back to Stevens Point in the early afternoon. We Took a walk along the river, and of course saw more ducks. This mama had new born babies. She didn't seem too happy, but she did let me take a picture!


After we walked around a bit, we went back to the hotel. Olivia rested and Bob and I went for a bike ride around town. It was a nice ride. Before we went out to dinner, Olivia and Emily went swimming. It's really nice that she has made a friend! After dinner, we just came back to the hotel and turned in early.


Sunday morning, after breakfast we went out to Mullins Cheese . I thought they would have tours, but they didn't. I was able to get awesome cheese curds though. I love cheese curds. I love how they squeak when you chew them! We headed back to Stevens Point and went to the Stevens Point food co-op. What a neat place. A bit on the expensive side, but a nice place. The bakery was closed, so we'll have to go back during the week. I've heard the bakery is just wonderful. We shall find out!


It was a really nice day. Warm with sunshine on and off. When we got back to the hotel, it started to drizzle and Bob and I thought it would be a great time for a bike ride. Olivia didn't agree, so she rested, when we went out. We went out to the Green Trail at the Schmeeckle Reserve, which is directly across the street from the hotel. It is absolutely beautiful. We took a quick ride through there yesterday, and I nearly got knocked off my bike by an owl! Seriously! That bird flew right in front of me and landed in a tree. Of course I didn't have my camera! I called Bob back and he was able to see it. It was absolutely beautiful. We watched it fly away and continued on our ride. Today, we didn't see any owls, but the deer were abundant. Of course, again, I forgot my camera. This time I was able to get a picture with my phone. It's not too great, but this dear just stood and stared at us. They seem to not be afraid of people at all.


We ate leftovers tonight and will be making it an early night. It's back to the Rehab Center, bright and early tomorrow morning at 7:30.

Five days down...

I can't believe it, one week is completed. It's amazing how much Olivia has learned. She is so glad it is the weekend and she can sleep in!

This afternoon when the girls were done, we went to Appleton, which is an hour away to go to the mall. Yes, the closest mall is an hour away. Everyone said how nice it was. It was okay. Nothing special, but something to do. Afterwards we went to downtown Appleton to an Italian restaurant named Victoria's. Stef, one of the therapists recommended it, so we gave it a try. The food was good (Olivia and I split Eggplant Parmesan, which was a huge portion, enough for four people, really!). The decor, was very Italian. Tacky Italian. Old school Italian! Murals all over the walls, 1960's chandeliers, etc. It was interesting. I'm glad we went there, as it really was good and unlike anywhere I've ever been!

By the time we got back to the hotel, everyone was tired, so we're just chilling out. We need to leave tomorrow to pick Bob up. He flies into Madison and is being picked up by Steve L. who lives in Madison, and is going to drive half way to meet me. Madison is two hours south of Stevens Point. It will be nice, as we'll have lunch with Steve and Barb where we meet, and then head back to Stevens Point.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Day 4

Four days down, six to go (of therapy that is). It's hard to believe tomorrow is Friday already. Bob will be here on Saturday!

Therapy went well today. It's hard for Olivia to get up in the morning and be there at 7:30, but she's managing! Tomorrow she gets a tiny break. We don't have to be there until 8:00. She gets a whole extra 30 minutes!

Here's a picture of Beth working on de-rotating Olivia, in the prone on knees position (or something like that, I can't remember all these terms). It looks painful, but really, it's not! This is the first time she's been in this position. It can also be done hanging from the bar, which she liked better.

After her morning session we went back to the hotel and stayed there until it was time to go back at 1:00. It was a gloomy, rainy morning. I dropped her off at 1:00 and drove around for a bit. I found a hardware store that was going out of business, so I went in and looked at all the...well...tools! I didn't buy anything, but will take Bob back next week. I think they had some pretty good deals there. I then went to the Goodwill store. It was a nice one! I was there for only a few minutes when Olivia called and told me she had a tummy ache. I went back to the clinic, and she was fine. They had her lay down and she felt better.

When the open gym time was done, we took the girls to The Art Village, and they spent time in the create your own pottery studio. I even did a piece! They had a lot of fun (I did, too) and we are looking forward to getting our creations back next week after their fired. I'll post pictures then. Here's a picture of three of the girls.

When we finished up there, we went to the grocery store and came back to the room and cooked dinner (yes, I brought an electric double burner, a frying pan and cooking utensils)! We had turkey burgers with sauteed onions and Wisconsin Swiss Cheese. They were yummy! We smelled the whole place up! After dinner, Olivia and one of the other girls went swimming for about an hour. I don't know where they got the energy. The other girls mom and myself sat outside on a little patio and talked. It was really nice. They are super nice people from San Antonio, Texas. Everyone here is so nice.

Day 3 (already!)

I can't believe it's Wednesday evening already. Time goes so fast. Today was great. This morning Olivia has an hour and a half of one on one with Beth, and then from 1:00 - 3:00, it was "open gym". This is a time for the girls only (parents must leave) to work with each other, on their own and with the therapists. Olivia enjoyed it.

While Olivia was in open gym, I walked for about 45 minutes on the path around the river then drove around a bit. I was a little early getting back, so I went into a thrift store right around the corner from where the Rehab Center is. The store just opened last week, and it's a pretty cool store. I was talking with the owner, and I found out she just moved her from Rochester Hills and opened this store. It really is a small world!

When we got back to the hotel this afternoon, the gal at the desk asked me if we wouldn't mind changing rooms. We were on the first floor and they are renovating the rooms. They are finished with the second and third floors and are now working on the first floor. There is tons of drywall dust, paint fumes, etc. and they are moving closer to our room, so the manager thought it would be best if we moved, since we'll be here for quite awhile. So, it took three trips, but we moved everything up a third floor room. The room is nicer than the other one, since it is freshly painted, new carpet, drapes, etc. It was more work than we wanted to do this afternoon, but I'm glad we moved.

We walked across the street to Subway for dinner, came back and sat in the hot tub and are now watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 on t.v. We'll be going to bed early tonight, as Olivia's first session is at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Hopefully, I have pictures to post tomorrow.

Day 2.....

Another day gone by. Today was much of the same. Olivia met with Beth in the morning and Stef in the afternoon. In between sessions, there was a group meeting focusing on abdominal work (sit ups are actually the worst thing you can do for your back), and the proper way to do general everyday chores like vacuuming, sweeping, laundry, etc. It was very informative.

We rode our bikes to the afternoon session and went for the most incredible ice cream at Emy J's afterwards. So much for the few calories I burned riding my bicycle.

We ate in this evening and Olivia is now soaking in the hot tub. It's going to be an early night tonight. Her first session tomorrow is at 9:30 a.m.

Day 1...

This morning, bright and EARLY, 7:00 a.m. to be exact, Olivia had her first visit at the Rehab Center. Beth spent an hour with her taking measurements, measurements, and more measurements! She tested her flexibility, as well as other things.

After she was finished with Beth, Olivia spent an hour with Stef, one of the P.T.A's who started her with her stretching and exercises. We were finished at 9:00 a.m. and had to be back at noon for a group session. We went back to the hotel for a short while and then went back to downtown Stevens Point and walked around a bit, shared a light early lunch and then sat by the river and watched the ducks before it was time to go back to the center. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny, a slight breeze and 80 degrees.



How cute are they!

We went back to the Rehab Center at noon for an educational session. It was nice, as we got to meet the other girls/families who will be here for the next two weeks. There are four other girls. One from Texas, one from Colorado, one from New Jersey and one from Louisiana. They range in age from eleven to sixteen. During this time, Beth talked to us basically about anatomy and the proper way to move, sit, bend, etc. It was very interesting and eye opening. It's no wonder my back always hurts! When we were done with this session, we had an hour before Olivia's next P.T. session. It was so beautiful out, we decided to walk back to the river and just chill. We kicked off our shoes, and enjoyed the sunshine!

After relaxing for about half an hour, we were getting restless, so we thought we'd walk around and look at some of the Stevens Point Downtown Murals. They are really cool! These are two of them:

We then went for Olivia's P.T. session, which was with Beth. She went over everything that Stef taught her, plus a bit more. Olivia did great. When we were finished, Olivia was exhausted and all she wanted to do was get a manicure. So....we found a nail place. Aren't they pretty!

We brought pizza back for dinner and now she's resting. Her first appointment tomorrow is not until 10:15, so she'll get to sleep in. I'll probably still be up at 5:30.

We made it!

We're here! Olivia and I left our house at 7:00 a.m. this morning and arrived in Stevens Point at 5:00 p.m. With the time change, it was an eleven hour journey. We stopped at Panera Bread in Kalamazoo for breakfast, and then drove to Aurora, IL, where we spent an hour at the Chicago Premium Outlets. It was a beautiful day, and it felt great to walk around. We had lunch at Jimmy Johns and then finished our drive. From Aurora, IL to Stevens Point, WI, it took us four hours. Not bad. All in all, the actual driving time was just a bit over nine hours.

Our hotel is definitely sufficient. It's a Comfort Suites. It's clean, has a kitchenette, nice pool and whirlpool and small workout room. It's conveniently located to the Rehab Center and directly across the street from the Green Circle Trail. I'm so glad we brought our bikes!

We drove around Stevens Point after we unpacked the car. Directly across the street from the Rehab Center, which is located in downtown Stevens Point, is Riverfront Park, which surrounds the Wisconsin River and is absolutely gorgeous. We walked a short way along the walking/bike trail, and then went and explored the town a bit more. We found another park, which is also along the river and rents canoes and kayaks. This is something we definitely want to to. We'll save this until Bob arrives here next weekend.

Well, tomorrow is an early day. Olivia's firs appointment is at 7:00 a.m., so we really need to get some sleep.

Lots more to come.