RIC day 19 - Picnic with Friends

Today was really a great day.  

First, I slept well.  The Ambien is working well. 

9-11am - Headed down to Navy Pier with 2 other patients and 3 therapists - Kelly, Jessica, and Mike.  We went to Billy Goat Tavern to have breakfast on RIC.  The food was okay but the trip was awesome.  The weather was great, I got to have a little fun doing wheelies over obstacles (a new and useful trick Mike taught me) like hoses, uneven cracks in the sidewalk, etc.  We had a great time.

11am - Worked out a bit on the bike, then jumped into the group therapy which wasn’t on my schedule for some arm workouts.

Noon - rested a bit.

1pm-4pm - Headed to the track a block north with my parents where my friends were setting up a picnic-style brunch.  What they didn’t tell me was that they had a whole birthday party set up for my mom.  Her birthday is Monday.  It was an awesome surprise.  They had birthday balloons, cake, awesome brunch food, and even some mimosas.  Yes, I had a couple very light-on-the-alcohol mimosas.  It’s my mom’s birthday party!  Come on! 

As you can see my mom enjoyed herself and that hat.  

My friends gave my parents tickets to Million Dollar Quartet for tomorrow night along with enough money on a gift card for a good dinner at Las Tablas, a really good Argentinian steak house pretty close to the theater.  They need the break, I’m sure.  Happy birthday, mom.

If that wasn’t enough my friends pulled out a couple surprise gifts.  I said, “It’s my mom’s birthday, not mine!  What the heck!”  I felt guilty and undeserving.  I don’t know what strings they pulled, but they gave me an actual record album and two cds, all autographed with personal notes by the Smashing Pumpkins.  Very, very cool.  The other gift, which I am still shocked and humbled by, was a Blackhawks Jersey.  Jonathan Toews, #19.  Oh yeah, and it was signed by the entire Blackhawks team!  ??!!?!? Are you kidding me???? And if that wasn’t enough, there was a letter from the Blackhawks staff saying they heard about my injury and that they wished me a speedy recovery.  How the heck? It was signed with little notes by all of the staff.  Incredible.  I have great friends and now I’ll have a good excuse to break out of rehab for Blackhawks games!

I pretty much crashed after that.  I’ve been in bed since then.  Great day.

G’night,

Chip