Category: Barwis Methods

Yesterday, as I was thinking about Barwis with fondness and missing it so much and with the latest blog post in my mind that talked about Adam and Michael calling me, “Princess,” another fond memory came to mind and I laughed to myself all morning!

The memory I had had to do with chalk. Specifically, the chalk that all the athletes put on their hands to better grip the bar. There was a little basin with chalk that the athletes would use often. I remembered telling Adam that I wanted to use it and maybe that it would help me perform better at squats. He told me to go ahead and get some.

I think I first need to say that I am NOT an athlete! What I found out TOO LATE was that you were supposed to just dip your fingertips into the chalk and then rub your hands together to spread the chalk on your hands. Well, when Adam told me to go ahead, I put both my open hands entirely into the chalk!

I texted Adam who is saved in my phone as “Phil“ (because that’s what are used to call him) and told him that I had been laughing all morning and asked if he remembered the, “Chalk fiasco at Barwis.” He did and told me that he remembers the chalk exploding and getting on everything within 100 feet of me! I responded with a😂.

A little while later, I texted him again and told him that he was it within 100 feet of me and asked him if I got it on him. He told me that, “It was all over [him]! Especially on the floor.” I responded to those texts with 9 😂.

After receiving those texts from him I laughed even harder ALL DAY LONG! I thought it was pretty cool that he still remembers that and it happened so many years ago. It was really funny that I had forgotten about it until yesterday and the more I thought about it, the more I laughed! The fact that he remembers it to made me laugh even harder! Well, now I know how to put chalk on my hands but I don’t think I will do that ever again!

Today, it has been 959 days since I have been to Barwis Methods. That’s two years, seven months, and 17 days. That’s a VERY LONG time! My knee was injured at 960 days ago and it has not stopped since I was injured and my orthopedist said not to go back there until my knee doesn’t hurt.

I asked Sean to get me out of bed immediately this morning when he was getting ready for school. I was safely in my wheelchair before my Mom got here but it didn’t feel that much better. I turned GMFB off about halfway through the first broadcast. You know it had to be BAD if I wasn’t even going to watch GMFB! I reclined my chair back almost completely flat and it helped a little bit.

My Mom got here and was making breakfast for both of us I sat in my kitchen and stared at the rain, I told her that my legs are feeling like a G.I. Joe doing the splits:

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I used the example of a G.I. Joe because I didn’t have many Barbies growing up or at least not many Barbies with heads. I told my Mom that I was on the verge of tears! I reposted a post from January 19, 2014. This was the day I wrote about Michael Rhodes doing the, “Ooh Doggie!” stretch on me. I did not realize how important that stretch was until now.

Since it has been 959 days since I was stretched, my MS has progressed that much more, not to mention the added stress of the constant and excruciating pain from my knee and subsequent surgery. When Sean got home from school, I was by myself and he looked at my face and saw the pain. He wrapped his arms around me and I started to cry. Today is a really bad MS day! What I wouldn’t give for another, “Ooh Doggie” stretch right about now! But I really can’t think of doing that because I can’t imagine my knee being bent like that now!

Today, with the rain, it is an extremely difficult day! Actually, they have ALL been extremely difficult for the past 959 days! I miss who I used to be even five years ago and I hate popping prescription pain pills like it’s my job but I’m trying to get this under control.

I was having difficulty falling to sleep last night. At about 3:30 in the morning, I pulled my phone off of the charging pad and decided to scroll throughput Facebook. I came across this post which made me stop at the same time it’s squeezed my heart! I shares it:

There were five pictures that accompanied this post and I spent four years there from the summer of 2013 to the fall of 2016. I was there Three days a week got 3 years and twice a week for a year. These pictures squeezed my heart definitely because I have been everywhere that the pictures show but it looks so different from the fall of 2016! I think that I will only post the pictures and not expound on them because it will make me cry again!!! I thought this was not the gym in Plymouth Michigan until I saw that American flag! It all looks so different!:

I’ve been really thinking a lot about this today. Today marks eight years from the first day I went to Barwis Methods. A friend texted me this a while back:

I feel so far removed from my time training at Barwis. This year, it really is hitting me harder! I meant that when I said that my diamond virus was the happiest time of my life. Aside from academic goals and the birth of my son, that was up there, FOR SURE! I was only there for a span of 1,196 days.

I was so hopeful back then when I first started going to Barwis. I was hopeful that I would be up and walking eventually. Then I was injured and recovery from an injury is long and difficult! I remember every day I spent at Barwis with fondness!!!

I am enclosing this picture because it’s two of my trainers who I don’t talk about a lot. Megan Sonstrom and Mike aMorphitt:

That day was my photo shoot with the MS Society. When I left that night, I had my Mom take a picture of me and Sean because I had gotten my hair and make-up done. I love this picture of us!: