Ch ch ch ch changes

Starting with a quick update. My dad was moved to the rehab floor of the hospital on Saturday. Yesterday, he met with the physical therapist and walked with a walker from his room to the nurses station. He was also able to take a shower, which my mom said really helped his spirits. The doctors told my mom and brother that they do expect my dad to make a full recovery, it's just going to take time. The doctor also said that, if they didn't think my dad was going to make a full recovery, he would be rehabbing at a nursing home. So thank you all for the good thoughts and prayers.

Now, about this weekend... Actually it wasn't too bad. I got up Saturday morning and walked 3 miles in the nice, cool weather. I've decided I really need to step up the walking this week because I am doing a 5 mile race with friends on Saturday. Now, mind you, I will not be running during this race, but I can walk pretty fast. I did this race last year and finished 5 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes. I don't know if I will be able to beat this time because I was still going to the gym on a regular basis and was really pushing the cardio. I will let you know how I did next week.

I've been thinking a lot about changes this week. I'm going to be facing some changes at work soon, which, although they are a little scary, will be good for me because I will be stepping into more of a supervisory position and taking on extra duties. I am looking forward to this change because I know I will learn a lot from the experience and it will help me to move towards my future goals. The situation with my parents and the changes in their health is also very scary. When I found out about my dad's stroke, I started thinking about whether or not I should move back to Chicago. It's been really hard being down in Florida with everything that is going on up there. I know my parents aren't alone because I have one brother who still lives with them and another brother who is about 5 to 10 minutes away, but I am worried. I am worried that my mom will push herself too hard trying to care for my dad and I am worried that my dad will become discouraged at how slow the rehab process is and will give up. Last night my mom kind of asked me to move back. The problem is, I'm not ready to leave Florida. First of all, I don't have the money right now to move into another place and I really don't want to live with my parents for an extended period of time. Secondly, I'm not ready to leave my friends and my job. Third, I share a house with a very good friend and I don't want to leave her screwed. So my dilemma is that I feel guilty and selfish for choosing my life over my parents. Is it wrong to want to put myself first? I just feel like I still have things to accomplish here and I'm not sure if I would be happy moving at this point.

Ok, going to Jenny Craig this morning. I will have an update on the weight situation and more fun stories tomorrow. Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments and support!