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Elizabeth Spitz

Angela McMillen Ayres

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Ann Bowen

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Andrea Lytle Peet

Timothy Weiss

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Day 3 — Family Aqua: My dad is pretty much in a wheelchair these days, but he is working hard to get his strength back in the pool. So now we have family workouts 🥰 Squats, stretching, noodle, walking, swimming 🐟 . Grateful for my family who keeps pushing forward and knows we will always have each other’s backs, no matter what…even when we’re all tired and annoyed and frustrated 😂

Day 30: Fabulous Foursome! 💖 @lorricarey of @imdyingtotellyoupodcast & I are headed to Atlanta this week, so Dave @thesteemer & @aliburell came down to help us cram 2 trikes, a wheelchair, a walker, and luggage into an SUV……….SUCCESS!! 🎉🎉 . And Fiesta Mexicana to celebrate, por supuesto 🌮🍻

Day 11 — (still) Family: After dropping bitty off at the AT 😭😭, I took a detour to see DP’s aunt & uncle. They’ve been so supportive of Team Drea over the years, lending their knitting and artistic talents to our fundraisers, schlepping all over to see us for races…but we so rarely get to sit and talk. It was lovely 🥰 . One really hard part about divorce is losing the family you married into. Holiday traditions evaporate, loyalties shift despite everyone’s best efforts, relationships get awkward or just disappear. It sucks. So when you can reconnect, it feels like a storm clearing ⛅️

Happy 12th birthday, Tango! 🎉 You bring me so much JOY 💚💜 When we got you as an itty bitty kitty just after my diagnosis, you made us laugh again. Now your derp princess-y ways keep me giggling: from your perch atop the fridge to our mutual love of ranch dressing to the VERY specific manner you demand to be pet, forever would be too short so I will treasure every inch of your tennis ball fur that refuses to decide between stripes and spots…whenever you decide to come out from your approximately one zillion hiding places 🥰

Day 25-27 — Moving days 📦: I’m in, I’m in, I’m in!!! 🎉🎉🎉 . Thanks to everyone who helped (or will help this weekend), I am able to write this from the screened in porch watching the sun set 🥹 . This post has to be dedicated to my ride-or-die rockstar angel friend/co-worker/caregiver Annie @cabannie who worked SO hard today (and for like a year leading up to today) to make my ADU feel comfy and cozy already…her hard work, organization skillz, and love are truly such a spectacular gift in my life 💖 Many, MANY more thank yous to come because my gratitude cup overfloweth 🏆😭 . PS: Tango was a slinkysaurus all day since Annie wrapped her up in a blanket and brought her over. But she’s currently chillin in the @catrike so I think her 4th move might be her fav 😍 GOOD NEWS BABYGIRL, WE’RE NEVER LEAVING!!!

Day 17 — Walkthrough day! 🩵 Today I am grateful that my parents & I could do a walkthrough of the ADU. It’s wild to me that this idea, concept, sketch, blueprint, permit, “Add to Cart”, under construction 🦺 THING is suddenly……done!! (well, 98%). My builder Joe and all his subs have been so thoughtful and meticulous at their jobs…for that I will be forever grateful 🥹 . So crazy to me that this isn’t the finish line at all but the beginning and Tango & I get to *live* there, not just admire it from the kitchen window!! 🤯 . So I’m like…moving next week 🤯 Because packing 📦 to move 10 ft is silly 🙃, I’d love to invite my local friends to come by the week of 8/24. If you can spare an hour or so, I’ll show you the ADU and ask you to carry an armload from one house to the other 🙏 I pay in snacks & drinks. Please text or email me…DMs are like a black hole 🕳️🙃

I gotta say – I love this so much more than NYE’s resolutions…when I’m struggling to focus, I can reflect back on what I said was important for this year and re-ground myself. As frustrated as I can get with myself, I am proud of some BIG hills I’ve climbed this year (and not just in Big Sur! 💪)

Day 1: The August of Gratitude returns! I’ve been feeling down lately (despite my favorite season ☀️) and so I decided to return to the practice that helped me so much last year: really taking the time to be thankful for all the blessings in my life. . And I couldn’t think of any better kickoff than at @solacoffee. Dear, sweet friends who have been through the heartbreak of ALS and used the journey to bring awareness and $1 MILLION DOLLARS to ALS research. True faith in action and it is a beautiful thing to witness. . I wandered out to Sola today and managed to snag the whole family for photos and hugs 🩵 . Join us for an extra special Sola Hot Mini 5k this year on 9/12 to celebrate $1M and the community that made it happen. Register at solahotmini5k.com

Day 22 — My Village 🥰: we know it takes a village to #EndALS, but it also takes a village to live with it, and I am so grateful for mine! 💚💚💚 So many friends are pitching in this week (and let’s be honest, for months to come 🥴) to help me move 10 feet into the backyard and I am so so SO thankful 🥹 . Pictured here: my @insideoutdurham Pilates PT @mischadecker and her sweet kiddos…who did everything so fast that I had to come up with new projects! 💨 Extra fun for Mischa to see it because she’s been getting construction updates every week and everyone was just SO excited for me…it makes me more excited too!! 🤩🤩

Day 31: YOU!!!!! 😱🥹😭🥰🤯 I am blown away by your unbelievable generosity towards my housewarming gift! 🤯🤯🤯 Like whoaaaaaaaaaa, seriously blown away. Stunned 😳 Thank you ALL. 💖 I will use your incredible gift towards 7 automatic blinds in the ADU, including the sliding glass door. It’s so SO helpful towards my independence and safety. These @lutronelectrics blinds are freaking AWESOME — totally controllable on the app (or punch a button like a pleb 😂), I can pre-program times for ⬆️ in the am and ⬇️ at night…just like my lights 💡…perfection 👌😘 If funds are left, there are many tricks & gadgets to make the best use of a tiny-ish space 🥰 💖 @micheledupree you are an irreverent, sarcastic, hysterical angel in this world and we are all better for it, especially me — thank you for organizing. Again, thank you ALL for your love, friendship, so much support, and now…blinds!

Day 20 — Volunteers, Pickleball & @wral: Grateful to Tim Weiss, @pinpointraleigh and most especially @michelle_macktv for taking the time to share the @teamdreafoundation ‘s efforts to get an NC pickleball license plate to benefit ALS!! Look for the interview next week 💚💪 . If you live in NC, please consider signing up for a swallow-pickleball plate — $30 and fill out a form, would go a LONG way towards giving Team Drea a steady, reliable income stream to support ALS research. Visit TeamDrea.org/AcingALS for more info!

Day 7 — Full Circle: Moving back to the neighborhood (and house) I grew up in has been surreal, fun, and touching in the most surprising ways. Déjà vu prompted memories long forgotten, bikes & scooters whizzing by reminding me of the endless hours we spent playing outside, neighbors still helping each other…just a really good, active vibe, and I imagine one of these kids returning 30+ years later…plowing through their own memory boxes 😅 . The best technological advance to come to the ‘hood (even better than original Nintendo! 🎮) has been the women’s Signal group chat…need sugar or sourdough starter? 🍞Dog loose? 🐕 Creeper going door to door? 👀 Also handy to organize potlucks, ice cream socials, wine nights, etc. . In the tumult of the past year, it’s just nice to be able to come HOME 🏠

We are excited to share the news about this unique and powerful documentary, @brailleditmovie , filmed by blind and low-vision students at the Braille Challenge. For the first time, blind and low-vision kids take control of the cameras and capture their own experiences at the annual Braille Challenge - a weekend of high-pressure competition and raw coming-of-age moments. Bring a friend to @thecarytheater on November 8 at 2:30 and experience the competition through the young filmmakers’ own perspectives. For Tickets visit: TheCaryTheater.com For film info visit: BrailledIt.com

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We are excited to share the news about this unique and powerful documentary, @brailleditmovie , filmed by blind and low-vision students at the Braille Challenge.