I change my story for everyone I tell. We’re going to a speech convention. We’re going to a speech workshop. We’re going to a speech thing for Zack.

This is how the organizers describe it: A 1 week educational and social program that supports people with aphasia in Las Vegas, followed by 3 weeks of daily online interaction and assignments.

This is their Why: Living with aphasia can be confusing, frustrating and isolating. Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC) has carefully designed the Aphasia U Boot Camp program to help you learn, share, and connect with others to improve the quality of life for people with aphasia and their loved ones.

Much of the careful planning involves Life Participation Activities. We have expressed interest (we’ll sign up officially once in Vegas) in a couple including a French Bistro for lunch. Zack doesn’t get a lot of French food with me as his wife! I think any of the activities we choose will be fun and it’ll be nice to spend time with other attendees and caregivers. But as Zack’s zoom conversations have shown, he is not afraid to participate in life. He recently told his group about his photography hobby and our WY road trip last summer.For that one, he printed some pictures to use as props (a strategy he’d seen fellow Zoomers (not a word) use with success. He consistently practices with the Predictable app by typing in what he wants to say, listening to the computer voice read it and repeating. But this time he also videoed himself talking about the road trip so he could evaluate and practice. It’s a lot of work!

And just last week he bought himself a laser pointer key chain thing so that when he goes to restaurants where the menu is hanging up, behind the employee (i.e. In N Out, Truckee Bagel), he can point to what he wants.

And last week he solo adventured down by Twin Lakes.

Back to Boot Camp. I’m equally looking forward to and feeling completely trepidatious about it. As Zack noted the week my phone was broken and I was unusually sad, I tend to not reach out when I probably should the most. And now we’re headed to a week of being surrounded by people who will understand what our lives have been like for the past 2 years.

But beyond thet, there were the sub plans. My sub is awesome and most days I co-teach for half a day and Diana is the best, but still … sub plans are the worst.

And another issue. It’s going to be warm in Las Vegas and as the organizers have told us repeatedly, there’s a pool and a lazy river at the resort. Which is great, except that one of my toenails died from my ski boots .. oh in December. So I camouflaged it among like colored toenails.

all good, right?! So off we go.