Saturday, April 5, 2025 – Day 235

Saturday, April 5, 2025


Good morning!

Yesterday’s “Gender 2” license plate survey took an unexpected turn. On the surface, it looked like responses were evenly split—but there’s a catch. SurveyMonkey only shows 14 out of the 25 responses unless I upgrade to a $300/year plan. For a one-time plate poll? Hard pass. Sorry folks, no big reveal today. The mystery lives on, still I’ll post partial results. See attached photo.

That whole plate survey got me thinking—maybe I can help Illinois with their budget woes by throwing a little cash at the vanity plate fund. So, I spent a couple of hours testing out ALS-themed plates on the Secretary of State’s website. Top contender? “F ALS.” And yes, it’s actually available. Whether the state lets me have it is another story. It might get flagged as offensive… and fair enough, because ALS is offensive. Just saying.

The rest of the day was quiet. I felt pretty wiped—probably still recovering from Thursday’s marathon of tax prep followed by the brewery. That combo might’ve been a bit ambitious. It’s probably for the best that the tax site wraps up next week. But just to be clear—I’m not giving up our Sew Hop’d outings. A line must be drawn.

Alex won Cubs tickets through work for yesterday’s game and offered to take me—really thoughtful of him. I ended up saying no. The idea of walking around Wrigley Field just felt a little too risky, especially after my fall earlier in the week. I’m still okay for short walks, but longer treks? Not so much. The power wheelchair process is in motion, and we’ve got the option for a push chair if we need it sooner. Not ideal, but at least we’ve got options.

Later in the morning, I boiled a pot of water to steam my vocal cords and get some of my voice back. It was pretty raspy, and I wanted to call the couple who offered us their hospital bed to thank them. I wanted to be sure I could be understood. Their kindness and generosity really meant a lot. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about the call—not because of them, but because I didn’t know where the husband is in his ALS journey. It’s tough for me to look too far ahead with this disease. That’s part of why I’ve avoided support groups. I’d rather stay focused on the here and now and make the most of what’s right in front of us. So far, that’s been working.

That’s where my head’s at today. Feeling grateful for the good people around us, and ready to make the most of the weekend—whatever it brings.

Have a great Saturday!
Love you guys! ❤️

P.S. Cubs won 3–1 over the Padres.