Tuesday, September 23, 2025 – Day 406

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Good morning, friends and family. Thanks for joining us today.

First things first—Happy Birthday, Barb! (Cindy’s sister.) 🎉 We’ll see you tonight for the celebration.

Now for some good news: the Andy’s Army t-shirts are officially on order and expected to arrive October 3rd. Knowing this vendor (Think Ink), I think they’ll show up even sooner. A few last-minute requests snuck in, and we managed to get those included too. Nearly 100 t-shirts will be out there supporting Andy’s Army—I’m flabbergasted. 🥲 Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes.

Many of you have asked about cost and offered to pay. After thinking about this past year and the generosity shown to our family, I just can’t accept money. Consider the shirts my gift back to you. The truth is, you wearing them is the real gift to me. Thank you—for everything you’ve done and continue to do, every single day.

On to household matters. About that mouse on Monday morning, Cindy insists I was just hearing things, and all traps are accounted for. Maybe so, but at 4:00 a.m. it sure sounded convincing and it’s pretty darn quiet at that hour. If she’s wrong, her nose will let her know soon enough.

The real culprits this week are squirrels. They’ve been racing back and forth across the roof with a constant pitter patter. Turns out they’re launching from the pergola onto the porch roof, then up to the main roof. I don’t know why, but I do know it needs to stop. Amazon spikes arrived yesterday, and Pete volunteered to help install them, Thursday. Although, he doesn’t know this…yet. Small job for him—big relief for us. 😆

On the health front, I’ve got a GI appointment this morning to fix my feeding tube. The bumper that should sit flush against my stomach has slowly worked its way out about an inch. If it pops out, that’s an instant ER trip, and I’d prefer to avoid that drama. Right after, I’m meeting with PT to address posture issues causing some serious neck pain. Landing both appointments, back-to-back, on short notice—and at Glenbrook— feels like a big win in my book.

We’ll finish the day with dinner plans and a birthday celebration. A long day ahead, but full of good news and reasons to be thankful.

Have a great Tuesday. Love you guys! ❤️

Photos of Alex and Nicole from their week in Acadia National Park following their wedding. Welcome home!