Good morning, world! Iâm looking forward to whatever the day brings.
Yesterday was a fairly typical day⌠well, for the most part.
Since Iâm no longer crawling under cars or fixing engines, it was finally time to clear out all the motor solvents from the garage. From here on out, any vehicle issues will go straight to a local mechanic. Honestly, the neighbors are probably relievedâno more jacked-up vehicles in the driveway dragging down the property values.
Good morning to you all.
Cindy and I made a rare return to the health club yesterday. Itâs been so long since weâve seen the inside, we almost needed a guided tour. We completely missed the New Yearâs resolution windowâno promises to eat better, drop a few pounds, or start a new workout plan. We skipped the guilt and jumped straight to June.
It was a gorgeous dayâsunny, 70s, not too humidâso we headed to the outdoor pool.
Good morning! A new day to be thankful forâI am.
Today marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day. Letâs take a moment to honor the courage and selfless sacrifices made that day. We owe them more than we can ever repay.
My own fight is currently happening when I sleepâŚnight two with the respirator.
It didnât go quite as smoothly as night one. I was all hooked up, mask secured, tubing in place, and laying there listening to the rhythmic sounds of air being gently forced in and out of my lungsâan odd mix of Darth Vader and a white noise machine.
Good morning everyoneâIâm Andy!â¨A new day to be thankful for.
Itâs a good thing we have access to an ALS Clinic that consolidates so many of our appointments into one day. If we had to spread them out across the week, I donât think we could keep up. Between pulmonology, neurology, PT, OT, and âWTF-is-this-now?â visits (making Bear go crazy), itâs a full-time job just staying on top of it all.
Good morning! Welcome to Wednesday.
I heard a description yesterday of how New York City smells, and it cracked me up:â¨âHorse poop and then trash and then subway vents and pee and oddly, cinnamon gum.â đ¤Łđđą The kind of sensory experience you never forgetâand never ask for.
On a much more enjoyable note, the photos from Saturdayâs open house at Illinois Beach State Park are ready!â¨đ Open House Photosâ¨Youâll need to enter your email to access the gallery.
Good morning, everybody!
Weâre slowlyâvery slowlyâgetting life back in order after the whirlwind of the weekend. Although when I say we, I realize Iâm being generous. Letâs be honest: I didnât unload the car on Sunday. Iâm not the one cooking meals, tidying up the chaos, or folding the laundry that somehow multiplied like rabbits while we were gone. I mostly hobble in, locate a chair, take a nap, or get in the way.
Good morning!
Iâm back in my writing spot at home. After one of the best weekends of my life, I can honestly sayâit feels good to be home, recharging right alongside my wheelchair.
When Tim first asked if Iâd be okay with him throwing a small party to celebrate me, I was hesitant. I didnât know if Iâd still have my voice, my legs, or the stamina to hold up through 4â5 hours of nonstop conversation.
Good morning from Illinois Beach State Park.
First off â a public service announcement: the ticket lottery for The Masters opened this morning! You have until June 20, 2025, to submit your application. Mine is in. It doesnât cost anything⌠at least not this part.
www.masters.com/en_US/tic…
Now on to the good stuff.
Iâm sitting here this morning with so many memories chaotically running through my head. As I replay individual moments, I start to weep â with happiness.
Good morning.â¨Itâs a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan this morning.
Weâre at Illinois Beach State Park for an open house later today. I havenât been here in about 40 years, and itâs strangeâbut also kind of greatâto be back. The state has made a lot of changes, starting with the entrance. What used to be a straight shot into the park is now a long, curving road to the lake.
Good morning â weâve made it to Friday!
Todayâs topic⌠loose lips.â¨Yes, literally and figuratively.
As you know, ALS comes with a parade of symptoms, each one waiting its turn to mess with your daily routine. Iâve shared most of them with you along this wild ride, and today, weâre adding more to the scrapbook.
Each morning starts the same: fire up the coffee maker, take my pills (do they work?
Good morning everybody!!
I know sleep issues arenât exactly headline news, but they are front and center again.
Around 2:00 a.m. last night, my cabbage brain decides itâs time to get to work. Thatâs when it starts sorting through every open tab in my headâworries, memories, to-do lists. It plays out like a pinball game, bouncing from one thought to the next until the machine finally hits tilt. At that point, sleep is done for the night, and all I can do is lie there in the dark and wait for the new day to beginâŚand it has.
Good morning!
I have no idea who reads this blog or how many people tune in each dayâand thatâs by design. I never wanted to chase view counts. I just wanted a place to share this journeyâour ALS journeyâwith family, friends, and curious onlookers who might be walking their own path or simply want to understand ours a little better.
Going back to May 20, when we appeared on Seasonâs Sunflower Hourâme, Cindy, Nicole, and Alex.
Good morning everybody, and welcome to a new week.
Yesterday was a laid-back dayâfor me, anyway. We went to the Memorial Day parade in the morning. The parade kicked off at 11:00, and we left the house at 10:00 to make sure we had easy, convenient parking. We brought the power wheelchair to make things easier on the mobility front.
As it turned out, parking was easyâwe were the first ones there.
Good morning.
Happy Memorial Day!
Donât forget the veterans who gave everything to protect our freedoms. If youâve got a moment today, take it to honor them. Weâll be heading to the parade in Crystal Lakeâitâs become a meaningful part of the day for us.
Yesterday was one of those golden family days. We celebrated Alex and Nicole with the perfect family only coupleâs shower, hosted by Kim and Aras. Cindy and I were right there in the mix.
Good morning!
I want to circle back to Seasonâs Sunflower Hour from Tuesday. A big thank you to Nicole (Nikki) and Alex for making the trip to Crystal Lake to be part of the show. You both couldâve joined remotely and skipped the hassle of travelingâbut you didnât. You immediately said, âWeâll be there,â and reshuffled your work and travel schedules to sit beside us. Well⌠almost beside usâwe had to be in separate rooms during the broadcast!
Good morning sibs, kiddos, grandkiddos, friends, and curious mindsâ
Our home continues to evolve. We could probably use a storage unit just to house all the adaptive gear that keeps showing up. Although letâs be honestâif it were offsite, weâd never actually go get the stuff when we need it so weâll just put household stuff in storage to make room.
Yesterdayâs new arrival: a stairlift. Going up and down the stairs several times a day has become a real challenge, and my PT strongly suggested I cut back on the stair hikes.
Good morning, and happy Friday.
Tuesday nightâs Seasonâs Sunflower Hour has already racked up over 400 viewsâan incredible number of people taking the time to listen to our ALS journey. Iâm still blown away that we were chosen for this. It was a fun and meaningful show, even if it left me a little emotionally drained. Thank you to everyone who tuned inâit means more than you know.
If you missed it, hereâs the link: www.
Good morning!
My day starts the same way it has for years: come downstairs, brew the first cup of coffee, and take my pills while itâs perking. Simple routine, right? Not so much these days. Lately, dropping pills has become part of the ritual. And let me tell you, once a pill hits the floor, it bounces like my shots on a pool table. You never know where itâll land.
Good morningâand thank you, everyone for last night.
My phone blew up with messages yesterday. Over 70 text messages poured in, and I saved them all to read this morning. Fifteen seconds in, the emotions hit. Hard. It may take me a while to get through the texts and respond, but please know: your words, your supportâthey mean the world to us.
If you missed last nightâs Seasonâs Sunflower Hour featuring our family, you can still watch it here (and yes, itâll live forever on YouTubeâjust like a bad haircut): Watch the replay