Thursday, June 19, 2025
Good morning, yâall. Letâs make it the best day possible. Yesterday was the big GI appointment at Evanston Hospital to discuss surgery for a feeding tube. We left the house at noon, and let me just sayâthese appointments near the lake are an all-day affair. Round trip? Seven hours! For context, I couldâve driven to Minocqua in five, had two hours of cocktails, stared across the lake, and found inner peaceâall in less time.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Good morning, friends, family, and curious visitors. Today is my GI appointment. If things go according to my plan, weâll be having a preliminary conversation about getting a feeding tube installed later this month or in early July. It feels urgent. I weighed myself yesterdayâdown to 160 pounds. Thatâs nearly a 14% drop from a year ago. Itâs time to stop the slide. Our neighbors behind us, Gene and Sarah, are friends from our Senior Care Volunteer Network (SCVN) days.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Good morning! Todayâs a special day. Cocoâs two and moving fast, When she sees Grandy, she zooms right past. She puts on frowns with a dramatic shrug, But melts us all with a smile and a hug. đ Happy Birthday, Coco! đđĽłđđ The last couple of days, Iâve mostly been reading and staying off my legs. Iâm not sure how much these legs have leftâtheyâre starting to feel more clumsy and unpredictable around the house.
Monday, June 16, 2025
Happy birthday, Miss Sally! (Mom, Grammy) Good morningânew week, new opportunities. Find yours and make the most of them! Yesterday was ALS Day at Wrigley Field, a game I had considered attending. In the end, I passedâdidnât want to deal with traffic and crowds. But as it turns outâŚI regretted not going. It was a gorgeous day, it was Fatherâs Day, the Cubs won, and I had family there. I hadnât even considered that I mightâve been invited onto the field for the first time.
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Good morning.âď¸ Letâs take a moment to celebrate all the dads out thereâHappy Fatherâs Day! Wishing everyone a great day surrounded by family, friends, and maybe a cold drink or two. We celebrated a day early, gathering yesterday at Donna and Joeâs house. Saturdays tend to be easier for the younger crewâgives them time to head home and mentally brace for Monday. Joining us were the Balasis (Mark, Barb, Geoff, and Kristen) and Alex and Nicole (the fiancĂŠe, not the sister⌠yes, I knowâtoo many Nicoles).
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Good morning. Happy Saturday. First things first: I finished Certain Prey yesterday and jumped right into Easy Prey. So, to whoever is sending me these books, could you maybe include a gift receipt next time? Or at least a clue? Help a guy out, please! Yesterday, we met Cindy and Barbâs cousin Lisaâon the Ring side of the family (maternal)âfor a nice end-of-the-workweek lunch. She was in town for a business meeting in Barrington, and the timing was perfect for a little family get-together.
Friday, June 13, 2025
Good morning.â¨Itâs Friday the 13th! đąđŤŁ This date always reminds me of the last time I intentionally watched a horror movie. Flashback to WIU in 1978âI went to see the debut of Halloween. This movie , along with The Exorcist and Psyco, put me so on edge I swore off the entire psycho-killer genre. I still dislike taking showers which use shower curtains. On our new bath shower, I asked Cindy to get a clear shower curtain so I could at least see somebody lurking with a big knife in hand.
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Good morning. Welcome to Thursday. A couple of weeks ago, I shared that Alex is making his own wedding ring for the big day on September 13. Since then, a few generous folks have come forward with gold tucked away at the bottom of old jewelry boxes and offered it to him. My sister Lis sent a pair of gold earrings that once belonged to my mom, and Cathy Keffer found a gold ingot her grandmother had purchased back in the 70s.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Good morning!â¨Welcome to Wednesday. Tim and Shawn returned the Yukon yesterday, freshly equipped with a new battery and a fully recharged A/C system. Without one or the other, that vehicle wasnât going anywhereâespecially with 90° temps on the way. Huge thanks to Tim and Shawn for the top-notch concierge service. As if that wasnât enough, Tim also helped clean up the garage. After our recent hazardous waste run, there were items scattered everywhere, leaving the car once again exiled from its rightful home.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Good morning, Andyâs Army! I have read all the cards from the open house and the card selection and the messages were moving. I was emotionally hungover much of last weekâŚso I had to pause a few days before I could open them. Iâm always amazed by the power of words and the emotions they can trigger. I just want to keep saying thank you for such a beautiful event and the love that was sharedâŚI still feel it!
Monday, June 9, 2025
Good morning, friends, family, and curious onlookers. Today marks 300 days since the ALS diagnosis. Three hundred days of trying to will my body to correct courseâstill waiting for that miracle rebound. Iâve said this before: Iâve always believed my body was strong enough to overcome any challenge. No matter what I threw at it, it found a way to push through. But now? It just wonât wake up and fight back.
Sunday, June 8, 2025
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.
Saturday, June 7, 2025
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.
Friday, June 6, 2025
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.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
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.
May 31, 2025 - Open House Photos
Link to the photosâŚ
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
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.
Monday, June 2, 2025
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.
Sunday, June 1, 2025
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.