Good morning, everyone.
Today marks the 72nd anniversary of my parentsâ wedding. Itâs time to pause ALS updates for a story.
My dad grew up in North Chicago, Illinois, of Polish descent. It was a tight-knit community of Eastern European immigrants, and there was an unspoken expectation that he would marry a ânice Polish girl.â At least that was what his mother envisioned for her only son.
My mom grew up in Marshfield, Wisconsin, with Irish blood running proudly through her veins.
Good morning, everyone.
We continue modifying the house to keep my fall risk as low as possible. Our king bedâhard enough to get into without a disabilityâhad become a real challenge.
To get in, I have to stand from the wheelchair and pivot, aiming my landing onto the mattress. The problem? I could only get the very edge of my backside onto the top corner of the bed. Then Iâd scramble to get my arms behind me and scoot backward into a safe seated position.
Good morning, everyone.
I had a so so overnight, but itâs still a three-way wrestling match between machine, mouth, and mind.
We adjusted the humidity setting on the ventilator and finally found a level where there wasnât excessive condensation dripping through the hose. That part worked. But there wasnât quite enough moisture for me. At 2:00 a.m., I woke up with a desert in my mouth.
Once I wake up like that, my mind starts racing.
Good morning, everyone.
We had to say goodbye to Nikki and Wyatt mid-morning as they headed back home to the DC area. Having them here for two nights really broke up the monotony of my schedule andâmaybe more importantlyâgave me a welcome distraction from ALS. Thank you for making the trip and for giving me that time with Wyatt.
He didnât care one bit that I was in a wheelchair. Heâd walk right up and give me more than a quick, polite hug.
Good morning, everyone.
The Super Bowl is behind us. Having the squares pool added some excitement to what turned into a defensive struggle. Some of you were rooting hard for a score change, others praying for things to stay exactly as they wereâhoping the numbers would finally lock onto your square. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to those who donated their winnings back to ALS United.
We had a few people over for a pregame chili dinner and the first half of the game.
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs Super Bowl Sunday. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. CST.
The Squares pools are attached.
Pool #1, make sure it says ârevisedâ at the topâotherwise, youâre not looking at the correct version.
Pool #2 had no changes.
Good luck to everyone. Have fun.
Nikki and Wyatt pulled off a last-minute surprise and came in for a weekend visit. Theyâre staying until Monday, which means theyâll be here to watch the Super Bowl with us.
Hold the press.
On pool #1 I regret to inform you of an error. On the Seahawks side of the board, there are two 7âs and a missing 6. I will repost corrected version.
Sorry for the error and confusion that results.
I Good morning, everyone.
Super Bowl Squares Pool All the numbers have been drawn and assigned. There are four sheets for each of the two pools, each one corresponding to the ending score of a specific quarter. The numbers change every quarter, so it may look a little confusing at firstâbut Iâm confident itâll make sense once you see the sheets.
With your help, we raised $2,000 for ALS United. Thank you all for being part of this.
Good morning, everyone.
Super Bowl Squares Pool ⢠Pool #1 â sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 â sold out Photos of the numbers will be on tomorrowâs blog. We raised $2,000 for ALS United.â¨Thank you. Truly.â¨Now I just need to wipe the tears from my eyes so I can keep typing.
Yesterday was clinic day. We had arranged for a driver and a van that could accommodate my power chairâsomething new and something I was actually looking forward to.
Super Bowl Squares Pool ⢠Pool #1 is sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 is open â ~45 squares remainingâ¨Same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United)
In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to:â¨â˘ Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
Once the squares have numbers assigned, Iâll post a photo on the blog.
Good morning, everyone.
I had a much better nightâs sleep đ´. Thereâs an over-the-counter product called Biotène that helps with dry mouth, and it actually works. Itâs not perfect, but itâs taken the edge off enough that I donât feel the urge to rip the ventilator mask off in the middle of the nightâwhich feels like a small but meaningful win đ.
In my photo box, thereâs a picture of all eight of us kids standing in front of our house at 316 Keith Avenue in Waukegan, probably taken just before we moved to 1922.
Super Bowl Squares Pool ⢠Pool #1 is sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 is open â 45 squares remainingâ¨Same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United)
In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to:â¨â˘ Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
Once the squares have numbers assigned, Iâll post a photo on the blog.
Super Bowl Squares Pool ⢠Pool #1 is sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 is open â same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United)
In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to: ⢠Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
Once the squares have numbers assigned, Iâll post a photo on the blog. I donât have it⌠yet.
Super Bowl Squares Pool.
⢠Pool #1 is sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 is open â same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United)
In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to: ⢠Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
Once the squares have numbers assigned, Iâll post a photo on the blog. I donât have it⌠yet.
Good morning, everyone.
Super Bowl Squares Poolâ¨â˘ Pool #1 is sold outâ¨â˘ Pool #2 is open â same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United) In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to: ⢠Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
Once the squares have numbers assigned, Iâll post a photo on the blog.
Good morning, everyone.
Super Bowl Squares Poolâ¨11 spots remaining â $25 per squareâ¨If youâre interested, In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to:
⢠Venmo: @Nicole-Snarskiâ¨â˘ Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.comâ¨â˘ Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312
These new blog hours have really thrown my writing off. Itâs nearly 7:00 a.m., and Iâm just getting started. Add in the fact that I canât always hit the letters on the keyboard cleanly, and suddenly âlate blogâ is becoming a theme.
Good morning, everyone.
The Super Bowl Squares Pool is officially halfway fullâ50% of the squares are sold. Each square is $25, with $10 going directly to ALS United to support ALS patients. Details are at the bottom.
Over the past couple of months, my food choices have grown increasingly narrow. Eating has become less about appetite and more about mechanics. Most foodsâand even many drinks (too thin)âare now off the table because I canât chew them well enough to safely swallow.
Good morning, everyone.
Today is Nikkiâs birthday. Happy Birthday, Kiddo! Youâre one amazing daughter. I love you!â¤ď¸
Nikki is putting together a Super Bowl squares pool for fun and fundraising. Details are as follows:
Hi everyone, Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and weâre hosting Super Bowl Squares this year to raise money for a great cause - ALS United, of course. You can gamble and feel good about it! Cost: $25 per squareâ¨Donation: $10 from each square will be donated to ALS United (through our marathon funding page).
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs officialâI wonât be doing any volunteer Tax-Aide work this season.
Back in early fall, I was still holding out hope that I could get IRS-certified and take on a limited role for the 2025 tax year. I really thought I might be able to make it work. But my fingers had other plans. Theyâve become far too clumsy on a keyboard for the kind of accuracy tax prep demandsâand when the requirement is 100%, âclose enoughâ doesnât cut it.