Joan here..."Baby Cyrus is here!"

I am so excited, baby Cyrus George is here! Today was his grand arrival! I tried to upload the pic but it didn't work.

He is such a sweet and wonderful little baby! Welcome to this world little Cyrus...I love you so much!!!!! My daughter Jen has 4 children now! 2 girls and 2 boys and informs me that the tubes are offically snipped! Can't say I blame her!

More news, Tia and Katie are going to be awared with the ALS Edmonds Award this week. How wonderful is that!!!!

I am still up and about working and trying to keep busy. Life is not easy and will never be but I am keeping busy!

Thanks for all the luv and kindness!!!!

Joan here..."10 months"

Well...I did it...last minute decision to go to the ALS Walk in Calgary! All the stars lined up!!! I went out to Calgary to walk the walk, the ALS Walk in memory of Rick and Aunt Christine. I met so many wonderful people. One of the most amazing moments was when I came face to face with the incredible lady who made Rick's urn for him. She still doesn't get it I think how wonderful that was for us. We really felt God had a hand in it! We did not have to leave Whitemouth to find one and it was hand made and hand delivered to us by Uncle Keith.


This past week was 10 months since I have talked to my sweetheart face to face, celebrated a milestone birthday without my sweetheart, gone on my first trip since Rick has passed.


This incredible lady, Ida, not only did that for a stranger but when I was out there took me for a ladies lunch at an incredible spot...muscles and all we got to indulge in!


I met so many wonderful people. The day before the walk, Uncle Keith and myself hung the sponsors banners in the cold and rain but we did it. The next day was so warm outside. We had the honour to take down those same banners! lol I had the pleasure and honour to walk with Uncle Keith's family, inlaws and friends on the walk.


I spent a couple of days being toured around by Uncle Keith through all the Calgary's finest. Met so many of his wonderful friends. Went to a church choir concert which was so entertaining.


This was my first away time since Rick has passed. Yes, it is always bittersweet!


As tradition would have it...I was in the air flying on my birthday once again...only the first time without Rick!


When I landed my cousin Jill picked me up and drove me to the car. From there I drove back and met my sister for a surprise birthday supper out. Well.........once I got there I was so overwhelmed by all the people in the restaurant waiting for me to arrive. What a "bittersweet" birthday...my first one, a big one, won't say how big, without Rick! Rick and I actually talked about that last year that he wouldn't be here this year. At the time we both had cried.


Rick was more sentimental to more things than what people realized. He was alway the one that had to make sure we did something on Father's Day. We went out to Sperling along with the kids and surprised his dad the last time he could get out and about. He instigated lots of things but always from behind the scenes.


My husband was a leader but lead from beside you...not in front of you! He was a team player through and through!


I took so long to post this even though it was written because I didn't have the pics uploaded yet. But hey, forget the pics up it goes!

Joan here..."One of those days!"

An Outie??? how can a person smile after having a feeding tube operation??? That was my Ricki...positive...and thankful to be alive and to have something in place for when he could no longer eat because of breathing difficulties...I have never met a person in my life like him!!!!!

Today is a day where really all one has to do is focus on the really good stuff!

I am so pleased to be able to thank so many wonderful people once again who continue to contribute in memory of Rick!!!

First of all I forgot to mention "Kathy I." of Whitemouth who so faithfully once again put in so many long hours in helping Jake and Val and the girls with the ALS garage sale!!!

Secondly, all the wonderful businesses....I hope I have all the info...I don't want to miss anyone...check out the links on the right hand side of the blog.....Universal Media Studios (All types of Media Duplication), Tint Marketing (Printing), and Blainey Enterprises Whitemouth.

It is coming up close to 10 months without my Ricki. So hard to believe. It will be my birthday on the 14th and the first one without my beloved husband. Yes, it will be one of those mile stone birthdays!!!!

I have been busy working. I have been busy running to the doctors....I caught a bacteria and now some poison ivy of all things! One more thing and that makes the "3"!

I have been so fortunate to land some positions that have been keeping me busy! BUSY is good otherwise a person can get lost in the sea of sadness, depression and feeling sorry for oneself!
I am continuing on seeing my bereavement counsellor who has been so encouraging and reassuring all is normal. Despite how irrational, weird and beyond! Even though a person wonders at times! I am normal!!!! Who would have thunk????
One of my little grandsons today, bless his heart, wanted to come with me....I took him out to see the tractor which was really what he wanted, but I just felt loved and wanted! Simple things right????? One step, One minute, one day, one week, one month, 9 months, almost 10 months.....hard to believe!!!!

Grateful for my cousin who DID not lose their house in Slave Lake....that was a miracle! Grateful for Jilly girl who is on the road to recovery after three operation due to P.A.D. Peripheral Artery Disease. A miracle for cousin Janet who is home and is so against all odds of ever leaving the hospital!!!! Thrilled for another little grandson to be born at the end of June!!!!

I have been met with so much favor, love and support from avenues that are always a miracle to me!!!!

Joan here..."Please pray for Jeannette and her family"

Nathaniel Bushell

August 30, 2004 - May 25, 2011

It is with great sadness that I write this blog entry. One of Rick's caregivers Jeannette (you would remember her as she was so bubbly and talkative) has suddenly lost her grandson Nathaniel Bushell. He was only 6 years old. He had six sisters and was their only son. He loved animals, hanging out with his father fixing equipment, and up at the crack of dawn making coffee with his dad.

He lived in Hadishville MB. Nathaniel attended the Reynold School where Rick and I would go to speak for the ALS Walks. I was just there on May 19th for this year's walk.

His funeral will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31st at 10:00 am at the Green Acreas Funeral Home in Winnipeg. Please pray for the family! They will need all the love, comfort and compassion imaginable at this time!

Joan here..."The 2011 ALS Whitemouth Walk"

A video clip is posted to the right of the Whitemouth ALS Walk 2011. Thanks Brian of the ALS Society of MB for sharing the video and pics.

First of all a great big thank you to everyone who could come out and join in walking with the students at the Whitemouth ALS Walk, Jennifer Staerk and Val for organizing the event, the teachers, staff, students, the local business sponsors, and all the ALS MB staff. It is always held during the day on a Friday school morning. We even had some of the personal care home patients and staff join in.

It was so great to have Rick's mom and dad make it out for the walk. It is not easy at their age to drive the distance. Rick's dad, Wendal, accepted the donation to the ALS Society from the Lion's Club on behalf of of his son Rick. Thank you to the guys in the Whitemouth Lions Club for Bquing the hot dogs & for your donation once again!

Thanks to all who came out and supported Tia and Katie's garage sale before and on the day of the walk. It was a huge success once again. I don't have the final totals yet.

The day of the walk was cloudy, windy and cool but all our hearts were kept warm by our memories of the inspirational and wonderful man that Rick was. He walked the walk and you got to know that he was walking with us!!!

A bit of background....The students go into the community each year and get sponsors for the walk as well as any family and friends joining in. The ALS Walk was first started in Whitemouth in honour of a school teacher, Louise Lamaga who had ALS, by her daughter Lorraine.

Rick at the time was just diagnosed with ALS. We were still living in the city and were told about this walk. So we went and joined in. Here Rick was a person who was actually living with the disease standing right in the midst of them. That is when the students and community wrapped their arms around us. After that each year Rick and I would share with the students at their ALS Kick Off Rally. Year to year the students would see the progression and the never ending need for costly specialty equipment first hand.

This year was exceptionally difficult emotionally for everyone. It was the first walk without Rick and it was very painful. A couple of days before the walk I was looking for Rick's memorial video as I was asked if they could play it before we started the walk. While looking through my pile of videos I just happened to pick up one and started to play it. Well....the flood gates of tears and raw emotion bubbled up out of my being!

Rick and I just had so much compassion for anyone that would have to go through what we were going through. Early on I searched the Internet, libraries etc. for any kind of information to better understand what we were going through and would go through. We needed information on the physical and the coping challenges that we were just beginning to face daily. We needed information directed specifically to the diagnosed person and to the caregiver but not just from the clinical textbook perspective.

Believe me at the time there was not too much out there that we could get our hands on. I sure can understand now that people are in so much emotional pain just trying to cope with the ravages of this disease that they don't have much time or energy to document what is happening. Because of that initial need for "down in the trenches, in your face, nothing barred" kind of information Rick and I began our own little private quest. We were going to share our ALS walk whether it would be by talking, blogging or video taping!

It has had many benefits and many not so good benefits. Especially, on days when you are overwhelmed and discouraged and ready to throw the frying pan across the room! Not pretty!!!

Anyways, I went and taped hours of footage. Nothing was ever preplanned or discussed beforehand. I wouldn't even know when I was going to go and get that camera. Everything was serendipity and serendipitous!!! Another one of Rick's favorite words!

Rick would just flow as the tape rolled. Another one of his famous sayings was "I never met a mike that I didn't like!". Looking back it was a great outlet for him to be able to express himself. Until now, I just have not brought myself to go through any of those tapes. So watching this video for the first time the other day was so heart wrenching but exhilarating! Heart wrenching to see my sweetheart describe what he was feeling and going through and exhilarating to see him and hear his voice again! I could hear him tell me he loved me, calling me "babette". There was so much pain and yet so much gain!!!!

Moving along here.... I was not too sure about the intensity of emotion this video would or could possibly evoke in the students watching and listening to Rick's raw frankness of what he was dealing with. So I had a longtime friend of Rick and mine, Sillypuppy, put together a copy of a segment of the footage. This particular tape that I watched has many segments in it, first segment is one of Rick laying in bed talking about many things, the next segment is the one that I chose to share with the students, and then the last segment is where he sees his memorial stone for the first time out at the cemetery.

Every so often I will try and muster up the emotional courage to pull out another video that I taped of Rick but I usually convince myself not to do it yet. At the time I was so focussed on taping Rick that I wasn't always aware of the complete content of what he was saying. So for me it is watching for the first time.

In our relationship Rick was very comfortable to just talk and talk about anything and everything. It is another thing though to have a camera aimed at you when you are going through gag reflex moments, emotional lows, and being open and spontaneous about it all and not knowing who was all going to be watching it down the road! He was so brave to be so volunerable! This one particular segment is exceptionally emotionally revealing. You feel his grieving, his body loss, his pain! It just tears at your heart!

I always told him he had the gift of being a teacher. Rick knew how to explain things in a way we could all understand. He always brought in humour so it made the difficult issues somewhat more easier to accept because he made you laugh. You can really pick that up on the tapes as he explains what is happening to his body and how he is coping with the disease.

Anyways, I took this segment of the tape and headed straight over to the ALS Society of MB to get their opinion if it would be appropriate for the ALS Walk presentation. They were impressed and somewhat surprised at the emotional content of the tape. Diana asked permission to use some of the clips for training and educational purposes in some upcoming videos they will be producing.

Rick and I always hoped that somehow we could be a source of support and help for others with ALS. Who would have thought that some of this footage is exactly what they have been looking for! Who knows...someday Rick maybe be travelling and teaching all around the world and affecting people's lives for many years to come! and it didn't even cost a cent...it costs a life...his life!!!

Thanks Sharon Carter for your special words to my heart!!!!

Joan here..."Please vote for Tia and Katie"

Tia and Katie just got nominated by Jennifer Staerk in a contest. They could win some cool prizes.

Please go to www.qx104fm.com/Showcase/countryscoolestkids/Browse.aspx and vote for Tia and Katie. (It will allow one vote only per computer). Thanks!

Don't forget the ALS Whitemouth Walk this Friday and the continued Garage Sale Fundraiser on Friday also. Thanks!