Guest Blogger~Mike

G'day folks, i'm stopping by to share some thoughts and extend some thank yous.

It seems to me that there is an aspect of human nature that violently and instinctually resists pain and suffering in other people.

When global disasters such as the 2004 boxing day tsunami, or the bush fires in Victoria earlier this year occur individuals and communities rail against the injustice of the situation and find ways to make a difference.

I think it must be about trying to keep a balance in our little worlds. If something terrible happens and makes us feel like evil or injustice are dominating things then in order to feel good about life people take action to correct the scales.

We donate money, write notes, give hugs, coordinate events, hold vigils, advocate for change and share thoughts and feelings.

Stacy and I are facing a challenge and a personal disaster with our motor neuron disease diagnosis. Our experience has been that individuals and communities close to us are driven to attempt to redress this imbalance.

On Saturday the 31st of October our great friends Tony, Genevieve, Mat and Sandra ran a frisbee tournament called the Big Sky 9's. http://bigsky9s.blogspot.com/

This frisbee tournament involved 14 teams, 140 players, 10 hours of frisbee games and some concerted fund raising efforts. There is plenty of information on the Big Sky blog site listed above including some figures of the financial success of the day.

It was an excellent day and was a wonderful outpouring of love from the frisbee community to Stace and I. We are so grateful to the organising team, the volunteers who helped on the day and everyone who came to participate as players and spectators.

It was an amazing day, plus Stay's Allstars won the final.

On Sunday the 8th of November our little friend Leila Hutton organised a fun run fund raiser for Stacy and I. In Leila's words she had the idea for a fun run, expected that maybe 40 people or so would get involved and it would be a nice little day.

The reality was that it was a nice little day involving around 200 people, multiple donated raffle prizes, a delicious home cooked breakfast and 3km of hard but enjoyable yards around the Roma St. parklands.

Both events were always going to be successful as they were excellent positive events that Stacy and I could focus on and take strength and comfort from. What none of the organisers or Stacy and I could realistically had imagined was the quantity and magnitude of people's generosity.

On both of the fund raising days Stacy and I were overwhelmed by the dramatic gestures of kindness displayed by people who wished to help out in this difficult situation.

The events were amazing as a tool for easing the difficulties that Stacy and I will face over the coming time, and as an act of human kindness guided towards creating balance in our little world they were both incredibly successful.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the events. Thank you to all the people who made donations for raffles and personal donations to us. Thank you to Leila, Gen, Tony, Mat and Sandra for coordinating the events and providing an opportunity for people to express their support.

To everyone who has been so loving to Stacy and I, thank you very much. We feel like we are wrapped up in the community and very supported.

What a month~

About 3 weeks ago I got a call from Brad who is the husband of Tawnya, my best friend since high school. Mike and I are the God-Parents to Audrey, their soon to be daughter. Because we live so far away I didn’t really get to be a part of Tawn’s pregnancy. I really wanted to see her pregnant, but it just didn’t seem like that was a possibility until Brad offered to fly me home to surprise Tawn at her baby shower. I couldn’t believe his generosity and of course accepted his offer.

I flew into Montana on a Saturday night and the baby shower was on Sunday afternoon. It was the best surprise ever!! I have a video of it that I will post once it is downloaded. I was only home for a whirlwind week, but it was so worth it. I was able to spend time with my family as well as help Tawnya with some preparations for the baby. It was a very special time and cannot thank Brad enough.

Fast forward to this weekend, on October 28, 2009 Audrey Rae Gilchrist was born!! I was sooo excited! Mom and baby are doing great. Then on November 1, 2009 my friend Lynsey who was due November 21^st gave birth to her daughter Tavia Lili Gayton! I cannot believe both my girls came in the same week! I am so happy for both of them and thank God for their safe delivery.

Oh man Mike and I have had a huge weekend! I will post all about it very soon.

Stay tuned~

I thought I would leave you with a little preview. First picture is Tavia Lili and second is Audrey Rae. Soo cute!

Ginny Owens - If you want me too~

Things you take for granted~

There are things in our life that we do everyday, little mundane things. Until you loose the ability to do these things you never fully grasps how amazing they actually were.

Some of the things I took for granted:

Walking, sounds corny but it is amazing how much talent it actually takes.

Running, I only started running last year and really started to appreciate it. I see runners now and it makes me sad sometimes I cry.

Getting dressed. Who knew buttons, zippers, bras were so difficult. Thank God for my husband or I would be going commando in track suits everyday.

Showering, fixing your hair, brushing your teeth, writing, typing. All things I never thought twice about, now I wish I would have appreciated them more.

One thing that still frustrates me is opening doors, jars, packages. My mind is willing my fingers to just turn the bloody lid and my fingers are acting like selfish little two year olds saying " I don't want too!" Man they are so naughty at times. I think a lot of the breakdowns I have had in front of Mike are always about a jar. Who would have thought.

I am staying mostly positive but I do get sad sometimes and when I get sad it is usually because of these things. When did car doors get so heavy? Everyday it seems I am faced with a new obstacle, some days I say to God "Enough already!" other days I say "Is that all you got!" I have had a bit of a "Why me" past couple of days. I know this will pass.

I'll be OK (:

Cause for Celebration~

I have alot to blog about but haven't found the time. I will definitely get onto it this weekend. Until then I will leave you with an email my mom sent me, she gets daily inspirational emails and I really enjoyed this one.

Honoring Everyday Life~

We all know someone who keeps plastic covers on his or her couch in order to protect it. The irony is that many of these people may live their lives without ever having actually made contact with their own furniture! This is a poignant and somewhat humorous example of the human tendency to try to save things for special occasions, as if everyday life wasn’t special enough to warrant the use of nice things. Many of us have had the experience of never wearing a particular piece of clothing in order to keep it nice, only to have it go out of style in the meanwhile.

It’s interesting to think of what it would mean to us if we let ourselves wear our nicest clothes and eat off the good china on a daily basis. We might be sending ourselves the message that every day we are alive is a special day and a cause for celebration, and that we are worth it. There is something uplifting about treating ourselves to the finest of what we have. It is as if we rise to the occasion when we wear our best clothes and set the table beautifully, as if for a very special guest. We are more mindful of where we place things, what we are eating, and who is with us. Using the good china, eating in the dining room, and taking the plastic off the sofa might be an invitation to be more conscious of the beauty and grace inherent in our everyday lives.

If there are things you’ve stashed away for a special occasion—a bottle of special wine, a gorgeous pair of shoes, an antique lace tablecloth—consider taking them out of their hiding places and putting them to use tonight, just because you are alive now to enjoy them, and that’s a great cause for a celebration.

Swimming~

I have been so busy in the past week I haven't had time to get on here. I have started swimming again, my mother is so proud. For those of you that don't know I was a competitive swimmer for 11 years, it was such a huge part of my life and my identity for so long. I stopped swimming my junior year of college and have never really got back into it until this week.

I have to say my first day back in the pool was a bit depressing. I didn't know what to expect ability wise, so I aimed to do 1000 meters. When I started to swim I found I was focusing all my attention on my right arm (gympie) how she couldn't quite get all the way out of the water, she couldn't pull. I, to say the least, was getting very frustrated and feeling a bit down, it was one of the first times it really hit me that this is all happening. I was so used to swimming coming easy that it was a real shock to the system. Then I pulled my head out (as my husband would say) and said to myself "Why are you only focusing on what is not working? What about the things that are!" After that I thought wow, my left arm is still doing great, my kick is strong, and my breathing is the same as it always was. It's amazing how strong the mind is and how it can dictate our feelings. I am really working on the PMA (positive mental attitude) I am certain it will see us through this.

I went two more times this week, each time with my friend Richard who is hilarious and almost drowns me because I am laughing so hard and lose all control of my body. It was great to have someone there. I feel that I look ridiculous in the water, Richard assured me I looked normal so that was a relief.

I will definitely keep swimming, I am sure I will keep getting stronger. Thanks for all the love and support!

The one, the only, Eula May~

My wonderful, beautiful, adventurous, inspirational, loving grandmother passed away yesterday after a very long and determined fight. She will be forever in our hearts.


I stumbled upon this today and thought it was fitting:

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

Love you forever and always~