Flowers from Wyn

Wyn, one of Patsy's favorite people, sent her some beautiful, red roses. She was finally moved to a regular bed.

Kids Swimming

Though mom was in the hospital, it was important the kids had as much enjoyment as they could under the circumstances. Grandma's camera was supposed to work under water, and it really did!

Coiling Patsy's Aneurysm

Because the MRI that had been done the night before was reviewed, the hospital contacted us as urgently as they were able. Contacting Mona, at the school, they had her call me, to contact the hospital regarding a critical matter.


The MRI revealed some blood. Patsy was likely suffering an aneurysm!

Dr. Herman met us, and whisked her into surgery as urgently as possible.


The coiling procedure saved her life.

The Westin Pool, then The Emergency Room!

Patsy, Brianna and Brennan, at play in the pool.
The same evening, Patsy was suddenly and extremely ill, with an intense headache. We rushed to the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center

Good Jazz Music at the Resort

We enjoyed the music very much. A nice start to our first stay at a resort.

When evening came, Patsy enjoyed some pool time with the kids :)

Disneyland!

We did spend a couple of days at Disneyland!

Calgary International, LAX, & Aneheim

We flew from Calgary to the airport at Los Angeles, LAX. From there, we rented a suburban.

I drove directly to our hotel at Anaheim. Quite the freeways, sometimes 10 lanes wide... The GPS was a very helpful companion!

Glen the Gardener!

Glen and I made a fire. He shared, that while we were away, one of the boys watched him using his scythe to clear some brush, and wondered if he was the gardener!

Some lyrics I came up with:
All I ever wanted was
To have you want me more than ever
All I ever needed was
To have you need me evermore

Bear Aware!

A black bear wandered across my sister-in-law, Valerie's, driveway, while she was outside having a cigarette.
It was quite exciting for a few hours!

Brianna's iPad

Yup, she's the first in the family to get one.

I have to admit... It's a great way to read the news!

Nechi & Poundmaker Pow Wow

Carson & Pam sang at the Nechi & Poundmaker Pow Wow, at St. Albert.
We were fortunate, as they saved seats for us. It was an excellent vantage point, to enjoy the dancers.

Amanda Joined Us!

Amanda and her boyfriend joined us at Edmonton. We were in the city for an appointment at the Cross Cancer Institute.

It was a bit disappointing that my mutation is not appropriate for the current trials. I'll be carrying on with "conventional" treatment.

Seeing her was easily enough a counter-balance to the earlier disappointment, that it turned out to be an excellent day!

Evan's Wedding

My youngest cousin, Evan, was happily married on July 10, at Saskatoon.

Patsy and I joined the family for this wonderful celebration.

Trying Trials?

Mom and Dad joined us at Grande Prairie, to meet with the doctor at the cancer clinic.

As there are a few options to consider, we were referred to the Cross Cancer Institute, to meet with Dr. King and discuss the possibility of participating in current trial therapies.

They followed us back to John D'Or.

It seems their Buick was up for the drive!

Visiting Cathy

We visited Cathy on our trip to Calgary.

Galaxy Land

Galaxy Land, at the West Edmonton Mall, is always popular with our little ones.

Brianna enjoyed the Merry Go 'Round at least twice.

Town Trip

We took Brennan to town. Enjoyed lunch with Bud and Wayne.

On the way home, Patsy spotted a Blue Heron. I turned around for a look of my own, and watched it lazily spread it's wings and float into the forest.

First Fire of the Summer

Brianna and Ethany joined me for the first fire of the summer.

BBQ at Meander

Took the family to Meander, to visit John and Gladys for a barbecue.

Two Moose On The on the Way To Fort

A buck and a cow were standing on the road, as I drove to Fort Vermilion for the day.

Carson and Crew

They arrived by midnight, Saturday night. Latoya stayed with us, while Carson and Pam headed directly to the round dance at Fox.

Grande Prairie Family Trip

This time, the family was with us :)

To the Rescue!

Gilbert stopped, to assist Patsy. The dog had found a plastic tobacco pail, and had jammed it on his head.

With a cutter, they let the air in. Then they struggled to get the pail off.

Finally, success!

Visibly shaken, the dog would live another day.

Heya, Sis!

Spent the weekend with my sister, at Yellowknife.

Went for a skidoo ride for several hours.

Snapped a few pics of the trip home.

New Years 2010

Made it!

Good news for my health, yesterday. Nothing indicates further development of my condition. We're staying on course for my treatments, and have as much reason as any to remain quite positive and optimistic.

And that seems to be the theme or our New Year :)