Well its Sunday the 15th Fathers day and on this day I woke up and all I could do is think about how much you mean to me so I thout I would let you know how much I LOVE YOU! and to tell you HAPPY FATHERS DAY

HI KIP! This website is really different now! I just registered, so ya thought I’d leave ya a comment!
Well talk to ya lata! LOVE YA!
~Billie

Hello Blomquists-
Just wanted to drop a note on your new guestbook! You guys are always in my thoughts. Boot camp is ALMOST done so hopefully I will be able to spend somemore quality time with ya all.
Love and miss you-
Angie

Ohhh….geez…it’s been along time! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write an update (it’s going to be a long one)…gotta love summer! Things are going well in the Blomquist household! As good as good can be expected…or “just fine” as Kip says (I hate it!). It’s not his “wonderful” that we’re all used to hearing, but sometimes he still sneaks one of them out. We started Lithium! We went to HCMC for our quarterly and “that’s the buzz in the ALS world”…many of you have seen/heard! We wanted to be part of a study, but never really heard back…so we started thru our family dr. The last thing we have is more time to wait. It’s only been about three weeks, so we’re not sure if it’s working…he has a Dr. appt on August 8th (I think). Just have to make sure his kidney, liver and all that fun stuff is holding up. So far so good. Kip’s not one for taking meds, but he takes anything I give him now a days:-) He used to ask…now he just goes with the flow. He takes Lithium, Rilutek, Flexall, IBU when he hurts and Bacloffen. I think that’s it. A couple vitamins too…

We’ve also upped his Re-liv shakes. There’s an ALS patient in Alabama who has shown great improvement…who knows what’s true and what’s not true, but Kip quit taking them (money!) and he started to get worse, so we decided to get back on them. Plus, when he’s hungry it’s nice!!!
He is getting along and uses his walker (or I should say his girlfriend) 100% of the time. The kids and I even got him a little fanny (yes…fanny!!) bag so he can store the phone, cigars and even a can cooler if he likes! It’s cute! Speaking of phone (in case you call and get no answer)…it takes him a bit longer to get it out of his pocket (cell) or to get to it in the house, but it’s darn cute watching him try to hustle! I usually help him rip it out of his pocket, but sometimes I opt to say “well, you missed that one” and giggle!

That’s one thing that’s great about this icky disease…his laughing. It’s almost hurtful to watch him giggle because you end up laughing right along with him just as hard! It’s great! I can’t tell you enough how many times we’ve laughed over his falls as he’s laid out…it helps keep the heart upbeat. One of his most recent falls, he accidentally landed on Breana’s wicker clothes basket and the 1st thing I said was “ohhh man, now we have to buy Breana a new laundry basket”…we both laughed! Not every fall is as “delicate” as we hope for…he’s got a long way down.

I’m sure many have heard, but he started having problems with his lower back. The chiropractor said the muscles in his lower back are deteriorating, so he’ll a lot of back spasms. He’s had a pretty tough month with that (I can’t tell you how many times we’ve watched Oceans 11, 12 & 13, but he’s starting to feel much better. He had slept in his recliner and I had been sleeping on the couch for 5 weeks up until yesterday (He’ll be by my side until the day God decides he needs another helper up there). We purchased a sleep number. It’s adjustable, so he can alleviate some of the swelling in his ankles and I can rest comfortable with my twitches next to me. I often joke because we know someone who has a van that we will borrow when he is fully in his wheel chair and I asked him if we could get cool plates that said “Twitches”…it didn’t go over so well:-) We still have time to talk about it

Another funny…Can you say Bathroom breaks!!! I mean really!!! That zipper can really kick his butt! He’s just like a little kid because he waits so long and then bounces! I may have to start watching him and after three beers make him go to our awesome (it’s so high) toilet!! He’s not a very fast mover, so when he holds it’s until the last minute it gets scary!

Kip also fell about two weeks ago and we think he cracked a couple of ribs…I had looked it up and made a few phone calls and there’s not much they can do for that. He had a hard time breathing at first, but fortunately no punctured lung. He’s getting better and better everyday. The only thing that hurts is sneezing and laughing hard:-) I tell him I hope it hurts often…it signifies how much he laughs and we need him to keep smiling!

In a couple of weeks, we are going down the Apple River with our friends that are also dealing with ALS…The Vlecks! We CANNOT WAIT to go to the Apple River with them and I especially can’t wait to talk with Steph, John’s wife (not on that weekend of course b/c we don’t want to think bad…right, Steph?!…It’s the good times that we cherish so much right now)! I think it helps to talk with someone who really knows how icky this is and is in the same place I am. I hope the kids can relate a lot too…as well as John & Kip!! We had emailed the other day and she mentioned how John had fallen out of bed and was still there when she left for work…I just had to laugh because most would say “OMG”, but we have to take the attitude of “at least their getting some rest” I just invested in a “beer hat”…yep, two beers fit on the top…that’s another BAD part…it’s hard to hold your beer!! He doesn’t really care for it, but I like it:-) I think he’s just embarrassed because his heads too big:-) Sorry honey! I thought we’d bring that down the river!

Last, but not least…Anger level? Kip has NEVER been one to get upset and sometimes I just want to leave him on the side of the street (not really, but I often joke about it)! He definitely has gotten a bit more “short-fused”…but again, that laughing helps!! We both find it hard to be SO serious that way!! Our new thing is…as long as we say I love you after every mean comment then it’s A.O.K!! You should hear us…”You A$$hole!!!! I love you”…it’s hard to be mad at the big lug! Be aware when you ask for his opinion…or maybe just don’t ask! J/K…he still gives great advice…it’s just straight to the point! He’s also been much more emotional…especially yesterday…his bracelet broke. He’d never taken his initial one off and it broke on him last night. He was pretty teared up. It was tough…but seriously…we ordered 500!! I should just put 3 at a time on him! That way he knows there will always be one! No really…I understand his sadness though…it was tough.

Kids Update: Breana is off to St. Cloud on August 24th…that will be a very sad day for all of us. We’re going to miss her to pieces and she’s only 50 miles away. Mitch is working at the strawberry farm…it’s so cute…he picks up his buddy Austin (I was just in him mom’s wedding this weekend…Congratulations Jenny & Denny!!) and they head to work. They grow so fast. Jordan is such a good big brother!! Maddie had her shots and Jordan wanted to do everything…he held her while she had her shots and she didn’t even cry! It was unbelievable! Those two just adore each other. Maddie gets her Graduation GC from Gillette’s next week…her head and neck look great! As hard as that was to hear, time went by fast!

My oh my…I think I could even write more, but I might bog down http://www.forkip.com

p.s. I’ve asked Kerri if we can go back to the old guestbook…I’ve heard it’s a lot more confusing and not as easy to post a wonderful message. We’ll see if she has time…she’s got her hands full too and still makes time for all of us! Thank you Kerri!

Love to all and “Never Give Up”…Love, Shannon (Kip, Breana, Mitch, Jordan & Madison)

Never worry about bogging down this site! It’s not possible, baby!

Hi kip! debbie loves giving me grief for posting. her and sue talk all the time (they do!!!!). but anyway, just a quick hello from me and amy. hope all is ok. see you soon!

Brad

Hey Blomquist’s!
It was so good seeing you this last weekend at Angie’s. Kip, Thanks for the ride on the Rhino. That thing is a beast! I am glad you enjoy it. Shannon, I will be over sometime for those sunglasses of mine. The new pair I had broke this morning…darn. You guys have fun at Apple River! Sounds like a blast. I think you should bring the beer hat, Kip! Be safe and have another great week and weekend! Never give up!
Love Always,
The Schottenbauer’s
Brad, Amy, Jeg and Kendall
P.S. Brad and Brian WON the Bracket III Drag Race in Brainerd. Whooohoooo! Finally….

Hello! I finally got in! I think I was about to have withdrawals. Just wanted to say “hello” and I love you all. Kane and I cannot wait for the Apple River. The Shasta is calling our names! Kerri, great job on the website - it’s pretty cool lookin’. Well, we all know how hard I work, so I better get back to it.

Love ya,
Rian

Just stopping by to say Hello, It sounds like you have been keeping pretty busy. Keep it up!

HEY,
JUST WANTED TO STOP BY AND SAY HELLO AND READ ALL THE COMMENTS AND SEE HOW YOUR DOING.I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM ALWAYS THINKING AND PRAYING FOR YA….H.J.

Hi,

I just wanted to say how much fun I had Saturday at Rian’s house getting to know you guys. I had a blast Sat night and can’t remember the last time I had that much fun and played that many card games! Take care! Love- Kelly

Hi Kip. May each day bring you fresh strength. Shannon, thank you for the update and being real. Sending warm thoughts your way . . . Missy

Hi Guys!
Wow…what a great site. Kerri, thank you for all your hard work on keeping this updated and easy to use for everyone.

Kip, I hope you are doing well. I think of you everyday and thank my lucky stars that you are in our lives. You have brought so much fun, excitement and joy into Shannon’s life and for that I could never thank you enough.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do or if you need anything. I’m here for you…even if I’m “all the way in Minneapolis :)”

Looking forward to the ALS walk in St Cloud!
Love you all so much,
Sonia

Hey Kip & Family!
Well i thought i would stop by and say hello! You all are in my thoughts and i hope you all are doing well.
Crystal Godfrey

Hi Kip and family, just wanted to say hello and send our good wishes. Dave wanted me to tell you he stopped by today and another day last week. He thought you guys might just have a beer together! Sorry he missed you. We think of you all often, Debra and David

Hello Blomquist’s!
Just checking in. Hope all is well with the Blomquist Bunch and the float down the river went swell. You will have to update us. Keep smiling. Stay in touch!

Love,
The Schottenbauer’s

Kip and Shannon-
We had a great time with you at Apple River! We are so glad we got to hang out for a weekend. I don’t know about you, but we have not recovered yet. Don’t worry, the motto is “what happens on the river stays on the river…”

Hi Kip and Shannon!
I am so glad I got to know you guys this past weekend. Was bummed I wasn’t able to say goodbye, we had to take off early. According to Steph, “What happends on the river stays on the river…” so I’m quite thankful for that! Just want to say thanks to you guys and Kane and Rian for putting up with me; you guys ROCK! I’m hoping we can all get together again soon, we had a lot of fun (from what I remember)!
Never Give Up! Love ya!
Amy

Hello everyone!! I have two updates…one from 8/4 and one from 8/15 (following)…I have be unable to access it…but today it worked!!! Just keep in mind this one is old news now, but I figured I’d post it! Lots to read!! Thank you for all your comments…on the weekends we all talk about who posted and what they said…it’s pretty cute:)

Here we go:

Things at the Blomquist’s are going well. Grandma & Grandpa Blomquist have arrived and are staying with us for two weeks. It’s great to see them. As well as Grandpa’s Sister Margaret. Her, her husband Phil, their daughter Kathy & her son Brian are all here to visit from Arizona/California! We had a family get together on Saturday and it was great to hang out and talk face to face vs. via email:) They’ve been taking the big tour of Isanti County. Kathy hadn’t been back in quite some time (she’s currently lives in CA) and Brian’s never been here…I said “only if it were winter, you could walk on water”. Can’t do that in CA!! Gotta love MN’s Ice fishing!

Although MN is wonderful, this winter is already scaring the heck out of Kip and I…that cold is no fun for an already shaking body:) Last year he strictly wore flannel pants, insulated socks and warm hoodies. I wonder if we can get a heater built in on his wheel chair:) Knowing him, it’s already included and I just haven’t heard about it yet!!! Enough about that though…we are sucking up all of summer we possibly can!!

Many ask if Kip is walking….he is, but is starting to use his scooter more. He just brought it home from work and loves it…so do the kids when he’s not on it:) We had gone to the Isanti County fair and Kip said “it was the best fair he’s ever been too!!!” Well, of course it was….he got to ride and we walked all day!!! Silly! He just wanted to cruise! Did any of you see us in the Cambridge Star…we were in it!! It was great to take Maddie on her 1st rides…she loved it! Jordan didn’t want to leave her side at all! Never does…they love each other dearly! I have to tell Jordan to leave the room when I’m feeding her b/c she cranks her head all the way around just to find him if she remotely hears his voice.

Being Kip has been using his scooter more, it seems like the falls have slowed down a bit….so that’s a great thing! His falls have included Breana’s wicker basket (last blog), the computer, the elliptical, Maddie’s bouncy, the hot tub steps…and the list goes on, but truly all of them have been very “nice” falls…no broken bones (a few cracked ribs) or blood. His newest one was at work…he hit his head on the concrete and blacked out for a short time, but there were many to helpers. His head hurt for a few days, but that’s all in the past now! Not to bring anyone down, but I want to keep you as updated as possible. Again…good and bad days:)

I think I mentioned the recent one at home…when he went to get water from the Culligan thingy and he fell so low…his head went into the sheetrock…almost to the floor. It was crazy! Tootie (Kip’s sister) was teasing him saying “since you were down there, you should’ve had a scrub brush”. I had to mention that one again because it was so darn cute! I thought about getting him a fanny pack after that and putting in a couple toothbrushes and so forth!! He didn’t like that idea so much! I just worry that if he does fall and CAN’T get up…that would at least give him something to do until I or someone gets there:) Just kidding…you got to put humor in it, right?!

Did I ever mention Kip got a tattoo on the back of his neck (as well as Breana) that say’s “Never Give Up”….it’s great! There are many of us that are thinking we just may have to do the same! My dad actually got a full blown picture of Kip over his heart and “Never Give Up” wrote around it…My dad says “He’ll always be close to my heart”. It’s incredible! Kip sure is loved!

Our sleep number bed is in!! It’s more than amazing to be able to sleep next to “twitches” again! That couch was getting old! He just loves it too! He doesn’t complain about a back ache, his ribs haven’t bothered him and his ankles aren’t nearly as swollen as they were. He’s had some other issues that have made him stick to bed this week, so we’re lucky it’s comfortable. He had the poops!! He didn’t want to eat anything, drink anything…nothing! My mom finally said “I’m not eating until you do…”, so we grilled up some food and he ate three cheeseburgers. I don’t think he cared at the time and I’m happy to say he’s felling much better! Thank goodness! It was a VERY icky week. Things are looking up and both him and my mom got to eat!

Here we come Apple River! We are very excited to conquer another eventful weekend with such special people (The Vlecks)! I’ll tell you all about it upon our return!

Last, but MOST IMPORTANTLY…we are doing the ALS Walk! 2008 St. Cloud Walk to Defeat ALS! It’s September 13th @ 9 am. If you’d like to join us, we’d love it! Let us know!
Our goal for “Team Blomquist” is $10,000 and we’re going to crush that!! Just typing that brings tears to my eyes…:)
If you’d like to make a donation, please let us know. Your donation would not only enable us to reach our goal, but also help in the research to get ride of this ICKY disease….Let’s help in that fight! Someday, there has to be a cure…let’s find it!!!
You can send donations to us @
1205 County Road 6 NE
Stanchfield, MN. 55080
Payable to: ALS Association
***The kids each set their goal to $210 as well! They’re very excited!
I think that’s all for now! I should call him and make sure he’s staying out of trouble! He’s probably at home watching CSI!!! Before all this, I could never EVER get him to sit down and watch t.v. and now he loves it. He never thought he would feel that way, but he enjoys it now. I tell him he just likes to boss people around and make us do all his outside work while he sits and watches and as much as I know that’s not the case, it’s fun to give him heck…VERY FUN! Although…he does tear up a lot more…I find myself giving him heck and either he laughs hysterically or that big bottom lip appears…I just have to say “Don’t cry”…sometimes he stops and sometimes he doesn’t…he just really emotional. It’s a day by day thing:)

Good-bye for now! “Never Give Up”

Love to all, Shannon

It’s me again…:)

We’re actually on our way to Blackduck as I type this. It’s almost time for bear hunting…which usually is a very exciting time for us, but today is a tough one…it’s one year exactly (Aug 15th, 2007) since Kip had his 1st symptom. Him and Jordan came up here and when Kip got out of the Suburban his legs locked up. As sad as it is, we talked about celebrating this weekend and thinking of the positive…not the negative. He’s here with us now…and there’s nothing that can replace that. He plans on trying to hunt, but his fingers are very turned in and his hands are very weak…I’ll let you know when to GET OUT OF THE WOODS:) J/K! He’ll do great! He also just had his quarterly appointment at HCMC on Thursday. We knew he was obviously getting weaker, but it really stinks to be “reassured” of it. We again met with about 8 specialists (they all come in one after another and specialize in a certain area). We love going there and meeting with “the gang” because they always make us feel so special and try to help make life easier. This time was extra special because the boys came with us for the 1st time (no school). I guess I was kind of scared (if that’s the word…) because we talk about some serious stuff and as much as I know they need to hear the stuff 1st hand and learn as much about it as possible…I find myself trying to protect them from hearing bad things. Breana’s older and more emotional (aka “a girl”) so she’s easier to talk to about things, but Mitch is pretty quiet about a lot…he’s not one for sitting down and fully talking about it…as much as we try. He’s pretty vague. All the conversations this time were pretty standard and expected, but we had a new subject come up….a feeding tube. As my eyes started to swell, I tried not to make eye contact with the boys and just tried to hold back the tears. It was tough. I left feeling confused. I just didn’t and don’t fully understand the stages and how fast they come. I had called a very dear person at the clinic the next day and I explained how all of our friends & family are going to ask me how it went and I really don’t know how to explain…I mean, should I be reporting on what we have on order from the “loan closet”…such as a toilet raiser, a pivot, a lift…I guess if I had asked someone how it went, I would want more specifics…especially since we’re already talking feeding tubes. She explained his breathing percentages and so forth, but I still felt “unclear”…so as stupid as I sounded, by the time our phone call ended I felt more “clear” and that’s what I want to share. She first went into his breathing levels or percentages. Two appt’s ago, Kip was 108, then our last quarterly appt was 98 and then this time it was 92. She explained that they really like to get the feeding tube in before it falls below 50. When 50 comes around there’s more room for problems…such as an infection or ammonia and they could possibly do more harm than help. They really like to have it in sooner than later, whether the patient uses it right away or not (some use it to take just their pills, but still eat food regularly). They really focused on his weight. He lost 3 pounds (seriously…I can lose three in one trip to the toilet!!!). But I guess if you start to lose weight they worry b/c they feel once you start to lose weight, you may go down hill faster. I mentioned that last time he had jeans and a hoodie on vs. this time soft shorts and a t-shirt (which is his normal attire these days…for ease of bathroom breaks and comfort). Jeans are very difficult…pretty much impossible for him nowadays. I still dig them out every once in a while and make a promise to him that I won’t take my eyes off him all night so when he does have to go to the bathroom…it’s not a problem. I still feel it’s necessary to shower him, do his spiky hair, colone…etc. everyday (he’s unable to that stuff anymore by himself). Kip…if you’re reading this…you’re not getting out of it that easy:)!! Anyways, with the discussion of the feeding tube, Kip feels very strongly that he is passing on that jazz. He just doesn’t want it, but things may change as they approach. We’ll see.

On a positively-great note, we made it down the Apple River with our other ALS family! The Vlecks! It was so great to get to know them and see how great they all have handled such an icky disease. John Vleck was diagnosed Jan-07 and has an amazing support group just as we do! He also has an amazing wife that gave me a brighter outlook…Steph is amazing too!! Before we actually went down the river, a few of us had gone down to the end (rapids) to make sure it didn’t look too dangerous for the guys. We were both very iffy, but it’s their annual outing amongst their friends and it was almost a must he went thru them again…of course, with a life jacket this time:) Kip refused to wear one. I’m happy to report the guys made it! One of the guys lost his tube down the river, so he somehow managed to go down the rapids on his back…ouch! Poor guy…can you say liquid courage. We were all a little too tipsy and found it more amusing than hurtful…sorry Paul!! It was such a great experience and we are so thankful to have met so many WONDERFUL people. As unlucky as we are, we are very lucky too! There’s so much more I could report, but I suppose I should keep this email PG13:) I also have to send a BIG BIG hug to Rian & Kane…they made it very special too…as always! We love you guys more than words can say. Rian’s always there to pick me up when I’m down! There’s been more than once that I really didn’t know where I was going to dig up the strength to come home and make dinner… etc. and she’s been there doing so much…not only that, but she’s an amazing listener! Thank you, Rian.

Another positive note…we are participating in the “Walk to defeat ALS” on September 13th in St. Cloud…as I mentioned in the last blog. Everyone and anyone are welcome to join us…it’s going to be day full of laughter and tears…we would love to have EVERYONE with us on that special day! If interested, contact myself or Rian at 763-286-1519. It’s starts at 10am and we walk only 1.5 miles. Wheelchairs and strollers are welcomed…so it’s no race…a nice little walk with a bunch of loved ones!

A couple other notes/funnies: Took the boys school clothes shopping at Rosedale yesterday and Kip sat in the truck for 3 hours…I know…it sounds very mean, but we want him to be part of everything…just kidding:) We are just so busy and it just worked out best to stop then. The boys and I felt so bad, but it was pretty cute too. Next, I’m very happy to report it’s been about 3 weeks since Kip’s last fall…he really, really has to think about his steps, so I tease him and just tell him it proves he’s still thinking! So cruel! It’s the humor that keeps us all going. Next, he drove the whole way to blackduck and I had a pile of mail to put in the mail box and I told him if it falls off the dash he can no longer drive (kind of like the movies)…well, we had just pulled in the driveway and they fell. He was not very happy b/c he’s been trying the whole way to keep them there…I suppose we can give him the benefit of the doubt today:)

On a bit of a sad note…Kip was looking very forward to getting in one last hunt this year and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Galin, Danny and him tried to make it work this weekend, but those fingers of his are pretty curled up and his just doesn’t have the strength to hold the end of the rifle. I just put a call in to the ALS clinic to see if there’s any hunting device that can still make this happen (he’s pretty devestated…those are his words)…I hope to hear back soon. He knew he wasn’t going to get a deer season in this year, but he was hopeful for bear. We’ll see. Also, being his arms & hands are getting weaker…I had to take over on the Rhino…I couldn’t say “watch out for that tree” any faster and he agreed:) It may have just been a bad day (he actually blames in on the power steering going out on the Rhino!!!!…go figure)…so we’re not totally giving up on that yet either. The toughest thing about this is his mind tells him he can do it, but his body is just a stickler.

Overall, things are truly good. I know alot of the above sounds icky, but he’s one fine guy with high spirits and I’m very proud to be his wife! We are all learning so much…not that we wanted too, but God has a funny way of working sometimes!! Maybe he’ll come thru with a Cure:) Let’s hope!! Again, please join us on Sept 13th…most of the proceeds go to the patients now (and I can’t tell you enough how much they’ve helped us and the stuff that we’ve gotten from the loan closet is great!) and then some goes to research to defeat ALS! Let’s fight together…whether its raising money or just being together…Kip will love a party until the day he leaves us…if he does!!

Stop in and see us!! Love to all! Never Give Up!

Love, Shannon (the rambler!!…sorry they get to be so long!!)

Thanks for the update. We think about all of you often and love to hear the scoop. (Even the “hard to hear” things.) Of course the positives are wonderful to hear!!! I am glad you keep the humor alive! Like always, never give up and stay strong. You guys are amazing…you are very loved! See you soon!

Amy, Brad, Jeg and Kendall

I cannot believe how freaking amazing your family is! I am sure you hear this alot, but I just want to make sure you know. I love your “Never Give Up” and positive attitude even when its the pits you all stick together and hold on and get through it and then if that isn’t enough you share your experiences good or bad with everyone. Thank you for updating us, we definetly want to know either good or bad. I am glad you had a wonderful trip to Apple River. I was wondering how that went. You deserve it!

Look at that! I finally got in! Great job on the updates, Shan. I feel like I’ve been out of the loop. Wanted to tell you guys I love ya and I wanted to put in a blurp about The Walk to Defeat ALS taking place on Saturday, September 13th, 9:00am in Whitney Park, St. Cloud. Please, anyone interested in walking with us or donating let one us know as soon as possible. It’s fast approaching and I’d like to get everything squared away sooner rather than later! It will be a fun day for a tremedously great cause! Peace, Rian

Hi Guys,

Just wanted you to know that your in my thoughts and prayers.

Tiff

Hello, hello it’s me, mom-Sue. I just wanted to stop by and tell you guys how much I love you and how proud I am of you all. Kip I have been checking in to stem cell research and I really believe this could be the cure to this ICKY ALS. We really just need to by some time. “Never give up and keep having faith.” One other thing I think we need to try is a faith healer, Sometimes God uses people to show us all how real he is, even when there seems like there is no hope. Tiffany got an e-mail from a girl she had’nt talked to since fifth grade, it stated “my mom HAD ALS and we took her to a faith healer in Texas, she had a feeding tube and was in a wheel chair, after going to see him, the next day she woke her daughter, Kelly up and was eating potato chips. Tiffany has e-mailed this man and were waiting to hear from him. Keep up your possitve additude!! Just remember you are my favorite son-in-law and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Shan since the day you were born I knew you were special and had much to offer the world, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, keep up that possitive attuitude!!!!! Love Mom

Hello Blomquists!

I hope you are all doing well. I love the updates, Shannon, thank you for keeping us all in the light. I assume typing is not one of Kip’s achievements these days, but would love to see a blog from him transcribed by his lovely wife!

Stem cell research! I’ve been praying for a democrat to take office for the last 8 years because of stem cell research! Some day…it will be the answer to everyone’s problems, including my boys. Until then, everyone, keep this research in your prayers. I truly believe it’s the tool God will bless us all with to cure the horrible ailments so many people endure daily.

bless you guys! I miss and love you! ~Kerri

This is to Kerri. Kerri THANK YOU so much for coming to the benefit and helping. Also THANK YOU for setting up this Web Site. You are a very SPECIAL person. You have your hands full and still found the time to help us out, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Kerri if there is any thing I can do to help you, let me know. Your boys are in my prays and always will be. If you know of anything I can do to push stem cell research, let me know. Please use me to do any work that needs to be done to help cure your boys and Kip. I also believe you have alot to offer the world. Sorry it took me so long to THANK YOU, but again THANK YOU. Sometimes when were in our own grief, we forget about others that are hurting, please know your boys are in my thoughts and prays. Kerri, keep on keeping on and NEVER GIVE UP! Shannons’ mom Sue

Kip and Shannon, just wanted to thank you for the wedding gift. We love the pictures. Thank you for everything. Shannon your great, if you guy’s need anything please call. If we can, we’ll help.

Take care Denny and Jenny, Austin, Riley, Kenzie

HEY YOU GUYS!!! WHAT’s UP!? Miss YOU ALL! Love You! Just wanted to say that! Have a Wonderful day!
P.s. Can’t wait for Sep.13th for the ALS walk!

So glad I swung in the other night!!! Love and miss you all very, very much!!!!!!!!!

Hey Kip-

Ken is on his way to bed, and our computer is in our bedroom. (he gets up at 3:00 a.m. for work.) So I’ll make it short and sweet. I’ve been thinking about you and your family a lot lately. We admire the way you milk the most joy out of every day and every event. I’m sure you have frustrating days. But please remember there are lots of us out here still praying for you, your healing and an ALS miracle.

Love ya, bud! Sandy

Hi Kip just wanted to say “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” and I’m so happy you get to go hunting. Have a great time and be good! “NEVER GIVE UP”

So I hear you are going hunting. I am so happy for you! Hope you get lots of which ever animal it is you are hunting this time of year and that it is HUGE! Have a good time and hope to see you the day of the walk.

hay kip joey here i mised you guys for the last 8 mo but iam back for now i cannt wait to see you guys see u sunday for sammys party at kanes

hello kip I havent been online for awhile I heard you went baiting for bear. good for you. I hope you ae feeling ok debbie tells me we should be seeing you soon. keep your sperits high.

brad

Hello all,

We are very excited for the Walk coming up! We hope as many friends & family can join us. It will be very memorable. Below is a message from Rian (team captain!!)…I thought I’d pass it on. She has worked hard throwing this together and I just want to make sure she knows how much we appreciate her! Love you Rian!!!

Kip is looking forward to seeing everyone (more than you know!)…dust off those walking shoes and share the joy with us!

Love to all! “Never Give Up”

Shannon

A message from Rian Schermerhorn scottie.rian@att.net.

Good afternoon, Team Blomquist!

As Walk day nears there are a few things that I wanted to go over with all of you. As you know, the Walk registration begins at 9am and the Walk will commence at 10am. For those of you interested in ride-sharing we will be meeting at my house (north of Hwy 95 in between Cambridge & Princeton) at 8am. We will be leaving my house NO LATER than 8:15am. Please let me know if I should be expecting you Saturday morning.

For those of you not meeting at my house, the directions are as follows:

Location: Whitney Park - St. Cloud, MN - Walkers will gather at the shelter by the baseball
diamonds.

From Highway 94, exit at Highway 15 and head North toward St. Cloud. Go to 12th St. North and turn right. Pass the North junior High School and 12th will curve around and become Northway Drive. Go about 4-5 blocks and Whitney Park will be on your left side. Enter the Park and drive around to your left until you see the concession stand.

From Hwy 95, turn left onto MN 23 heading toward St. Cloud. Go to Cty Rd 1 and turn right. Go to 10th St NE/Cty Rd 46 and turn left. 10th St NE/Cty Rd 46 becomes 5th St S. Go to S Benton Dr and turn right. Go to 1st St S/Cty Rd 33 S. and turn left. 1st St S./Cty Rd 33 S. becomes 9th Ave N. Go to Northway Dr. and turn right.

Tomorrow (Thurs. Sept 4th) is the deadline for me to order the white forkip.com t-shirts that I would like all walkers to wear for the walk. Please let me know whether or not you will be needing a t-shirt and also what size. We WILL be able to order toddler sizes 1-4, so don’t forget about the little ones (yeah!). Anyone over the age of 4 should order an Adult Small. I will not know the exact price per shirt until I submit the order. It will take most of next week for the printing to be completed, so for most of you I will not be able to get you your t-shirt until my house the morning of the Walk or at registration. It is at this time that I will collect the money for them.

Please bring all of your cash/check donations with you the day of the Walk. The more donations we have submitted on-line beforehand the better, so that we can see our progress. I will collect everyone’s envelopes during registration and hand them in. The ALS Association has sent me out envelopes to help keep everything straight. If you don’t already have one, let me know and I will forward one to you. You need only one envelope per family. Make sure to get every donor’s name and address so that they will receive their Thank you letter/receipt for tax purposes from the ALS Association.

Lastly, for those of you interested, we will be heading East out of St. Cloud on Hwy 23 after the Walk and stopping in at Dusty’s for some food, drinks and good company. Children are welcome, however, they do not have high chairs. Please let me know whether you will be able to join us as I will need to call Dusty’s a couple of days prior with a tentative number.

Please call/e-mail me should you have any questions.

Let’s see that thermometer start rising, people!!!

As always, with love,
Rian
763-286-1519
Scottie.rian@att.net

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/MinnesotaWalk?px=1938018&pg=personal&fr_id=4101&et=iI2RLVcMkyPYRCGXwlzEBA..&s_tafId=52564

Click here to view the team page for Team Blomquist
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/MinnesotaWalk?team_id=85882&pg=team&fr_id=4101&et=DU1-dSEWEBfBb3-JQQ1Jgg..&s_tafId=52564

Hello my favorite son-in-law. I just was wondering what’s up with the stripper pole. Is it for you or Shan, LOL. Does this have to do with your STRONG tongue, LOL. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, NEVER GIVE UP. You are my HERO.

Just a little note on stem cell research. Please know that when your voting this November, Sara is against stem cell research. We really need to get this passed!!!!!!!!!

HEY CHRISS THOUGHT WOULD SAY HI. NEVER GIVE UP. THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU ARE DOING AND REMBERED YOU TOLD ME ABOUT THIS WEB PAGE IT IS NICE

Hello there!

Wow…what an amazing turn out we had at the walk…74 people and a dog that even had a forkip.com t-shirt on! It was incredible! We even went above and beyond our $10k goal (not sure the final tally yet…I’ll keep you posted). Good Job Team Blomquist!! It’s ridiculous to think that mile and ½ was a breeze for Kip not too long ago and as hard as it may be nowadays for him (on foot that is…he kicked our butts on scooter:), he still has a tremendous attitude that keeps all of thankful for what we have around us. Thank you Kippy for being such an amazing inspiration!

Kip was quite emotional on the way there. I drove the Suburban and there was one time I looked in the review mirror and saw a stream of people following…I said “look babe”…and he couldn’t help but shed some tears…he was/is just SO overwhelmed with joy. I can’t thank everyone in our lives enough for being there for us when we need you most! Thank you…more than words can say. This tough time wouldn’t be easy if it weren’t for all the love and support we have.

The party didn’t stop at the track:) We carried on at our house and we were just amazed by the people that had come to hang out with us after the walk. I hope everyone who came had a great time! Kip and I couldn’t stop talking about it yesterday! It was a blast!

I have to send out another big thank you to my company, NRG. There was a team of 6 of us that walked and NRG donated $2k plus matched anything we as employees donated. That really helped us achieve our goal. Thank you NRG and all my co-workers/friends that walked (Tom Claussen, Mari Beth Ross, Sue Sandbulte, Eric Toth, Ruth Bryan). You can only imagine their drive if you know how far I drive back and forth everyday:).

I’m wrapping this one up early being so many people seen him this last weekend and will see him again this Friday for my 30th b-day party…if you’re in the neck of the woods…stop in! I promise…you won’t be disappointed:)

Good-bye for now and Thank You! “Never Give Up”

Keep the posts coming! Kip loves to see who’s thinking about him:) With his “new” 9 to 5 job, he looks forward to this website! It keeps him out of trouble!!

Love, Shannon

Just want to stop by and say this weekend was a complete BLAST!!! The turn out was amazing!! Except for my blow out on the way, I had a great time!! Love you all and can not wait for Friday Night!!!

Kip I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for letting me steal Shannon for the night last night. It obviously didn’t end up as we planned, but I’m glad her and I had some time together. It had been way too long. I hope she is having a wonderful 30th birthday today with her wonderful husband!

Happy Thursday!
Just wanted to post alittle “Hello”! I think about you guys every day. Wish I could only work part time as then I could help out more. Today is the 3rd day of Fall. I absolutely Love this time of year. Nick and I took a walk down the field to check out the deer trails and such the other evening. The smell and feel of this weather is absolutely fabulous. It will soon be pumpkin carving time! I canned some tomatoes last weekend, so we can have some fresh vegies in our chili this year. Rick always likes to make the chili, which I love to see him be so creative. Last year, he had just bought the “Rockstar” c.d., and cranked it up in the house while he was cooking. It is a great memory that makes me smile. Better get back to work, sending the Blomquist’s my love and happy thoughts! Love to you all, Your friend,
Dana

Things are going goood at the Blomquist’s!

I successfully made it to 30! Thank to all who came and celebrated with us…it was amazing. Friends and Family are truly what makes everything we’re going thru so much easier. Thank you, thank you…more than you know! It was so great to see eveyrone. The night was very eventful:)In the midst of the celebrations, Kip decided to take that scooter of his and head on back behind the pole barn to use the rest room (He said “someone was in his normal spot”, so he switched it up a little:) While trying to stand, he began to feel like he was falling and he fell towards this trailer that was quite tippy and it didn’t hold his weight. Before he could even blink, he was kissing a brick…litterally. He has a pretty good wound that needed 22+ stitches from his nose down to his chin…one straight line. Poor guy! As awful as it sounds and as bad as it looks, he’s still cute as ever! But by golly…it was one for the records! As much as he loves kisses, he’s getting them on the cheek this week:) Grandma Nancy (Kip’s mom) said that he’s not allowed to go to the bathroom alone no more and he agreed! With that said, he’s mostly in his scooter (that of course will soon need bigger tires!), but he is still making the hike up the stairs to our bedroom…slowly, but surely! We will soon be moving our bed to the main level. Although he can still walk, it gets a bit scary…especially after those bruski’s that he will never give up:) I hear all to often…”If I have a couple, my showers are easier”…what a crock! Nice try hun! He is very dependent in regards to showering and so forth…I whip him into shape every night. Also, I’ve learned how to shave him, but boy is he picky. It can be midnight and he’s telling me I missed a spot…that doesn’t go over so well:) I’ve only cut him a few times:)!! Just yesterday, he got this really cool gadget that allows him to use a magnet to control his computer…he puts a little circle sticky on his head and he can type and everything with that. This is a good thing because he loves emails, but his fingers are quite curled up so typing is becoming bothersome. He recently got some braces that he wears at night to help keep his fingers straight…I’m not so sure if they’ve helped, but we try to keep an open mind. Also, I’m not sure if many are aware, but we have fought long in hard in regards to trying to obtain his records from the VA (they pretty much cannot prove that he stepped foot in the Gulf War and…it goes on and on) and on the 23rd, the government announced that all VA vets that have been diagnosed with ALS are eligible for benefits. I can’t imagine how many people have struggled with this and it was awarded during our fight. It’s just amazing. My grandma just said “God may not always give you what you want, but he gives you what you need”…that hit home. It doesn’t make things perfect, but easier. For some reason, Kip was chosen. When I figure it out…everyone will be the 1st to know:) Seriously, we’re thankful for everyday. Well, I just wanted to give a little update not only to thank everyone for coming on Friday and explaining Kip’s wound, but also to say Happy Friday. p.s. we just started this “Share the Care” program and it’s not fully ironed out, but we have a good start. We’ve had friends bring us dinner and just to stop in and see Kip (during lunch is amazing…then I don’t worry so much:). It’s been wonderful. So many thanks to so many people for so many different things. Also, I was just on Kere 11 website and there’s this amazing family that is not only dealing with ALS, but Papa bear also has cancer. They have two kids…Keep them in your prayers. Feel free to visit their website… http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/houstons. On a good note, we have some very busy weekends ahead of us…1st weekend in Oct, a bunch of us are heading to Finland, MN. to do some riding. Kip is very excited. Also, the 2nd weekend in Oct, we are taking the boys to Washington to see where Mitch was born and so dad can show him the ropes:)The memories will be more than incredible! A couple of p.s’…1)Rian’s grandpa just passes yesterday…please keep the Hoeschen’s in your prayers! 2)I just want to give an extra special thanks to a very special friend/co-worker for the extra special things she’s done for us-Thank you Mari Beth! 3)Dave (my dad’s best friend and my good friend Amy’s dad)…he’s been having some struggles, so please say an extra prayer for him too. Lots of love to all! “Never Give Up”. Love, Shannon

Hey Kip! I am SUPER Stoked for next weekend to Finland! We are gonna have a flippin Blast! I hope You, Dad and Wayne shoot some deer up North!
I Love You!
Love, Billie

It’s been one year since we were sitting in that icky room and got the news. It’s going to be a tough day, but I am so thankful we have had him this year…he’s a blessing. Mitch and I were talking last night and it’s just crazy to think this is happening…I think we find ourselves asking “why?” a lot more lately, but I always tell Breana…for some reason this is happening…we don’t know why and we’ll probably never know why, but we are so lucky to have gotten to love and be loved by this amazing person! Kip, thank you for everything you are to us! We love you!

On a good note, there are about 20 of us that are heading up to Finland, MN. for what Kip says is his last 4-wheeling trip. Yeah right!! We’re staying at a Moose registration, so we’re all very excited to not only 4-wheel, see the amazing colors, spend great time with family and friends, but to also see what kind of trophy’s come in:) Then, the following weekend we are heading to Seattle, WA. Mitch was born there and he got confirmed a couple Sunday’s ago (we’re so proud of you bud!) and that was our present to him. We’re just taking the boys…the girls are staying home. It will be good memories!

Lots of love to all! Love, Shannon

“Never Give Up”

Love to the Blomquist’s.

HI Kip-

Glad to hear you are going up north for some fun this weekend. Take care and hope to see you guys again soon! Love, Kelly

PS- I had a major blast at the walk and so did Duane- tons of fun at your house too!

Just wanted to thank you guys for including us on the four-wheeling trip! It was a Blast! Love to all!

Just wanted to stop by and show some love!!! We think of you often and are keeping you in our prayers daily. Can’t tell you enough how much we love you and your family. See ya soon.
Brad, Amy and Keegan Godfrey

Hey kip, just wanted to send a hello to ya and let you know that you and your family continue to be in my prayers. sounds like you got to go up north and enjoy the outdoors, I bet it was awesome. Take care and god bless!! Jeff Gomall

Hey chris,
I hope things are going good for you… i miss comming over all the time I hope to see you soon! =)
love ya

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that Kip shot a deer last night with his cross bow. My Dad & him sat in the ground blind (pulled his scooter right in there) and they weren’t even out for an hour. My parents, Rick A, Brian G & Jay L were all there to help us celebrate! Kip was ecstatic! He’s still got the touch:)

Good job honey!!!

It’s only mid October and it’s already been one that’s unforgettable:)

The 1st weekend in Oct, we made our way to Wildhurst in Finland, MN. where we put on 50 + miles on the ATV’s. It was the Blomquist’s, the Schermerhorn’s, the Anderson’s, the Peterson’s & the Johnston’s that all made memories! We all rented cabins and had a blast. The colors were amazing! We saw many Moose (Wildhurst is a moose registry)…and the kids were thrilled! Kip just sat in the passenger seat and sucked up the scenery! As much as I enjoyed driving the Rhino…I almost booted him out a few times…he doesn’t have the back seat driver thing down quite yet and he wasn’t afraid to express it:) He really misses driving, but I don’t think he minded me escorting him TOO much!

This last weekend, we made our way to Whidbey Island/Seattle (Kip, Mitch, Jordan & I)! I mentioned before that Mitch was born there and Kip wanted to take him there before he couldn’t. We got there Friday morning and toured Whidbey…couldn’t get on the base though. They blocked it off since 9/11, but we still did a lot of sight seeing. Then Saturday, we hopped on the ferry and went to the space needle, did some shopping (Mitch had to hit every sports spot there was…we went to Qwest & Safeco fields) and then met up with Kip’s buddy from the Navy and his family…Ted, Shalena, Fin & Jack. We had dinner, went swimming and hung out. It was great to see those two together and talk about all the great times they had! We did a lot more, but most of all we made more great memories that the boys will cherish forever! The flight went good…we were the last ones on the plane and the last ones off the plane, but it was good. The poor ladies that sat in the window seat were very patient and held their bladder the whole ride Seriously, it couldn’t of went any better. The ALS loan closet got us a manual wheelchair right before we left and Mitch did the pushing, while Jordan and I pulled two suitcases each! They were both so cute!

This coming weekend, Kip is in Kelly (step-brother) & Lesley’s wedding and he is going to look as cute as ever in that tux! I am very excited to see him coming down the isle again And we are very excited for Kelly & Lesley!!

We have our annual Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 2pm…if interested, bring the kids and something to share…pumpkin carving, hay ride and campfire!! It’s going to be a blast! I don’t have everyone’s address…but the more the merrier…as always!

Love to all! Shannon

“Never Give Up”

***Congratulations to my little deer hunter!

Congratulations on shooting a deer. It sounds like you have been keeping buzy! You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Wow! what a night, last night to see Kips’ BIG SMILE as he said “I got one” I have come to realize nothing is going to stop him from doing what he enjoys. My new saying is Kip is living with ALS not dying from ALS. His positive attiude is amazing!!! Shan grab on to the good days and hold them tight. You two togather is so AMAZING! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! NEVER GIVE UP, love mom (Sue)

YAY KIP! Good job on the deer! I loved the pics! It looks good size! You got it and you are all that plus a bag of chips!!! Glad you had a fun time up north too. I have to tell you I was wearing my forkip.com shirt from the walk and I got a phone call I was not expecting…it was good news, I got a promotion and a new position at work and I say it is my lucky shirt now!!!!!! Talk to you later Kip and Shannon! Love Krazy Kelly

heyy shannon & Kip. I just finally made an e-mail and now i can leave comments, yea i know i’m a little slow. I missed you guys this weekend and i hoped you had fun. Congrats on the deer, when i called kip sounded so happy..!!! it was awsome to hear him pumped up:)

I love you guys so much and always will..!!!!!

&&babe, cant wait til you spend the night again:)

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS!!!!!!!!!!
I am So Happy fo You! I saw the pics and they are So Cute! Love Your Big Smile!
Can’t wait to see ya soon!
Love ya, Billie

Just wanted to drop a note and say, how awesome you looked at the wedding!!! I am really looking forward to punkin carving!!! Love you all!!!!

Love, Tootie

Can’t wait until Saturday!! Love you guys!
Rian

Hola!

It’s been a little while since our last rendezvous so I wanted to pop in and say, well, Hola!
I hope everythings been going well lately. I’ve been neck deep in the new full time school routine and Toni is having fun with her new job. She and a friend had some badass seats on the floor of the T-Wolves game last night. Me, well…homework again. (There is something sadistic about the architecture program where they believe it is a good thing to have it completely consume all of ones time!) It’s been tough to get used to…but it’s going well enough.

It would be fun to hang out again…what say you about getting everyone rounded up for an evening of laughter and libations?

More later…back to homework

Love
Jamie & Toni

Hello everyone!

First off…Happy Friday! As we speak, there are people at our house for what they call “The Blomquist’s clean up day”…isn’t that incredible?! Rian told me I could not be home though…funny! She’s always looking for me:) We are so blessed in that respect. With the Halloween party tomorrow, they are helping us get ready for that and to just winterize the house (put hoses away, leaves…etc.). Stuff that Kip does, that he’s unable to do any longer. I’m sure Kip’s in heaven. I just called home and my mom mentioned that my dad just got Kip dressed and ready for the day! I’m glad he got to sleep in a little. I usually wake him up and make sure he’s in his chair before I leave for work. Speaking of chair…he got HIS chair this week. It came Tuesday and he thinks it’s very neat and boy, is it nice! Maddie is pretty fond of it too…he’s taken her for a ride the last two nights. Although last night, she got a hold of the joy sick and they drove into the wall. Kip couldn’t stop laughing (as most of you know…he laughs a lot harder these days), so I had to take control before they were both laying on the ground. It was pretty humorous! Last week, Kip had taken a fall in the bathroom and I couldn’t get him up for quite some time, so I told him he can’t use his walker anymore…he agreed. If he continues, his legs will just give out and we would hate for that to happen…he’s got a long way to fall. So needless to say, he’s got a new ride. He took me for a ride to the mailbox last night:) It’s fun! Also, last weekend, Kip was in Kelly (step-brother) and Lesley’s wedding and boy, did he look good! We had the manual wheelchair from the previous weekend (Seattle), so Naomi just pushed him down in that…it was cute! He was very, very happy to be part of their big day! The whole thing was great! Lots of great family & friends and I now have a sister in law! Yeah! Congratulations, Graham’s! On a whole different note, I went to my 1st ALS support Group meeting and it was such a good experience. There were people there that have been diagnosed for 12+ years to as new as 3 weeks. All the patients and caregivers meet at first and then the caregivers break out and talk…it was very nice and I plan on going monthly. I wish the kids could go to something like that…I’m trying to figure that out now…everyone needs a little support:) On a positive note, again, tomorrow is the annual Halloween party, so if you’re in our neck of the woods…please stop in.

I better sign off! Love to all! Shannon

“Never Give Up”

Kip and Shannon-
Thanks for a great time on Saturday! Our kids were so glad to finally meet your’s. You sure do have a great group of family and friends. We are working on finding a time to get you to our neck of the woods, too!

Hi Blomquists,

Saw you got another one Kip! Awesome! I think Maddie had a birthday and just wanted to say Happy Belated Birthday to her. Hope you are all well. Wish we could have made the Halloween deal- but we had to go to Hinckley. Take care and hope to see you soon! Love Krazy Kelly

Hey guys I just wanted to let you know that we all had a blast at the Halloween party. Wished I would of came earlier though. I was so excited for Kip when he got both his deer that I call Calvin right away and told him. Hopefully after the holidays we could do a family dinner again at our house or yours, which ever works the best. I will make scalloped carrots just for you Shannon. If I can do anything to help out please let me know.

SORRY i didn’t make it to the tupperware party! How long will you have it opened til? Maybe I could look at a book.
Well its time to get the kids to bed so we’ll talk soon.
Love ya all

Extra special thoughts and prayers from me to you, Shannon and the kids today. Love you! Rian

Hello all,

We had Kip’s quarterly check-up yesterday and it went as well as expected. We didn’t learn too much, but it’s always nice to see the girls at the clinic. They’re all so great. We got some helpful devices to make everyday life easier, they evaluated his meds (he’s been getting leg cramps, so they wanted to see what could help), they asked about his diet which he still loves to eat but now he needs someone to give him that good food…he’s arms aren’t flexible or strong enough (he still weighed 205.5…last time was 208…they don’t want your weight to fall), they had him do speech exercises (if I had to say…that’s the part that got worse from this check-up to last…he speaks very slowly and as if he had too many beers!!). He also had his breathing test done (not sure the professional name for it)…and it came back at 81. He was 98 last check-up. This is just something the doctors like to keep their eye on for feeding tube purposes. From my understanding, once you fall below 70 it gets more complicated to put one in. Kip has pretty much refused the whole feeding tube thing, but I on the other hand would love for him to get it. I always try to tell the doctors to put in a good word when it comes to that:) We’re still working on him! We DID get him to get a flu shot yesterday which was pretty incredible…I’ve tried for years. He’s always refused. He had blood drawn out of one arm and the vaccination going in the other…I told him he got tagged teamed! He was a trooper. The clinic was filled yesterday with familiar faces from my support group and the ALS Seminar that Rian and I recently attended. The ALS world is so small, that it’s like going to Cambridge Wal-mart and knowing every one:) We will be going back Feb 5th. Speaking of the ALS Seminar we attended, we learned a lot about the research process and the background of it. To date, there are about 80 things in the pipeline right now and one of them sounded very promising, but they wouldn’t give specifics. We try not to get too excited. We jumped on that Lithium study that I mentioned a few journals back, but I asked the doctor about it and they said there’s no use putting stuff in our bodies if we don’t know if it works…I agreed, especially since Kip has the fastest progression rate amongst all the ALS friends we’ve met. I started to think we were doing more harm than good. This disease is such a guessing game…I look back and giggle about all the things we did…do you remember me mentioning the 8 carrots, celery, beats, cabbage and an apple for flavor shakes! Yummy!! Hey, we gave it a shot Other than that, we have been in contact with the VA (just went down to St. Paul for his physical two weeks ago now) and in hopes that there will be assistance with the bathroom that we need badly. Being Kip’s fully in his wheelchair, that couple of steps from the door to the toilet gets to be long and then the stand up shower is not the safest thing. He holds on for dear life:) I’ve had a break in that area. We now have home health care come in Mon-Fri for two hours and clean him up and do misc things around the house. It’s amazing! It leaves more time for all of us the hang out at night…and do homework!! Seriously, we got homework for us sent home the other day…isn’t that funny?! 4th grade is a busy one! We also have physical therapy coming in three times a week to stretch him. And then at lunchtime, someone comes to see him for about an hour or so and gives him lunch and pills. If you ever have a day off and you’d like to venture over, call and sign up! He’s always loved company! Kip’s also been busy hunting…he’s shot two deer with his cross bow! The 1st one he was with my Dad at our house and then the 2nd he was out with Chip Imker…thank you to all who do this for him! It’s very exciting for him…he loves when people take him out in the ground blind. It’s something for him to look forward too and we all want those smiles to keep coming!! He’s truly still amazing in that respect. I feel like I’m always telling Kip to write something on the board and I’m not so sure why he hasn’t, but we would LOVE to hear from you Babe! I know it may take a little longer than the olden days, but make it happin’ captain! Other than hunting and getting ready for the addition, we are looking forward to the holidays and spending time with our loved ones. I recall thinking last Christmas was our last…it was a hard Christmas last year:), but we try to live each day to the fullest and enjoy this precious time. Please continue to write. If you’re reading this right now, I’ll be very disappointed if you don’t write and say hi to us. We love the entries! Also, one more thing…I wanted to thank the girls who threw the Tupperware party for us. It’s been a success and I can’t even believe the support. Kip and I are just amazed on a daily basis. It’s incredible. I think that’s it for now! I hope this email finds everyone doing well.

Lots of love from the Blomquist’s!

“Never Give Up”