Hay, how are you?

We saw this in Prince Edward Island when we were camping in 07. Thought it might give Deb/Dale an idea for a Halloween greeting to their farm!! Bet Tony couldn't top that Dale!

For me yesterday was run around day. Left the house about 2:30 and got back after making 6 stops for various things. Those times are not my favorite but sometimes one has to do it.

Gail continues to have energy but moves in slowly. From time to time there are little things and now as one looks at her sternum it could cause concern but NO, Lord we claim your healing grace for Gail--come in all your mercy and power to restore Gail's health.

Today marks the end of the 3rd week of our WG program and next week at this time we shall see where to go. It seems God works in his way not ours so we usually know what to do the day of, not a day before or a day after.

Honestly, I don't know if I could do what Gail is doing, eating and drinking mostly green raw food. It is not that it tastes so bad but all of us are so ingrained in the western culture of a certain way to eat---it is usually baked, grilled, fried and of course it has white refined flour or white refined sugar or whatever but there is no doubt we are used to a WAY. Of course when all is said and done we add the salt, pepper and other spices so in the end we do not taste the food but rather all the things we added. Enough, the bottom line is it is difficult to change but Gail is amazing in what she does and how strong she is.

We woke up to temp of 55 and it is supposed to stay cool today I guess.

I end with my daily plea to continue to pray and believe God will heal Gail and restore her to good health.

Eat up

How about a pie of egg and sausage this morning and then top it off with a blueberry one for dessert!! that on the open fire along with a strong black cup of coffee should be enough to hold you til noon. Oh my, I am lonesome for camping as you can tell.

Gail continues to do well. She has been taking naps in the afternoon but she feels well except for that pesky hip which does not seem to improve a lot.

Talked to Aaron last night, talked to Cynthia also and stopped by John/Mary to say good by as they will be on the road to Washington State for the next 2 weeks. Mary's aunt lives on a farmstead near Seattle.

This morning we will finish WG # 20 with 8 more to go. WOW and how and whatever we will be glad to see that come to an end. Is it working, we think so but for sure it is not making things worse and it certainly is an endeavor of "all out love". If any of you are saying that you do not think you could or would do enemas etc. for that long just ask yourself what you would do for the person you love most in the world.

Brother Dave turns 65 today, hope he is celebrating in a big way. If nothing else Dave take an extra dose of vitamins, prop up your feet and take an extra nap!!!!

Yesterday I went out into the garage where there are about 15 trays of wheat grass and there was a line about 2 inches wide right through one tray as if you had driven a machine through it. We set traps and in the afternoon we caught a chipmunk!! It WAS one of the most proficient machines I have ever seen.

Thanks a million for your support, your thoughts, your prayers and please do not let up, storm the heavens for Gail daily.

Need any crutches??

Here are crutches left in the church in Montreal after people were healed by Brother Andre'. We spent most of a day in the church and it was most inspiring. There were 100s of items from braces to wheelchairs left there by people who were healed.

Yesterday was more of the same. WG in the morning. This will be the 19Th day with 9 left and then we will have to decide what to do!! We did a little work yesterday, we were outside until 9:00 and then came in for the night. In Gail's case it really is "no news is good news".

It is John/Mary's 7th anniversary today. They plan to leave for their vacation tomorrow. They have their new van all ready and it should be a wonderful way to travel with family. I laughed as I looked at their 19" TV in the van. I remember when our family had a long vacation with Grandma/Grandpa Saunders. We had hardly gotten out of St. Paul and one of the boys had a little hand held game. Grandpa asked him to put it away so he could look at the sights!! How times change. I wouldn't change a thing about that long ago great vacation and I also think John/Mary are doing what is right for them now too. Generations are different and I think God smiles on that.

Have a great Sunday and enjoy the glorious weather, sunny and 78 today.

Kick that ball

This is Henry on Tuesday, he scored 5 goals and his team won 5-2. He is sooo proud that his dad is his coach.

Yesterday went well. Finished the WG program by noon and then I worked on camp. I spent much time looking for two way radios for camp as well as buying 600 cans of pop at 16 cents a can. No coke machine this year, need to save money! Gail continues to feel well except for that hip, Lord come with your healing power and rid that hip of the ache and pain.

As I finish this we are in the last stage of our WG for the day. I went to the Farmer's Market in between the last stages. Found nothing to buy as the organic tomatoes were $2 each--yiks! I need to get to the compose today and then work on camp the rest of the time.

Sometimes it is easy to forget the seriousness of Gail's health as she is feeling well now. But, please remember to pray daily for a complete healing and give the glory to God.

Almost forgot, we received a glorious rain last night as almost 1 1/2 inches came in a nice slow rain so that most soaked in. We still are very dry so are so so so thankful.

Let your mind wonder

I would like to use this picture as a writing lesson in school. I can imagine there would be 100's of different stories--the girl stopped to see grandma, the lady stopped for lemonade, mother sent johnny to the store for an errand, Mary stopped to sit by the ocean and the stories would go on and on. It is one of my favorite pictures. It was taken in Prince Edward Island.

Things continued in a normal way yesterday. We now are into the 3rd week of the WG program. Gail feels well except for her hip which continues to bother her.

We are supposed to see 90's today and then in the low to mid 80's for several days. Summer is here for sure. Next week at this time the July 4th weekend will be with us. Really, we do not know where the time goes but it sure goes fast.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for your continued prayers and your faith and belief that Gail will be healed.

They are growing!

Here is what has happened in 3 1/2 weeks. The tomatoes did not do much of anything until our warm weather arrived about a week ago. I know, there are weeds too but we will take care of them soon.

Gail continues to do well. Her hip continues to bother her. We hope and pray that the discomfort in it means it is healing.

Yesterday was busy, what else would be new!! Finished the WG program for the day about noon. I did scoot to get a oil change in between as Cyn/Mike are using the car for their camping trip. Gail finished some work in the front flowers. Did you ask what did we have for lunch? Well Gail had a plate of cucumbers, tomatoes and an avocado and I had a hamburger with a bowl of fruit!!!

I have begun to drink WG juice with Gail twice a day. I don't like it but we will see if I can get my blood pressure down along with my cholesterol and get rid of my meds which I HATE. Actually it is easier to drink WG juice than the thought of taking med twice a day.

Enough, please continue to pray for wisdom, peace and patience for us and healing too for Gail.

Nova Scotia fun

Gail and I are a bit jealous. Cyn/Mike will leave for their camping trip tomorrow and next week John/Mary will leave. All we have are pictures of our trip in 07!!

Yesterday was again uneventful. I had meditations in the morning, our WG program continued, saw some grandchildren and some of the kids, Henry had a soccer game, community meeting in the evening, some camp work was done, Joel Kibler visited for a short time and Gail did some garden work. Praise God for a life full of work, play, friends, family and enough challenges to make it absolutely necessary to rely on God!!! Lord continue to come in the fullness of your healing power.

It's going to be that kind of a day

Grab yourself something cold because the temp should be mid 90's and humidity should be high. You know in scripture it say we should be like children so why not copy Liam??

Yesterday was warm, productive and void of grandkids (not good). We got the lawn mowed, finished putting in the window air conditioners, washed the windows before that and Gail got all of the foam tucked around the air so bugs will not come in. Also started putting the campers on my data base with the help of Ken Kuehn.

Gail was pretty much on the go all day, perhaps a bit too much. It seems that she is back to where she was before she got the bad cold.

Have a cool day. Got to go as the men should be here soon for meditations.

Top of the morning to you

Here is a morning glory that Gail had in the yard last year. Every morning it helped wake us up and remind us of God's glory.

We are now into the last full week of June. This week, the 25Th, would have been my parents' 74Th anniversary I think!! Also brother Dave will turn 65 June 29Th. Actually I am ahead of myself as that will be next week. I am sure my sister Helen would not mind me saying that in August she will inch ever so close to 60, but not there this year!

Gail had a PT appointment at 7:30 this morning so we are finished with that. She made her next appt for 3 weeks but if she feels she doesn't need it she can cancel it. We are now in the middle of our daily morning WG program and tomorrow we will finish 2 weeks. Where do we go from here---we don't know but maybe 2 more weeks of it and then after that just drinking it twice a day. Honestly I think Gail now almost looks like our Gail of old minus 35 pounds. Please pray for her continued healing and for God's ever present wisdom for both of us. As of today we have decided to have her stay close to home until her hip recovers totally as she walks a bit gingerly. Gail and I had this discussion about "gingerly". I use it as carefully, or with caution etc. She interprets it as quickly, up tempo etc. What do you think???

I hope all of you had a great father's day. We enjoyed Travis, Cynthia/Mike along with Faustina here for an evening meal. Also had a nice phone conversation with Aaron.

Take care and if you live in the cities keep cool as the temp is supposed to be in the low to mid 90's today and Tue and above average all week.

It's a frog--no it's Leo

This is Leo about a year ago.

Happy Father's Day to Aaron, John, Mike, Allen, Ron, Mark, Dale, Dave and every other father who may read this. Hope the day is SUPER. I think everybody has different agendas today. J/M and kids plan to go for a day outing in their new van, C/M plan a 1 day road trip south and Mother and I hope to see Travis and enjoy some comfort food on the grill.

The days seem to fly by. Even though the calendar shows it is the first day of summer I believe the days will now start to get shorter!!

Yesterday was uneventful. Of course we did the WG thing in the morning. Cynthia went with us in the afternoon to the movie, Food Inc. Very interesting. Now I am wondering if Mark and Dale get their soy bean seed from Monsanto?? I would recommend that you go see the movie and I promise you that you will not stop at a fast food place on the way home!!

Gail has her last scheduled pt session for her hip tomorrow at 7:30 AM. We will see what they say. It seems to be getting better. When she sits for a longer period of time it does bother her. She continues to feel OK with no effects of serious illness. As her body recovers she moves a bit slowly and her energy level is not normal but we believe that will continue to improve. For sure keep those prayers coming and coming and coming.

Berkey came to our house yesterday. Oh I forgot to say Berkey is a filtered water system that changes tap water to really healthy water. It may sound mundane but in a world where a body is recovering from serious illness everything you put into it is more important than ever before.

Grandma and Audrey

Audrey at 8 months. She is the happiest baby. Travis was a month younger than this when we camped out for 2 months and during that time he took swimming lessons!! Interesting experience for Travis as well as for mother and dad.

Yesterday was busy, not unusual I guess. After the WG (remember that is wheat grass, not women group) in the morning, I had a 11:15 meeting and from that Gail and I drove to Lindstrom to pick up a couple of things. It turned out to be a 4 hour jaunt. While we were at the couple's place that we did the pickup they prayed over Gail. They had many of the same things come to them as we have experienced but of course they did not know that. God does work in wonderful and interesting ways.

Again Gail felt a bit better yesterday than the day before. Her energy level was better as she pretty much was on the go all day.

We enjoyed John/Mary and kids stopping by about 5. We then ate together and of course enjoyed the kids.

We are thinking we may go to the movie "Food Inc." today. Sounds like it should be very informative and interesting.

Sounds like we may get our first 90 degree temp today. I NEED to get a couple of window air conditioners in so the house is more comfortable. Have a great day.

Christmas 1970

Taken at Grandma and Grandpa Saunders farm, I can tell by the curtain background. If you know John today you can see he has slimmed down a bit!!
Yesterday was pretty much a normal day. WG (wheat grass) in the morning, work around the house in the afternoon. Gail continues to inch towards better health. Gail made a raw salad yesterday which was great. Carrots, cabbage, red pepper, celery, onions, cucumbers, cauliflower all mixed with celery salt, olive oil and vinegar. We enjoyed that with grilled salmon. It was a feast. The raw salad was a huge recipe so come on over today and we'll give you a taste!
Today looks a bit busy. WG (that now stands for wheat grass, not women group) in the AM, I have a meeting in Burnsville at 11:30 and then we will go to Lindstrum to get some things for Gail in the afternoon.
For those of you who do not live in the Twin Cities the weather for the next few days should be warm and muggy---the first of the year. For my sister in Holiday Island that cabin in northern MN would sure be nice now don't you think?
I almost forgot. I looked at a scroll saw on Craig's list yesterday. It was just across the river. A lady's 92 year old father pasted away and he had a RBI Hawk saw. I am sure all of you know about those! Very nice and would go great in my wood shop but I looked at the saw and looked at my cash and decided they did not match!!! Maybe another day.
Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to celebrate Father's Day. A priest friend in Devils Lake North Dakota once told us, "Life is full of challenges and difficult times so look for ways and things to celebrate often!!" We have found that to be a great way to live.

Flowers

Here are 2 flowers in our back yard. The rose bush has 21 buds on it and the roses fill the entire house with their fragrance.

Again, yesterday was fairly uneventful. We saw no grandchildren. No Leo, no Audrey, no Faustina, no Liam or no Henry. I am not sure what grdma and grdpa should do when their life is void and boring!!!!! Gail worked most of the day with some food and clothes. I begin trying to decide if I should repair some of the screens or just make new ones. I do have a router bit for making windows so I may try my hand at that. Some of the screens have seen much better days. I also plan to look at a scroll saw off of Craig's List this afternoon. Yesterday I did go out for lunch with John and then we looked at some of the things he is doing with their new van.
As you can tell from Gail's activities she continues to feel a bit better each day. As I write this we are in the middle of our wheat grass juice thing for the 9Th day. I can tell you that it does NOT get more exciting nor any more fun with experience. That is my perspective, if you were to ask Gail she may even have new words that put the entire experience in a new light. It is not that the whole thing is difficult or painful, it is just 4-5 hours a day putting things in your body from an unusual procedure gets old fast. Least I start to complain I really believe that it is a part of the wisdom God has given us in treating Gail so that her health is completely restored.
Have a great day.

A hat trick!!!!!

We went in the rain yesterday to watch Henry play soccer. A first for a grandchild. There we were at the game, a conversion van in the parking lot and a Lee on the field, just like old times but I do NOT want to go back to the good old days! Henry said the final score was 3-1 and he scored a hat trick, which as all of you know is 3 goals. The picture is not of last night but he was that happy.

Yesterday was a busy but uneventful day. Meditations in the morning for me, Gail's women group came for a short time in the afternoon, I went to the store and purchased a new gardening water can which was a gift from Grandma Saunders, got the lawn mowed, of course we did our wheat grass juice thing, watched a movie on the food we eat and how horrible our everyday diet is, Susan Wind came for a short time, John and Cynthia/Mike stopped over at different times and I think I may have missed a few things.

As Gail and I talked about her health yesterday we realized that we started our wheat grass program last Wednesday and since Thursday she has felt a bit better each day. Praise God. I was thankful to Ernie R. as he sent a note this morning and said that in his part of the prayer watch this morning he felt that we(everyone praying) have gone to satan and reclaimed Gail's health. What a positive and inspiring word. We are not, at this time, declaring a miracle or healing but as each day goes by and Gail feels better we rejoice and say "Thank you Lord". To have recaptured the health that Gail has at this point is wonderful but of course we feel that there is much more to come and that will be the result of your prayers and faith---THANKS.
We say special prayers for the family of Bob Hackel who passed away Sunday and whose prayer service is tonight.
Have a great day and we are also so thankful for the 1/2 inch of rain that we received yesterday. The lawns are now returning to lush green and the trees look so much happier.

Here's to your health

With summer here, gardens growing, farmers' markets open and the grills hot thought you may need a reminder to eat healthy!!
2094 Niles was again a bee hive of activity yesterday. John stopped over, Susan Wind and her women's group came for a short time to pray with Gail, we drove to West St. Paul for Gail's physical therapy, Gail hung clothes on the line, Mike brought a chicken pot pie over for dinner and actually the list could go on and on. Gail and I finished the daily wheat grass juice program about 11:00 AM and then were busy for the entire day after that. I went to a camp meeting in the evening and of course was reminded that camp is creeping closer and I had better get some more work done on it. Also, I actually took a bit of time to have a cold beer with the neighbor. As you can see our house did not resemble a place where anyone was sick. Gail continues to feel better which we are so thankful for. We feel your prayers are being heard and answered. At this time we are going through about 1 1/2 10x14 trays of wheat grass. Cynthia is doing a great job of planting.
I almost forgot. Henry was on the phone with grandma for about 20 minutes. He loves to talk to grandma. Grandpa isn't very good at talking on the phone but Henry sure enjoys bending grandma's ear with all the news. John and Mary better be sure they behave because who knows what 5 year olds may tell!!!!! It seems the story is the same no matter which grandchild comes over. They come in the door and disappear with grandma into the kitchen. Later they reappear with a cookie or snack or ice cream cone and grandma knows everything about their day or their dog Leroy or whatever. I think that someday Gail may get the award for "the best grandma ever"! I need to scoot as the men are coming at 6 for meditations.

Just like old times!!!!

Here is the van that John/Mary purchased in Indiana. They got an unbelievable deal on it. Brings back many memories of our blue conversion van which went to a new owner with 190,000 miles on it and many memories inside. Mother and I are a bit jealous but that is OK!
Gail continues to feel better each day. We are doing the wheat grass program each morning. That takes the time up from about 6 AM to 11 AM. Don't ask for the details but at this point it seems to be making a big difference in how Gail looks and feels. We are so thankful for all your prayers and support.

I was excited to finish repairing the Wind's picnic table yesterday. I am sure Jerry will stain the new pole and I suspect it will look like their table of old. It may even be stronger. It was a fun project and did not take that long. I pretty much just had to make an 1 1/2 inch dowel about 3 feet long and then make the end 4 inches about 1/8 of an inch smaller. I am enjoying using the few woodworking skills I have to replicate and repair things. It is a challenge and it is fun. Also was able to finally finish our wheat grass growing stand. I had to make an enclosure so the squirrels would not get at it.
The weather looks like summer may be here so that means gardens will grow and lawns will need to be cut soon, that is if we get more rain as it still is dry.
Have a great week.

LIVES FULL OF LIFE

Leo was here last weekend and he is a real cutie. I missed this picture as it looks like he could be plugged in but he sure has a cute smile.
Gail has been doing fine. She has great color back which is her usual self. We are now in the middle of a kind of wheat grass juice program. There are many books out that claim wheat grass juice is very very very good for restoring health so we will see. Since medicine is not going to help Gail we will see if natural means restores health as we continue to believe in God's healing power.
Jerry and Susan Wind came over yesterday afternoon and we had a great time of conversation and prayer. It is special when one can connect with brothers and sisters in Christ who believe, live and think about healing in the same way as we do.
Friday Susan Wind, Larry Bartek and Jan Terhaar were over. I felt the prayer before they left was powerful. Travis also stopped for a short time.
We had a nice visit with Gail's brother Mark and his wife Mary along with their daughter Amy and her fiance Micah Lundstedt last night. I think we may get Micah out to camp to give a sharing on his experiences as the son of missionaries in Africa. Amy and Micah will get married this fall so that is really exciting.
We were also able to see Audrey and Faustina for short times yesterday. Audrey still is in line for grandma's halo and Faustine has become little miss mischief and grandpa loves it. I can't forget we also saw Henry after his soccer practice. I think Henry had some gummy bears, an ice cream cone, a fruit roll up and a Pepsi before he left. Do you think he likes Grdma/Grdpa's place??? Maybe we will get lucky and see Liam today!! John brought over some of Mary's delicious pizza for grandpa which was partly devoured while the rest will be lunch today. We saw Faustine because Cynthia brought over some things for Gail.
Oh my, as I write all of this I think we are so so so blessed with family and friends, thank you to all of you.
In between all of the visits etc. we were able to squeeze in a movie at home called Herbie goes bananas.
Lastly the weather has been perfect. We still need rain but the sun and temp have been so so great. It is hard to believe that we have hit mid June already.
Actually the only negative thing that happened lately is I checked our bank account on line Friday and I think we have over spent in the last month! Has that ever happend to you? O well, money is necessary but friends and family are priceless.
Have a great Sunday and thank you for all of your support and prayers.

A time to remember

As Gail and I have some time on our hands we have enjoyed remembering times during our 07 trip to Canada and 08 trip to Hawaii. The picture is of Ed/Carol Schwab and Ernie/Carmen Rinehart in Hawaii. They are on the balcony of the condo we stayed in for 2 weeks. It was a fun fun time and an example of Christian covenant love between brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Gail is doing fine. I have had at least one comment that sometimes the blog sounds worse than Gail is in person. Sometimes it is difficult to walk the line of sharing and being too "up front". If you have ever been seriously sick you know that there are always ups and downs. We continue to believe and expect Gail to be well soon. It is hard to realize that Friday is already here, have a great weekend.

Another Test

We received a phone call yesterday concerning a test Gail had done. The results of the test were not what we wanted to hear. The test that is done comes up with a cancer number, tells how her organs are working and how her immune system is working. The test showed her cancer number up, her organs are doing well (of course that is good) and her immune system is down. Of course we did not want to hear some of that as it tends to test one's faith. We do believe that in the end Gail will be healed. I know that at this time we are not seeing healing but I do believe that God will be glorified as Gail gets better. However, we continue to keep our nose to the grind stone and deal with health issues daily. It may be difficult to understand but we do know God is the healer, we chose to believe he will heal Gail and no set backs or bad news will prevent us from believing.
On the positive side Gail had better color yesterday and did feel better so that was good. Her hip has not progressed as we had hoped but she does have 2 more treatments scheduled.
It is already Thursday and the time continues to fly by. As we head towards the weekend I hope each of you daily recognize and experience God's great love.

Success

I would say our taco meal was successful. In round #'s we took in $4000 and spent $600 on supplies so $$ wise it was a hit. As in the past I am so blessed with how generous people are.
In the journey of peaks and valleys Gail is on the hillside climbing today. Better color, a bit more energy and we may get some food in her later so that would be helpful. Thanks for your prayers and your belief in God's healing power.

Taco meal

The picture tells it all. Camp is about our young people and we are hoping that our taco meal tonight will bring in enough money to help those who can not pay for all of the camp fee. One of the items we may have to cut is our "big tent" which is used in so many ways. Our goal is to have 750 taco shells, 75 pounds of ground beef, 20 pounds of cheese, 20 pounds of tomatoes, 30 pounds of lettuce, 10 gallons of ice cream etc. satisfy people enough so they will donate $4000 for Gods work. Come Lord Jesus and provide for the work of your people.
GAIL-----In our journey we have been in one of the valleys the last few days. Gail has been mostly resting since last Friday. She has not been hungry so apple/carrot juice and wheat grass juice have been the order of the day. The pain in her lower back was mostly gone yesterday but there was some discomfort in her mid right front chest. Sleep continues to be a bit elusive as I heard the bath tub water running this morning at 2:00 AM but she is sleeping now so that is good. Actually she went to a physical therapy session yesterday and after that she felt better. We do believe that the many aches and pains are signs of God's healing.
We did watch a movie last night called "Last Chance Harvey". If you like movies that move a bit slow with no blood and gore but with a happy ending we recommend it.
Also were able to see John/Mary and family for a bit and tour their new (10 yr old) conversion van last night. It is nice and I think they will have many many happy times traveling in it. I do believe it was an inexpensive gift from God.
If you are in the Twin Cities tonight and up for a delicious taco dinner drive on over to River Ridge and don't forget your check book. The meal is free but donations in large (and small) amounts are welcome.

Mike

Mke is our favorite son-in-law!! Mike and Cynthia married in October of 2006. If you haven't met Mike you need to come and spend time with him as he is a great guy. With a heart of gold he also has talents in art as well as decorating, and does many handy man projects around the house. Mike just returned home after spending 12 days in Peru with the Catholic Studies program from University of St. Thomas.
By the way I did not in any way put Mike down when I posted pictures of Wallace before him!! I just thought Wallace was so funny before and after that I wanted to share that when it was fresh! Perhaps I should profile Wallace tomorrow a bit? If you want to know more about Wallace make a comment otherwise we have seen enough of him!!
Mike is the last of the profiles. We started with oldest grandchildren and ended with youngest children.
Gail and I need extra prayers in the next few days. Gail has been not feeling well Friday and Saturday. Her lower back has pain and she is constipated. We may look into more treatment this coming week but we just are not sure. Lord grant us wisdom.
As I write this morning I am sure Mark and Mary Saunders are busy putting on the extra touches for Luke's graduation party in Cayuga today. This is their last HS graduation as was Dan Saunders' last Sunday for Allen and Debbie. We and our siblings are quickly becoming the older generation and in some ways that is scary but in many ways it is a real blessing. Just in our family Mary has lost both of her parents, Mike has lost his mother and of course of Gail's and my parents only Grandma Saunders at the age of 88 is living. By the way grandma is living in Riverview in Fargo and loves it. I would say for 88 her health is very good except she has little eyesight left which is very frustrating for her as she can not read any more.
Before I leave, an extra prayer request. One of my cousins, Jerry Lee who lives in Elgin ND has advanced liver cancer. Jerry is a retired Lutheran pastor and is 74. I say pray for a healing. Pray that he have peace and comfort as he deals with this health issue.
We have so enjoyed Leo this weekend and of course Aaron and Amy too. Last night as Gail rested I went to John and Mary's as everyone was there for dinner. Those grandchildren are so precious and each one is so much of an individual it is a miracle in super action. We are also so blessed that all of the kids do a wonderful job with their children. Of course Gail and I do not agree with everything they do but then perhaps when we don't agree they may be doing things in a better way then us!!!
We received .7 inches of perfect rain yesterday. Thank you Lord and keep it coming today.

Before/After

Wallace, our Goldendoddle dog was very much in need of a haircut. As he might say in his friendly manner, all the better to see you.
Gail had a difficult day yesterday. She did go in for her physical therapy treatment on her hip and that was good news. The therapist thinks she will not need a shot and he feels that we should be able to treat it with a total of 3 treatments and some exercises. From the time we returned home, about 11:30, to about 9:00 Gail did not do well. She had much lower back pain and spent much of the afternoon in bed. She was doing much better before bedtime so I am assuming she will feel better today. It is another chapter of our story that goes up and down, up and down kind of like Jack and Jill. We just know however that she will NOT come tumbling down but rather she will be healed. Lord come in glorious power to heal Gail now.
A/A/L arrived about 3:30 yesterday. I just can not get enough of those grandchildren. Leo is just the cutest guy in the world.
We have not had gradma/gradpa day for a few weeks now and we really really miss it. Hopefully we can do that again soon. Also we really want to get to Madison soon but it seems that Gail may not be traveling for some time.
Times like yesterday tend to put doubt in our minds so please pray for renewed faith for Gail and I. Lord we need you for strength, come in power.
Have a wonderful weekend. Here in St. Paul we are hoping for rain as the lawns are starting to turn brown.

Cynthia

Here is our miracle baby. In 1975 after Gail was very very sick we were told that we would have no more children. After looking into adaption of a little girl we put it aside as we moved to St. Paul. Three years later Gail was pregnant. It was a miracle to rival Gail's current healing that we believe is happening.
Of course she is our favorite daughter! Some of the many many things we could say are she is sweet, adventurous, a super cook, a great mother and a good athlete.
Gail, she had a bit of down time yesterday afternoon. For some reason her back bothered her. She did spent much of the day doing things around the house but at times it is frustrating as she is slow, not like the Gail we all know. She continues to have difficulties sleeping. Once again last night she was up a lot and tried different things to fall asleep. We believe in her healing and have seen her continue to feel a bit better each day.
Have a great weekend. Here in St. Paul they are saying we will get rain. Everything here is very very dry so we hope it rains all weekend.
Aaron/Amy/Leo will arrive this afternoon and be here for the weekend. Leo should be here around 3, we can hardly wait.

Amy

We were lucky enough to welcome Amy into the family in 2000. I think she and Aaron are a perfect fit. Amy's list of good qualities is almost endless. She is a great mom, someone who makes a house a home yet works full time, kind and considerate and at least a hundred other things. We think she is great.
Gail had perhaps the most active day yesterday in the last 2 weeks. She was up and doing things most of the day. She did not sleep well last night again and that has become a problem that we have yet to figure out. She has gained about 4 pounds in the last week and I would say that is positive. We continue to believe that God is healing Gail. Please continue to pray with us and believe with us. As I go about things during the day I find that it is fairly easy to say God is healing but to believe it in one's heart takes much faith and love of God. Sometimes as I share my belief of Gail's healing with others they have this far away look in their eyes as if they are so sorry that Gail is dying. It will be so exciting to share with those people when we have physical signs that Gail is being healed. I wish with all my heart that Gail was not going through this health issue but I am very thankful for the trials we go through as my trials draw me closer to God. His love is so great it often wells up tears in my eyes.

Aaron

Aaron is (by the way ignore the bow on his head) the last of our 3 sons. He is a great guy in so many ways. He works full time for Saris Bike in Madison and does woodworking on the side. His wood shop is the envy of his dad. He is currently working on a large walnut chest for a friend. For you woodworkers you can appreciate a project in which one buys 120 bd ft of walnut. It should be beautiful. His many talents in home projects, fatherhood, sports and other areas are awesome. The porch he added to their house is done so well. Actually the only thing wrong with Aaron is he lives in Madison!!.
Gail update. As I write she is juicing the rind of a watermelon which is a task that she would not have had the energy for a few days ago. Over the last several days she has improved ever so slowly each day and we believe that she is being healed by God giving us wisdom in diet and by providing us with 100's of people believing and praying for a complete healing. We have come to the conclusion that her bad cold and her massage in the same week set her back but no problem, God is so good and provides all that we need. As we look at the last 4 months we realize that our journey will be up and down. It seems that each week we have more ups and fewer downs. We are so excited and so thankful to God and to each of you.
Aaron, Amy and Leo are coming this weekend and we can hardly wait.
As we reach mid week we pray that things are going well with you and at least some of your dreams are coming true!! My opinion is that he who stops dreaming stops living.

Wedding pictures with family

A friend of Gail's, sister Helen, sister Debbie, brother Dave, brother Allen and friend Larry
Brother-in-law Ron, sister Joan, sister-in-law Marlys and brother Dave. At this date I think Ron and Joan have been married 48 and Dave and Marlys have been married 44 years

Roxanne and Brian

That's it, for family thought you may enjoy!! I would say those pictures look like classic 60's.

Travis

Travis, the man who is between jobs and seems to enjoy it immensely. Golf is his passion but mention painting needs, baby sitting needs or an ear to listen and he is there. Henry and Liam think he is the greatest since ice cream cones were invented and when Travis is around everyone else is second fiddle. We will forever be grateful for the 250+ hours he spent on the house last year.
Now for Gail. It has only been 2 days since I updated you but for some reason it seems longer. A brief summary would be she seems to be coming back from feeling down down down but the recovery is so so slow. Yesterday AM she felt well and actually she spent much of the morning in the kitchen. Then about the time in the afternoon when we asked ourselves why we canceled our night out she felt not good at all. However, I would say she had better color and also was walking a bit better so as I would say "dos is good" for now. She did not go to Dan S. open house but she did enjoy her brother Mark, her sister Deb and other family as they spent about an hour with us Sunday night. Yesterday I called the physical therapy clinic where she has an appt for her hip next Monday and asked if there was any way they could get her in before next week. They called back in 30 min and said she could come in Wed at 10 am so we are so thankful for that.
WAIT--as I read this to me it sounds like we are living in a world of sickness and doom---but that is not true. I say Gail is doing better, she looks better, feels better and God is healing her so we rejoice and praise his name and give him all the glory.
I took time out yesterday to spend about an hour with our friend Jim Cahill. We made a 6 foot cross that he will put in his basement which he is turning into a 24/7 prayer room for all and anyone to come and pray. It was a great time with Jim and I think the cross turned out well.
We are so excited, Leo is coming on Friday. He is bringing Aaron/Amy too so that is good!!! I told Aaron on the phone last night that I decided they have to move back to St. Paul because we get too lonesome, he just laughed.
Today is the first day in the year leading to our 42 anniversary. I thank all of you for praying and believing that God is healing Gail. We are so excited for her to gain her strength back so we can go for walks, ride bike, do work around the house and yard and most of all share God's healing with others.
Tomorrow I will put in a separate entry titled pictures and they will be for family to remember back so for family stay tuned, for others you may want to stay tuned out for that one!!

Wheat-----------Why the blog?

Here is a picture of our wheat in the back yard. We juiced our first tonight and it was good.

I have been thinking allot of what I should put on the blog. I would like everyone to know that it has evolved from a blog about Gail's healing to that + a family blog that is regularly read by family in MN, ND, Utah and Arkansas so when you see much about our family that is the reason. For those of you who read it solely for info about Gail just skip over family things that are not of interest to you. I assure you that any time Gail's health changes I will post that as soon as I can so if you read a post and very little is about Gail be assured that she is doing OK. I will resume our family pictures tomorrow and will fill you in on details about Gail from Sunday and today. I do plan to post several pictures of our wedding day in the near future for family.

June 1st 1968

As you can see we have not changed much! The bride weighed 98 pounds, the groom weighed 170, the expectations were high, the excitement was everywhere, the weather was perfect and we had no idea what a wonderful life lie ahead. A few (so as not to bore you) interesting details

• The next day we headed back to Minot to start summer school
• The first year of marriage Gail went to graduate school and I finished my BA degree. Both of us were on scholarships and we probably had more money to spend than any other time in our lives!!
• Gail finished her BA degree with no debt as she was able to work and almost spent nothing. I finished with $2200 in loans none of which I paid back because I taught in special education for several years. In Gail's second year she spent $1000 for tuition, books and everything else. Mean while at NDSU in Fargo I was the big spender at $1300.
  
• We took a honeymoon in August to Uncle Hugh's cabin in Minnesota. We took our school files along to get them in order. Does that paint a picture or not!
  
• In 1971 we bought a house for $$17,500 with a payment of $165 which of course included taxes and insurance. Many people thought we overextended ourselves. We had to argue to get a loan because we had no credit card and only 1 small car loan so we had no credit rating.
  
• In 1970 we bought a Chevy Impala with 10,000 miles on it. The sticker price was $4300 and we paid $3700 for it. It was my all time favorite car. It featured a 400 engine, 8 track tape, 4 door hardtop and I loved to go driving with the windows down and Gail sitting right by me on the front bench seat!!
  
• My first job a year later in 1969 was at the school for the deaf. I agreed to be the assist football coach and to coach grade basketball so my salary was $6000. We lived at the school for the deaf in a 3 room apt with NO kitchen. We were allowed to go down 2 flights of stairs, through a tunnel and into a kitchen in another building. Our full size bed was 2 old iron single beds put together with the mattresses across the beds.
• During that first year we lived in Minot for 3 months, moved to Devils Lake for 3 months, moved back to Minot for 3 months and then back to Devils Lake. During that time we were able to get everything we owned in the car!
• That summer after we graduated I needed to work so I was hired at Lake Ready Mix cement. I drove 1 of those 6 yard cement trucks and was paid $1.60 an hour.
  
• As we were expecting Gail said it sure would be nice to have a baby with red hair and I said it would be nice to have a boy so God gave us a red headed boy!
• I did not KNOW what health insurance was so we had to pay the whole bill of $495
• Those first years we were so in love and so silly it was all exciting. Now 41 years later we are so in love and we try to live on the edge and life is still all exciting.

O my I think I probably did bore you a bit but I did want to say life is good and God is great. Have a great week.