Funcouver!

Our time in Vancouver went by SO fast. I'm happy to report that not only did we have a fabulous time with family and friends, but Lowell's eyes had a successful trip!

Let's start at the very beginning because it's a very good place to start.

We arrived in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon, met Shareen at the airport, and drove our rented car to Chilliwack where we had a belated birthday party for Shareen, and cooed incessantly over Tyrn.

Do you like our toques? The very talented Shareen made them!!

Kylie made a birthday cake. It was chocolate. And it was yummy. (And I don't know what's going on with Lowell and my faces).

It was nice and uncharacteristically sunny outside, so we went for a little jaunt.

While we were stopped for a little snack, we pulled out the tunes and danced like never before.

The SOLE reason for the music and awesome dance moves was to get Ty to laugh. Well, after 2 or 3 unsuccessful numbers, we would have been thrilled with a mere smirk... but nothing. Zippo. Natta.

The kid looked at us as though we were crazy, and I'm pretty sure that others in the area thought we were on drugs (which we weren't).

Not even Lady Gaga got him going. I don't know about you, but Lady Gaga's tunes never fail to get ME going!

Never fear, he was his happy smiley self soon enough (he was probably thrilled that we put our tunes and dance moves away)...

And oh gosh, isn't he just a doll?

Just like his mama...

Bright and early on Monday morning, we headed into Vancouver for the start of Lowell's treatments. Dr. Yu began by informally testing his peripheral vision, and these measures indicated that Lowell's vision had not deteriorated since September's treatments!! This is HUGE, folks!!

At the end of THIS round of treatments, he gained more vision in his left eye, and experienced minimal improvement in his right eye. The reason for the lack of progress in his right eye is likely because of his worsening cataract... that's next on the list. Still though, we're absolutely thrilled with the vision that he HAS gained!

During our lunch breaks, we either went for little tours/walks or met up with cousins, and the evenings were filled with family-and-friend fun.

We stayed at Nelson & Lorna's place (my cousins), and had a blast getting to know them and their kids better. This family has PERSONALITY, and the kidlets (who are fluent in French, by the way) are successful little musicians, athletes AND students... ALREADY. Not to mention they're chatty, fun, social people. Lowell and I even got a personal concert. Let's call it 'variety hour'. Very entertaining...

Four year old Zachary formed a special little bond with Lowell...

And I'm pretty sure he wants to be a cop when he's all growed up...

We went to Alexandra's basketball game and boy was it ever more intense than I anticipated it would be. They were one point behind, and with one second left, one of Alexandra's teammates scored a basket and they won by one point! Go Dribbling Duckies! I wasn't expecting to get so into a Junior High girl's basketball game! (Alexandra is the only non-Asian you see flying by in the following photo...)

What a fun family!

We also had a blast with a variety of other friends.

Martin, Sonya, Janessa, and Michael used to live in Lethbridge. Even though they live in BC now, they're still like family. We never had extended family in Lethbridge and neither did they, so we became each other's extended family. It was so great to catch up with them again, and I can't believe how mature the kids are now! Janessa is in University and Mike is nearly a foot taller than me. Funny to think that I used to change their diapers (hehe).

We also got together with some speechie classmates of mine. I hadn't seen any of these gals since graduation, so it was great to catch up...

On our last night in the city, we had the pleasure of hanging out with soon-to-be-married Shelley & Erik. We even went to a restaurant that Erik was somehow connected to, and they brought us free appetizers and dessert. I LOVE free stuff!!

Oh, and also- the cast of Twilight was in Vancouver! I DID locate their hotel (thank you people.com), but sadly I did NOT track down any of the stars (although we DID see a few limos and we have our suspicions!)

Our trip just FLEW by, and now we're back in the real world at home.

Thanks again to all of you who made this trip possible!

Vancouver-bound: eyes thank you!

Remember our good friend Duane who lived like Lowell for two weeks to raise money for Lowell's eye treatments? He blogged about it, and Lowell was very impressed with his insights. It was very interesting for Lowell to read about someone else going through what he goes through every day of his life.

Well, we couldn't be more grateful. To our selfless and caring friend Duane... and to YOU. We've been overwhelmed by the amount of support sent our way. I'll never forget the day after Duane posted that he was going to start his ingenious adventure. We were at the Calgary airport, and a girl walked up to Lowell, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, "this might be a shot in the dark, but are you Lowell?" After Lowell nodded in the affirmative, she continued, "I just read about you on Duane's blog. I was going to put this in the mail, but since you're here... " and she handed him a cheque. HOW SWEET! The second she turned around, I was reduced to tears. Since then, we have continued to receive financial, emotional, and prayer support from SO many of you, and we appreciate it SO much. The total money that Duane raised was *drum roll please*... $3,500!!!

We're soon heading to Vancouver for another round of treatments, and we're optimistic that they will continue to have a positive effect on Lowell's eyes. Even if these treatments don't IMPROVE his vision but help maintain where he's at (and prevent further loss), then we'll count ourselves lucky.

Again... thank you all SO MUCH. We appreciate each and every one of you, and we are SO grateful. We will think of you as we make the most of our visit to the beautiful city of Vancouver!

PUPPIES!

Want one?

Last weekend while we were at the farm, we set up a little photo-shoot area and took pictures of the adorable now-9-week-old golden retriever pups. Aren't they cute though? So photogenic!

No, but seriously... do you want one? Five of them are spoken for, but three of them are still waiting for loving homes!

They have the same papa as Kumeu (and we all know how great Kumeu is turning out!). Here's Papa Beau...

And here's little Kumeu chasing papa Beau...

Their Mama is Kumeu's step-mom, Mika...

Oh gosh, let's look at the cute little pups again...

Awwwwwww....

If you're interested in one, leave an email address in the comment area and we'll hook you up! Or head on over to kijiji...

Good-bye Grandpa Ola

This week we said good-bye to Lowell's Grandpa Ola. He was an AMAZING man, and his story can not be told briefly (to pique your interest, he independently farmed BLIND for several years). I have included the slideshow (which is an amazing tribute put together by Lowell, David & Janelle), part of his eulogy (written by Auntie Dawn), as well as pictures. He spent over half of his life blind, and still accomplished more than most sighted people do. He's an incredible inspiration for Lowell, who is losing his vision in the same way Grandpa did. I'm so proud of the man that Lowell is already, and I think his strength of character and faith is following closely in Grandpa's footsteps. We're thrilled that Grandpa is in heaven and can see again (!!!), but we sure will miss him on earth.

Feel free to view the powerful 10 minute slideshow which includes audio from video footage that Lowell took a few years ago...

(To view, click this link: Ola Danielson 1921-2011)

The first chapter of Ola’s life began at Riviere Qui Barre where Ola and his 14 siblings were raised.

Even back in those days, Ola’s brilliant mind was at work. When he got into trouble for making crooked tracks harrowing with four horses, he made a 12 section harrow drawbar before one was invented. He also made a mechanical wood splitter to speed up the huge task of splitting wood for winter.

A bicycle was built by the four brothers out of buggy wheels, baling wire for spokes and the gears and chains from old machines. When their father died Ola, aged 23, and his brothers farmed with their mother and put most of their younger sisters through school and college. After the harvest in 1945 Ola headed off to Three Hills to attend college but it wasn’t easy. By this time he was already experiencing night blindness and visual limitations from a genetic disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa that has affected many of his family members. To pay his tuition he worked as night watchman and also at the school dairy. In the summer of 1948 he got ‘rained in’ at Nakamun Bible Camp and traded the gratis of potato peeling for washing dishes so he could spend time with a Loretta Thompson. This provided fertile ground for Ola to use his new honed skills of typing and spelling as letters flew back and forth! By 1952 the relationship with Loretta had blossomed to the point of a lovely June wedding.

They lived at Riviere Qui Barre for the next three years. One daughter, Judy, was born in 1953. In the spring of 1955 while visiting friends in Sedgewick, Ola and Loretta decided to purchase a farm there.

The Sedgewick chapter of Ola’s life provided even harder work and hardships than any previously experienced. During the move Loretta got pneumonia while expecting their second child. Debbie arrived November 30, 1955 but only lived ten days. This was a time of heartache that few of us can even comprehend. When little Judy was three she started steering tractors or trucks on her daddy’s knee to help him get home from the fields at dusk. With their bare hands they picked rocks and roots and were able to build up a herd of over 100 Charolais cows and raise excellent crops on eight quarters of good farmland. All the while Ola was adjusting to losing his sight. Judy always says that her father was independent, resourceful and ingenious. These traits coupled with his selfless wife and faithful daughter team allowed the Sedgewick chapter to unfold as it did.

In 1967 Ola gave up driving on the roads but continued to seed crops by dragging a heavy metal piece from the side of the drill and then driving in that rut the next round to complete each field.

After Loretta’s parents both passed away in 1974, Loretta and Ola moved their farming operation to her father’s Barrhead farm and thus began chapter three. The continuing loss of his eye sight forced him to find more creative ways to continue farming and during this time he made more adapted tools such as a power hack saw, automatic drill press and a radial arm saw to allow him to continue with a measure of independence.

Ola’s pet project was a “calf nursery” where they would put four calves each on as many as four Holstein cows. In order to know his cows apart he invented an ingenious system of putting different sized bells on their necks and by the sound of the bell he knew which animal he was dealing with. To identify the calves, he made twine collars with rings and by feeling those he could tell which cow and where on her udder that calf belonged.

Daughter Judy married Brian in 1974 and they moved to Barrhead to help her parents where they gave Ola his first grandson. In August of 1977 Brian and Judy moved back to Carstairs to begin dairy farming. Four more grandchildren graced Ola’s life in the next seven years and brought much pride and joy. He built several toys for them including a ride-on digging machine and a wooded airplane. During Ola’s years in Barrhead he attended the Alliance Church and also was instrumental in starting a Sight-Handicapped Group where he and Loretta arranged activities such as tours and sports events like lawn bowling.

1993 started the fourth chapter in Ola’s life journey when he and Loretta packed up everything and moved to the Carstairs farm to be near to Judy, Brian and the 5 grandkids. True to form, Ola once again recognized the need for a Sight-Handicapped group in his new community and started another one. Agriculture continued to be a big part of Ola’s life here. It was at this time that they raised quality sheep and goats for the ethnic market and through their animals he made many new and deep friendships. He started attending Bethel Church during this life chapter and was and is an inspiration to all. Ever up to a new challenge, in 1995 Ola accepted an invitation to go on a 3 day trail ride in the West Country on the Ya ha Tinda Ranch. His “Last Ride” was the highlight of his life! He started writing poems about his experiences, and continued reciting his stories at various occasions throughout his senior years.

Chapter five. By 2002, when his balance got too unsteady, Ola realized that he needed to retire from the farm and he moved to Carry Manor in Carstairs while Loretta chose to stay on the farm. Faithfully through the years since that move he and Loretta have checked in with each other by phone at seven o’clock every morning. Ola’s move to Carry Manor brought a change for its residents. Encouraging a gathering time most evenings and to celebrate special occasions resulted in a sense of family among the folks there. During this time Ola tackled a formidable task for an 84 year old blind man. He made his acting debut by taking a lead role in a local play, playing the part of a “sighted” shepherd. He learned his lines by listening to a tape of the whole play and was actually able to prompt other actors quicker than the prompter with a copy of the play could!

He kept very active riding a stationary bike and putting many miles on while walking the foot path around the Memorial Park north of his apartment. In 2007 he clocked over 170 miles, and the past three summers increasingly more miles. People will long remember his stooped figure pulling a blind-man’s walker with its “Alberta Arm”, (his last invention at age 86), making their daily journey around the park.

Even after major hip surgery he didn’t slow down but would be out on the path at 7 AM cheerfully greeting any one he met, knowing many of the “regulars” by voice. Ola participated in the Carstairs Walking Program this winter, and was excited about adding his daily miles to the “community total” to finish one more personal goal before he turned 90 in May.

Although he suffered many painful falls in his life due to his eyesight, he never gave up his independence, and after 89 ½ years of great health, and a final courageous battle with complications from his last broken leg, he came to the end of his journey on this earth. At exactly 11:12 AM on Sunday, January 23rd, Ola joyfully embarked on the sixth chapter of his life. He was given almost 24 hours to say his good byes so he had time to pray for and bless those with him before he went home to meet His Lord.

2 Timothy 4:7, “He fought the good fight, he finished the race, he kept the faith. Now there is in store for him the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to him…”