Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Monday, February 26, 2007

Audio Clip: Trip Summary

Justin summarizes his trip. Click on the link below.

Audio Clip: Trip Summary

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Sunday

From Justin:

We got up early and took off. We headed out to Wichita to see my brother. Even though we got up early, we are still on the road and about 20 minutes from his home. We spent the whole day driving, other than stopping for lunch. Shortly, I'm going to check out how my simulation baseball and basketball teams did … and then we'll arrive in Wichita. We'll arrive in Wichita in about 20 minutes … and bog down there for the night. Well, that's all, folks! Talk to you later! Have a great night!

Saturday

From Justin:

After we rolled into town (Colorado Springs) on Friday, we slept until we met up with my friends from Colorado. We all needed a little bit of rest, so we caught some shuteye. We then saw friends for a little while at Old Chicago … and then we were off to bed.

On Saturday, we got up pretty early and had brunch with everybody from down there … and sat around and talked. It was not that cold, but I did not pack for the weather. I was cold and just stayed in the hotel room, which was fine by me. All my friends came by and we just kind of talked. It was nice to hear from everyone, though. I hadn't spoken to a lot of those people in like four years. We sat around, ate breakfast, talked about old times, and then I took a nap. Next, we went to the Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City and looked around those two places … and then back to the hotel room. And then we met up with everybody again and hung out later on. We had pizza, breadsticks, and soda. It was Little Caesars … and that is one of my favorites. And then my friends took off … and I went to bed. That was the day. It was a lot of fun to see all my old friends again. I'm sure I will be back to see them again. Well, that's all, folks!

Friday, February 23, 2007

Friday

From Justin:

Friday was mostly a driving day. We took off from our hotel near the Grand Canyon and checked the scenery as we left … but mostly just drove from Arizona to Colorado today. I have never made this drive before, so it was quite relaxing. We are not quite to Colorado Springs yet, but we are closing in rapidly. In Colorado Springs, I'm going to spend the rest of tonight with friends. Tomorrow we reserved a conference room at the hotel for about 4.5 hours to spend time with friends. We are staying again at the Hampton Inn Express … and it should be a lot of fun. I just cannot wait to get some quality shuteye. Today has been a lot of driving … and it's going to be darn sweet to get out of the RV. Believe it or not, I think that's everything.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Grand Canyon

From Justin:

On Thursday, we left Las Vegas and went to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is amazing! We would have spent more time there … but with a fella like me at that elevation … and the wind blowing that hard … it's still a little chilly on me. We looked at the Canyon from a few different angles up top. It is simply incredible! We probably spent about an hour looking around the Canyon. It would definitely be worth going back to at some point. And then we went and watched a movie on the discovery of the Grand Canyon. That was pretty awesome as well. The movie was probably about 45 minutes long. It was free to anyone who paid admission to the park. It was well worth it. All in all, it was another great day. Tomorrow we're off to Colorado. I'm not sure if we're going to meet up with everybody tomorrow or on Saturday. Well, that's all, folks. I hope everybody is having a great day … and has a great weekend! We'll talk to you soon!



Please Note: More pictures were recently added below

Wednesday (Part 2)

From Justin:

On Wednesday night, we stayed at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun. I finished up $25 or $30 on the night, so that was a bonus. I played a little bit of everything. Bob was the big winner! He played a slot machine and won big! Bob and I played until about 3:30 in the morning. And then we went to bed. Our plan was to get up in the morning and see the free shows at Bellagio, Mirage, and some others. But the problem is that none of the shows start until 4 p.m. It was weird … because I had never been up that early in Las Vegas. It felt like the day after a carnival in the morning. The streets were dead! We did not make it out of our casino the night before. We just stayed put at the Tropicana. Our options were pretty limited because we had the big RV. All in all, it was a lot of fun, though. All we got done today in Vegas was a walking around … and they wheeled me around. We then checked out and were Grand Canyon bound. Well, that's all, folks!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Wednesday

From Justin:

We headed out of San Francisco and took a four-hour trip southwest to see the sequoia trees. Man, they were huge! We looked at the third largest tree in the world … and it was really big! We spent a good chunk of time in the Sequoia National Forest … and once again, we got beautiful weather. We're now heading off to Las Vegas. Hopefully the sun is shining for us there, too. So far the weather during the trip has been fabulous for us. I'm not sure where we're going to stay, but it will be nice to be in the hotel for the night. During most of the trip, we have spent time in hotels. Hopefully we all come out on top in Las Vegas, but I'm actually looking forward to the free shows. All in all, today was a great day. Well, that's all, folks!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

San Francisco (Part 2)

From Justin:

San Francisco was a blast! We got into San Francisco late last night, so we slept in a little bit today. When we got up, we started the day by taking a tour of Alcatraz. The Alcatraz tour took a lot longer than you would think. It was an audio tour, so it takes you all over the prison. It pretty much shows you the whole prison, including the roughest areas. Alcatraz is amazing, though. It is just a prison on a rocky island in the middle of the ocean. When visiting Alcatraz, you could definitely see why it got the reputation it has … and also why it was so rough. Solitary confinement would have been horrible … because you could go days, weeks, or even months without very much sunlight. There would not be a lot of perks for the prisoners to look forward to. I believe only three or four cells actually got direct sunlight each day, so it would have been a treat to be in one of those cells. But it was definitely a rough prison.

After visiting Alcatraz, we quickly toured the downtown San Francisco area. We went to this place called Fisherman's Wharf, where we met Jessica Misslin … and had some brunch. We ate at a restaurant called Sea Lion CafĂ©. The food was decent, but there were a bunch of Sea Lions right off the dock, so that part was cool. After that, we returned our rental and reloaded the RV. Now we're off to Fresno, California … and then to Las Vegas. Well, that's all, folks! I hope everybody is having a great night! I'll put another blog entry out tomorrow … and hopefully I'll be starting it off by me telling you how cool the sequoia trees are in California.

Monday, February 19, 2007

San Francisco

From Justin:

Later on today, after quite a bit of driving, we're going to unboard ship in San Francisco. We will start by going across the Golden Gate Bridge. And then we're going to meet up with Jessi Misslin and possibly Billy Kasper's wife. Bob knows Billy. We just went through Napa Valley, so we're able to look at quite a few vineyards. They were pretty neat … well, if you like grapes. After San Francisco, we're going to look at some sequoia trees. Then we're going to head down to Las Vegas. Before all that, we're going to attempt to take a tour of Alcatraz, which obviously Andrew could have broken out of in no time flat with his eyes closed! I'm not sure if we're going to do anything else in San Francisco. Well, that's all, folks!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Vicky's B-Day

From Justin:

This morning we set out of Washington. As we arrived in Oregon, we met up with my cousin, Bria, who happens to be a track star at the University of Oregon. We did a quick tour of the University of Oregon and looked at all the stadiums.

Next, we went to the ocean. We spent a good little while there. None of us had been to the ocean in quite some time. It was very beautiful. One spot even looked a lot like the end of Goonies, except no giant octopus or pirate ship. But there was a very cool-looking house and lighthouse. All in all, it was a lot of fun ... and we headed out of Oregon by late morning. We have just been driving around the coastal highway. The ocean is right there, so we can always look out and peek at the ocean. Well, that's all, folks! We're 150 miles from California right now. I hope everyone is having a happy Sunday!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Seattle

From Justin:

The temperature today was 61 degrees here. First, we saw Mount Baker. It was from afar, but it was very beautiful. Then we went down to Seattle from Bellingham and met Britt and Nat … and went to the Space Needle, courtesy of Bob's friend, Ron Maderious. The Space Needle was awesome! We got really expensive meals in there. The food was great! Ron didn't even know me, but still bought me dessert, so that was really nice. And then we took a tour of Seattle with Britt and Nat. They were excellent tour guides!

Now we're heading south again, so all of our stays are pretty short. We're heading south to see Bob's nephew, Alex. We're about 10 minutes away from visiting him. So we're approximately an hour south of Seattle. I'm not sure if we're going to get another hotel after that ... or drive a little while and get one. But it's in the cards to get another hotel tonight. It has been a great trip so far. Everything seems to be working out in our favor because God is with us. Well, that's all, folks! Have a great night!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Vancouver

From Justin:

Vancouver was unreal! I did not realize how big and clean that city would be, but it was both. We went to this aquarium and spent most of the day there. It was in Stanley Park. The aquarium had all kinds of fish from the ocean, including sharks (even great whites), whales, sea otters, and many more. We saw some weird fish. There was this one called a sand eel. It would just sit there and look at you. It was weird. But it was really neat to see all of them. They did a lot of wheeling me around. Afterwards, we went over this huge bridge and looked at the river/ocean. And we were extremely high up as we were leaving Vancouver. This was the first time I've ever been in Canada. It was well worth it. We also had ice cream where they make everything homemade, including milking their own cows. We saw the Alaska Ferry, even from Bellingham. Uncle Rick makes great salmon, too.

My hair is coming back a little! I look like a balding, middle-aged guy. My uncle says that he takes offense to that. So far the trip has been a real peach. It's supposed to be 56 degrees tomorrow in Washington. We're heading down to Seattle tomorrow. Well, that's all, folks!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday (Part 2)

From Justin:

Hello everybody. Phase 1 is completed. We made it all the way to Bellingham, but we have not yet begun our journey with Uncle Rick. We are heading to Vancouver tomorrow to spend the day. I can't wait to get up there. I hope it's everything it's cracked up to be. There has been a lot of driving so far, but we're going to be darn skippy to put it behind us. Obviously, there is a lot more, though. We're in to have a good night with Uncle Rick. Well, that's all, folks!

Thursday

From Justin:

We're 240 miles from Bellingham, so we should be there in about three hours. I'm going to take a nap now.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Wednesday (Part 3)

From Justin:

We have made it all the way to Washington State after 27 hours straight of driving. It wears you out big time, even if you're just riding. We're staying tonight in Spokane. We're going to leave tomorrow morning, but we're darn happy to make it to Washington tonight. I hope everybody has a great night. Well, that's all, folks!

Wednesday (Part 2)

From Justin:

We were heading through North Dakota, but now we're making our way through Montana. We just passed through Billings. There has been a little bit of snow, but not too bad. Happy Valentines Day to everyone from your traveling crew!

Wednesday

From Justin:

We're off like a herd of turtles on our trip. We're in North Dakota right now -- in the middle of nowhere. We're heading out to the Great Northwest. We have no projected arrival time, but we're making our way to Washington. We already got in four games of Skip-Bo. I lost three of them, but it was still fun. The ride has been a little bumpy so far, which is difficult for me because of my balance. But I'm figuring that out, so it is what it is. It was great to hear from my cousins in Iraq on Sunday, even though I may have been short and sweet, but I love talking to them. Nothing new happened today. Brent, Kim, Jon, and I had a great talk last night. That was very beneficial. They helped me cope with the subject of everlasting life. I hope everybody has a great night. Thank you all for your support and positive energy! Well, that's all, folks!

Monday, February 12, 2007

TODAY WAS GOOD DAY...

TOMORROW WE LEAVE ON OUR TRIP. SO THAT'LL BE NICE. I HAD ABOUT 2 BILLION PEOPLE STOP BY TONIGHT. IT WAS NICE TO SEE EVERYONE. HOWEVER, I GOT REALLY WORN OUT. WELL THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

AN INVASION...

IN THE BEST WAY. TONIGHT THE CRAVE GROUP STOPPED BY TO SEE US OFF ON OUR TRIP, THEY ALSO CAME BEARING GIFTS. IT WAS VERY NICE OF THEM. THE PLAN IS TO GO SEATTLE FIRST, AND SPEND SOMETIME WITH BRIT. THE HEAD TO BELLINGHAM YO SPEND TIME WITH UNCLE RICKY. NEXT WE ARE PLANNINGS ON GOING TO GO TO VANCOUVER. RUMOR HAS IT IT'S BEAUTIFUL CITY. THEN WE ARE OFF TO SAN FRAN NEXT TO SEE THE SIGHTS THERE. THEN WITH WITH QUICK STOP THROUGH VEGAS, WE'LL BE OFF TO THE GRAND CANYON. THEN BACK UP THROUGH CO ABD OVER KA TO SEE THE FAM. SO, THAT'LL BE VERY NICE. EARLIER TODAY NY COUSINS CALLED FROM IRAQ. IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM THEM AS WELL. WE PRAY FOR THEM NIGHTLY. I LOVE THEM A LOT. HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

IT'S BEEN A GREAT WEEKEND...

MY PEOPS FROM CO ARE IN TOWN. IT'S BEEN GREAT HAVING THEM ALL HERE. IT IS NICE TO SEE TOM AND TO MEET HIS LADY. I SAW A HOLE BUNCH OF FRIENDS TODAY AND THAT WAS FUN AS WELL. ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY WE LEAVE FOR OUR ROAD TRIP. TOM WILL BE IN TOWN UNTIL TOMORROW, THEN THEY'LL BE BACK IN CO. WELL THAT'S ALL FOLKS.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Update (Friday)

I just wanted to post a message and let everyone know that Justin is now back home and resting. He left the hospital this morning. The doctors said that it would be OK if he left for his trip on Wednesday, so that's the plan right now. Hopefully Justin will be posting soon. Keep the positive energy and prayers flowing for Team Justin!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

LATELY...

NOTHING NEW IS GOING ON. TONIGHT I BELIEVE THE GOPHERS WILL PLAY IN BASKETBALL AND WE ARE 1 WEEK FROM OUR TRIP. MY BLOOD COUNTS HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD AND I HAVE BEEN FEELING GREAT. I AM SUPPOSE TO GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL ON FRIDAY. HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

JJ

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

BIG P ACK NEWS...

I FORGOT TO MENTION IT IS HUGE FOR THE PACKERS TO HAVE BRETT FAVRE BACK FOR 2007!! GO PACK!!

Monday, February 05, 2007

I found out that we'll still be able to go on our vacation; however, now we are backing it up a step and I'm worried about getting better. My trip depends on how healthy I stay. Hopefully I'll be 100% healthly the whole trip and return the same.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Superbowl

It was actually a closer game than the score really indicated although the Bears were never really in it. Today was a good day all around. Yesterday I felt like junk and just wanted to sit here and try to feel better. I was on the breathing machine all night, and although it was very loud today my breathing is better so it was beneficial. Today I have felt normal and my breathing is good but we are going to do one more night on the breathing machine to ensure I am better. I feel a lot better - I even look better according to individuals that have seen me, i.e., my parents. My voice is even getting better since I am not short of breath. Now when I cough my whole chest doesn't hurt. Our trip will be postponed slightly since I am not sure how long I will be in these walls. Grandpa Bernie is helping us find a wonderful motor home to use for our trip. Please pray for a safe trip for us with great weather. Hope you all have fantastic plans coming up, and have a great night.

Update (Sunday)

Justin is still resting comfortably. It looks like he'll be in the hospital until midweek, so his trip out West has been delayed until the following week. Justin can't take calls yet, but I will post a message when he can. Thanks to everyone for the continued support! Keep the positive energy and prayers flowing for Team Justin!

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Another Update (Late Saturday)

I just wanted to give another quick update. Justin is resting more comfortably. His oxygen levels are coming up. It appears that the antibiotics (that he's taking to help his lungs) are working. He's also eating a little bit. Hopefully the 'team captain' will be back posting soon! Keep the positive energy and prayers flowing for Team Justin!

Update (Saturday)

I just wanted to update everyone on Justin's condition. I just spoke with Justin's father, Don. Justin had shortness of breath early this morning, so he was rushed to the emergency room at the hospital (Fairview University). He has fluid buildup in his lungs, so he's taking antibiotics. It is suspected that he has pneumonia. Justin's phone has been ringing nonstop today, so thanks so much to everyone for all the support! The support from family and friends has been amazing. Justin can't take calls right now, unfortunately, but I will try to post to let everyone know when he can. Please keep praying! Thanks!

Friday, February 02, 2007

Friday

One day after I got the bad news I have had a great day. Not sure why but happy about it. We are starting to plan our trip out west. It should be a lot of fun. I'll try to keep up with the blog on the trip. Well nothing so if there is I'll post if not I won't post.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

MEETING WITH DOCTORS ON THURSDAY

Today I met with the doctors and things went as well as I expected. Not good. As I had already known the radiation and oral chemo shrunk my cancer in parts of the spine and maintained everything in the brain and lower spine. However, although this sounds pretty good it is not. My cancer is not going away. They can maintain where it is at for a while, however, it is going to eventually get worse and ultimately lead to my demise. We do not know how long this will be. This is not good. Next week my mom, bob, dad, vicky and me are all setting out in the motor home (a rental) and heading to the great northwest in the form of Vancouver, Seattle, Washington, San Franciscco, The Grand Canyon. I know some of these aren't in the great northwest, but deal with it. All these are major cities that I have never been too, and they are cities with friends and family located in them. Thus, we will be making many stops on this road trip to say hi to many of my friends. So watch out if you are on the way. I am really looking forward to this roadtrip, however, it is weird not knowing how much time I have left, and not knowing how much time I have here on God's green earth. Make sure if you have any questions, post them here, and I hope you are all having a great day.

That's all folks!!