Greetings Family and Friends,

I've selected the photos in this post to commend us all on a job well done and with the highest honors going to our lovely Janike.

The first photo of J on the trail in 95 degree heat in itself speaks volumes of her tenacity and spirit. The trailhead started at an elevation of roughly 500 feet.  Behind the small peak on the right is the ridge some two miles away at 4,500 feet that we we're planning to commandeer.  Due to the high temperatures and hiking such a narrow trail next to steep terrain with washouts, I decided the mission was a bit to much.  Janike was disappointed, she wanted to get to the top even though she was lightheaded, breathing hard and a bit wobbly. The end goal was the top and then to find the 80 foot observation tower another 2 miles away. I calmly explained we were already the minority to even take on such a grueling hike; Janike was not convinced. I proudly hugged my incredible wife to whisper in her ear, "soon we'll be back soon but today we play it safe." Janike smiled and we both enjoyed the view and our moment of rest in peace before heading back down. We soon found a great lunch spot in the shade and vowed to come back and complete this adventure before the years end.  I have no doubt that Janike will have no problem making this hike in the near future. This failure in her mind was actually a huge success as it took a lot of dexterity, composure, sure footedness, and solid judgement to navigate that particular trail. I can see in time, Janike getting back to exploring the mountains we love so dearly and even attempting another through hike.

The second photo is the board with all of the photos and cards J mentions in the video. The cards and photos everyone sent to us were so pivotal to our success. They gave us hope and the strength to keep fighting for a brighter future. In the end we  had over 100 of them all over our hotel room after 5 months of rehabilitation in San Diego, Los Angeles and Bakersfield. The messages they embraced filled us with positive emotions and your heart felt well wishes filled with so much love and kindness inspired us to smile and to carry on no matter the odds.       "Thank You"                         

I love the picture of Janike at Scripps as it truly is the beginning of a new chapter in her journey.  She has come so far and the program at this facility is truly up to the challenges ahead to help J attain her future goals.  

Next comes the fourth photo of us having so much fun the other night with our great friends Tom and Heather Nelson. We laughed, hung out and just had such a great visit. It's been a long time coming and we look forward to more of the same with our family and friends in the near and distant future. Call us anytime we'd love to hear from you and your all welcome to stay with us at our humble abode in San Diego.

With this said come join us on the new road ahead and to distant shores full of life and  adventure if you dare so clearly represented in our last photo. 

The  video is incredibly moving  Janike insisted we thank everyone who participated on our Caring Bridge site. I believe it perfectly expresses how deeply she appreciates your constant support and love over the past nine months. 

With Love and everlasting gratitude TnJ