rasj & Stacey

I won't be trading or selling mine. I got them for swag only. I suppose you *could* trade for one, but you'll have to trade even or up in the cache you find it in.

If you think that's something.... here's the last few updates. The first one is a an update. The sceond one is message from Skye's parents, and the last two are, well, miracles! 23 April 24, 2007 at 11:30 AM EDT Ever since Skye’s last tracheotomy procedure, air has been allowed to travel over her vocal cords. She has been making sounds for the last two days, especially when people come to visit. Also, she is becoming more aware of her face as she is starting to take objects that are in her hand and bring them to her mouth. Ben said that when they were in with her yesterday, she even started to lightly bite the pen he had given her. Skye’s vitals are the strongest they have been since the accident. In fact her doctors say that she is almost ready to make the move out of Mission and into a rehabilitation center. Neil, Kate, and Ben had their first interview with Care Partners of Asheville yesterday, and have two more this week with Carolina in Charlotte, and the Shepard Center in Atlanta. They will be talking to representatives of all three, as well as visiting their facilities in order to decide on the best place for Skye’s rehabilitation. Many of you have expressed an interest in visiting Skye once she became well enough to receive visitors. Neil, Kate, and Ben feel that she is at that point, and would like to invite those who are interested to send a note to Ben at redriderbb@hotmail.com to set up an appropriate time. 22 April 22, 2007 at 10:03 PM EDT You have all touched our hearts so very deeply with your love, support and prayers for Skye. While Neil and I haven’t had the chance yet to talk with each of you personally, please know how very much we appreciate you. Your network of support has been our safety net. We are so moved by the outpouring of love from near and far. It has been incredible to witness the kind of impact Skye has on her friends and family and even on those who haven’t met her yet. If she could, she would be humbly and tearfully thanking each of you for reaching out to her. We want you all to know that every day we are reading your messages to Skye and we know, on some level, she is hearing and finding great comfort and strength in your thoughts, love and prayers. We can’t even begin to thank Sefton for maintaining these Carepages so beautifully and keeping all of you who care about Skye connected. Sefton, your love of Skye shines through so brightly. You are an incredible and wonderful soul and we love you so very dearly. We are deeply honored that Skye holds such an important place in your heart. Thank you from the very bottom of ours. Skye is facing this challenge in typical Skye-fashion, with incredible strength, grace and bravery. I’ve always told Skye she’s my hero because she’s so brave. It’s not that she’s fearless. She has more than her share of fears. It’s that she recognizes those fears and instead of shrinking from them, challenges and moves through them. That’s what being brave is all about. She feared heights, so she took up rock-climbing. She feared water, yet she went paddling in an ocean kayak in New Zealand with dolphins swimming around her boat. She’s uncomfortable in confined spaces, but she went caving in Costa Rica with Spanish speaking guides when she didn’t even speak the language. Now, as we watch her face her greatest challenge I mean it more than ever. Skye, you truly are my hero. Thank you all once again and please continue to keep Skye in your hearts and prayers as she continues on her road to recovery. We understand it will be a long one, but your outpouring of love and support make it an easier path to travel. We love you, Kate and Neil 24 April 25, 2007 at 03:01 PM EDT Skye’s improvements over the last 24 hours have been substantial. Her movements are now the most frequent they have been since the accident. Yesterday, Kate gave her some ChapStick and she put it on her lips. Today she put it on again, but this time, applied it by touching her finger to the ChapStick and then her finger to her lips (the way she always did before the accident). Kate says that she had her left eye open for most of the day and both eyes open during today’s physical therapy session, which lasted about 15 minutes. She looked directly at Ben several times and ran her fingers through his hair, and has even started to write on the paper they put under her pen. Earlier today she wrote several numbers and the word "bring". Also, when one of her visitors was leaving her room this afternoon Ben asked her if she was going to tell him bye. She raised her hand high in the air, wiggled her fingers and held two up like a peace sign. Everyone around her, including her doctors and nurses are truly amazed by what is happening. April 26, 2007 at 06:09 AM EDT Skye continued to write on her paper yesterday. In addition to the word "bring", she also wrote the words "Kim" and "just" as well as other letters and numbers. Although she could have stopped there for the day with these incredible feats, Skye, of course, had something else up her sleeve. Last night, when Kate, Neil, and Skye's Midwife were in Skye's room, Kate asked Skye if she wanted to write anything else. Skye started to write 3 digits, a dot, and 4 more digits. As they looked at what she had written, they recognized that it could be a phone number. In fact, it looked a lot like a Mission hospital number. They all looked up at the whiteboard in front of Skye's bed and saw that the number matched the room phone number that Skye's nurse had written for Kate and Neil! Skye had visually recognized, processed, and recorded the number to her paper. Everyone continues to be in awe of the seemingly exponential progress that Skye is making, and if yesterday's progress is any indicator of what is to come, there's no telling what she will do today! Skye, you're amazing!

WoW! I guess I have totally missed out on something. Can someone point me to the auctions for the family, or let me know who is leading this up? I would love to help out! The community has shown tremendous support for my auctions to help a friend of mine, and it's only fitting that I do what I can to help others!

These coins are now in stock. I just got my set and they look cool!

PM me your address. I have a coin or two I will send.

Done! ETA: I just sent him: Parrolet / rasj Geo40 Dawn 'til Dusk LE N.U.T.S about geocaching gold Scouting black nickel

Mine arrived on Saturday! Beautiful coin. Thanks!

Here's the latest update. when I read it, I had "chill bumps" all over me! I will take care of the auctions this week. I'll just reword them so that they comply with ebay policy. Until then, please keep praying for Skye and I dare you to read the update below without tearing up just a bit! April 21, 2007 at 10:41 AM EDT Skye is recovering beautifully from her surgery. Yesterday, doctors took out her large plastic tracheotomy tube and replaced it with a small metal one. The new one has a breathing valve, which helps reroute much of Skye's breathing through her nose and mouth. Skye's movements are seeming much more pronounced. She reached up to scratch her face, and across her body to scratch a scab on her arm. The physical therapy team, who has been working to step up Skye's therapy level, sat her up in her bed during their last session. They say that this is great not only for Skye's blood circulation, but also her stabilizing muscles. Kate, Neil, and Ben have also been working to introduce familiar objects, smells, sounds, etc. that appeal to her senses, in hopes of producing a cognitive response. Kate shared that she gave Skye a pen yesterday, and while at first Skye's finger movements on the pen were erratic, she soon had the pen in a standard grip and moved it as if she was writing. Since the accident, especially during some of the darker times, there have been several inspirational stories that have brought comfort and hope to Neil, Kate, and Ben. One of which was the story of Saul Raisin (http://www.saulraisin.com/). Saul, who was a pro cyclist at 23 fell from his bike during a race and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma, and much like Skye was not expected to survive, and if he did survive, was supposed to be paralyzed for life. Saul however, much like Skye beat the odds and survived, but he didn't stop there. He is now back on his bike, engaged to be married, and living a happy and restored life. Kate and Neil were discussing this story yesterday, and how nice it would be to try to track down a number and get in touch with Saul. Within minutes of this conversation the phone rang. The person on the other end told Kate that someone wanted to talk to her, she then heard the voice of Saul Raisin on the other end of the line. He had called because he had heard Skye's story and wanted to send his love and support for her recovery. Skye's story touched Saul, much like it has touched all of us. She is continuing to beat the odds, and like Saul we know she can heal from this injury and come back to us fully restored.

Ebay just canned all of my auctions. Every one of my auctions were worded exactly alike, so I guess they just now noticed them. Apparently I violated their policy. I will re-list them when I figure out exaclty what the problem is. I'll have to go re-read their policy and maybe make some phone calls to find out how I can do this without violating the rules. I apologize for the inconvience this may have caused to everyone. If I can not figure out how to list these so that it's legal, I will just return all of the coins to the folks that donated them. Hopefully I can get it worded right though. The good news is that I have raised $1049.39 for Skye and her family already! I find that absolutely amazing, and I did nothing but auction two of my geocoins. You guys did the rest, and all of you have really made a big difference. Not only did you help out a family that you do not know, you also completely changed my outlook on life as well. Before this happened, I always tried to be a good person, and help those around me that need it, but after this, I have begun to take it to a new level. There are plenty of things that I could be doing with my life to help others, and I have decided to start doing just that. I started by sending DeafHunt a bunch of geocoins, and apologizing to him for being rather mean in a thread he started. Next I intend to join a volunteer group here locally such as habitat for humanity, mobile meals or maybe a therapy dog group that a local cacher here is a member of. My girlfriend already helps with mobile meals as well. So although this was just intended to help a friend of mine, you guys also helped me in the process. For that I owe you all a big THANK YOU!! Here is the email I got from ebay. eBay sent this message to roy sanders (ima_outbid_u). Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more: http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/name...rid-emails.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- eBay Listing Removed: Charity (=LS &12362 JM101840155) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear ima_outbid_u, You recently listed the following listing: 120110699600 - United We Cache Geocoin - Charity 120110698834 - Mail Jeep Geocoin LE - Charity Auction 120110697856 - Tempting the Fates Geocoin - Charity 120110700786 - 2007 Generic Geocoin - Charity 120110698602 - Anthus Secret Agent Geocoin - Charity 120110696520 - Castleman Star Geocoin - Charity 120110695508 - Geo Credit Card geocoin - Charity The listing was removed because it violated the eBay Charity policy. The violation occurred when you included the following information in your listing: My current auctions are to raise money for a good friend / co-worker. His daughter sustained severe brain injuries in a bicycle accident, and he could really use some help right now. Of course he is out of work, literally camping out in the waiting room of the hospital. Unfortunately his bills haven't stopped, so I'm trying to do what I can to help him out in his time of need. Please be generous in your bidding. Every penny that I raise will go directly to him and his family. (The shipping and paypal fees will be payed for by me.) I accept paypal only. Thanks for looking and good luck! All fees related to this listing have been credited to your account. We also notified members who placed bids on the item that the listing has been canceled.

My GeoTags were purchased for dropping into caches only. I don't know if they qualify for your thread though because I may decide to give one or two away to some close friends (locally) but other than that they are cache only. If somebody wants to trade for one, they will have to "trade even or up" in the cache they find it in.

Order placed for one of each. Now all I have to do is get 4 more dogs.

My girlfriend's parents have several horses, and I have learned the following during my visits to their farm: 1) If the horse lays it's ears back, it's not happy and you should stop trying to pet it/bother it. 2) Unhappy horses will bite you and /or kick you. 3) Horses will run your butt over if they are scared. Do not think that they will stop or run "around" you. 4) Horses have different personalities just like pretty much any animal. Some horses do not like dogs and will chase them and try to bite them. 5) My girlfriend's parents have such a horse, and it's funny to watch my 90Lb German Shepherd run for her life from a horse! I am by no means a "horse person" and to be quite honest, they scare me. But from my experience, horses are just scared animals by nature. Being calm and non-aggressive when around them helps, but if they threaten you, just let them know that you are the boss. If you have to, make loud noises and wave your arms around at them. Just make sure you aren't between them and their escape route if you do that and try not to be directly behind them either unless you like to urinate in different colors.

Artwork approved, invoice paid & wallet officially empty. :\ Thanks! I can't wait to see them.

***Attention all bidders*** I wanted to post a warning to everyone who may have bid, or may bid on my geocoin auctions. It seems the spoofers are out and about, looking for someone to sucker. If you have placed a bid on any of my auctions, and you receive an email from "ebay" or an ebay member trying to sell you the coin even though you weren't the winner of the auction, please be warned that it is NOT legitimate. I'm sure most of you have seen this type of scam before but just be careful anyway. ETA: If you DO receive an email like this, please do not to click on any links and /or reply to the email. That's just for your own safety. Also, immediately forward any suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.com. They will let you know if the email is legit, or a fake. I can go ahead and tell you that if, for some reason, the winner of any of my auctions can not pay for the item, it will simply be relisted. I have not and will not send out second chance offers on any of my items. That being said, every one of my ended auctions have been paid for and shipped. Thanks, and we now return you to your previously scheduled program.

Although it is going to be a long road ahead, Skye is making progress almost every day. She continues to overcome setback after setback and she is a true fighter! I had some auctions pulled by ebay because someone reported that a bid was placed without their permission (or something like that), but I have relisted them and added a few more as well. Thanks for everyone's continued support and please remember to keep Skye in your thoughts and prayers as she enters the next phase of her recovery.

Hmmm, I too would like to design a coin with paint. I think you did an excellent job with yours Jake. I still don't quite understand how you drew it with Paint though....Maybe if you sent me one of those coins so I could have a better look at it, it would help me out. Yeah, that's it. I need to see it up close and hold it and maybe even stick it on my display rack for a few years while I practice my paint skills. Why, I could even take it to events with me so that I would always be able to refer to the coin if an idea comes to mind. It's strictly to help me design my own coin with Paint you see... that's it. I have my address ready to send to you if you ever need it. okay? TIA!!1! (translation: Your coin is awesome!)

You're welcome. If you want some hi-res pics of your coin just let me know and I'll email them to ya.

email sent!

There was another thread a while back that sort of touched on this. A cacher was trying to place a cache that was "cancer survivor" themed, if I remember correctly. The cache wasn't allowed because of the cancer theme. The person that hid the cache was upset because they allow diabetes TB tags and such, but not caches. There was a lot of discussion going on in that thread, although I didn't really follow it after I read it the first time. It may provide you some answers that you are looking for if you can find it.

April 13, 2007 at 07:43 AM EDT Last night Skye was taken into surgery for the infection in her cerebral spinal fluid. Her doctors became concerned after her temperature held steady above 100 and her cranial swelling increased. They said that the antibiotics were becoming less effective and the best option would be to remove the infection manually. This procedure took about 30 minutes and the surgeon was able to successfully remove the infection. Fortunately, no surgery had to be performed directly to her brain, because the infection was isolated between her scalp and the artificial layer they had implanted in a previous surgery. Skye is recovering back in the ICU, and is being treated with more effective antibiotics. The surgeon says that there is still an isolated infection in one of Skye's cerebral drainage tubes that will eventually have to be addressed. However, he thinks it would be better for her to rest before further procedures. Skye's Surgeon also told Neil and Kate that prior to surgery he had asked her to lift two fingers. She crossed her middle finger over her index and lifted it up. This is one of the strongest verbal cue responses to date. Even though Skye has had some setbacks, she is still showing signs of improvement. She is such a strong young woman, and she is fighting as hard as she can. Please continue to pray for her and her family! Psssst... tsunrisebey has jumped in and added an auction of her own that you definitely do NOT want to miss. I can't link to it here, but you should hurry on over and find it because it's just awesome!

Ahhh, you like handmade stuff? How about the first Groundspeak approved, handmade, trackable geocoin with a custom icon? Handmade by scavok. I have one for you if you want it. 2" in diameter, about 1/4" thick and it weighs 4.7oz!

This is the first handmade geocoin to be approved by Groundspeak. And yes it's trackable with an icon.

Here's an Update on Skye. There's one more update on the page, and I'll post it next. April 12, 2007 at 02:21 PM EDT Skye is continuing to heal from her surgery and her infection. Yesterday afternoon her temperature got up to 103, but by last night had dropped down to around 100. This is just part of dealing with any infection, but the antibiotics are continuing to prove effective and she is showing more signs of improvement. Ben said that her cough has subsided and her breathing is sounding much better. Neil, Kate, and Ben are starting to research good rehabilitation centers that Skye can go to once she comes out of her coma. The next critical step for her as she awakens is responsiveness to voice commands. Once she is able to consistently respond to verbal cues, she will be well on the road to rehabilitation. Neil, Kate, and Ben are also looking into establishing a nonprofit or other similar type of entity that will help with funding Skye's long term care during recovery. If anyone has experience or knows someone who is an expert on establishing these sorts of entities, please let us know, as any direction or advice will be extremely helpful! All of my auctions that have ended, and been paid for have shipped. I just added a new batch of coins, and there are some that you just don't want to miss. Well that is, unless you already have an unactivated Lackeys geocoin. Most coins aren't showing up yet, so keep checking my "items for sale" link. For some reason it can take up to a full day for the listing to show up. Thanks to everyone for pitching in to help out! Keep those prayer coming, she needs those now more than ever!

My coins arrived today. Thanks scavok! Boy, these things are big, heavy, thick and way cool! They weigh in at about 4.7oz each. Here's a few pics for size comparison.

I'm in for a few packs!