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    <title>        Photo Albums (Just Click the photo!!!)</title>
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      <title>Hello Again......April 25th, 2009!!!</title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2009/4/25_Hello_Again......April_25th,_2009%21%21%21.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:58:24 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2009/4/25_Hello_Again......April_25th,_2009%21%21%21_files/CIMG1421.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Media/object015_1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px; width:289px; height:217px;&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Wow, so much has happened since I’ve updated this page.....where do I start?&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;So, we came back from Portugal in August last year, we then tried in September to attempt our first pass at a sponsored Skydive for our Dennis Ralph Fund.  Unfortunately, the weather was against us and we did not jump that day.  This whole campaign was kicked off by Kath Beattie (in the middle with the arms crossed) who at the beginning of last year said to me at BP “fancy doing a skydive Stan.....”ok then”!  From left above (Paul Newberry, Joann McKenzie, Barry Webster, Kath, Me, Dianne Hay, Mark Ballantyne).  Paul and Joann tried again the following day and still the weather  conspired against them.  We had planned to jump again on November 15th, but Barry’s daughter Jessica very sadly passed away from Cancer on the 10th.  All of us were so sad at their loss, Jess was a wonderful girl, she also knew Dennis when he was ill.  As a mark of respect, we cancelled the jump and instead focussed our thoughts for Barry, Vanessa and Rebecca.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Time marched on and after re-scheduling our jump for the Spring time, Xmas came round and after having such a great time at Disneyland Paris, we decided once more to go again, this time also with Beate’s mum in tow (Anne-Sofie).  We had a great time and I was delighted to take Steve on his first real Rollercoaster (it won’t be the last!!).  We went on the tower of terror which was a blast also.  I think the second time around to the same place, same hotel was ok, but let’s just say that our next Disney experience will be somewhere slightly warmer (and cheaper)!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In January, I turned 40.......!!  Beate did a wonderful job arranging the whole night, which we had at the house and had close friends and family come by for a terrific night.  We had a champagne reception, followed by a beautiful dinner in the conservatory.  This was followed afterward with a re-location to the kitchen and switching on the Karaoke machine, which didn’t stop until at least 04:30 hrs in the morning!!  What a fantastic night that was and Beate had also mentioned to our friends that instead of presents for me, that a donation to the Dennis Ralph fund would be more appropriate.  I was overwhelmed to received £ 750 that night so thanks to all once more for donating!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Our fund raising efforts, got kicked off nicely with my birthday effort and this was followed shortly after with a Virgin Vie Charity Ball.  We asked for help from Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust to send up posters, wall charts and leaflets.  I even made a speech talking about the charity to over 100 folks.  These things for me are hard in public, but when talking about your own son, it’s pretty tough.  Again, a really good night and close to £ 1200 raised.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Two of our guests at my birthday party were dear friends Hector and Trish.  Hector is an ex-collegue at Baker Oil Tools and a cracker of a bloke who really showed me the ropes offshore and we always got on really well.  I was delighted to have them at the party (as so many others).  I knew Hec would be the first on the Karaoke and he didn’t disappoint.   Hector that night also mentioned to us that he wished for his 60th birthday party, to also have a similar fund raiser for Dennis.  I attended the party just a few weekends ago and it was a great night with a magical £ 1750 raised!!!  We gladly welcomed Hec and Trish the following weekend for a BBQ, with his family too.  Dear friends Suzanne Stewart and Brunel came along and so did Mike, Leslie and kids in addition to Mark, Louise and the boys.  Another great night as you’ll see from the photos.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;So, that takes us kind of up to date....Last weekend, our time for the jump came around and we all went down to Strathallan in Perthshire once more (in overcast conditions).   Joann was lucky enough to do the jump a few months back as she works down in London and managed to go to a skydive facility down there.  I think seeing her photos of the jump really spurred the rest of us on not to give up.  Anyway, we had the briefing as before and waited and waited....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The sun started to break through and before long the pro’s were up in the Sky checking over conditions.....Could this really be on!  Yes!!!!!     “Barry and Stan, could you make your way to manifest please”..!!!!  We suited up with huge smiles and a bit of nerves.  We made our way to the plane, strapped in to our tandem dude, snuggled up into the tiny Cessna and ascended for a good 15-20 mins to get to 8000 ft.  The shutter door was opened and Barry and his instructor shuffled over to the edge and over....Wow...what are we doing to ourselves!!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;My turn next and the same thing shuffling over until basically I was dangling on the 4 hooks attaching me to my instructor (what type of clips were those and did he secure the safety...)!!!  Legs were curled under the fuselage and then mayhem....the wind, the cold, the noise....the adrenaline....wow!!!  We swung round to make visual contact with the video guy and a few poses were made.  I just received the DVD the other day and it’s fantastic and so worth the money.  The instructor then deployed the main shute and I have never felt G’s like that in my whole life.  From there it was pretty relaxed and I could actually speak to the guy.  He gave me a shot of the controls and I was able to steer a bit also which was excellent.  There were spectacular views, but it was over too soon with our landing which was very controlled and safe.  I must say the whole set-up was very professional and I never felt in doubt about anything.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The rest of the guys followed and we cheered them on.  Kath and Di jumped, who both had fantastic experiences.  Mark and Paul jumped last with another superb landing.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I must say a personal thanks to all of the jumpers for not only just taking a ‘leap of faith’ for our charity, but for paying their own way for the jump also.  As far as total funds raised, we all did a fantastic job and the Just giving page was a real winner this time.  All the e-mails we set up well in advance of the jump and the donations kept rolling in despite our long delays.  From the many personal donations, we also had several corporate sponsors from local companies.  The money still has to be added up, but we are clearly around the £ 7000 mark right now.  On top of that, thanks to BP match giving, we are actually hoping to increase these funds based on the BP people that made the Jump (Joann, Kath, Di).  I’m hoping this will push us over the £ 10 grand mark!!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;For anyone that still has the inkling to sponsor if you haven’t already that is, here’s our link to the Just Giving page ....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;                                                                    Just Giving for Dennis -&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is the easiest way to donate!!!!! SDBTT&lt;a href=&quot;http://livepage.apple.com/&quot;&gt;livepage.apple.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The day before the jump, April 17th, was the second anniversary of our dear Dennis passing.  For us we don’t particularly mourn the day in preference to celebrating his birthday, but you can never forgot the worst day of our lives.  Dennis would be proud of what we have done in his honor over the last 2 years and to have raised funds near £ 40,000.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Many of you know also that Beate and I have become approved adopters and we look forward to the chance of bringing a young little girl into our family.  Steve is very excited at the prospect and will make a remarkable brother again.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks again and apologies for the delay in writing and for your continued support.  I have been instructed by Beate to update next month, so that’s the target.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Love,&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan, Beate and Steven.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Summer Update</title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2008/8/10_Summer_Update.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:20:42 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2008/8/10_Summer_Update_files/IMG_1560.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Media/object000_1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px; width:289px; height:217px;&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Hi everyone!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Once again, sorry for the delay in updating on our lives...time moves so fast.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We have had a pretty good Summer, which for the most part has not been good weather-wise here in Aberdeen, but we have managed a trip to Portugal and that was great.  We have spent good quality time together and Beate and I are always fulfilled in our enjoyment with Steven.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate is doing well and from the last update, she was gearing up her training to do race for life.  I am proud to announce that she personally raised £ 700 for Cancer Research UK.  Again, this was a 5k run / walk for women who have been affected by Cancer.  It apparently poured rain in the morning, but when the girls ran in the afternoon they were fortunate enough to not get a single drop of rain...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Recently, Beate has joined Virgin Vie as a Cosmetics sales person and this gets her out and about meeting new people along with making money on the side. This is a real job, but the hours and work put in are really determined by the person.  For now, with the emphasis mainly being on the family, Beate wishes to just have light involvement and this suits us all.  I have to say it has been great for her.  The majority of the money that Beate makes from the sales she gets will go towards our charity for Dennis.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I have been buy trying to lose weight!! In my futile efforts to try and convince the Skydiving outfit that just over 14 st (196 lbs) would be ok, I have set my goals on losing the weight required to be well below this come the time of our jump on Sept 13th.  From a consistent 208 lbs weight, I have thus far shed 10 lbs so I’ve been very happy with this.  I have 5 weeks to go and more exercise in Gym and healthy eating will be the order of the day.  I feel a lot better now, but still need to do a lot more before the weigh in (I don’t want to be jumping out of a plane naked then do I!!).  Six others (Paul, Joann, Kath, Dianne, Mark, Barry) are doing this with me and shortly we’ll be starting the fundraising offensive.  If you’re willing to support our efforts (We’re calling it ‘Touch the Sky for Dennis”, please donate at the following link:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justgiving.com/dennisralphfund/donate&quot;&gt;www.justgiving.com/dennisralphfund/donate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Steven had his 7th birthday on July 24th and we all had a great time.  Stevie and his closest friends were invited to Codonas (local amusement park) and were all given daily passes to go on what ever rides they wanted.  I couldn’t help on joining some of the rides too (Beate did a couple).  He’s really into LEGO now and was delighted to see that he had the latest Indiana Jones Lego structure.  He’s getting on great but does like to stay up a bit late though...mind it’s Summer hols so we don’t really worry that much.  It’s back to school however come the 19th of August and he’s excited about that.  This will be P3 for him, atleast now he has some grown up teeth to show everyone (he was the last still to have his baby teeth in P2).  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We had a great holiday in Portugal.  Our niece Viviann (13) from Norway came over the week before our trip and hung out with us.  Viv is great company for Steve and they really bonded on this trip.  They had plenty of fun together in Portugal and completely loaded up on Ice creams to last them for the rest of the Summer.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I’ve been building a deck at the side of the house, we hardly get the sun to use it, so we’ll see how we get on with that.  I like keeping busy.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Well I suppose that’s all for now.  I hope you all have had good times over the Summer months!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Take care,&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan, Beate and Steven&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Happy Easter  </title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2008/3/24_Happy_Easter__.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:32:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <description>Again folks sorry for the long delay in updating everyone, my sincerest apologies.  I think it get’s more difficult each time I come on to the website.  We have a few photos to update in photos section and a few comments here too.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Christmas (seems so long ago now) was very hard for us as we had such vivid memories of the year before and when we actually had a glimmer of hope that Dennis was going to pull through (how wrong we were).  We did as you all know cherish our time with Dennis and spent the best quality time as possible.  Disneyland was a great distraction and one I think we would like to repeat on a yearly basis, however next time maybe a bit warmer!!  We came back after thoroughly enjoying ourselves and set about trying to have a decent Xmas, which I think we did in the end.  Our thoughts were elsewhere so much of the time, but we made the best of it for Steve, who is such a critical part of our lives and remains the focus of all our energy.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The good folks at Dennis’ old nursery (Scout hall play group) decided to name a new fenced off area at the back of the scouts hall in Dennis’ honour.  This was really a touching thing for us and the effort by the community to support such an effort was really overwhelming.  Although no platforms or play equipment exists, the fact that this area is now called after Dennis, means enough for us.  We will continue to support the Nursery group and help where we can see some more photos.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stevie is doing well at school and we’re delighted with his progress.  He still talks of Dennis and we are so keen to hear what he say’s here.  I believe that gradually he is thinking of him  less and less as time wears on, but we bring his name up again when the time is right (never forget and always cherish).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We all can’t believe that we are approaching a year on without our dear boy, but we must fight on and try to live our lives as best as possible.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate is doing ‘Race for Life’ this year, which is an annual Womens run at the Aberdeen Beach for Cancer Research UK.  I am so proud to say that she is running the 5k on Dennis’ behalf and can’t wait to see her and hug her at the finish line.  She has already raised £ 560 pounds and if you want to sponsor please link here:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/beateralph&quot;&gt;http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/beateralph&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I am looking to do a Skydive in September in aid of Dennis Charity through Samantha Dixon.......It’s something I’ve always wanted to do to we’ll see....watch this space&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We are also meeting some other Samantha Dixon Umbreall Group Families in September so looking forward to reaching out to others who have gone through the same as ourselves.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The best to you all, promise not to take so long next time.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan and Beate&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Pre-Xmas Update</title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2007/12/16_Pre-Xmas_Update.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:05:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <description>Yet again another long break between installments and a lot has happened since the Big Walk we had.  Of-course it has taken a while to collect all the money, but that’s to be expected.  With the money we received from family and friends, coupled with some corporate sponsorship and the dedicated efforts of the people who walked with us on the day to do their own respective fund-raising, we are looking at a grand total of £ 15,574 raised for the day!!!!  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I’m sure you will all agree this is an absolutely astounding amount and it really has overwhelmed Beate and I.  More than the money, we feel so honored to know so many people that are willing to help out our cause and make a difference in this life and this is something that we will continue to do in Dennis’ honour.  Truly, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for all the effort and support.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Shortly after the big walk and after several long baths, we attended another event the following week that dear friends of ours (Debbie and Allan Fergusson) put together.   This was an end of year party for Kudos Financial Services and the theme was Elvis.  In addition to having a great time and good food, the night was also structured to raise money for the Dennis Ralph fund.  We arrived with an Elvis questionairre on each table with the intent of people to donate money to the Dennis Ralph fund.  The person with the highest score of Elvis trivia on the multiple choice would win a night in an exclusive hotel.  The grand total raised was £ 850 with Kudos rounding off to £ 1000!!  Later on that night the Elvis statues were auctioned off and that raised another £ 500....!!!!  Again a big thanks to Deb and Allan for a wonderful night.  I must also belatedly mention the great effort that Debbie and Allan’s children (Emma, Harry and Ellie) did when raising £ 150 earlier on in the Summer at the Kippie Lodge fun fair.  The kids set up a special game in aid of Dennis’ Charity (Great job Emma) and hopefully we can track down some photos to post shortly.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We have also been to see the Foo Fighters which turned out to be a great night.  We went along with Mark and Louise Ballantyne and joined up with close friends Barry and Vanessa.  There was an emotional song in the middle of the set and that was ‘&lt;a href=&quot;Entries/2007/12/16_Pre-Xmas_Update_files/05%20My%20Hero-2.m4a&quot;&gt;05 My Hero.m4a&lt;/a&gt;’.  Beate and I decided to play that acoustic version of the song following Dennis’ funeral and they played it amazingly well on the night.  I can recall playing the acoustic album over and over again as I wrote this very blog during the hard times when Dennis was pretty low.  The song had a big impact on me and it felt so fitting to play it for him.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We are going to Disneyland Paris this Wednesday for a few days and will return on Xmas Eve.  We tried to go over the Xmas period but everything was fully booked.  Never-the-less, we are all really excited about the break off and will provide us with so happy moments in what will be of-course a very sad Christmas for us.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks for tuning in again and I’ll update the blog with more photos and notes when we get back from Paris. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Merry Xmas to you all and all the best for 2008.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan, Beate and Steven&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>The Big Walk......IBTA Walk Around the World...We did 617 miles in total !!!</title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2007/10/28_The_Big_Walk......IBTA_Walk_Around_the_World%21%21%21.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:08:23 +0000</pubDate>
      <description>&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2007/10/28_The_Big_Walk......IBTA_Walk_Around_the_World%21%21%21_files/CIMG0192_1.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Media/object002.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px; width:383px; height:239px;&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Yesterday, friends and family joined in on a combined effort to raise awareness for Brain Tumours on behalf of the International Brain Tumour Association (IBTA).  Coupled with this effort, we aimed to raise money for Samantha Dixon Brain Tumour Trust and the Dennis Ralph Fund (Umbrella Group within SDBTT).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thirty Eight of us left from Banchory on the outskirts of Aberdeen and walked in to a central park in Aberdeen (Duthie Park).  The total distance travelled was 16 miles and took the better part of 5 hours to complete.  We left at Duthie Park at 0900 hrs and took a bus out to Banchory where we met up with some folks there already.  Some introductions and last minutes chats first and then we all set off on the well known “old railway’ train route (0940).  The rails are long gone and most of the route is paved over, with some stunning scenery to take in.  We stopped in Drumoak after a couple of hours at an agreed location (Irvine Arms Pub in Drumoak), where they kindly laid on soup and sandwiches (plus a healthy donation....thanks very much Shona!!!).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Although many of us wanted to stay behind, we hit the trail for the final stretch with some real keene to get back to Aberdeen.  The football team took off like they had a big match to go to and David Hedley just decided to run the 14 miles in from Drumoak....Wow...!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate and I took up the rear and Sampson struggled at times, but finished fine  (Paul’s dog Abbey helped him along)....  We really did have a lot of fun during the day and it really felt communal and one where we all had a common goal.  We really do appreciate all of the efforts of everyone to raise money for Dennis’ Charity.  We haven’t tallied up all of the funds yet, but from the donations thus far I can say with confidence that we are overwhelmed with the generosity of the people and companies we have around us.  This was a very emotional day for us and our first real event for Dennis’ Charity and we felt so positive of what has been achieved both in terms of total mileage for IBTA walk around the world campaign (our total was close to 550 miles!!) and the money raised for Dennis.   We were truly honored to be a part of a such a fantastic group of people.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In addition, dear friends Bev and Billy Donald also did a sponsored walk on the same day, but a city route in Aberdeen.  Both girls did 10 miles in total, so thanks very much for the contribution also guys!!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks so much and an update will follow with the total funds raised.....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;(If any of the folks took photos during the day, please forward to me and I’ll update this page)..&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan and Beate&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Small Steps...continued</title>
      <link>http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2007/9/28_Small_Steps...continued.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:01:44 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Entries/2007/9/28_Small_Steps...continued_files/IMG_1261.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://web.me.com/stan.ralph/The_Ralphs.../A_new_beginning.../Media/object031.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px; width:289px; height:217px;&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;It’s been yet again a long time since updating the blog, but these days as I’m sure you can appreciate, it is rather difficult to re-visit the site.  That’s not to say we’re giving up on the page....no way..&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I’ve changed around the website a good bit and re-organized as it’s ever evolving.  We always want to have a memorial piece for Dennis so, he has his own specific section and of-course definite links to this page.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Since the last update we have done a fair bit, nothing major like big trips away or anything, but good quality home time with the three of us (and Sampson).  The caravan thing didn’t pan out this Summer for various reasons, but we haven’t given up on that and is defiantly one for the future.  We do plenty at the weekends and have a good time together. We have had plenty of visits from dear friends also (Carole-Singapore even....).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We continue to get magnificent support from friends and family and we are so happy to be in Westhill.  Who knows where the Oilfield will take us, but at-least for now we are stable.  Stevie is back at School and doing well.  We have a councilor / play therapist who comes by to visit him every week (Leigh) and progress is good with him.  He recently attended a gathering through the same charity along with other children who have also lost a sibling or parent to Cancer.    He seemed to get along well with some of the other kids there too.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We attended a surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary for our dear friends and Godparents to Steven; Arthur and Susan Hedley.  Lizni, Chris and David organised the event for their Mum and Dad and on the invitations, they requested that instead of flowers or presents that donations should be made to the Dennis Ralph Fund.....what a nice gesture.  The night itself was a blast and in total we raised £ 385 !!  We are very grateful to everybody at the event for raising money, we are really honored at everybody's generosity.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;So, it looks like we’ll be doing a walk for the &lt;a href=&quot;../../Dennis_Page/Dennis_Ralph_Fund/Entries/2007/9/27_Sponsored_Walk_for_Dennis_Ralph____IBTA.html&quot;&gt;IBTA - Walk around the World Campaign&lt;/a&gt; and Funds raised will go directly into Dennis Ralph Fund / Samantha Dixon Brain Tumour Trust.  We will be doing the walk from Banchory into Aberdeen (14 miles)!!  I’ll shortly be sending out sponsorship forms and hoping that I’ll get good backing from you all.  We are doing this jointly with Morna Sinclair who is also raising funds for SDBTT.  Morna little girl Hannah recently had a brain tumour removed and is recovering well, so we are delighted to be doing this together.  Morna has around 10 members joining her, so hopefully I’ll get the same.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Check out the road trip Stevie and I took last weekend to Manchester to see Man United vs. Chelsea.  On the whole we had a magnificent time together and suffice to say I can’t wait until our next trip.  It was a bit unfair on Mum though as this was the first time Steven had been away for a trip like that.  Next time Mum will come along too.  We had fund and games with the sleeper train on the way back (3 hrs delay and departed at 0330 in the morning!!).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Anyway, I want to keep it brief here as I’ll be sending another note shortly with requests on who wants to sponsor or joins us on the walk.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks again,&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan, Beate and Steve....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;July 15th, 2007&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Time for another update as we have many things to update people on...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We are all doing ok, there are hard moments and it feels as if he passed away just the other day.  Our memories of the whole experience good and bad are still so vivid.  It’s really hard to put our thoughts into words on this issue of grief, but lets just say we’re trying to get through the only way we know how and that’s very individual.  We are very strong together as a unit and we are very good at picking each other up.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Steven is finished school now and after a few days I think was missing school a bit (ok maybe not)and is enjoying our new dog Sampson (see separate update on him and the story picking him up etc).    We don’t have any concrete plans for a trip in the Summer, just to hang out together and perhaps take a few trips at the weekends.  We are talking about getting a caravan, so we’ll wait and see how that all transpires.  We can’t leave the house with Sampson until he is fully vaccinated so anything on this front will be until August anyway.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The Samantha Dixon Brain Tumour Trust / Dennis Ralph Fund is steadily gaining pace and now we have an actual account set up where money, either donated or raised via charity, can be sent directly!!  Please check out the separate section on this page specifically for the DR Fund......&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We have received our first international donation, all the way from Canada, care of Dan Hayward (UD) and his wife Cath (greatly appreciated).  At first I thought this would be a little tricky, but actually was quite simple.  I know there are other who may wish to donate directly to this fund and we encourage you to do so.  Again, please don’t think we are after your money for our own purposes......, these funds go directly into his account and we thereafter have the opportunity to put this money directly towards Brain Tumour research.....this is the main point with the Umbrella group in the first place and to provide a means of doing something constructive in Dennis’ name...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks,&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Stan, Steven and Beate&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This really seems overdue, but I am sure you can appreciate it’s rather hard to get going with this.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Following a few hectic weeks after the funeral, Beate and I intentionally kept ourselves constantly busy with jobs around the house, dealing with practical matters, and trying to focus on Stevie.  In a way we were so busy that we were not allowing ourselves to grieve (we now understand that this is a typical pattern of the grieving process).  Ofcourse, there has been rough and sad times, I am not going to deny that, but in a way we were trying to push away the reality of our situation.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We went on holiday (to Benidorm) as a spur of the moment thing and had a pretty good time with Steve.  It was off season and we pretty much got all of the theme parks to ourselves with very little queue’s.  We had plenty of sun, but the apartment was pretty poor and the amount we saved was more than spent on eating out every night.  We also found this time to be a reality check for us and the gravity of our situation really started to hit home.  For the first time, we were out doing things only with Steven, there was such a distinct void with us.  We came back from the break and tried to get back to normality......&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;What normality? &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is the phase we are currently trying to adapt to and it is very difficult (Life without Dennis).  At times we feel normal and go about our daily events then the slightest thing sends us to the depth’s of hurt again.  The pain of our experience is raw and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.  However, we must take small steps and try to move forward (the world will not wait for us)...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We are getting a puppy !!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We have thought about this for some time and researched a fair amount for the breed that matched us best.  Ofcourse, the Ralph’s don’t choose the easy path like a breeder or kennel at the end of the road, we are going for an Eurasier, which is a particularly rare breed of dog. The closest breeder we could find was Birmingham and we recently visited to see the pup in question that has been held for ourselves (he’s only 6 weeks old).   &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;For more information about the breed click here:      &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurasiers.co.uk/&quot;&gt;www.eurasiers.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;     &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Suffice it to say that we know this is the right dog for us and we can’t wait to pick him up. In a way, we want to try to bring a little joy back to the house and this may be a step in the right direction.  We do know that Steven is very exited about this and we’ll keep you posted on how this bond develops...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Money Raised and what’s next... :&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Following the funeral, as posted on our family notice in the paper; donations to be sent to Archie Foundation (primarily supportive care at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital), we received a total of £ 565.  This money was personally delivered to Archie Foundation at the hospital.  We also went by and thanked the various ward staff who attended to Dennis and this was very difficult....I hope that’s the last time we ever have to go back into that hospital again.  We also have £ 330 (which still remains in a box)...more of that in a minute.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Remaining with Archie, my old employer (Baker Oil Tools), through constant prodding from my dear friend Suzanne has contacted them to purchase additional items where our money may have fell short.  Not only that BOT raised an additional £ 2200 for us to donate in which ever way we wanted.... This couples with donated money from my employer (BP), who have matched personal donations.  Also, many others have sent cheques direct to Archie and there are forwarded accordingly.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We hope that through the funds raised this will provide more comfort / distraction for the patients / parents alike with the reclining chairs for the patients rooms, Playstation and games into the play area.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate and I have though long and hard about what we want to do with this money (BOT and BP money) and what we could still raise yet.  We want to get to the root of the problem in the first place and we have decided to do this via Brain Tumour research.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.braintumourtrust.co.uk/&quot;&gt;Samantha Dixon Brain Tumour Trust:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We have been in contact with the above group who are a nationally set-up organization that solely support funds for specific Brain Tumour research.  In fact, SDBTT have raised over £ 5 million over the last 10 years for pure research!!  We now have an Umbrella group within this organization (as do many other parents who have lost a child / sibling).  The relevant paperwork has been signed and shortly we will receive an individual bank account in Dennis’ name.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;So how does this work?  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Well, once the account is set up, we will be able to transfer current and future money raised directly into this account (we cannot take out of this account).  What we can do is have a say as to where the money gets diverted in terms of the research grants that are approved.  Once these rounds come (I think every 2 yrs) we will then naturally want to divert funds to research areas that are the closest to what Dennis had....Pineal Blastoma.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We are pleased to be associated with a registered charity and one that is so devoted to Brain Tumour Research.  Most important of all, we are able to do something positive with the money and this will still keep Dennis’ name ‘in lights’.  Please check out the link to the Samantha Dixon Brain Tumour Trust and read more about what they do.  Also, see the specific Umbrella groups that we have set-up for Dennis (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.braintumourtrust.co.uk/groups.htm&quot;&gt;Dennis Ralph Fund&lt;/a&gt;).  I haven’t written anything there yet, but that will come...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate and I may wish to do something locally and perhaps once or twice a year to raise money for his umbrella group.  Another important fact here is that any one of our dear friends can do this too.  So, if there are any marathon runners or hill walkers out there then let me know...Seriously, there are a multitude of events that are available to participate in so watch this space.....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The SDBTT fund will provide you with all of the forms and hopefully it should be as simple as sending in the money direct to the umbrella fund!!  Again, I’ll be more specific when things get established and inform you all about upcoming events or people that want to get involved.  If any of you are interested in raising money through certain events, please let me know....&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;So, I think that’s enough for now.  I’ll try to update the page more frequently and give you all updates on how we are doing, how the dog is getting on and how our Dennis Ralph Fund is coming along.........Small steps..&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Thanks again and thank you all for your continued support and friendship.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beate, Stan and Steven.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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