Everyday I am reminded of how much we have been blessed with and how little I sometimes appreciate it...

Brian, Eli, and I just got back home from a quick trip back to Rochester and Mayo Clinic. Last Thursday after a short phone call with Eli's GI doctor there she felt that it would be best to come up. So we left Monday and arrived home tonight (praise God for a short trip).

Despite all the snow that we have been having the roads were fine and we did get to see several industrial sized snow blowers blowing snow from the middle of the road across the road and into the ditch. Eli referred to it as "a massive snow rainbow" Once in Rochester we were again blessed to get into the Ronald McDonald house. They are amazing there!!! Eli left with another new blanket (race cars this time) and a book that a child from the public schools wrote and illustrated for the kids at the house - each child got a different book - it was really neat. This house truly is an amazing blessing for children who are being treated at Mayo and their families.

Eli's visit went fine. His blood work is out of wack as usual but not significantly worse which is good news however not improving either. We are starting him on injections and a couple of other supplements. I will now be giving him injections once a week and he will have blood work every other week. Then we will head back to Mayo in about 8 wks. His new med is a stronger drug w/stronger side effects. It is a chemo drug and will lower his immune system so infections are one of the main concerns. We would appreciate your prayers that he will take the injections ok, that they will not make him to nauseous, and that we can avoid infections.

This trip to Mayo was a little different than the last. Your first trip there can defiantly be overwhelming to say the least. It is easy to get tunnel vision and not notice everything and everyone around you. This time I felt more comfortable, I had been there, knew the doctors and facilities and was able to take in a little more of everything. We have been truly blessed and if you ever start to doubt that just take a look around...