Wednesday May 30, 2007

We had a wonderful trip to Flagstaff over Memorial Day weekend. We saw some Pueblo ruins, Sunset Crater and lots of volcanic rocks and ash which I had never seen before. It was about 20 degrees cooler there than in Phoenix so very pleasant to walk around. It was just very relaxing with no schedule for three days. The views of the mountains are very relaxing and peaceful and good for nice thoughts of healing.Joe started back on treatment yesterday with IPT. He will have Vitamin C today and then tomorrow he goes for his procedure. He will have the blood supply to the liver tumor closed off tomorrow and then Friday they will use Radio Frequency Ablation to zap the tumor and kill it hopefully. He will be in the hospital overnight Thursday and maybe Friday. The procedures will be done at 1 P.M. both days so please keep your prayers going that all goes smoothly. Don't think I told you that Friday night before we went to Flagstaff Karen came over and we went for a walk. On our way home, right by the pool we almost literally ran into four adult havalinas and two pups. We ran up the stairs to get Joe so he could see. What a treat! They didn't seem to be at all disturbed that we were there. I have seen them walk through the complex several times but never with pups. Saturday Karen saw a bobcat sitting on the stairs to the pool. Not the kind of wildlife we're used to in IL. so very exciting for us. That is about it for now. I will write as soon as the procedure is over and I can get to the computer. Love to you all and God Bless Mary Anne

May 24th, 2007 Thursday

Our flight out here was nice and easy. We did have a little problem in that we left our front door key in our door at home without even closing the door when we left. We each thought the other was the last out so at the airport Joe asked if I got the key. I didn't and we realized that the car key was on that too. The car was in Phoenix at the airport and we had visions of having to take a cab to the clinic and then staying overnight until our neighbor could fed x us the keys but being the responsible husband Joe is, he had a spare key in the glove compartment so we didn't have to alter our plans at all. You wouldn't believe how well Joe handled that stress. The alkaline diet must really be having an effect! Anyhow Monday night Joe got a fever and couldn't get warm that night. Of course I have no thermometer but Tuesday morning I went to Walgreens. He couldn't get IPT On Tuesday. His temp was 100.9 but they gave him fluids and nutrients. That was the quietest the group had ever seen him. They knew he was sick. He felt better by that evening and got his IPT yesterday. He had a little relapse last night but was OK this morning. They did blood cultures but they aren't back yet. His urine was negative. Anyway, a little blip in the road. I stayed home today while he got treatment and basically did nothing but read and sleep and laundry.
We have made plans to go to Flagstaff this weekend to enjoy the sights. I know this is a holiday weekend and Joe isn't crazy about crowds but we love this country and it would be a shame not to see it while we are here. By the way his blood levels came back to normal while we were home. He definitely looked more rested when we left home. His weight has stabilized and that is good.
For those of you who don't know yet, we had to make the decision to put Jake our maltese to sleep right before we left for home. He was too sick and I was spending more time and energy on him than Joe. It has been a big adjustment because he was part of our life for ten wonderful years but it was time. We miss him terribly but have great memories of him.
Bye for now. God Bless. Mary Anne

May 20, 2007 Sunday

We had a great second week home seeing lots of friends and attending some grandchildrens activities like baseball, play and piano recital. We feel rejuvenated and ready to go back for another 6 weeks of treatment. Easy for me to say - I'm not getting them. But Joe has accomplished all he planned on for the time home, and had many nice times sitting on the deck which is what he pictured when he was in Phoenix. Our plans are to be there 6 weeks and then to drive home stopping to see family in Colorado and then friends in St. Louis. We hope to be on the road by the 30th of June if all goes as planned. Joe's RFA is scheduled for the 31 of May and 1 of June with an overnight hospital stay. He will have his regular treatment until then and after that.
We leave early tomorrow morning so Joe can be at the clinic by 10 for treatment. Thanks so much to all our friends who made special efforts to see us and pray with us and love us while we were home. You are so special to us. We couldn't make this journey alone and your prayers and support help us to continue on and trust in God that He is watching over us and allowing us to continue to follow His plan. God Bless Mary Anne

Tuesday May 15,2007

Hi Friends,
I can't believe how busy we have been since we came home. Even with the computer in the house instead of having to go to Starbucks, I haven't kept up. We are doing fine. Joe continues to feel well with no queeziness. He had some shakiness due to the chemo but it is much better being off for a week. He has gotten his flowers planted, his fish pond going and enjoyed sitting on the deck just looking at the 18th hole and our little lake and enjoying time with family and friends. We can't get everything in in two weeks but if you know us, we are never still so we have made a good effort. We go back to Phoenix next Monday and will be there for another 6 weeks. During that time Joe will have the RFA on his main active liver tumor. I brought my vitamix home to prepare meals but we are back to more vegan than raw vegan with about 25% cooked. This seems quite tolerable for Joe. We have played some golf, some cards, spent some time with children and grandchildren and gone to our home church. Life is good and we are soaking it up. Wish we could see everyone but we will catch up when we get home for good. Love to you all and thanks so much for your continued support. God Bless Mary Anne

Friday May 4th, 2007

Today is National Day of Prayer. We are so thankful that you all are not praying just on this day. We have made the decision to come home Tuesday May 8th for two weeks. Joe was not able to have chemo this week at all due to low blood counts and we can't get the RFA scheduled for 1-2 weeks so we thought this would be a good time to come home and let his body rest. We are excited about seeing everyone and I for one plan on playing some hand and foot - and winning! We hope to get together with many of our friends and family while we are in. Meal prep will be harder because I can't bring in all my equipment but we will do the best we can. Looking forward to seeing everyone. We are leaving Jake here in the kennel. They love him and it will make it easier for us. Love to you all. Can't wait to see you. God Bless, Mary Anne

Wednesday May 2, 2007

The day we have all been waiting for. Sorry we are two hours earlier than lots of our family and friends so it is too late to call but we had appointments with the radiologist and Dr. Lodi today. The gist is -there are no new tumors. the tumors in the liver, two of them are necrotic in the middle meaning they are not very active. They didn't light up much on the Pet scan. The third one is more active and the radiologist wants to use RFA on it That is Radio Frequency Ablation where they go in through the groin like an angio and up to the tumor and zap it. It would be done in the hospital and require an overnight stay. Both docotrs feel that if we get rid of this one the immune system and the chemo will have less to work on. So our plan is to have this done as early as we can, hopefully next week and then have a couple of IPT's and then go home for two weeks. Joe's blood count is dropping from the chemo and that will give him a chance to recoup. We hope to come home around the 17th if all goes well. We will let you know when we get the RFA scheduled. We like both doctors really well and we feel this is a good decision. We will let you know more when we know. After our time home we will come back for 4-6 more weeks of treatment and go from there.
Karen moved into her condo with lots of help and it looks really nice. He cats have adjusted well and it is the same distance from work as her old place.
As always, we appreciate your calls and emails and comments on the blog. Thanks so much for all the prayers. Waiting for today was hard but nothing like last July. Take care and God Bless Mary Anne

April 27,2007 Friday

Hi dear friends and family,
Well Joe had a banner day yesterday. It was his 67th birthday and calls started pouring in about 8 A.M. from friends and family wishing him well. He got calls all through his treatment and last night we celebrated and went to Baci's (which was originally in Plainfield but moved out here 6 years ago) for a free dinner. That is what we call it when we go off raw vegan rather than cheating. Frank the owner has always treated Joe as a friend and he fussed over Joe so well last night. He made a special appetizer for us, gave us a bottle of wine,and then a sample of a pasta. We were almost full before our entrees. Karen and her boyfriend Mike joined us for the evening and we were probably there for two hours. Mike is way too polite for our family as was our daughter- in-law Tracy. He never interrupted so he didn't get to talk much. We even had dessert and Joe had his favorite, carrot cake. Yesterday was officially 9 months of fighting this disease even though Joe had it for a year before that. He continues to do well. He is a trooper about taking his heparin, his supplements and his treatments. The P.E.T. scan is Monday and results next Wednesday. His blood counts drop each week but they give him shots to bring it back up and his body is responding well. His cancer markers continue to stay the same or drop being about 50 now for the CA19-9. His spirits are good which makes it easier for me.
He is excited about helping Karen get her new condo in shape. This week he went and installed shelves in her outside closet on her patio and picked out a picture at Kohls for her living room.
We have cell group tonight with friends from Karen's church (I guess it is our church away from home) and then tomorrow Karen moves to her new condo. I have taken the week off swimming and just been working on new recipes to use my new dehydrator. The first thing I made was onion bread and the whole condo smelled of onions for two days as it takes 36 hours to dehydrate. We are enjoying the nice warm weather here and it will be 99 today. Our prayer requests for now are that the pet scan will show much reduction in the tumors and that we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord and his plan for our lives. We know we still have work to do and we are trying to be patient and wait on his word. Thanks to you all for making yesterday special. God Bless Mary Anne

Tuesday April 24,2007

Hi Friends,
Well, it has been awhile. I flew to Chicago for my state swimmming meet last Wednesday and came back last night. Joe couldn't remember how to sign in so he didn't post. He is still feeling well except for a little neausea on IPT days which are twice a week. Overall he is doing well. His red and white blood cell count drop sometimes but they give him shots to bring them back up. When they are low, he has no stamina. Today we moved from one condo to the other. I have a few things still to do but I am almost done. We are now on the first floor which is easier and the view is spectacular of the mountains.
karen closes on her condo tomorrow and Joe will be going over after treatment to put up shelves in her owners closet on her patio. They had fun shopping this weekend for little things. The condo is awesome and she is so excited.
I had a great time in my swimmming meet breaking some long standing records,. It was good to think about something besides treatment. Thanks to family and firends who had me for meals while I wa home so I didn't have to cook or prepare. It went way too fast but it was good to be back with Joe. We haven't been apart that long for several years.
As I said before, the PET scan is next Monday and then the news on Wednesday. We will let you know. I didi b ring the DVD of the one last July from Chicago this weekend so we will have that to compare also as well as the one in March of this year. That is about it for now. take care and God Bless Mary Anne

sunday April 15, 2007

Hi Friends,
We had a great weekend. We started with the news that Joe's Ca 19-9 which is the cancer marker for Cholangiocarcinoma was 54. Normal is below 37. The people on the cc website have levels in the 2000's so you can see Joe's is very low for this kind of cancer. Friday night we went to cell group which is like small group with some people from Karen's church. It is so nice to have somewhere to go to talk about what God is doing in your life and share your walk with other Christians. We would be so lonesome without having that outlet here. We miss our own small group in Plainfield but we are happy to be included out here. Then Saturday we went to Surprise and played golf with Bill and Karen Sulllivan. Joe shot an 89 and I shot a 101. We were both happy with our scores, especially me. That is my second best score ever. We came home and had a quiet evening at home. Today we went to church and the message was all about waiting on the Lord - being patient and being Spirit led. How timely! We are waiting on the Lord for a miracle. Healing is not just about healing the cancer but letting God do a mightly work in us as a couple and individually to bring us closer to Him. We feel his grace and care every day. We had some great news today. Our friends who let us rent the condo so reasonably for this 6 weeks have agreed to let us stay on in their condo, one building over, at virtually no charge for as long as we need it. We were looking for more reasonable housing but God had a better plan. He always has a better plan! This will depend on the outcome of the PET scan on the 30th but the fact that Joe has had two good weeks, better than he has had in a year and a half, tells us something is working. His stomach was a little quezzy today but not bad he said.
We couldn't be in a better place weather wise. We have ordered a dehydrator to be able to add some variety to our meals so we are anxiously awaiting its arrival.
Tomorrow starts week 5 of treatment. We also are going to see the radiologist about possibly doing radio frequency oblation on the lung tumors. This means they go in like a lung biopsy and zap them( or burn them) and then they are gone. They may not all be accessible but even to get rid of some of them would be good. It is almost an out patient procedure. We will let you know after the meeting on Tuesday. That's it for now. Got to go home and do dinner. Love to you all. God Bless Mary Anne

April 12,2007

Hi Friends,
Well we are on day 11 of Joe feeling good, no quezziness. His blood work came back yesterday and his liver enzymes are back in normal range and his white count is also normal. We didn't get the CA19-9 back but that will probably be done tomorrow. He has added about 7-8 oral supplements to his regime and I had to make out a nurses medication sheet for him to be able to know what to take when, but he is a trooper and is handling it on his own. His spirits are good and we plan to play golf this weekend with the Sullivans. There is no sense in mentioning the weather here because it is like Hawaii. It is always sunny and always warm. Unlike Ohio ,where some of our kids are, who got snow and did an Easter egg hunt in the snow and Chicago where is is cold and blustery. We have decided to have our mail held til I go home next weekend because the forwarding is so slow. We still aren't sure when we are coming home but we know we are doing the right thing and I am being successful in some of my recipes so that's a good thing. We found out today that Medicare doesn't cover any of this and therefore neither will our supplement but if this cures Joe's cancer it will be worth it. We're trusting in God that we are doing the right things to heal Joe's body. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We miss our friends and family and I am glad at least I will see some of you next week when I come to Chicago for the state meet. I will be 65 next week and have been celebrating being on Medicare since the first of this month. Take care and God Bless you all. Mary Anne

Monday April 9,2007

Hi Friends,
We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Our son Michael arrived Friday morning and went to the center with us and got to see what the program looked like and spent some time with Dr. Lodi.
Friday night we ate at Karen's and visited for awhile and then Joe and Michael went back to our condo and I stayed with Karen. Saturday, Joe and Michael went golfing at the Boulders for Joe's birthday which is this month and Karen and I did Pat's run. We all had a great day and met back up in the late afternoon. Satuday night we took Michael out to eat and then to the airport to catch a red eye back to Ohio to spend Easter with his family. It was a wonderful visit and we don't often get just adult time with our kids so that was wonderful. Easter service was great and it is so nice to have a good church to go to when you are away from your home church. Karen's church has done a great job of adopting us. We feel so welcome and it is a small church like our own so we are getting to know people.
Joe is on his 8th day of feeling normal. We praise God for that and leading us to this healthy treatment. He has no side effects so far and his blood count is monitored twoce a week and his CA 9-19 once a week. He is giving himself his own heparin shots and doing well with that. I am researching dehydrators now to add to my kitchen equipment. We are half way through the planned time here but may extend it.
Again we thank all of your for your prayers, phone calls, cards. You can't imagine how they bouy us up and give us grace to just live today and thank God for it. Please know that we love you guys and hope we can return the favor in your time of need. God Bless Mary Anne

Wednesday April 4, 2007

Just a short post to say that Joe has had 3 days with his sotmach feeling normal - I mean really normal. His attitude is much better partly because he feels better. When you have chronic pain or discomfort for such a long time it gets wearing and to have a few days off is a real treat. We hope to get out and play 9 holes of golf today if treatment finishes in time. His white blood count dropped this week for the first time so they are watching that. Take care and God Bless. I can't believe it is almost Easter and we will celebrate with Karen and cook at home at her house so we can eat healthy. Happy Easter everyone if I don't get back on. Great time to think about what Jesus did for us just so we have something to look forward to after this life. As I drive Joe back and forth and drop Jake at Karen's, I listen to worship songs in the car which really fills me up and lifts me up. It's good to keep my eyes forward and up. God Bless Mary Anne

Monday April1,2007

Hi Friends,
Well Maybe it is April 2nd but anyway it is Monday, that I know. We had a good weekend. Joe got to play golf with Karen's pastor on Friday and he shot a 90. Of course you always think you could have done better but he really enjoyed bieng out in the sunshine and spending time with Mike Niva. I went on the ASU tour with Cassie our daughter and Marianne our granddaughter which was also very nice. Friday night we went to cell group which is like small group back in Carillon. It was with members of Karen's church and we really enjoyed it and are glad to have the support while we are here.
Saturday Joe got his car detailed for the first time and he loves having it look so fresh. Then we drove out to Surprise Az to see Karen and Bill Sullivan. We spent a few hours there and then headed home. Sunday we did church and lunch with the kids and then headed back to Fountain Hills for a relaxing evening. It was nice to have three days off.
Today Joe only has to have treatment in the morning so he left me at home for that time. I walked to Starbucks with the computer (1/2 mi) and the weather is about 80 so it was great. The computer gets heavy but it is worth it. I have been trying to catch up on everything. Heard there was a recall of dogfood so had to make sure it wasn't Jake's kind - but he is OK. It is possible our son Michael is going to stop by this weekend on his way home from CA to see Dad and play some golf. Karen and I are goin to do a 4.2 mi. run on Saturday although it may be mostly walk. Neither of us are quite in shape for that but it will be fun to spend time together. Joe is still struggling with the nutrition program and we are probably going to go back to the H.acres program which is a little more liberal. He has to do what he can handle emotionally and raw vegan is just not making it. His spirits seemed to lift just making that decision. The days out here are just one sunny day after another which is really good for him.
Thanks for all your calls and emails. It really helps to hear from you.
We are having trouble with the mail being forwarded. So far we haven't received one piece so we are working on it. By the way, April first ,I was officially elegible for Medicare as I will be 65 this month so no more high insurance premiums. Whooppeee!!!! It is like getting 600 raise per month. Also by the way my voice is almost completely back to normal after the hoarseness so I can talk on the phone - and people can hear me. You forget how good things are til you lose them. We thank God for all the blessings he has given us and we ask for grace to continue this journey for the next 4 weeks with hope and encouragement. Bye for now God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday March 29, 2007

Well Joe has a short day of treatment today, just ozone so that means about two hours. I just picked Cas and Marianne up at the airport and we are meeting Karen for lunch while she works.
We got the results of the P.E.T. scan done in Chicago read by the radiologist out here. There are still 5 spots in the lungs and multiple areas in the liver. That sounds to us like nothing has changed but it is difficult to tell without a comparison. We will get a more definitive result when he compares it to the one last September. There are no new areas which is good but we don't know the size from this report. It is possible we may need to get a cat scan if this wasn't a PET ct scan which is what we thought he had. Joe continues to tolerate the treatments Ok and the port does make it easier. He has tomorrow off because the doctor is going to a conference so he has a three day weekend. The weather here is chilly for us about 60 but should be in the 80's this weekend.
That's about it for now. Have a good weekend and God bless. Mary Anne

Monday march 26, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well today is 8 months since Joe was diagnosed. I don't think either of us thought he would be here when we heard the news but he is not only here but doing really well. The treatments are going well with little side effects. he had his blood drown yesterday to get ready for IPT today and his levels were fine. They check the while cell count before each treatment. We are hoping to get the results of the P.E T. scan today. I dropped Joe off and went swimming and now am at Karen's catching up on email. As one of the fellow cc patients wrote, we also can't take the time to read forwards and jokes while we are away so please understand. we pay for our time out here and we really just want news of how our friends and family are doing and what is going on in your lives.
It is different being out here away from all the distractions of home, some of which are really good by the way. We only get calls from caring people,no solicitors, no busy work to do etc. Yesterday we went to church and then out to lunch with the pastor Mike and his wife Darcy and some of their family. Karen had to help someone move so she couldn't join us. Then Karen treated Joe and I for our birthdays to a concert by Josh Groban downtown Phoenix last night. He is a wonderful singer and Joe and I have only been to maybe two concerts but nothing on this scale. It was at an Arena that held 20,000 people usually for basketball I guess. We were up in the boonies but it didn't matter because you could hear just fine. It was a nice break from all the medical stuff. We didn't get home til midnight which is late for me and up this morning at 7 to get ready for the day. I am having a guy make the green juice today to see if we can get one more palatable. He make them for a lot of patients at the center.
We had a sort of down day yesterday but are better today. I guess it is natural to have those once in awhile but church and Mike praying with us helped a lot.
Joe is going to try and play golf with Mike on Friday as the clinic is closed. I may hang out with Cassie and Marianne as they tour ASU that day.
Jan, Thanks for your comment and keeping the Carillon people abreast of what is going on. Feel free to give anyone our blog site.
We will let you know more news as we get it. Love you guys, God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday March 22, 2007

Hi Everyone,.
Well yesterday was another long day. Joe had his first IPT and I misread the info and we got there at 11 instead of 1. We went to Karen's and hung out for awhile (she ws at work) and then he got his treatment. I am very impressed with how careful they are and how much monitoring they do. The treatment was painless but it takes awhile to give the insulin, wait for the blood sugar to drop, give the chemo and a few other drugs and then get the bloood sugar back up. All the patients say they like the IPT days because they get to have sugar ( like juiced apple juice or orange juice) We left there about 4:30 and Joe felt Ok until the middle of the night when he had one episode of nausea. He feels back to his normal quezziness today. I alos talked to several patients wives and got some tips on the green juice. Dr. Lodi also gave us some suggestions. I tried a sample batch last night and it was really much better so we are going to start gradually until he gets used to it drinking the green juice and supplementing with raw vegan diet. We had a great cold corn chowder last night. Tonight I am going to Whole Foods and get a tour of the raw stuff that is good and what to do with some of it. We were 80 % raw for 5 months before we went to Bonaire so I have some background but it helps talking to other people and getting their recipes.
Our spirits are lifted today and I am going swimming for the first time since we got here. We are learning our way around and the distances don't seem so far. Jake our dog has been a real trooper and Karen's cats are getting used to him. Thanks you all so much for your support. We really appreciate the emails and phone calls. We know God is with us in this and I told Joe I really see his courage. God Bless Mary Anne

Tuesday first day of treatment

Hi Friends,
Yesterday was the day the juice fast started but Joe couldn't tolerate the juice - it really made hime ill even tho it is only green vegetables. So he will probalby not do that part. Yesterday he got some nutrients IV and today he will get his first IPT. We are well aware that this treatment is alternative but conventional medicine has nothing to offer that Dad is willing to do - i.e regular chemo. We have decided to do this for 6 weeks and see what happens. Please pray that we will be wise about this. We did get some good news. The CA 9-19 was 67 in September (normal is below 33) and the one he had done at St. Joes a week ago came back 27. We still don't have the P.E.T. scan results correct but hope to get that today. We appreciate the people who are trying to make sure we know all the facts about Dr. Lodi but we feel that God is leading us in this and want to give it a shot. We are praying for courage, fortitude, wisdoma nd patience. Dad has already made friends with some of the patients. Most of them are there every day for some treatment. I will not be spending all day with him as there is no place for me to sit with him in the lounge but I will spend the next few days there to see what is going on. Thanks for your support. We all have to do what we feel in right. Hope you understand this. We appreciate your concern and comments and have looked into the information about Cr. Lodi. God bless. Mary Anne

Dr. Lodi's Visit

Hi all,
It's Karen (Joe & Mary Anne's daughter) writing for Mom and Dad. It's been a long and pretty exhausting day at the doctor's office. We got there at 10am and left around 3:30pm having had only an apple each to eat. So they were pretty tired and I told them I would give the update on the blog.

Unfortunately in the way of PET scan results and bloodwork, the results that Dr. Lodi had were not complete and gave us no definitive picture of where Dad's cancer is at at this point. His office is going to work on getting more complete results.

Dr. Lodi spents lots of time with us explaining various aspects of cancer and how a raw diet helps the immune system. He also explained the various types of IV treatments that Dad will be getting. The first goal is to do six weeks of treatment and then see how things look. The treatment involves IPT (can't remember what it stands for), Ascorbic Acid doses (high doses of Vitamin C) and Oxidation. If you want to know more about these and how they work you can check out Dr. Lodi's website at www.anoasisofhealing.com . Anyway these treatments are designed to specifically target cancer cells and not kill of the good cells. At the same time Dad will be doing a "green juice" fast for 21 days to boost his immune system and cleanse and detox his body. Mom is going to be doing that part with him I think.

The treatment is much more expensive than Dad thought it would be and is not covered under medicare. This of course creates stress. Please pray for wisdom for them and for the Lord's peace to just be all around them. They start the fast tomorrow and are probably going to be at Dr. Lodi's every day. Today felt pretty heavy by the end of the day - just facing the reality of all that will be happening. Please pray that the Lord will lighten that heaviness. Thanks for all your prayers!

Karen

Heading to Arizona

Hi Friends and Family,
Wednesday we spent at the International House of Prayer and what a great filling up we received. We went in the healing room and were prayed over, Joe for his cancer and me for my voice. In between, we spent time in worship and prayer during the day and then late afternoon we went in the prophetic words room. It was so encouraging and we really feel the Lord blessed us with His words and will continue to bless us on this journey. Today we got up and left Kelli's at 5:45 and drove 880 miles to Albuquerque, NM. We arrived here at about 6:30 having gained an hour, had dinner and are now in the motel room relaxing while Joe peeks at the basketball games. The drive was not bad (although I only drove two hours) but no traffic and very little construction. The weather was perfect and we have now come to some low mountains. Joe felt good today which made the drive much better. Tomorrow, we should have no trouble getting to Karen's by dinner and we can't wait to spend some time with her. We saw something today we would never see in Chicago - a riderless horse with bridle and saddle galloping along the highway. We didn't see the cowboy anywhere but the horse was having a good old time.
We have been eating anything and everything which makes us feel alittle guilty but we know we will be on a strict program come Monday so we figure a few days off won't hurt. How much weight do you think you can gain in a week? I have been known to do a good job on a cruise.
Jake our dog continues to be a great traveler and just sits up behind the wheel like he is driving when we stop for gas or a quick meal.
Thank you all for your concerns and prayers. We couldn't do this without you. God Bless. mary Anne

On our way

Hi Friends and Family,
Well we have made it to Kansas City and are staying with Kelli for the next two nights. Kelli is Karen's friend who she roomed with in Russia. The drive today was easy. Easy for me to say because I only drove 120 of the 488 miles. The sun was shining most of the way and it got warmer all the way and when we arrived it was 80 in Kansas City. Tomorrow we spend the day at the House of Prayer and I am really looking forward to getting filled up with grace and prayer for our Arizona journey. We heard today that the treatment is not covered by medicare which is a bummer but we don't know all the details yet or what the costs will be so we aren't worrying about what we don't know. At least, I am not worrying about it. Jake our dog traveled wonderfully well on the floor in front of my seat. Just like he did in the airplane.
Thanks to Kirk, our son in law for putting on a picture of us from Bonaire. I have to say that we had a wonderful stay in Bonaire doing all the things we usually do. Joe isn't feeling really great and I would say generally he is probably 5-10% worse than he was at Christmas. Now again that is me the spouse saying this. I am not the one with the quezziness. He is a trooper tho and doesn't complain. The only way I find out is if I ask.
We had a very busy three days home but finished our taxes unpacked and repacked and left at 8:30 this morning and arrived here at 5 tonight. We are on our way to dinner with Kelli and then probably early to bed. Please keep praying and God Bless you for all your support. We will only have email these two days til we get to Karen's on Friday. Love to you all and God Bless. Mary Anne