Can you believe it?

It is hard for me to believe that it is the last day of September. Where are the days/months/(years) going? Time certainly flies when you're having fun...and even when you're not!

Woody is still getting up early...retired or not! I managed to not wake up quite as early as yesterday. He decided that this was the day to have Nathan bring up the boxes of books that he brought home from work and store them at the back of his closet (a long hall-like closet that one only has access to about half of). In doing that, I said that the rest of the "stuff" that was on the floor in his closet needed to be brought out so we could vacuum the floor (something not done often!). So we did that and Nathan came over and put those boxes in an area that was really dead-space. Then Woody worked on getting the things back on his closet floor that had a reason to be there. Then we decided that this was the time to go through some of his clothes that had "just hung" there for some time. Those are now on the couch in the family room...to be gone through. This should inspire me to go through a few other closets in the house...but...

The three girls each had some school time over here this morning. Woody read to Joy after her school time. After the school times, I abandoned ship and went out to lunch with a friend. While I was out, Woody went on a walk...to Linda Lane and back (about 7 miles). He finished a book today and has also watched a library DVD or two.

I guess it is time for me to start thinking about packing...once again! I corresponded with Woody's research nurse at NIH today. I noticed when we got information about his upcoming appointments that they didn't have an MRI listed that had been scheduled on our last visit. I emailed our nurse to make sure it was still on the schedule. But the nurse emailed back and said that the doctor had taken it off the schedule as they would be able to measure what they needed to just from the CT scan. So our journey to Bethesda and NIH now consists of lab work and a CT scan on Monday and then see some of the research team on Tuesday and hear about what they see or don't see in the scans!

Planting Garlic

Woody and I both got up waaaaaaaaaaay too early this morning. I got busy and actually got some cleaning done before it was time for school to start. The main problem for me with getting up so early is that I start running down waaaaaaaaaaay too early in the day. Woody and I even walked around the block before it was time for the first little school child to come our way. Woody helped me with the cleaning by washing the air return filter and he has helped by doing the dishes that can't go in the dish washer. I can say that I have a fairly clean dining room and a clean kitchen floor. Joy was my first pupil this morning and we worked on her reading. Then Esther came and we worked on learning the sounds the letters make and also on counting. Abigail came over and read to me from two of her readers and then she did some reading work sheets. Oh, and, I made a casserole for our supper and worked for a while in the church library this afternoon. Woody is working through his stack of books...but he continues to add to the stack. He has already finished reading several. Woody asked Graham to come over after lunch and help him plant garlic. Graham helped accomplish that task and also dug a few worms for his turtle. Then Graham sharpened a couple of his pocket knives and then came in for more bridge building lessons. Today he built a vertical lift bridge. Today's K'nex bridge lesson mentioned molecules so we had to take a "side trip" to learn what a molecule is. It has been a busy day. Woody seems to be faring very well with retirement. I'm not so sure about me...I developed a stiff neck as the day progressed. And, I don't know about Woody...but I will admit to being rather tired as this day draws to an end!

Proving God Exists

This morning Goosey (Woody) proved to Graham that God exists. He lined up ten different ways to make a dollar. Then he called Graham in and asked him how that stuff got there. Graham answered, "Someone put them there." Goosey said, "Right, somebody with some intelligence or knowledge did that. It's the same way in the universe, you find things so well organized that you draw the conclusion that some intelligent being did that--God!

Besides being a theologian today, Woody has read, relaxed, watched a bit of TV, finished up Graham's bridge engineering lesson for me when I had to leave. Woody has now walked to the church prayer room. Graham read to me today and then we started his K'nex bridge engineering lesson. Lunch happened at his house so he left and then came back to finish the lesson after lunch. Woody ended up finishing that lesson with him as I had to meet someone at the church library. When I got back from the church, Graham had just about finished another K'nex bridge...a swing bridge this time.

Dark and Rainy Day

We have had rain off and on for most of the day. Street lights were on way before dark today.
It's nice to have the nice steady rain that we have had today.

Woody took his walk in the rain today. He walked to the library this morning and on his return stopped at the fruit market for some green peppers that I needed for our supper tonight. He has read, watched TV, watched a library DVD and we just sat and talked for a while this afternoon. He is now at the Monday prayer meeting at church. Joy and Esther had some school time over here this morning. All in all a pretty quiet day for Woody's first "real" day of retirement! The temperatures have dropped here too...very fall-like...at the moment it is only 57 degrees F, and according to Weather Bug, we didn't make it out of the 60's today. I actually have on long sleeves for the first time in a while and Woody had a sweatshirt on this morning. Good to have it cool down and good to hear the rain on the roof.

We got correspondence from NIH today reminding us about appointment times for next Monday and Tuesday.

Hair, Hair Now...and Then!

Take note that Woody's hair is growing back...but it looks like he had more hair at two months than he does now! Some expression, that Woody had, made me think of this baby picture so I got it out to compare!

Woody got up REALLY early and went for a walk. I think that he walked eight miles, but am not sure and I can't check with him as he is next door reading Esther her bedtime stories while I blog. To show how early he walked...he was back home by 3am! Now that it isn't so hot, I hope that he starts walking a bit later...but to each his own! He did doze several times this afternoon. We went to Sunday School. Woody taught his Sunday School class. We went over to take care of Esther and Elijah mid afternoon. Nathan, Kathy, Graham, Abigail, and Joy went to see "The Sound of Music" play in Smyrna. I put Elijah to bed and then came over here to blog while Woody reads Esther some stories. Then we will put Esther to bed and Woody will come back over here and I will stay. Woody got me some DVDs of Project Runway at the library so I will be kept occupied till the rest of Esther and Elijah's family return. I will watch and marvel at how the clothing designers on this show can ever pull off what they do in such a short time. This show intrigues me because of my sewing interests.

Party! Party! Party!

Today six friends and I gave a bridal brunch at our church for a dear friend's new daughter-in-law. We had a great time...lots of good fellowship, lots of good food, lots of great presents!

Woody got up early but didn't go for a walk because the front that was passing through was giving us some much needed rain. Later in the morning he took some expired prescriptions to a a "drug take back" designated place in town for proper disposal. Law enforcement was there to incinerate them. I have been putting expired medications in a container for some years now not knowing what to do with them...so was very glad to find a way to dispose of them properly. Woody also went to the library and then later on in the afternoon he went to the church to meet a perspective music minister for our church.

I have been putting things away after the party and washing the church's table cloths that we used for the party. So all in all it has been a pretty busy Saturday.

Retard!

As of 4pm this afternoon, September 24, 2010, Woody retard (for those who don't speak "Southern" that's retired)! This has been in the works for some time now, but he didn't want anything said till it was official...so now it is...and I can finally tell it in the blog! It looks, by the way he has the TV trays stacked, that he is planning to read lots. He's got his pillows so he can rest lots. I am pretty sure that there is a crossword puzzle book in those stacks. And, the all important remotes are also close at hand. So...now he can start living the "life of Riley!"

Look...he has even got a slave!!!!!!!!!! Woody wanted her all the time, but Abigail has only agreed to ten hours! He's got her making slaw for him, as I type this! Talk about the life!

So...Woody got up early this morning and walked six miles, then he came home and read for a while till it was time for him to head in to work for the last time, processed out after working there for 42 years and 3 months, and then he came home to rest and relax (well, there may be a few honey-do's in this new lifestyle!), and live happily every after! "An end" to one phase of his life...and, "a new beginning" for the next...and, as Woody would say, "To God be the glory!"

Full Moon in the Morning

Here's the view we saw over Nathan, Kathy, Graham, Abigail, Joy, Esther, and Elijah's RV this morning. Woody got up really early and went for about a six mile walk. After he returned he came in and saw that I was stirring (right around 6am) and told me put on shoes and grab my camera that he had something to show me that I needed to take a picture of. I changed lenses and he grabbed my tripod and we went out and I managed to get several before it left my view point.

Woody went to work and didn't walk at lunch since he had walked early this morning...besides it was too hot to walk at that time. When Woody got home, Graham was over here completing a bridge with his K'nex. This morning, when Graham came over to read to me, we also had a lesson about bridges (We're learning about types of bridges, their parts, what makes them bear weight, etc. I'm definitely learning, too! Graham has an interest in engineering...beyond me...but I will help him with the basics and then turn him over to his daddy or Goosey to explain further when the time comes!). He decided that he would build a suspension bridge like the Golden Gate Bridge (he had instructions in the K'nex bridge building set). He wanted to know why it was called the Golden Gate Bridge since it was orange. So we looked it up and learned something...it is called that because it spans the Golden Gate Channel or Strait that connects the Pacific Ocean with the San Francisco Bay. Did you know that? One learns lots when one teaches inquisitive minds! His suspension bridge was really neat...pretty long and it wanted to sway in the middle...but as soon as he added the strings (cables) to both sides and tied them tight it was nice and sturdy and didn't sway any more. A fun lesson! Abigail also came over and read this morning. She read about different pets...today a dog and a kitten...next time a duck and a pig. After she read, I read her some of the library books that Goosey (Woody) had checked out of the library for the grandchildren. After lunch, I took Joy and Esther shoe shopping. They ended up with matching shoes...chocolate and pink sneakers! Really cute! I think that Abigail is going to have to have a pair! When Kathy got home with the little girls, Abigail saw them and asked her mom why she didn't get her a pair...after all...her mom knew what size she wore! The girls brought Goosey and me some fresh baked cookies this afternoon along with thank you cards (for the shoes!). Yummy cookies! A pretty fun day! Now I'm heading back to my sewing. Woody is reading and watching TV this evening.

Changing Over!

Changing over from Summer to Fall...can't tell it by temperature...but the leaves are starting to change.

Woody got up early and went for an eight mile walk. Woody invited Graham to go out to breakfast this morning. They both enjoyed their time together as much as the food. Woody, again, had the day off. I had school with Esther and Joy this morning. Graham came over this afternoon and worked on memorizing a verse with Woody and he read to me. Then Abigail and Joy came over to join him and play for a while. Woody had a dentist appointment this afternoon. He went in for a cleaning and to get an appointment to have the tooth fixed that had been worked on at NIH. The dentist felt that it was best to leave well enough alone...since it isn't bothering him, he's not going to mess with it. I went to work in the church library for a while late this afternoon. So it has been a busy day...lots happening and lots of comings and goings.

"Hooray for Joy" and a "Puddle Walk!"

Joy (almost 5) has learned to ride her two-wheeler. Hooray! Joy! She is now riding around our block with her daddy walking along beside. Her goal is to make it around without having to stop. The first time today she had to stop twice. The second time only once...and that was because she needed to stop and watch some workmen who were working on a house. We had a surprise pop-up shower late this afternoon. Kathy didn't realize that it was raining till she had everyone ready to go for their walk...so they donned rain boots and grabbed their umbrellas. They stopped in front of our house to build a dam to make a bigger puddle. They are all pretty good puddle jumpers...as in making big splashes! I caught Joy in action. Abigail and Nathan were among the missing as they were off roller skating...a special treat for Abigail.

Woody got up a bit later this morning...3:45 instead of 3...but he said that he was awake at 3 and when he couldn't get back to sleep he decided to get up and go for a walk. Today he said that he made a round trip to Domino Pizza and back...in a round about way. He was off from work again today. He managed to wake me up around 6am! I got up and cooked him a mushroom and Swiss cheese omelet. Then we finished up the second batch of confections for the party on Saturday...so they are all finished and stored away. I forgot to report yesterday that Woody planted garlic. Woody has read, worked crossword puzzles, watched TV and rested. A little while ago he left to walk to the prayer room at church. I got my hair cut today and have done some more sewing.

Just around the corner?

Is Fall really just around the corner? You couldn't prove it by our temperatures! According to Weather Bug, it got up to 97 deg. F in Tullahoma today.

Woody got up super early...again...this seems to be a habit for Woody these days. He walked for two hours. He didn't go to work today as this is one of those days that he needs to take off before the end of the fiscal year. He came home and started gathering together ingredients to make my "food contribution" for a bridal gift brunch that several friends and I are giving on Saturday. Woody told me that he wanted to help make them and I didn't turn him down! One recipe is all done and ready to go and the next batch is underway. Woody also read, watched a bit of TV and rested...took a couple of naps to make up for getting up so early this morning. He is now at the Monday night prayer meeting at church. I spent a good part of the day sewing...I haven't spent so much time sewing in a long time. I actually accomplished something in my sewing room for a change. I'm going to go do some hand hemming while watching Dancing With the Stars.

Sunday

Woody got up early and walked to Dairy Queen and back (about 5 miles). He probably could have gotten a cone with the change that he found on his walk...but they are closed at the hour that he walks! We both went to Sunday School and both taught our respective Sunday School classes. Then we came home and have spent a fairly quiet afternoon. Woody has watched football games on TV and has also read. I have done some sewing and also some saving of blogs. I try to capture the blog entries and the pictures and save them as a Word document on our passports (small external hard drives)...that way if they should disappear from here, I will still have them. Each blog is like a diary entry and I would hate to lose them. We have needed to refer back to them on several occasions. I do real well at saving them for a while and then fall behind. I hadn't saved any since towards the end of June so have quite a few to capture and save in a Word document. Just something to do in my spare time!

Got Teenagers?

If you have teenagers...you too could be so lucky to awaken some fine morning to your yard decorated like this...our across-the-street neighbors did this morning. And, yes, they have teenagers.

Woody got up VERY early this morning and walked to the movie theater and back. He is getting stronger as it wasn't a struggle for him to complete the 14 mile round trip this time as it was the first time he attempted it. But, he did say that it must have tired him out some, as he did take about an hour-and-a-half nap after his return...but then realize that he left on his walk around 3am...so it was really time for him to come home and finish his night's sleep!

He then made his normal Saturday rounds...to the library (so good to see him devouring books once again!) and to the fruit market (mmmmmmm delicious apples and tomatoes for both of us to devour!) This afternoon he got ambitious and fixed a piece of furniture that had needed wood glue. He has been watching football, baseball, and reading most of the rest of the afternoon and evening. We both sat on the front porch for a while. I was working on some camera settings. Then this evening I have been trying to get started back on a sewing project that got interrupted one of the times that we went to NIH and I just had never gotten the ooomph to get going on it again...so at least it is underway once again.

Gibbous Moon

I learned a new term on our walk tonight. Woody told me that this was a gibbous moon...so I came home and looked it up and he was right (as he usually is!). According to Webster: gibbous means "1)rounded or convex; 2)more than half but less than fully illuminated. Said of the moon or a planet." Woody and I just went for a short walk to see if I could get a good sunset picture as the meteorologist on the weather tonight said that the conditions were right for a good sunset. I did take a few sunset pictures too, but decided that the gibbous moon picture and definition won out for tonight's blog picture.

Woody got up early as usual, went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, and came home. He rested for a bit after coming home and then went to the grocery store. This evening he has been watching news and working crossword puzzles and relaxing. I have been working on the Sunday School lesson for Sunday.

Thinking it's Thursday!

Woody didn't get up quite as early as usual, as he planned to go into work a bit later this morning. He went to work, worked for a while and then came home early since he has some time to take off before the end of the fiscal year. I went out for lunch with a friend. After lunch we stopped at the local fruit market and bought some fresh fruits and vegetables. When I got home, Woody was home from work. He and I went to visit a friend who had surgery yesterday. It has been another hot day here in TN...though it has been overcast for part of the day. We did get a short shower early this morning and then about 20 drops of rain late this afternoon. This evening Woody has watched a DVD and worked on some crossword puzzles. I finished embroidering the words on the quilt top that I'm making for Joy.

Two years ago...

Two years ago this evening Woody had his bicycle accident...the trauma to his body that we consider the start of our last two years of "adventure"...there haven't been many dull moments since! For those who don't know about his bicycle accident there is information about it in my very first blog post. Here's a link to it:
http://wdorrell.blogspot.com/2009/01/fork-in-road-which-way-should-we-turn.html

A lot surely has happened since September 15, 2008! But, today was pretty much a "same ole, same ole day" for which we are thankful! Woody got up early, went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, and then came home to rest and relax. Woody had his hearing tested at work today. The tester asked him if he had any hearing problems and Woody told her that I accused him of having selective hearing problems! She laughed and said that she hears that a lot! His hearing tested fine. I guess I will have to accept his reasons for the TV being so loud...air conditioning running and/or the dishwasher running!

Terrific Tuesday

This group of sparrows kept right together yesterday. They would fly down to the ground and then as a group they would fly up into a tree. They did this several times. Today hasn't been quite as pleasant as yesterday. It got into the 90's again today. The front porch didn't seem quite as inviting today as it did yesterday!

Woody got up early. I did speak to him, but managed to roll over and get back to sleep. He went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, then came home to rest and relax. He just left to walk to the prayer room at church.

Monday all over again

Woody woke up really early again and I heard him so I woke up too. He washed and dried a load of clothes, read, and watched some early morning news before heading off to work. He worked, walked at lunch, worked some more and then came home to rest and relax. He has now gone to church for the Monday night prayer meeting.

Mid morning the phone rang and it was NIH. It was one of their transportation people wanting to get our next trip set up. I told her that we were going to drive this time.

It has really been a pretty day...though the temperature did rise into the lower 90's...but the humidity was lower today and also there was a nice breeze. I sat out on the front porch for a while to see if I could capture the allusive hummingbird or some other bird. It ended up being some other bird...tonight's picture is of a downy woodpecker that was waaaaaaaaaaaay up in one our oak trees and rarely right-side up. It was very pleasant sitting on the porch...all the neighborhood birds were really putting on a concert. This afternoon I made a macaroni, ham, and cheese salad...one of my mother's recipes and again one of Woody's favorites. It is chilling for tomorrow's supper. We had spaghetti tonight using some of the sauce that I had frozen.

Restful Sunday

Woody got up really early and went on a walk. This morning he walked to McDonald's and back...and. no, he didn't get anything to eat...only the drive-thru was open and he didn't have a vehicle to drive through! We went to Sunday School and both taught our respective classes. After we got home, I fixed our lunch. Then the rest of the day was pretty much a day of football games, reading, resting and relaxing.

Where were you?

As many have, today I have turned my thoughts many times to September 11, 2001. At the moment I am reading an autobiography of Laura Bush. Last night I put my bookmark in place and realized what I would be reading about next...September 11, 2001. So today I have read Laura Bush's words about her experience on the day of and the days following the attacks...definitely vivid remembrances. So my thoughts turned to where I was when I first heard about the attack...I was teaching at Montessori school and the husband of one of the teachers called to tell us that the first tower had been flown into...then shortly came his second call. Where were you?

Woody got up early, read for a while, and then, unusual for Saturday, headed in to work and worked pretty close to a full day. He came home and watched a baseball game on TV and has been reading and relaxing the rest of the evening.

Rainy Friday Afternoon

Woody woke up very early, went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more. Shortly after he got home he left to go to WalMart and Kroger. The rain started after he left. We had a pretty good shower while he was shopping. The groceries are now put away. We have had supper and are settling in for the evening. And, it looks like more rain is on its way. I guess you can say that it was another ho hum day.

Ho Hum!

In Woody's words: "Praise the Lord for a ho hum day. We don't get many of those." Woody got up early, went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, and came home to rest and relax. I had something that needed to be mailed and Woody decided that he needed some more exercise, so he just left to walk to the Post Office to mail it. Good to see him feeling up to taking longer walks once again.

Another day, another dollar...

Well, let's make it another $2! Woody found two one dollar bills and some change on his walk to church last night.

More into routine...Woody got up early (no omelet for him today as I slept a bit later...like normal!), went to work, worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, had a meeting at work, and then came home to rest and relax. I have had another day of running errands and then went to the church to work a bit in the library. Pretty much a run of the mill, typical Wednesday.

Back to work!

Woody got up early and got ready for work. I woke up so made him an omelet (rare occurrence for me to cook him breakfast at that hour!). He ate and then headed out the door. He worked, walked at lunch, worked some more, and then came home to rest and relax. Just a few minutes ago he headed out the door to walk to church to go to the prayer room. I would say that his energy level is getting better all the time! I have stayed busy today running errands and just trying to settle back into a groove. One of Woody's Vanderbilt research nurses had called last week while we were gone. One nurse or another at Vanderbilt calls periodically to check to see how he is doing. I returned her call this morning and reported on our last NIH trip and the results of the scans. I also emailed the research nurse at Vanderbilt who got us set up at NIH. She likes to be kept up to date also. Perhaps we are settling back into a routine...at least for the moment.

Labors of the Day

Just to let you see that our friend is still keeping an eye out for us and we for him at NIH. I spotted him on our last day at NIH when Woody and I took a walk along the road in front of NIH Building 10.



Woody went to bed a bit later last night and thus slept in a bit later this morning...but still up early in my opinion! He walked to the Post Office and back home for his morning walk. Later he ran an errand for me.



At NIH Woody was told to eat more red meat as his hemoglobin is the only thing that is still in the below normal range. He decided that he wanted meat loaf. When he went to the grocery store he bought a couple of London Broils. London Broil is the cut of beef that is suggested by AZ doctors to use as ground meat...something that we learned some years back while visiting in AZ...AZ being home to so many senior citizens...it has very low fat content. This morning Woody ground it (not an easy task with only one strong arm...but he managed) and I made it into three different kinds of meatloaf. I made two of the kinds into small loaves and will freeze them to pull out for dinners at different times. I also made applesauce. So I have had a busy time in the kitchen today. Woody helped with some of the clean-up.



Right now Woody is at prayer meeting at church. Tomorrow he will be going back to work for the first time since before he started the TIL treatments...I've lost track of time as to just how long ago that was...close to 8-weeks I think!



I am hoping that this will post...there seem to be issues with Blogspot this evening. I'm going to post quickly while the error messages that I have been seeing are gone! (I was right so far it won't post.) FINALLY!

Sunday...a day of rest

Woody got up early and walked to Sonic and back. He fixed himself some French toast. We went to Sunday School. He taught his class. We came home and have pretty much relaxed the rest of the day. He has read some and watched some tennis on TV. I'm still trying to capture a hummingbird picture. I did manage to get a picture of one sitting in our dogwood tree this morning, but the hovering still alludes me.

Challenges

My first challenge is to get a good hummingbird picture and the second challenge is to not get eaten alive by mosquitoes while taking that picture! Finally I have seen a hummingbird at our feeder. It has been too hot to sit on the front porch and we have just been too busy coming and going for me to watch that feeder too closely. I did notice that the nectar was going down so I figured that hummingbirds had found it. Today the nectar level was really down, so I decided to refill it. When I got up on the step ladder to rehang the feeder, there was a hummingbird hovering and staring at me...about a foot away. So I have spent some time on the front porch waiting for him to return to feed which he does periodically. While I waited, I was good fodder for the mosquitoes! My arms and legs are covered with bites.

Woody's had more get-up-and-go than I have today. He got up early and read. He went to WalMart, the grocery store, the library, and the fruit market. This afternoon he watched a baseball game and made coleslaw and cleaned up the kitchen. He has prepared his Sunday School lesson. In between those efforts he has done some resting. He is now reading. We are going to go on a short walk after I finish blogging. It has been a gorgeous day...Fall is in the air.

Earl posed no threat

We just had overcast skies due to Earl...and as the flag on the pole shows...no wind! Our trip was uneventful...everything went like clock-work once again. We had a couple of sprinkles on the shuttle windshield just as we got to the airport. And, then no rain till on our ride home from Nashville. Our son-in-law, Wade, picked us up at the airport and brought us back to Tullahoma. It is good to be back home!

So Far, So Good!

Here's last night's picture...one that Woody wanted me to take...me in the mirror...I said I would if he were in it too.

Good doctor report...the tumors they are observing have shrunk 20% since the scans prior to his TIL (Tumor Infiltrating Leukocytes) were put back in a month ago. Also, the results of the apheresis were pleasing to the doctors. They took out 10% of his white blood cells to determine how many TIL's he had floating around. Also, he got all his medical restrictions removed except for his medical alert bracelets and can go back to work on Tuesday.

Continue to pray for our safe travels tomorrow.

Oops!

I just spent time getting a picture ready to post on the blog. I have what is called a "Passport," a small external hard drive...and, that is where I store my pictures. Last night I downloaded the pictures onto the Passport and downloaded the one I was going to use on the blog onto my laptop so I wouldn't have to bring the Passport downstairs while I was blogging. It is small, but just one more thing to carry down to the lobby. Well, tonight I got the picture ready, but didn't download it to my laptop...and I didn't realize it till I was downstairs. So...no picture tonight as I am too lazy to load up the laptop, go back upstairs, get the passport, and come back down!

We left the hotel at 7:30am and didn't return till 5:30pm (and we were both awake by 3:30am!). Woody had labwork, MRI of his brain, spleen and liver, and CT scans. We had a lot of down time between appointments, but he just wanted to stay at NIH the whole time. We went back upstairs and saw some nurses that we hadn't seen the day before. We saw several of his doctors in various parts of the hospital. He read, I napped, I hand embroidered on the quilt top that I'm making for Joy, we both people watched...really the day went by fairly quickly. So those tests are behind him...now for apheresis in the morning and then we meet with the doctor/doctors tomorrow afternoon and see if anything "good" is happening to his tumors at this point. They don't expect to see much on the first month check...they expect more at next month's check.

Woody wore his guinea pig shirt today and got many comments...most positive...except for the doctor who has disliked it from the first time that he saw it!

Prayer concern: Hurricane Earl...I heard someone who lives in the area predict that Friday all DC airports would be closed (the way it was tracking at that time...but since hurricanes are so unpredictable there is no telling what will happen Friday)...our flight leaves Friday afternoon...so perhaps pray for uncomplicated and safe traveling experience (or is this to be part of our NIH adventure...experience a hurricane?). I hope that we at least know far enough ahead if our flight is cancelled and that we have a safe place till the storm passes by. It's not supposed to come "really" close...but close enough for winds to be high enough to cancel flights...time will tell!