Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
You Made it Possible!
I was trying to write these many blog notes in chronological order, but I need to put something out there before I burst. I want to thank everyone that made this trip possible. These 11 days were the most life changing of our entire life and without much help and effort on so many people's part...we would never have been able to do it.
First, I want to thank Trina for suggesting The Institutes so early on. Without your suggestion we may never have heard for many months, maybe even years. As I sat in class, I felt truly blessed to know of such a place so early on after Aviana's accident. I pictured how I would feel if I had discovered it years into her recovery. I would have been beside myself. We thank you for your guidance through this whole process.
Thank you to my Mom and Gary for being thrown into the mix and having to learn everything there is to know about Aviana's care. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of her for those seven days while we were gone. I know there is no place she would rather have been than with the two of you. Thank you also for filling our fridge with so many home cooked meals. What a great surprise. I love you both so very much!
Thank you to my Aunt Rella and Uncle Roger who bravely decided to fly Aviana out to us so we would not have to make a 24 hour loop from Philadelphia to California to pick her up. They both learned all about her care, but not in the realm of the comforts of one's own home, but in the realm of airports and airplanes!! You two are road and air warriors and I take my hat off to you both for embarking on such a journey. They not only hand delivered her to us, but went to a day and half of her evaluation. We love you and enjoyed all of the time we spent together!
Thank you to Dave and Kim Kennedy. Thank you for not only donating so much to make this trip possible, but for all of the time planning our travels. I should say, planning and re-planning :o) We appreciate you both more than you could ever know. Knowing you has made us better people. Because of you, we will take giving to others to a whole new level!
Thank you to my brother Jeff for taking care of Kama and Zoe. This has always been quite a tall order, but with what had happened to Aviana I became even more freaky about leaving her than usual. I have always trusted him completely, but was surprised when he didn't even bat an eye to this statement, "Jeff, don't worry, if anything happens to her....I may as well just end it!!" Didn't even bat an eye! Amazing.
During our trip we took dog watching to a whole new level. I explained how to take video and pictures with his phone and e-mail them to my phone. I asked him to send about 10 a day. Can you believe it, he did!! I was getting pictures and video of Kama at the park, laying on her bed, outside in the Roseville snow, etc. I was also getting pictures of Zoe every time he went to feed and check on her. It was almost as though I had a nanny cam! Thank you Jeff, you guarded my baby like no other could have!
Thank you to everyone else who made donations, sent encouraging notes and followed us on our incredible journey.
Ohhhh, I can't forget....thank you to our honest shuttle driver, Shane Packwood, who found and returned our camera!
Thank you to Dinah for picking it up for us :o)
Thank you to the Marriot Hotel for sending Lamby back with a quickness.
You all make life worth living and have showed us the best in humankind!!
With love,
First, I want to thank Trina for suggesting The Institutes so early on. Without your suggestion we may never have heard for many months, maybe even years. As I sat in class, I felt truly blessed to know of such a place so early on after Aviana's accident. I pictured how I would feel if I had discovered it years into her recovery. I would have been beside myself. We thank you for your guidance through this whole process.
Thank you to my Mom and Gary for being thrown into the mix and having to learn everything there is to know about Aviana's care. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of her for those seven days while we were gone. I know there is no place she would rather have been than with the two of you. Thank you also for filling our fridge with so many home cooked meals. What a great surprise. I love you both so very much!
Thank you to my Aunt Rella and Uncle Roger who bravely decided to fly Aviana out to us so we would not have to make a 24 hour loop from Philadelphia to California to pick her up. They both learned all about her care, but not in the realm of the comforts of one's own home, but in the realm of airports and airplanes!! You two are road and air warriors and I take my hat off to you both for embarking on such a journey. They not only hand delivered her to us, but went to a day and half of her evaluation. We love you and enjoyed all of the time we spent together!
Thank you to Dave and Kim Kennedy. Thank you for not only donating so much to make this trip possible, but for all of the time planning our travels. I should say, planning and re-planning :o) We appreciate you both more than you could ever know. Knowing you has made us better people. Because of you, we will take giving to others to a whole new level!
Thank you to my brother Jeff for taking care of Kama and Zoe. This has always been quite a tall order, but with what had happened to Aviana I became even more freaky about leaving her than usual. I have always trusted him completely, but was surprised when he didn't even bat an eye to this statement, "Jeff, don't worry, if anything happens to her....I may as well just end it!!" Didn't even bat an eye! Amazing.
During our trip we took dog watching to a whole new level. I explained how to take video and pictures with his phone and e-mail them to my phone. I asked him to send about 10 a day. Can you believe it, he did!! I was getting pictures and video of Kama at the park, laying on her bed, outside in the Roseville snow, etc. I was also getting pictures of Zoe every time he went to feed and check on her. It was almost as though I had a nanny cam! Thank you Jeff, you guarded my baby like no other could have!
Thank you to everyone else who made donations, sent encouraging notes and followed us on our incredible journey.
Ohhhh, I can't forget....thank you to our honest shuttle driver, Shane Packwood, who found and returned our camera!
Thank you to Dinah for picking it up for us :o)
Thank you to the Marriot Hotel for sending Lamby back with a quickness.
You all make life worth living and have showed us the best in humankind!!
With love,
Wine, Cheese & Fire??
On the fourth day of our trip we arrived back at the hotel after a long day in class. We opened the door and there before us was a huge box addressed to us. I tore the box open to find a gigantic gift basket complete with three bottles of wine, crackers, cheese, etc. 
I opened the card and it was from Dave and Kim Kennedy. Dave and I stood there and started at each other in amazement. They had already gone to great lengths to make this trip possible and we had a beautiful gift basket to boot!
Dave and Kim~ Thank you so much!
Roger, Rella, Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the contents within, especially the wine!
Funny story- One night we stayed up late drinking wine and snacking on the cheese and crackers. Finally, we all decided to go to bed. We got ready for bed and at about 1am the fire alarm went off throughout the entire hotel. We had to bundle up and run outside into the freezing cold Philadelphia/December air. Thankfully, I told Dave to grab the keys before we ran down. We all sat in the car and watched as the fire trucks and police officers arrived. They did their thing and not too long later we were able to go back into the hotel.
I have to say the funniest part of the story is still to come.... My aunt was asleep and thought the sound was her new L.L. Bean alarm clock. She kept trying to turn it off and since it wouldn't, she started to beat it on the nightstand :o)
I opened the card and it was from Dave and Kim Kennedy. Dave and I stood there and started at each other in amazement. They had already gone to great lengths to make this trip possible and we had a beautiful gift basket to boot! Dave and Kim~ Thank you so much!
Roger, Rella, Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the contents within, especially the wine!
Funny story- One night we stayed up late drinking wine and snacking on the cheese and crackers. Finally, we all decided to go to bed. We got ready for bed and at about 1am the fire alarm went off throughout the entire hotel. We had to bundle up and run outside into the freezing cold Philadelphia/December air. Thankfully, I told Dave to grab the keys before we ran down. We all sat in the car and watched as the fire trucks and police officers arrived. They did their thing and not too long later we were able to go back into the hotel.
I have to say the funniest part of the story is still to come.... My aunt was asleep and thought the sound was her new L.L. Bean alarm clock. She kept trying to turn it off and since it wouldn't, she started to beat it on the nightstand :o)
Surprise!
On the second day of class one of the staff members came in and said that someone had left us a gift at the bookstore. With a smile on her face, she handed me the beautifully wrapped gift. I stood there staring at it with a big question mark in my mind. I opened the card and was surprised to find it was from someone who follows my blog and lives in Philadelphia. The card was beautiful. She provided her phone number and asked us to call for any reason at all.
The gift was perfect. It was a book called "The Dog Chapel." The author fell victim to Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He had a near-death experience and was in a coma for 2 months. He was not expected to make it, but did. He had an extremely strong bond with his dogs. Once he was able to go home, his dogs helped him to recover. To fix his body and to learn to walk again!
After being home for a while he had a crazy idea which he acted upon. He decided to build a dog chapel. He says in his book, "My chapel would celebrate the spiritual bond we have with our dogs, a place to open to dogs and people of any faith or belief system." Stephen Huneck's book describes many of the great characteristics of dogs. The book also includes illustrations of the dog chapel. This was the perfect gift on so many levels.
Dave and I both had the pleasure of speaking with Ellen and she was nothing short of exceptional. She offered everything from running any and all errands for us to assisting us with restaurant suggestions. Thank you Ellen!
Love,
The gift was perfect. It was a book called "The Dog Chapel." The author fell victim to Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He had a near-death experience and was in a coma for 2 months. He was not expected to make it, but did. He had an extremely strong bond with his dogs. Once he was able to go home, his dogs helped him to recover. To fix his body and to learn to walk again!
After being home for a while he had a crazy idea which he acted upon. He decided to build a dog chapel. He says in his book, "My chapel would celebrate the spiritual bond we have with our dogs, a place to open to dogs and people of any faith or belief system." Stephen Huneck's book describes many of the great characteristics of dogs. The book also includes illustrations of the dog chapel. This was the perfect gift on so many levels.
Dave and I both had the pleasure of speaking with Ellen and she was nothing short of exceptional. She offered everything from running any and all errands for us to assisting us with restaurant suggestions. Thank you Ellen!
Love,
Glenn Doman
When you see him, tears form within your eyes. As he speaks, those formed tears have no choice but to spill over. There, sitting before you is the very man who holds the keys to unlock your child. The child who is trapped within. The child who is just dying to bust out from the confines of her very own little body.
This man is a true gift from God. He is a jewel to all brain injured children and their parents. He is insanely smart, but his true beauty lies within his humble, kind nature. He is a man who can admit his failures. He is also a man who has learned greatly from his various trials and errors. He is a person who radiates from within when speaking of his accomplishments and success. His success is not measured in terms of status or financial security. His success is determined by the children he makes well. This is what makes his world go round.
I happen to think that my husband is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I am always amazed by the fact that he has brains, a great personality AND the perfect sense of humor. It seems more likely (or even fair :o) that when someone is extremely smart, something else has to fall by the wayside, namely personality or sense of humor.
I happen to think it is more of a rarity to find a person with all of these characteristics rolled up into one being. Glenn Doman is such a person. He has a charming wit about him and I enjoyed every moment of his presentations. His children taught majority of the lecture series and it was apparent that his teaching style rubbed off on both of them! It is a strange, wonderful feeling to be in the presence of people who see what you see. They look into the eyes of these kids and see intelligence and above all potential.
The Doman Family: Glenn Doman, his wife Katy of 65 years, his daughter Janet and his son Douglas. Oh, and us too :o) ** Notice us all bundled up in the freezing cold auditorium. ** Note to self: holes in the knees let cold air in more easily!
This man is a true gift from God. He is a jewel to all brain injured children and their parents. He is insanely smart, but his true beauty lies within his humble, kind nature. He is a man who can admit his failures. He is also a man who has learned greatly from his various trials and errors. He is a person who radiates from within when speaking of his accomplishments and success. His success is not measured in terms of status or financial security. His success is determined by the children he makes well. This is what makes his world go round.
I happen to think that my husband is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I am always amazed by the fact that he has brains, a great personality AND the perfect sense of humor. It seems more likely (or even fair :o) that when someone is extremely smart, something else has to fall by the wayside, namely personality or sense of humor.
I happen to think it is more of a rarity to find a person with all of these characteristics rolled up into one being. Glenn Doman is such a person. He has a charming wit about him and I enjoyed every moment of his presentations. His children taught majority of the lecture series and it was apparent that his teaching style rubbed off on both of them! It is a strange, wonderful feeling to be in the presence of people who see what you see. They look into the eyes of these kids and see intelligence and above all potential.
The Doman Family: Glenn Doman, his wife Katy of 65 years, his daughter Janet and his son Douglas. Oh, and us too :o) ** Notice us all bundled up in the freezing cold auditorium. ** Note to self: holes in the knees let cold air in more easily!
Principles
Logic and common sense were the two distinct ribbons which weaved their way through the entire lecture series. Each night after class, we would go grab something to eat and talk about how we felt about the days topics. We were surprised by how everything was incredibly logical and applicable. Everything seemed to make perfect sense.
Their teaching style was often times through stories and examples. This made it much easier to see how their principles could be applied. To make a long story short, these are some of the most important themes of the Institutes program:
A brain injury is in the brain (sounds simple ha?)
The brain grows and heals by use.
The brain is the cause of all problems (inability to walk, talk, etc). You must treat the cause rather than the symptoms.
Example:
When we work Aviana's arms due to tightness, we are treating a symptom of the injury rather than the cause. Her arm is tight because her brain is injured, there is nothing wrong with her arm. When you begin to heal the brain, the arm will follow suit.
All brain pathways can be divided into two broad categories. These are (1) sensory (afferent) pathways that bring information into the brain and (2) motor (efferent) pathways through which the brain reacts by commanding motor responses to the information received. There are 5 sensory pathways which make their way into the brain (taste, smell, tactile, auditory, visual) The Institute concentrates mostly on the last three. By stimulating these three pathways, we are able to send messages to the brain.
Function determines structure.
First there must be a need, then there will be facility.
Example:
If we transfered her from one device to another (like a wheelchair to a bed, etc.) She will never have the opportunity or need to move on her own.
Having a brain injury is like having an invisible barrier. With frequency, intensity and duration we are best able to get through the barrier. If the message is not strong enough, it will not be heard!
There are so many more details, but these are some of the basic principles.
Their teaching style was often times through stories and examples. This made it much easier to see how their principles could be applied. To make a long story short, these are some of the most important themes of the Institutes program:
A brain injury is in the brain (sounds simple ha?)
The brain grows and heals by use.
The brain is the cause of all problems (inability to walk, talk, etc). You must treat the cause rather than the symptoms.
Example:
When we work Aviana's arms due to tightness, we are treating a symptom of the injury rather than the cause. Her arm is tight because her brain is injured, there is nothing wrong with her arm. When you begin to heal the brain, the arm will follow suit.
All brain pathways can be divided into two broad categories. These are (1) sensory (afferent) pathways that bring information into the brain and (2) motor (efferent) pathways through which the brain reacts by commanding motor responses to the information received. There are 5 sensory pathways which make their way into the brain (taste, smell, tactile, auditory, visual) The Institute concentrates mostly on the last three. By stimulating these three pathways, we are able to send messages to the brain.
Function determines structure.
First there must be a need, then there will be facility.
Example:
If we transfered her from one device to another (like a wheelchair to a bed, etc.) She will never have the opportunity or need to move on her own.
Having a brain injury is like having an invisible barrier. With frequency, intensity and duration we are best able to get through the barrier. If the message is not strong enough, it will not be heard!
There are so many more details, but these are some of the basic principles.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Institutes
As the plane touched down into Philadelphia I had no idea what to expect in any way, shape or form. I had little idea of who these people really were and what I would really think of them and their program. I was kind of apprehensive, but so thirsty for knowledge at the same exact time. We had worked so very hard to get where we were and I have to admit, it only took us a few short hours of class to figure out that we had made the best decision of our entire lives.
The staff at the Institutes are some of the most hard core people you will ever come across. They have a burning passion pulsating through every inch of their bodies. They love and believe whole heartedly in what they are doing. They've got the brain on the brain 24/7.
Let me give you some examples of the fact that these people are very serious about getting hurt children well. They have worked extensively at making their auditorium perfect for learning. They keep it a cool, crisp 61 degrees at all times. They have figured out that this is the perfect temperature for you to learn best. They teach for 50 minutes and then provide a 10 minute break throughout the entire day. You are not to ever get up and leave except for at a break. They do not want there to be any distractions within the room. They ring a bell when the break is over. You have a one minute warning and your butt better be back in your seat. They lock you out if you are late. Not that you cannot continue attending that particular section of the lecture, but you are sequestered into a room where you can listen until the next break. All questions are to be asked and answered at the breaks, not within class. They also change your seat daily.
Each day is approximately 10 hours long, never shorter and many times longer! Why might you ask, would two adults care to follow all of these strict rules? It is crystal clear that it is for your very own benefit. They have worked hard over the years to perfect this course. There is so much ground to cover in a very small period of time. They try to do this as effectively and efficiently as possible.
So now it seems you may think these people are serious and strict. Well, they are also some of the most caring, loving, wonderful people you have ever laid eyes on. They LOVE brain injured children with all of their hearts. They had never even met Aviana while the course was in session and I could tell they already loved and adored her. Most importantly though, they understood her like no one else! Even more importantly than that, they have an arsenal of tools to help make her better.
Not only are they warm, caring people, but they provided the most beautiful and fully nutritious meals in the dining room every day. They also provide fruit, nuts, hot tea, coffee and apple cider at breaks. Every other day, there would be a soup break. We felt fully taken care of every step of the way.
At the Institutes we were to diagnose the severity of our very own child's injury. Well yes, the hospitals do that too. The difference is, at the hospital they tell you the terrible news, but don't have too much to say in the ways of helping them to recover. At the Institute it's so very different. We discovered that Aviana is profoundly brain injured. Her injury is in both hemispheres and is diffuse meaning all over. That being said, they then train you in many, many ways to work to make her better.
I know I have not gone into the details, but I have to go for now. Much, much more to come :)
The staff at the Institutes are some of the most hard core people you will ever come across. They have a burning passion pulsating through every inch of their bodies. They love and believe whole heartedly in what they are doing. They've got the brain on the brain 24/7.
Let me give you some examples of the fact that these people are very serious about getting hurt children well. They have worked extensively at making their auditorium perfect for learning. They keep it a cool, crisp 61 degrees at all times. They have figured out that this is the perfect temperature for you to learn best. They teach for 50 minutes and then provide a 10 minute break throughout the entire day. You are not to ever get up and leave except for at a break. They do not want there to be any distractions within the room. They ring a bell when the break is over. You have a one minute warning and your butt better be back in your seat. They lock you out if you are late. Not that you cannot continue attending that particular section of the lecture, but you are sequestered into a room where you can listen until the next break. All questions are to be asked and answered at the breaks, not within class. They also change your seat daily.
Each day is approximately 10 hours long, never shorter and many times longer! Why might you ask, would two adults care to follow all of these strict rules? It is crystal clear that it is for your very own benefit. They have worked hard over the years to perfect this course. There is so much ground to cover in a very small period of time. They try to do this as effectively and efficiently as possible.
So now it seems you may think these people are serious and strict. Well, they are also some of the most caring, loving, wonderful people you have ever laid eyes on. They LOVE brain injured children with all of their hearts. They had never even met Aviana while the course was in session and I could tell they already loved and adored her. Most importantly though, they understood her like no one else! Even more importantly than that, they have an arsenal of tools to help make her better.
Not only are they warm, caring people, but they provided the most beautiful and fully nutritious meals in the dining room every day. They also provide fruit, nuts, hot tea, coffee and apple cider at breaks. Every other day, there would be a soup break. We felt fully taken care of every step of the way.
At the Institutes we were to diagnose the severity of our very own child's injury. Well yes, the hospitals do that too. The difference is, at the hospital they tell you the terrible news, but don't have too much to say in the ways of helping them to recover. At the Institute it's so very different. We discovered that Aviana is profoundly brain injured. Her injury is in both hemispheres and is diffuse meaning all over. That being said, they then train you in many, many ways to work to make her better.
I know I have not gone into the details, but I have to go for now. Much, much more to come :)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Exhausted
I apologize in advance for the quality of this post! We sought out to find treatment for our beautiful brain-injured child and surprisingly returned with a brain-injury of our very own!
I have done so many things today that prove I am at or above maximum capacity. Here are just a few:
* I ran the bath water for Aviana and completely forgot about it (thank goodness for the overflow drain)
* I washed Aviana with shampoo/conditioner rather than body wash.
* I had noticed that Kama gained a few pounds at her Uncle Jeff's and figured she looked extra hungry for that reason. I realized at noon that I never fed her *or* let her out to the bathroom.
* I cleaned the kitchen this morning and later found the cordless phone in the fridge. WTH??
Just think, the above person is administering medication three times daily to a certain someone. That's comforting. Anyway...... We arrived home yesterday from the most intense, overwhelming, exhausting, exciting, hopeful, encouraging, worthwhile 11 day journey of our lives. I have never experienced anything as important.
Imagine for one moment that your child was involved in a terrible accident and after an almost three month stay, she returns home. All you want to do is help her in every single way possible. You're chomping at the bit for any and all information or help.
You are more ready than you have ever been to get going and this is what you are told, "Your daughter will have therapy ONE to TWO times a week for 30-45 minutes." This single sentence stopped us in our tracks. I questioned this fact over and over with the same discouraging result. Dave and I would do two more sessions of therapy everyday in order to pick up the pace. Honestly though, everything we did just didn't seem like it was enough.
I would sometimes look at Aviana and not know what to do with her. Sure, I certainly know how to love her all day long, hold her, kiss her, hug her, take her on walks, etc. But what I didn't not know was how to make her better. To make her crawl, walk, talk, eat, etc. It is the most frustrating feeling I have ever experienced. I felt we were not being efficient enough. Effective enough. Nothing felt like enough.
As of today, I am armed with more tools than I could ever have dreamed of. I am now ready to fight the brain injury battle on every level. We have a strategy. We have a plan. We have help. I could not be happier. I have so much to say about the past 11 days and think it's best to break it up into different posts.
The Institutes have continuously struggled with how to relay 50 years of information into 5 days of their most important findings. While I am not up against that daunting of a task, I do question how I am going to break down 7 intensely long days into a few paragraphs here and there.
My brain is so fried today that this is all I can handle for now :o) I also can't wait to tell you about what we did in our free time!! There wasn't much of it, so there won't be too much to tell, but we definitely had a great time.
Talk about not running on all cylinders.... We left Lamby at the hotel in Philadelphia :o( Luckily they found him and are sending him back. Poor Lamby, he has really been through it! For Mother's Day this year, Dave bought me a brand new beautiful digital SLR camera. Can you believe it, we left it on the shuttle in San Francisco.
Are you ready for this....they FOUND it and have it THERE for us!! There are so many wonderful, honest people in this world. While this has (by far) been the most trying year of our lives, we have seen some of the most beautiful random acts of kindness ever.
That is with the exception of the most hideous, mean spirited man on the face of the earth. We had the great pleasure of sitting next to him on the plane all the way back to California.
I have done so many things today that prove I am at or above maximum capacity. Here are just a few:
* I ran the bath water for Aviana and completely forgot about it (thank goodness for the overflow drain)
* I washed Aviana with shampoo/conditioner rather than body wash.
* I had noticed that Kama gained a few pounds at her Uncle Jeff's and figured she looked extra hungry for that reason. I realized at noon that I never fed her *or* let her out to the bathroom.
* I cleaned the kitchen this morning and later found the cordless phone in the fridge. WTH??
Just think, the above person is administering medication three times daily to a certain someone. That's comforting. Anyway...... We arrived home yesterday from the most intense, overwhelming, exhausting, exciting, hopeful, encouraging, worthwhile 11 day journey of our lives. I have never experienced anything as important.
Imagine for one moment that your child was involved in a terrible accident and after an almost three month stay, she returns home. All you want to do is help her in every single way possible. You're chomping at the bit for any and all information or help.
You are more ready than you have ever been to get going and this is what you are told, "Your daughter will have therapy ONE to TWO times a week for 30-45 minutes." This single sentence stopped us in our tracks. I questioned this fact over and over with the same discouraging result. Dave and I would do two more sessions of therapy everyday in order to pick up the pace. Honestly though, everything we did just didn't seem like it was enough.
I would sometimes look at Aviana and not know what to do with her. Sure, I certainly know how to love her all day long, hold her, kiss her, hug her, take her on walks, etc. But what I didn't not know was how to make her better. To make her crawl, walk, talk, eat, etc. It is the most frustrating feeling I have ever experienced. I felt we were not being efficient enough. Effective enough. Nothing felt like enough.
As of today, I am armed with more tools than I could ever have dreamed of. I am now ready to fight the brain injury battle on every level. We have a strategy. We have a plan. We have help. I could not be happier. I have so much to say about the past 11 days and think it's best to break it up into different posts.
The Institutes have continuously struggled with how to relay 50 years of information into 5 days of their most important findings. While I am not up against that daunting of a task, I do question how I am going to break down 7 intensely long days into a few paragraphs here and there.
My brain is so fried today that this is all I can handle for now :o) I also can't wait to tell you about what we did in our free time!! There wasn't much of it, so there won't be too much to tell, but we definitely had a great time.
Talk about not running on all cylinders.... We left Lamby at the hotel in Philadelphia :o( Luckily they found him and are sending him back. Poor Lamby, he has really been through it! For Mother's Day this year, Dave bought me a brand new beautiful digital SLR camera. Can you believe it, we left it on the shuttle in San Francisco.
Are you ready for this....they FOUND it and have it THERE for us!! There are so many wonderful, honest people in this world. While this has (by far) been the most trying year of our lives, we have seen some of the most beautiful random acts of kindness ever.
That is with the exception of the most hideous, mean spirited man on the face of the earth. We had the great pleasure of sitting next to him on the plane all the way back to California.
"We Soaked Up Philly Like a Sponge"
With each passing day, this video continued to play in our heads :o) Much, much more to come!
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