Festival of Lights

Being here at Christmas time gave us the opportunity to visit two attractions that only happen during the holiday season. One is Riverside's "Festival of Lights" and the other is the Crystal Cathedral "Glory of Christmas". First I want to discuss the wonder of the "Festival of Lights".


The Festival of Lights is mostly centered on the Mission Inn. The Mission Inn is a historical landmark so I really want to give a condensed history of this great building which encompasses an entire city block! The Inn began as the Greenwood, a two-story, 12-room adobe boarding house, built in 1876 by Christopher Columbus Miller on land deeded to him by the city as payment for his services as a civil engineer. In 1880, at age 22 and anticipating his upcoming marriage, Millers eldest son Frank purchased the adobe and surrounding property from his father for $5,000.

By the turn of the century Riverside was a major tourist attraction for wealthy easterners escaping to warm winter climates. What the city lacked, though, was a major tourist hotel. The Mission Inn of Riverside is more than a hotel or a museum or an arts center, although it is all of these. It evolved with its surrounding community reflecting the life around it. The major factors in it were the personality, cultural interests and business genius of Frank Augustus Miller, who became known as the Master of the Inn.

In 1902 Miller built a four story U-shaped hotel enclosing a large central courtyard. Over the next thirty years Miller added three more wings to the structure. In 1910 the Cloister Wing added more guest rooms,a music room and the St. Cecilia Chapel. The Spanish Wing came in 1913-1914 reminiscent of Spanish castle courtyards offered an outdoor dining experience, and included the Spanish Art Gallery to exhibit art and artifacts collected by Miller. The International Rotunda Wing completed in 1931 filled out the original city block. The Rotunda features an open-air, five-story spiral staircase, another art gallery, the Famous Flyers' Wall, the St. Francis Chapel and the Court of the Orient.



The hotel looks like a cross between a California mission and a European villa. The grounds include courtyards, bell tower, clock tower, rotunda, chapels, fountains, restaurants and a spa.





The St. Francis of Assisi Chapel was designed specifically to accommodate this massive eighteenth century gold-leafed cedar altar from Mexico and seven equally impressive Louis C. Tiffany stained glass windows. To get this alter out of Mexico without being stolen during the journey required it to be hauled in wagons covering the alter pieces with manure.


Miller cultivated a wide circle of friends from among his guests including President Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, Sarah Bernhardt, and many, many Hollywood stars who found this to be a great retreat. Bette Davis was married at the Mission Inn, as was Richard Nixon. Ronald and Nancy Reagan spent their wedding night here, and the list of famous people who've stayed here over the years includes Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and Harry Houdini.


All told, 10 presidents have visited the inn, either before they lived in the White House, while they lived there or after they left. President George W. Bush visited in 1999, before he was elected, and again four years later, with Arnold Schwarzenegger.


In the lobby is a sturdy reminder of one presidential visit in 1909. Miller, who knew something about drumming up business, understood that visits from a president was good publicity. Unless, of course, that president was well north of 300 pounds, big enough to make believable a story he'd heard that William Howard Taft had once gotten stuck in a White House bathtub.


The last thing Miller wanted was headlines of the president turning one of his chairs into kindling and crashing to the floor. So he commissioned construction of a special chair for him to sit in. The chair remains in the hotel lobby .



PERSONAL NOTE: My grandfather Bill Ellis was married there in 1943, honeymooned in room 414 and still has the key to this day!


After Frank Miller died in 1935, the Mission Inn began a slow decline. The Great Depression, increased mobility because of the automobile, and a shift in tourism to Palm Springs brought hard times upon the inn. Beginning in 1955, the Inn went through a series of ownerships, including the Riverside Redevelopment Agency. Finally, in December of 1992, the Inn was sold to Duane R. Roberts, a Riverside businessman and lover of the Inn. He opened it in its renewed status on December 30, 1992.


The current owner, Duane Roberts, started lighting the inn for Christmas in 1993, a nod to his childhood, when his parents drove him around the city to look at houses the local newspaper listed as having the most elaborate displays. "I remembered that and thought with the beautiful architecture of the Mission Inn that it would be something outstanding and special for the community," said Roberts.


The Mission Inn's Festival of Lights, which is considered one of the country's largest and most elaborate displays, has turned the inn into a holiday must-see in Southern California. There are more than 3.5 MILLION (!) lights covering the entire inn. It is ranked 3rd as the best lights to see in the nation.

Tens of thousands of people attend the lighting ceremony each year the day after Thanksgiving , and many more come through the grounds before the festival ends Jan. 4. The lights depict toy soldiers, elves, swans, Santa and many other figures and beloved symbols of Christmas.

Roberts says it takes work crews 10 weeks to put the displays up, and another three weeks to take them down, at a cost of some $250,000.



Seeing is believing - Enjoy!



























































Steve was even well enough to help Santa's helpers!

Over the Hump!

We are glad to report that Steve is over the half way point in the treatment program. He has received 23 treatments and has 22 left. It seems just like yesterday that we were waiting and waiting for him to get started.

This badge is given to you when you begin treatment. It helps to immediately know who else is in treatment and where they are from. One of the good things about this place is they are always open to ideas for improving and making it better for the patients. A patient came up with the idea of colored stickers which lets you know immediately how far through the program a person is. Since the program consists of 45 treatments it is divided up into quarters. When you receive your blue sticker (which Steve received Wednesay) people know that you have received 23 treatments and half way through. When you begin you have a green sticker. This enables those who are farther along in the program to welcome newcomers and help them feel at ease right from the beginning. The guys usually like to show up for their treatments about 1/2 to 1 hour early just to visit with the each other. This is one of the great bonding tools here.

Loma Linda University Medical Center is all about "making man whole". There may be 4 other hospitals that do proton treatments but this is the only one that has so many support activities going on to get involved with. Monday night is game night at the Drayson Center, Tuesday night is potluck and socializing, Wednesday is the formal support meeting led by Dr. Lynn Martell, and Thursday night is gathering at a local restaurant for dinner. LLUMC gives you free membership to the Drayson Center and constantly encourages visiting the center to stay in shape and help with the healing process.

The Tuesday night potluck is another example of wanting to hear patients suggestions for making their stay here easier. It was started by the patients living in one of the apartment houses just as another way of gathering together and sharing. There is alway plenty of food, stories and song. Doesn't this look like fun!

We currently project our finish date as January 27, barring any further problems with the equipments used. The equipment is used 24 hours a day 7 days a week. When it isn't being used on patients in various ways by the hospital, NASA uses it for "research". Steve has minimal side effects from the treatment. He needs to take a couple of ibuprofen in the morning and evening but other than that you can probably tell by our outings that his life has not been effected by this treatment.

Within 100 miles there is an abundance of things to see and do. We are prioritizing the things we would like to do in the time we have left. We will, of course, keep you up to date on our activities.

Merry Christmas

We want to wish all our family and friends
across the United States a very

MERRY

CHRISTMAS

May the Lord continue to watch over and

bless you and yours.

The Spirit of Christmas in Loma Linda CA

With Christmas approaching we find ourselves saddened that we will not be home surrounded by our family, a first in 36 years of marriage. We always enjoy the pre-Christmas activities like making holiday cookies, decorating the house, putting up the tree with our sons and all the hustle and bustle that goes along with the season. This year is to be different. We will have our Christmas when we return from LLUMC sometime near the first of February when Steve's treatments are completed. Jason and Brian are holding down the fort at home by putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it to the hilt. (The cookies will have to come later)


It was really hard to get into the spirit of Christmas until the opportunity was given us to help with the children here at the hospital who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Seeing these children really puts into perspective the many blessing that God has given our family and friends.

Every year they have a party for outpatient and inpatient children being treated here for a variety of diseases including cancer. We were asked to bring a gift for a child to our next support group meeting which turned out to be a special Christmas meal for us as well. (Which was terrific) By the end of the night the table was running over with gifts brought by about 80 people. They had a sign up sheet for those willing to sort these and other toys donated and Steve and I jumped at the chance to serve and had fun in doing so.

Well, I can't tell you how many toys we had because there were just tooooo many to count. The toys not only covered four long tables but were also stacked from the floor to the table. I think we filled 25 bags for each of three age groups for boys and girls which accounted for at least 600 toys, games, stuffed animals, puzzles, coloring books and pens, barbie dolls, trucks and more. As you can tell from the photos we had a lot of helping hands and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.


That is Steve in the bottom right corner picture covering the bag of toys with wrapping paper with our good friend Katie from Pennsylvania. I am on the right top picture counting the bags to make sure everyone was covered. What a good day!! We would do that everyday if we could.

The party for the children was held on December 18th. What a great day that was. We gathered early to get our instructions and assignments. The entertainment was a magician, food, and of course SANTA!.. The menu consisted of pizza, salad, fruit tray and assorted cookies and candies. Steve and I were assigned to make sure everyone had plenty of pizza . When the families came in and were seated, we were their waiters making sure that all were well supplied with pizza punch and/or water.


They just kept coming in and we were busy, busy, busy. I think there were about 5 couples on the run making sure everyone had plenty of pizza while the magician was putting on a great show for the children. He invited a lot of kids on stage to help with different tricks and boy were they excited to help. They had a great time.

Then the call was made for Santa's visit and the kids didn't hesitate at all. They called them by their table numbers to keep it as orderly as possible and I think it went pretty well. When the families arrived the child in treatment was given a name tag which listed his or her age. So when they went to Santa a helper read the age of the child and collected a bag full of toys appropriate for the age and gender of the child. A good time was had by all.

You know, when you look at what these children are going through you realize all the blessings Heavenly Father has given us - and we give thanks.

Palm Springs

On one of our outings we went to Palm Springs which is only 1 hour travel from Loma Linda. We didn't really have a plan about what to do we just figured we would take it as it came. After arriving at the beautiful Visitors Center we decided to visit the Indian Canyons and take a ride on the Aerial Tram to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. It turned out to be a full day doing just these 2 things.

The Indian Canyons are South of Palm Springs on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservations where four canyons are located. The four canyons are Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon. The Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the Palm Springs area centuries ago. They developed complex communities in the canyons. With an abundant water supply, the plants, animals and Indians thrived. Today, remains of Cahuilla society like rock art, house pits, foundations, irrigation ditches, dams, reservoirs, trails and food preparation areas still exist in the canyons.

While we were at the visitor center Indian exhibit we were talking about hiring a Ranger guide but the lady at the booth said we could hike the same trail for nothing and read the information in the pamphlet. Also she mentioned that this time of year there may not be water in some of the areas mentioned but a good stream of water is still flowing in one of the canyons. So feeling adventuresome, we decided to go it on our own. She also informed us that we could buy entrance tickets from her for $5 instead of $8 a piece at the main gate so it was a double win.

We first went to Palm Canyon with water still flowing. It's 15 miles long and is said to be one of the most beautiful areas in Western North America. It had an abundance of flora and fauna which is a stark contrast to the rocky gorges and barren desert lands surrounding it. We hiked a 2 mile graded foot path that wound down into the canyon to find a nice winding stream and enjoyed the beautiful palms and flowers along the way. We took water with us due to the 85 degree temperature and finished it by the time we returned. We saw some people drinking out of the stream that came down from the mountains and knew they would have trouble later in the night due to what was probably in the stream. (YUK!) It was gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike. I was surprised that I did so well negotiating the winding trail and climbing over big rocks and was glad that we went the whole way.

Then we hopped in the car and drove a few miles to Andreas Canyon. It also had magnificent fan palms and more than 150 species of plants within a half-mile radius also surrounded by rocky gorges and barren desert. It is such a stark contrast. We first had to climb down about 100 yards worth of steps cut into the rock wall to get to the canyon. We then hiked only about a mile through this beautiful canyon that God made in the middle of nowhere. The foot trail led us through various palm trees and plants we hadn't seen before and I wanted to take pictures of everything. Around every corner was another majestic site waiting to be viewed. It was breathtaking and we recommend that all come and see for themselves.

We (I) were tired after the hikes and opted for some riding to round out the day. We headed for the Aerial Tram at the entrance to Palm Springs. The tram starts at the valley station located at 2,643 feet and takes you to the mountain station at 8,516 feet on the San Jacinto Mountain. You travel approximately 12,800 feet with a vertical ascent of 5,863 feet taking about 15 minutes travel time. The tram holds 80 passengers who are in cars that rotate during the ascent and descent.

TECHNICAL INFO for those who like this kind of stuff: Five towers support four 1-7/8" steel cables as well as four hauling cables, two auxiliary cables and a communications cable. The first tower is the tallest at 214' high; Tower Number Four is the shortest at 56 1/2' high. The weight of steel in the five towers totals 263 tons; the weight of the 11 cables totals 330 tons. The maximum span between towers is 3,455' between Towers 3 and 4.

I have to say that it was a totally breath taking ride. I don't really enjoy enclosed spaces or being trapped in some way but they had 4 windows on the top of the gondola and there were not many people in our group so I did OK. Looking out over the valley as we ascended certainly helped take my mind off the tight quarters. We not only saw Palm Springs but also hundreds of working windmills. In fact we passed hundreds on our way to Palm Springs. We enjoyed lunch at the mountain station and spent an hour or so just looking at God's creation and the magnificence of it all.

Isn't this gorgeous. The one on the left is of the Palm Springs area and the one on the right shows Steve (in the blue) standing behind the station on top of a stump. The mountain goes higher and we saw many people with packs that were going into the woods for a day or more. They were dressed very warmly. The temperature from the bottom to the top of the mountain can vary by 30 degrees or more. On the day we went it was pretty nice and our light jackets were sufficient if we didn't stay out too long.

There are many more things to see and do in Palm Springs and the surrounding area which we hope to visit in the future.

Stay Tuned

We are sorry it has been so long since we have posted any of our new adventures here, but besides doctor appointments and treatments and support groups, guess what - CHRISTMAS HAS SNEEKED UP ON US!! We have been making lists and shopping (Steve's favorite thing to do) and sending Christmas cards. Anyway we promise we will bring you up-to-date within the next couple of days of what's been going on and NOT going on. Hope this finds you all healthy and well.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I have to say that this year we had an unusual Thanksgiving for us. Usually we gather with all the family around, play games, watch football, joke around and generally enjoy the aromas surrounding us as we enjoy being together. This year we are separated from family by being here in Loma Linda California and had to decide what we wanted to to do.

We have met several nice couples that we enjoy being around and decided we needed the whole scene as is our tradition so we started asking who was doing what, thinking that being far from home and families that we could just gather together for a fun day. It was amazing to us how many couples had family nearby and were planning to go home be with family . But we were determined to have a turkey and friends around so we invited two couples that we had just met and instantly liked. Well, they were already getting together and invited US to join THEM. Sounded good to us so we said yes.

Now, one couple was from Pennsylvania and the other from Washington. Well, the couple from Washington are Seventh Day Adventist so we knew we were in for a treat and looked forward to the all vegetarian meal. We got there around 2pm, helped put the food together and got ready to eat. Since they were RV'rs and there was 8 of us we set up a table outside and proceeded to load the table with food. We had a vegie loaf, 3 different salads, sweet potatoes, a crock pot full of mashed potatoes, gravy, a tray of nuts, vegies, rolls, coconut cream pie, pecan pie and pumpkin pie! Boy was that table full. The weather cooperated well as it was about 70 and partly sunny. We ate and told stories and talked about the sights to see in the area. It was a very nice day and we had a great time. We didn't leave until about 8pm. We have just met a lot of nice people here at Loma Linda and we all try to support each other.

(BUT, turkey is Thanksgiving and since we already bought our turkey we just cooked it in the morning before we met with them, knowing we would eat for a week on leftovers) In fact we had a full plate of leftovers for dinner tonight.

Steve carving our turkey in our kitchen

Steve's Progress and Doctor

Just an update on Steve's progress so far. Not too much to really tell yet, he has 4 treatments under his belt and 41 left to go. He receives a total of 45 treatments, 5 days a week. With time off for weekends and holidays he should be finished January 25, 2009. (Of course, that doesn't count delays because of breakdowns which happen maybe a couple times a month).

Steve's doctor is Dr. Ryan Grover. He looked 16 to me, (judge for yourself)but has plenty of education and experience. Dr. Grover completed his undergraduate education at Claremont Kckenna College, Claremont, California, being graduated with high honors. He subsequently attended the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, and was awarded his M.D. degree. He fulfilled his internship at the University of California, Orange, California, and his residency in radiation oncology at LLUMC. He supplemented his residency experience as an observer at the Department of Radiation Medicine, M.C. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Boy that sure kept him busy!

Dr. Grover holds memberships in several professional organizations, including the American College of Radiology, the American society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), and the Los Angeles Radiological Society. He is a member of the Inland Empire chapter of MENSA - WOW!

Dr. Grover's research interests center around proton radiation therapy and radiation effects in tissue. He has a special interest in investigating radiation -sensitizing and radioprotective agents, including studies of agents that modify cell behavior.

He's just one of the many young bucks they have here along with the years and years of experience of those who were here before he was even thought of.

San Bernadino Symphony

We attended the San Bernardino Symphony the other night and I have to say that we were thrilled for the experience. We had never been to a symphony of this caliber before and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Maestro Carlo Ponti Jr.

A little history about the San Bernardino Symphony; they are celebrating 80 years of bringing fine music to this region. It was founded in 1929 by Maestro James K. Guthrie, an internationally renowned conductor and community leader. The Orchestra, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the Inland Empire, is composed of some of Southern California's finest professional musicians.

The San Bernardino Symphony performs in the beautiful and historic California Theatre which was built in 1928. The magnificent performing arts venue we attended was designed specifically to accommodate orchestral performances. Will Rogers gave his last public performance at the California Theatre. Less than two months later, on August 15, 1935, Rogers perished in a plane crash in Alaska. In 1997, a large mural of Will Rogers was painted by Ken Twitchell on the east facade of the Theatre to commemorate the final performance of America's finest humorist.

Back to the symphony! Maestro Carlo Ponti Jr. is the Music Director and Conductor during this 80th season. Maestro Ponti is the son of Sophia Loren. Maestro Ponti began his studies at the Conductor's Institute in Hartford Connecticut under the direction of Maestro Harold Farberman. He has also privately studied with Maestros Zubin Mehta and Mehli Mehta, Maestro Andrey Boreyko and specialized at the Vienna Musikhochschule under Maestro L

Leopolde Hager and Karel Ancerl. Ponti's debut with the Russian National Orchestra in Moscow met with critical praise and led to his appointment in 2000 as the Russian National Orchestra's Associate Conductor. In 2001 Ponti was named Music Director and Principal conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in the United States, a position recently extended through 2015. Following his 2005 Italian debut with the Orchestra Del Maggio Musicale in Florence Maestro Ponti was chosen as recipient of Italy's prestigious "Premio Galileo" Award for exceptional musical achievement. Carlo Ponti is in great demand as guest conductor and has appeared with orchestras in France, Spain, Venezuela, Viena, Moscow and many, many others throughout the world.

We were told that they were going to have a pre-concert lecture and were invited to attend. We had no idea what to expect but were glad that we attended. San Bernardino Symphony pianist Michael Tacchia gave an informative lecture on the particular pieces that we were going to hear. It was interesting to learn the background of the the pieces and what to look for as the music was presented.

The program for the evening was as follows: Beethoven's "Leonore Overture no.3, op72b"; Mozart's "Piano Concerto no.27 in B-flat Major, K.595"; and Schumann's "Symphony no.2 in C Major, op.61". Each of these was broken up into different parts and we could easily distinguish as we listened carefully. Michal Tacchia taught us what to listen for and what it would mean to the piece of music.

Also on the program was Ms. Janina Failkowska who was a master on the piano in Mozart's piano concerto. We loved her apparel which consisted of black tux pants with a brightly flowered jacket. She was brilliant on the piano. As the program unfolded you could just close your eyes and let the music take you away to peaceful places.

It was a wonderful evening of musical delight as we learned, listened and felt all that was happening in the theater. Another piece of information we learned was the many ways the symphony is involved in the community. Third grade students in San Bernardino City Schools learn about a symphony orchestra and its instruments when docents visit each classroom. High school youth are introduced to the joys of classical music also. Their duties include ushering at the concerts and assisting with special Guild events.

Treatment Begins

On November 18 Steve received his first proton treatment. We found it fitting that on this day, his 63rd birthday, he would begin a new lease on his life. It began at 8:00am when he arrived at the reception area to check in. His appointment was a at 9:00am but they want you there 30 minutes early and he was anxious to get started. He had already had his "pod" made so all was ready.

The first thing you do upon arrival is drink 16 ounces of water about 20 minutes prior to the procedure in order to fill your bladder. This helps to stretch the bladder and lift it off the prostate and away from the target area of the proton beam. (Steve drank 20 oz just to be sure). When they called his name he went in and changed into this beautiful gown that even had air conditioning. Nothing but the best here!

Just one more glass!

Now unlike other types of radiation therapy that use x-rays to destroy cancer cells, proton therapy uses a beam of special particles called protons. Doctors can better aim and control the energy of proton beams onto the tumor, so there is less damage to the surrounding healthy tissues. This allows doctors to use a higher dose of radiation with proton therapy than with x-rays. This proton beam is precisely shaped in three dimensions and delivered to the prostate with extreme precision. For the radiation to be precisely targeted, you must be placed in the exact same position for each treatment. Customized devices, called pods, are built for each patient (body mold) to allow the proton radiation to conform, three-dimensionally, to the target site.

To back up just a little: On October 27th Steve climbed onto the pod which was lined with a soft fabric. The technician poured warm polyurethane between the PVC pod and the sheet on which he was lying. This produced a mold that conformed to his body and would keep him motionless while being treated. After a couple of days it sets and is all ready for you.

Steve in "his" pod

This might get a little more technical than even I feel comfortable with but this is such an important subject we can't just say "he lays down and they zap him with a proton beam". Prostate cancer is every man's dread and every man's future. So we want to accurately present this wonderful treatment properly.

The precision of the proton beam requires equal precision in planning and delivery. This is done in two steps: (1) a three-dimensional reconstruction of the prostate or tumor and its relationship to surrounding structures. The three-dimensional information is obtained by performing CT scans - in about 20 minutes they take ninety-eight or so pictures in the prostate region . These pictures are used to produce a three dimensional "hologram" of the prostate which the oncologists, physicists and dosimetrists use to plan his treatment. This information is also used to construct two custom-made focusing devices called an aperture and a bolus, which are used together to conform the proton beam to the precise target area. (2) a reproducible treatment position that minimizes movement errors. (Steve's pod as described earlier)

Bolus used to shape proton beam

So, yesterday Steve climbed into his pod and let the technicians do their thing. With laser beams as guides, his was moved to a position within half a centimeter of the calculated optimal position. To make the position more precise, the radiation therapy technologist obtains several low-power diagnostic digital images. Distances from various bone landmarks to the isocenter are measured on these daily images. These are compared to identical measurements made on computer-generated films based on the planning CT scan. Usually it is necessary to move the patient a few millimeters to make the position conform exactly to the prescribed treatment. Now his specially created aperture and bolus, mentioned above, were loaded into the beam line. Each of these devices are identified by a bar code, which must be scanned by a laser scanner (similar to those at a supermarket). A match must be made before the computer will permit a treatment to begin.

The proton journey to the prostate begins! It is really complicated and hard to follow so I am going to try and write it in simple english and still do it justice. The protons are sent through a vacuum tube within a pre-accelerator which boosts their energy to two million electron volts. They travel around a synchrotron about 10 million times per second which also increases it energy to between 70 to 250 million electron volts. The voltage achieved is enough to place them at any depth within the patients body.

Model of accelorator facility

The treatment rooms have gantries which are wheels 35 feet in diameter and weigh approximately 90 tons, which revolve around the patient to direct the beam precisely to where it is needed. From Steve's perspective, however, all that is visible is a revolving, cone-shaped aiming device. Each treatment room has a guidance system to direct and monitor the beam until it enters the patient in precisely the location and shape that the doctors have predetermined.

Final alignment of delivery device

The entire proton facility is controlled by computers that are equipped with safety measures to ensure that patients receive proton radiation treatments as prescribed. They also have cameras and microphones if the patients need the technicians at any time. The entire process takes about 3 minutes in the pod. What a wonder of technology!!!

Now we will settle into a routine that works around his treatment times which vary from day to day. Yesterday was 9am, today was 12 noon and tomorrow is 9pm. I know, it's crazy, don't ask me who there scheduler is!

November 15, 2008 Summary

You wouldn't believe how long it has taken to try and set up this blog. Today has been week 2 at trying. I think we did it finally!

In summary of the past 3 weeks here, Steve had his doctors consultation, his CT and made is pod in which he lays to get his radiation treatments. Due to the influx of patients coming here our start date changed from November 4 to November 18, which happens to be Steve's birthday. What a great way to start a new life!

Loma Linda University Medical Center

We arrived on October 26th to a temporary house. Since then it took us a week to set up house after which we decided to visit the area since we had time. So far we have visited the San Diego Temple, the Los Angeles Temple, Lake Arrowhead, and Palm Springs. Last night, the 14th, we went to "Thanksharing" at the Seventh Day Adventist Church which is a community-wide worship service celbrating God's goodness, admission with non-perishable food items. It was a great musical night!. Tonight we will go the the San Bernadino Symphony (free bec of LLUM) with Carlo Ponti Jr. as the conductor. We are looking forward to another great night.

On a regular basis we have a Tuesday potluck support get together, a Wednesday night Radiation Medicine Support Group with Dr. Lynn Martell leading the evening and a regular Thursday night restaurant tour featuring a different eating establishment each week. Of course we also have the great workout club, Drayson Center, we go to 3-4 times a week. We hope to get into better shape.

The goal here is to make the person whole; physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Everyone here is great. We haven't met anyone who wasn't nice and helpful. It's a great atmosphere for healing.

Los Angeles Temple