happenings in california

We treated Erin to her birthday present on Thursday - a trip to Broadway LA to see Wicked. We didn't have to go to the doctor that day, so we were able to rest and prepare all day. We left to go at 3:40 and were parked in the parking lot next to the Pantages by 5:15. Before getting off the freeway, we excitedly spotted Hollywood Hill with the Hollywood sign. Last year, we had seen the back of it from Warner Bros. (the back of it is Walton's Mountain, we found out on our tour.)

After walking around for a block or so looking at the stars below our feet (the Walk of Fame - and yes, we found Audrey Hepburn's much to E's delight,) we decided to eat a little something at the Hollywood and Vine Cafe. Eating out is a major treat in itself - we hadn't for almost 15 months! Of course, what most gluten-free people know, is that you need to be content with bare meat and a salad. We ordered two 10 ounce hamburger plates, (without the buns) replacing a side salad for the french fries. We also ordered a salad called a wedge - which was a large wedge of iceburg lettuce with chopped vegetables on the side. The three of us shared parts of these dishes. It was all pure delight.

And the play was beyond words as Erin said. Amazing acting, singing, stage sets - it just doesn't get any better than that! I had prayed that we would all be able to enjoy the entire evening and performance, as we often start feeling badly part way through our outings, no matter how pleasurable they are. God blessed us with the ability to enjoy our night in every way. We were so very grateful.

We were feeling completely drained the next day. Erin started coming down with a cold and Brady had some asthma problems. And the day after that was the same. Thankfully, we didn't need to go back to the doctor until Monday, so we were able to get a lot of rest. I was able to get to Trader Joe's and Blockbuster Video which are both close by. Yay! Saturday night, Brent flew in. His flight was an hour late, but his arrival was just in time ;-) We all thought we'd try to go to the beach on Sunday, but Erin was still feeling pretty poorly, and I felt like I needed to rest too, so just Brady and Brent went out in the afternoon for a little sightseeing. Erin and I stayed home and watched a movie (the third in three days.) We did get the urge to go for a walk later on. We discovered a large park near us with a couple of ponds. Unfortunately, we walked a bit too far, and Erin was feeling pretty miserable before we were even close to being home. Thankfully, our knights in shining armor drove up when we still had a couple of blocks to go and gave us a ride to help us finish our journey.

The kids held their adjustment over the weekend. We may get them checked one more time tomorrow. The doctor is advising us to maybe come in 3-4 months next time because so far, Brady has not yet held an adjustment up to 5 or 6 months. If we catch it early, it would help his health not to decline so much. Maybe we will come sooner and not stay as long next time. Our adjustments are holding well immediately afterwards, (not counting our initial treatment) and so it looks like we won't have to stay for a whole week to "watch it" next time.

We were wonderfully surprised to bump into T.C. at the doctor's office this afternoon! He is a friend whose family use to live in the same town as us. His sister is one of the case studies in a new booklet the doctor's office just published, that documents successful cases from their treatment program. We're so glad for continued reports from their family that F. is able live a normal life again and is making plans for college studies in the near future.