Thanks???giving

Yesterday Joe had a left Total Hip Replacement and Casey had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy - a double as they said at the gastroenterology center. I got up at 4:30 AM (after being up until 2:00 AM with Casey trying to help her tolerate the prep for her procedure) to take Joe to St. Joe's hospital. Then I had to drive back home and get Casey up to go to Central Baptist for her procedure. We had to explain to the people at St. Joe's that I was being a bad wife because I had to be a good mother at the same time - they really did want to know why I wasn't going to be sitting waiting to hear how Joe's surgery went! After taking Casey home, I drove back to St. Joe's again to check on Joe. His surgery went well, but he was pretty nauseated afterwards. Today he's also having a fair lot of pain, but they did get him up for a short walk and to go to "joint" class. He will most likely come home Friday. Casey's scopes looked completely normal - so I guess that's the good news and the bad news. We still have to wait for her biopsies to be assessed - maybe that will tell us something.

Last weekend Casey and I went up to Cinicinnati to visit the Ronald McDonald House - her sorority charity. It was pretty impressive. We had a good time afterward doing a little shopping and wandering around town. A couple of weeks ago Joe and I drove to Naperville, Illinois which is just outside of Chicago to see Noreen Malone. Noreen is married to Joe's cousin Pat and wanted to see Joe as she is currently in hospice (at home) and not expected to be with us much longer. Noreen had met Joe several times when she and Pat went to California to visit Joe's mom Loiuse and she and Joe really connected on a heart level as Pat says. It was wonderful to meet some of Joe's cousins and their kids and on Sunday we stopped in Chicago to see the Art Institute which is quite impressive. So I'm posting some pics from Cincinnati and from Chicago - better than pics of Joe in the hospital.

St. Mark Catholic church - the bell tower, in Cincinnati.

A beautiful old movie theatre in Cincinnati with gorgegous tile work.

A mural at the Ronald McDonald House. Behind the door and windows is one of two kitchens for the families to store food, cook meals and eat.

In Chicago - what happens when you leave your bike unattended for too long.

Joe checking out the overpass from a park on the right to the Art Institute (not in view on the left).

The crowd in front of a Renoir.