Mom - glad to hear that the cemo went well and that although it took a long time it will be quicker next time.  Be sure to keep me up to date with what is going on and the results of any tests.  THANK YOU!

Randy - I love all of you guys lots and your family (the Walkers) has been awesome to the boys and I.  I consider myself blessed to be a part of it.

Kristi - I brought several bottles of antibacterial hand stuff.  Do not worry!

Ecuador Update:

Class are going well but hard.  I am in class every morning for 4 hours and it flies by since I dont have time to think about anything else but understanding the language.  I am exhausted by the end of the day.  It is amazing how draining using your brain can be. (This is not an opportunity for insults from my fan club!)

The weather here changes drastically during the day.  Quito is approximately 9000 ft more or less and in the mornings it is very cool, rains every afternoon, heats up around lunch time and cools off again in the evening.  They do not have heat of any kind, so mornings are cold getting out of bed and the shower.  That brings up the shower.  They donīt really have much hot water either.  So I have had to be acustomed to a sorta lukewarm shower that pretty much drips out of the faucet.  Water pressure is another issue in itself.  It is non existant.

The food is great. I have tried more types of fruit than I knew existed.  Joe - you would love the pineapple!  Popcorn is often served with dinner.  It is part of the traditional ecuadorian meal.  Our host mother cooks breakfast and dinner daily and has fixed something different and traditional each day.  I really appreciate her willingness to share her culture with us.  She is a very kind and generous woman.  In class today we learned that one of the delicacies of Ecuador is guinea pig. I need to be sure and let her know that I will be passing on that dish and if she wants to skip fixing it that will be super dooper with me!

This weekend we are planning a trip to the cloud forest and to the equator.  I will let you all know how it goes.  I have been taking pictures and will upload them when I return to the states.  I need to get to work so this will be a short journal.  If you have any questions, be sure to forward them to me and I will try to answer them in the journal for all to read.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers.  It is hard to be so far away from everyone but I am confident that this experience will be well worth it in the long run.