We all went out for breakfast at The French Laundry this morning. It wasn't even a struggle to get Marika and her friend, Lindey, out of bed with the enticement of lox and bagels and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
It's raining today but there is the promise of warmer weather later this week -- apparently there is the potential for the temperature to reach into the 70's. (Due to the all-day rain, we didn't get to do our usual walking and we really missed it!)
Marika leaves for Santa Barbara tomorrow. She's had a week to visit with friends, take long walks with her parents and determine her summer plans. It looks like she'll stay in Santa Barbara this summer and take her MCAT study course there along with an academic summer school course. It will lighten her load as a senior next year.
Gil has reached the right balance of work and recovery. Most days he feels good and is regaining his past levels of endurance by walking three miles a day using those "sweet" hiking poles. (They say the workout is 45% more effective when you use them.) His mood is good although he admits to having some issues with the limitations that taking steroids and immunosuppressives impose on his lifestyle. Like no travel by air. Decreased energy levels. Logistical issues when he wants to be in crowded places. (All are surmountable.)
Our next planned trip is once again driving to Chicago for a weekend in mid-April. We'll hope to spend a day at the Art Institute of Chicago seeing the new Matisse show, a day at an alumni seminar which Stanford sponsors called Stanford Leading Matters (Evan is the alum. We were the financial enablers and as such are always invited to these events as "the parents"!), and a day at an Antiques and Gardens exhibition at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Evan Report: Evan has "informed" us that he has "officially" started studying for his medical boards which every student takes mid-June at the end of the second year. It requires months of very serious study and he is allowing himself very little "fun" time this spring. He warned us that he may not be as "warm and communicative with family" as usual!
Adam Report: Adam is giving his final push to finishing his PhD work. He defends his thesis on May 10th in front of his committee. He walks in the graduation procession and gets "hooded" the following day. I wish Gil could be there but he's not able to travel by air yet. I will go and visit with the kids in LA and drive up to Santa Barbara to visit with Marika for a few days during that trip. The wedding plans continue to evolve but there's plenty of time to get all the details right. It's scheduled now for May 2011 which is the first time that Adam will have the "time off" during his third year of medical school.
All for now. Looking forward to spring!
Haiku:
Spring Break is over
Sending Marika back home
To be with her friends.
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