Mary Poppins on Broadway

We were able to get tickets to Mary Poppins tonight - it was great!
We both really enjoyed it.

We are planning to get up early and go to the taping of the TODAY show
- maybe you'll see us...we figure we can sleep on the plane. :)

Doctor Appointment

Well, we met with the neurologist today, and he had some answers.
Alyssa's pain will most likely improve with physical therapy/exercises
to modify her posture. It seems like such a simple answer, but Dr.
Mora explained it all well, and it makes sense. Her neck muscles are
currently under constant stress, and she needs to change that.

I have the same posture problem...but not quite as bad. I also have
some nerve impingement in my left elbow, which I will likely have
investigated further. Dr. Mora gave me the name of a test to have
done, and depending on the degree of impingement, I may need to have
surgery to correct the problem.

I also will be pursuing surgical removal of the lipoma in my back.
Dr. Mora indicated that lipomas are usually not a problem, but because
of the location and feel of mine, he suggested having it removed.

We did not meet with the neurosurgeon - Dr. Mora didn't see anything
that would require a surgical consultation.

So, we will have some follow up to do when we get home, but hopefully
we will both be doing better soon.

Since we completed our appointments earlier than planned, we are
headed back to the city for the rest of the day. Since it doesn't
look like we will be returning to NY anytime soon, we are going to
take advantage of the time we have.

Testing Complete

Alyssa and I both completed our testing today. We each did multiple X-Rays, a CT scan, and 4 MRIs - it took a long time, but it's done. Now we just have to wait until tomorrow to hopefully find out some answers.

There is a nasty storm moving through (lots of rain and wind - and it's cold). So, we decided to skip the big city and just hang out in our room for the rest of the day. It sounds like there will be rain again tomorrow, too (while we spend all day meeting with doctors), but it looks like it will be nice again on Thursday.

It's Soooo BIG!

Wow!  We have had quite a fun day in the big city!

It turns out that there is a train station about 1 block from our hotel that takes us into the heart of Manhattan - it makes it extremely easy to get around.  So, this morning, we headed to the city on the train.  We arrived at Penn Station, and made our way up from the underground to street level.  You should have seen Alyssa's face when she saw the city - all she could say was, "It's so BIG!"  We spent all day walking the city before taking the train back to our hotel.  We could easily spend another week and still not do all we would like to.

Today we took in the following sites:

First, the Empire State Building - we took the "SkyRide", which is a virtual helicopter tour of city - Alyssa loved it - I nearly lost my breakfast!  After the ride, we went up to the observation deck - what an amazing view - we took lots of pictures.  While we were there, we had to wait about 20 minutes to get to the south side because the star of Wicked was there for a photo shoot...we snuck a few pics of our own.

Next, we headed north up Fifth Avenue - we saw Saks, the New York Library, and Rockefeller Center.  

After that, we headed to Times Square - the highlight of which was definitely the M&M store - who knew such a little candy could have such a huge store - 3 floors!  Alyssa had a blast!

Finally, we walked through the theatre district on our way back to Penn Station.

It sure doesn't sound like a lot when I write it out, but we spent hours on our feet, it took all day, and there is still so much we want to see - like, Central Park, Museum of Natural History, the Statue of Liberty, and if possible, a showing of The Lion King.  Alyssa and I are both thinking we will definitely need to come back some day!

Tomorrow is our big day of tests - we start about 11, and we expect to be done by about 3.  Not sure what we will do after that - maybe the Statue of Liberty, depending on what time we get done.

Fun Pics from Minneapolis

Here are some fun pictures from our layover in Minneapolis - the umbrella was a fun screen that when you walk by, your shadow "moves" the little umbrellas - very fun!

We're Here!

Well, Alyssa and I have safely arrived at our hotel on Long Island...thank goodness for GPS units - it's the only way to get around in a rental car in an unfamiliar land!  We had two uneventful (but FULL) flights - but it was snowing during our layover in Minneapolis - the first snow we've seen this year.

We ordered some yummy Italian food for dinner, and we are planning our Manhattan adventure for tomorrow - I'm sure we'll have lots of fun pictures to upload by tomorrow night.  Be sure to check back.

It's Snowing!

Alyssa studying her spelling rules in Minneapolis.

Our New York Schedule

I received a confirmation call from TCI today, confirming Alyssa and my appointments.

On Tuesday, we will have testing beginning at 11:00 am, and it is expected to take approximately 3 hours. So, it sounds like we might have a little bit of time for fun on Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday, we have the following schedule:

9:00 - Alyssa appointment with nurse
10:00 - Kayla appointment with nurse
11:00 - Alyssa appointment with neurologist
LUNCH
1:00 - Kayla appointment with neurologist
2:00 - 4:00 - (nothing scheduled)
4:00 - Alyssa appointment with neurosurgeon
5:00 - Kayla appointment with neurosurgeon

Upcoming Trip to the Big Apple

Alyssa and I are leaving this Sunday (10/26) for New York, to visit The Chiari Institute (http://www.thechirariinstitue.com/). If you are so inclined, please pray that the doctors will have some answers for us.

We arrive Sunday night, and we will have all day Monday to explore and experience New York. We hope to at least be able to take in the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ground Zero, and Central Park. I'm sure we will not have nearly enough down-time to see all the things we would like to, but we'll cram in as much as we can!

If you have any suggestions for places to go, or just how to get around in New York, please send them our way...we could use all the help we can get!

On Tuesday, we are scheduled for a long list of imaging tests - multiple X-Rays, CT Scans, and MRIs. I'm not sure how long to expect all of that to take.

On Wednesday, we are scheduled for a series of appointments throughout the day. We are scheduled to meet with a nurse, a neurologist, and we end the day meeting with a neurosurgeon. Our hope is that by the end of the day on Wednesday, we will have some answers.

Thursday is another fun day for us. Our flight isn't scheduled to leave for home until Thursday evening, so we will do as much more sightseeing as we can.

I will have my computer with me, so I will post pictures and updates throughout the week. If you find yourself wondering how we are doing, just log on.