Last Full Day - Day 33 - Wednesday 23rd February

After a late night at the hockey, we were both a little tired - so an early start for a 10am PT wasnt the perfect choice but it was ok. we managed to have a quick skype to the kids (at Grandma's) - i'll own up to it being my birthday today. Which is a little difficult in some respects (i'm not with my family), strange in others (i'm in STL with Ev), and great in parts (my friends Wayne & Char - are great company and came all this way!).

So, after a quick breakfast we took the shuttle to children's for our last PT. I'm not really very good at saying goodbye so wasnt really looking forward to it. However, it was a little easier that Mike and Erica werent around. We had said our goodbyes to them on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and it was our first and only session with Blair. So we left the building - and it's obvious (now?) that it is the people, not the buildings which make a community. We have had a small community here, and so with a goodbye to John on the front desk (the SDR families will know who he is) we were done. A little sad, and if truth be told, a little scared - but knowing that we are in better shape than we arrived. A little homesickness and missing family and friends will quicky wash away, but the impact of Evan's Big Journey will last forever.

Another quick skype to home (apols to Loup - the arrival of our guests and the chance to do things has meant less skype time....) and we then headed to the Arch. Evan hadnt been before, as was the case for Wayne & Char so we took a ride to the top and ticked off another "done that" item. Essential for any visitor to STL.

Right, what to do now ..... ? Strangely, and almost as if we had planned it, it was 1945 at home (Man Utd game kick off time) and we needed somewhere warm to hide and have something to eat. So we popped back to Tigin.

We are now back to the hotel, and it's 6pm here. We are going to meet up with the Foxes and say hi, bye and good-luck. The girls have their second op in the morning so we wont see them as they have a dawn start, but im sure we will see them (and quite possibly hear them coming first....;) in the future. No, we will make sure of it. Ev's birthday party in April could well be a mini northern SDR reunion party !

I suspect tonight will be a relatively early one as Ev is flagging a bit, but you never know.... I might get one final birthday pint (although i'm going to get a re-run on Saturday!)

So, this is the last blog that im going to write on America soil. It started off as an alternative to writing postcards and we are amazed, in fact overwhelmed by how many people read it. (more than 10,000 blog reads in the last month !!!). As each person comments on it, or shares it, it makes us smile and realise that people are on this journey with us. I will carry on, in the future with further updates on Evan's progress, although don't worry - not daily ! and I guess there is only one word to sum up the last 5 weeks.....

FANTASMAGORICAL !!!

Thanks!
The Whitton Family!