Well Granny Jane is gone and Tanner and I are alone again. I nearly cried when she got in her truck and drove away this morning. I know that I'm kind of the loner sort and usually enjoy time to myself - but these weeks of being away from our loved ones in Texas is beginning to take a toll. Tanner and I both are ready to come home for a while.

It will be nice to see our family and friends. I miss Sunday dinner at Aunt Gerry's house. I miss my grandchildren, my nieces and nephews (and great nieces and nephews), I miss all my loved ones, and heck, I even miss work!

We had a quiet day today and Tanner feels pretty good. He has a little inflamation that is causing him some discomfort and they gave him another bag of IV antibiotics. His potassium is low so he has a potassium drip attached to his line that should run out around 10 p.m. tonight - right on schedule for my bedtime.

We were assigned to be in the same room today as our new friends, John and Lauren, and it was nice to have a chance to visit with them for an extended time. John's treatment has coincided pretty close to Tanner's since we have been here and they should get to go home to Virginia for a while about the same time we get to come back to Fort Worth.

We also saw Anastasia and Harris, a young couple from Greece, who have been here since Tanner arrived. They were actually in our orientation class our first week here in Arkansas. Anastasia was telling us that their insurance wouldn't cover her husband's treatment unless he was an inpatient so he was in the hospital for a month. They were telling Tanner that when all of this is done, he should come to Greece for dancing and celebration. Who knows, maybe one day he can go!

Everyone gathered in our room today at the hospital and were all catching up with each other. The nurses were saying that our's was the "fun" room because there was much laughter and chatter going on!

It's interesting (and reassuring) to talk to the other patients and caregivers who have been here undergoing basically the same treatment at the same time. Everyone is very interested to hear how everyone else is doing and it seems like they are all coming up on their "break" time at about the same pace.

We have also met another couple by the name of Tom and Shirley who are from Oklahoma. They are renting an apartment across from us and when I told them that Tanner was about to be released to go home for 3 or 4 weeks, Tom said he was going to tell Dr. Barlogie not to let him leave because he wanted him here for the company. Tanner thought that was pretty funny!

We have met some wonderful people while we have been here in Arkansas and I will never forget them. Tanner is so much younger than most of the other patients, but they have all taken him under their wings. He enjoys visiting with them all so very much and has handled this whole process with grace and patience. If I had been the one sick and undergoing treatment, I don't know if I could have handled things half as well as Tanner has. He's a very special young man (I started to say boy but I don't know that I would call Tanner a boy anymore) and I now see him in a whole new light.