Thanksgiving Morning

Proud grandparents! Above is my brother John, his wife Gerry, and little Scott.

Above - Little Scott looking straight at Mom, with John and Gerry looking on.

Above - Little Scott and his grandpa John.

These pictures were taken a couple hours before Mom got sick and we all took off for the hospital.

Kristin and baby Scott

And making his debut on this blog is baby Scott!

Little Scott is the son of Kristin and her husband Scott. They live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For those of you who do not know Kristin, she is my niece. Her dad is my brother John.

Kristin and little Scott came out here to Minneapolis for a couple days to celebrate Thanksgiving. Even though we had an unexpected turn of events to say the least, we all had a nice visit by making the best of it.

These pictures were from Saturday morning just before Kristin and little Scott flew back home to Kalamazoo.

Update 2.0

Just a few minutes ago Dr. Sanchez, the infectious disease specialist, stopped by. He told us that the ascites fluid is not the source of the infection. This is good news, but they still don't know the source and it appears the doctors are resigned to leave it unknown because there are no other tests scheduled as far as we know.

Nevertheless Dr. Sanchez will discuss this with the other doctors during their case meeting and if all agree, she could be released as early as Monday.

Update

Just a quick post from the hospital. Dr. Miller came in this morning and it sounds like all is status quo for now. They will continue intravenously administering the antibiotics for the time being.

Yesterday afternoon Ma was brought down to the radiology department where the doctor took a sample of the ascites fluids for a culture. This was done to see if the ascites fluid is the source of the infection. That would be bad.

So far there is no bacterial growth on the culture. This is positive but they will keep an eye on the culture for about the next 30 hours. If there is no growth, this means that the ascites fluids should be ruled out as a source of the infection.

The source of the bacterial blood infection seems to be a medical mystery at this point. They do know, however, the type of bacteria that has infected her blood: E Coli. Since they found this out, the doctors have changed the antibiotic to Ceftriaxone. This is another antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, including and specifically E Coli bacteria in the blood. It is also administered intravenously.

In other news, Ma's temperature and blood pressure have stabilized. And today, she took a stroll down the hall for the first time since being admitted to the hospital on Thanksgiving day.

E Coli

The doctors have isolated the type of bacterial infection to Escherichia Coli (E Coli).

They suspect that the bacterial infection occurred during the abdominal tap on Monday, but this is yet to be confirmed as the source of the infection.

Contrary to popular opinion about food or water-bourne E Coli illnesses, the doctor said that in our bodies we have E Coli normally and there are many strains of E Coli. We still know little about this particular type of strain. This morning they took a sample of the ascites fluids in her abdominal cavity in order to identify the strain.

The doctor who stopped by earlier this morning did say that she seems to have bounced back from the initial symptoms (sudden onset fever, chills) and that she is responding to the antibiotics but that she will need to remain under observation for at least a few more days.

Diagnosis

The doctors at Abbott have diagnosed Ma with a bacterial blood infection. People with weak immune systems due to illness (such as cancer) or medical treatment (such as chemotherapy) are more prone to develop blood infections. It is a condition called Bacteremia where a bacteria enters the blood through a wound or by infection during a medical procedure (like an abdominal tap).

The first night in the hospital Ma was given an antibiotic intravenously and the type of antiobiotic given was meant to fight off a wide range of infections. This was due to the fact that the doctors had not yet identified the type of infection. Once they identified the type as bacterial, the treatment was shifted to a combination imipenem and cilastatin. These are antibiotics administered intravenously and used to treat bacterial infections.

We have no word yet on how long she might be in the hospital. First we will need to hear from the doctor about how the treatment is working. We should find this out sometime on Saturday.

Abbott Northwestern

As some of you know from Random Thoughts, mom was hospitalized Thanksgiving night.

At about 1:45 p.m. central time on Thursday afternoon, she complained of suddenly feeling "chilled" and went to her room to wrap herself in blankets and take a nap. One hour later Mavis checked in on her and she was shaking uncontrollably and crying. Nothing we did (more blankets, electric heater) seemed to help warm her. We remembered that in case of emergencies, we should call the Mayo oncologist on-call for instructions. We did. Dr. Moynihan was the doctor on-call and called us back within a few minutes. He recommended that we layer her in clothes and wrap her in blankets and get her to the emergency room.

We sped to the nearest hospital, Abbott Northwestern, arriving at the ER at 3:07 p.m. Her temperature on arrival was 102.3 degrees. The ER physician examined her and found her heart sounds normal and chest x-rays showed her lungs to be clear. She was given intravenous fluids to lower her temperature.

She was admitted at 7:30 p.m. Later in her room, a nurse's aide stopped by to take her temperature and her blood pressure. The IV fluids worked to lower her temperaturee to 98.7 but her blood pressure was very low (82 over 47). This caused some alarm with the nurse, who then paged the on-call doctor of internal medicine. Dr. Harmala, who happens to be Suomilinen (small world), told us she has an infection. The source of the infection is unknown, but he speculated that she has pneumonia.

Until they confirm the source, there is no estimate for a release date. So for the time being, if you want to give her a call to wish her well you can reach her directly at 612-863-2301 in room 3030.

Notebook

Did you know that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month?

See Katie Couric's Notebook which aired on September 6, 2008.

GMA

Mom and I first learned about the symptoms of ovarian cancer while watching this GMA segment that aired in September 2008. Later in the segment a doctor (at about the 4:00 minute mark) talks about the symptoms of ovarian cancer. While watching, mom and I realized she had every symptom mentioned. The same day we scheduled an appointment for blood tests and an ovarian screen.

It is awareness building by television programs and other organizations profiled on this blog that set in motion the process of correct diagnoses and appropriate medical care for women with ovarian cancer. In hopes that the network will continue with segments aimed at raising awareness of ovarian cancer, I wrote the email below to GMA.

Unfortunately I was limited to 500 characters and could have written so much more.
______________________________

I would like to thank GMA for its programming choices. They may have saved my mom's life, or at least helped to lengthen it.

In Sept. 2008, a physician was on GMA to raise awareness about Ovarian Cancer and its symptoms.

Before this segment aired, my mom suffered for months, not knowing what was wrong, nor did the doctors treating her. Because of the segment, she is now undergoing chemo treatments at the Mayo Clinic.

Thank you GMA for building awareness of Ovarian Cancer.

Staying in Rochester

We left Mayo at about 4:30 p.m. central time and checked into a hotel in Rochester for the night.

After the procedure Ma was having severe abdominal pain and this is common and expected after the procedure. She is unable to travel afterward. She is sleeping now and will be for the rest of the night.

We should be driving back to Minneapolis tomorrow.

Third Tap

Today's procedure was the third time Ma has had a tap to remove the ascites fluid buildup in her abdominal cavity.

The first time was October 7th, shortly after she arrived to the Mayo Clinic. At that time 17 liters (4.5 gallons) were removed. Two weeks later on October 20th the second tap was done and 8 liters (2.1 gallons) were removed.

It has been five weeks since her last tap. Today 5.5 liters (1.5 gallons) were removed.

So the time between taps is growing and the amount of ascites fluids being removed is lessening.

Jim and Lisa

I meant to post this over the weekend but now that I have a few minutes while here in the waiting room I can post now.

This is a picture of my brother Jim and his wife Lisa (for those of you who haven't met them yet) with Ma at the Mayo Clinic. They drove Ma/gramma down to Rochester last week for her chemo treatment. We (me, Mavis, Sylv, Jim, Lisa, Ma) then spent the weekend in Minneapolis visiting, cooking, eating, telling stories, laughing a lot, and watching football!

It was a really nice weekend and I'm happy we all got to spend it together.

Live Blogging from the Mayo Clinic

We are back at Mayo this afternoon for the abdominal tap. This procedure is done in the radiology department in the Charleton Building, which houses Rochester Methodist Hospital. This is one of two nearby hospitals affiliated with the Mayo Clinic.

During the procedure, Ma is awake the entire time, unlike the chemo treatments. We arrived a little early for the 2 p.m. appointment, filled out a couple forms, and shortly afterward the nurses took her into the back where they do the procedure. She went in at 2:04 p.m. central time.

Unfortunately we are not allowed to be with her while all of this is going on. So we will be here in the waiting room until further notice.

My little "Carry On"

According to airline policy, travelers are allowed two pieces of carry on luggage.

And did you know that pets are counted as a carry on?

Here is a picture of my two allowable pieces of carry on luggage - my backpack and Gabbie (my little chihuahua), who is pictured here patiently waiting for the boarding call at National Airport yesterday.

America's Next Top Senior Model

Ma/gramma stopped by Erickson's Hair Care Store yesterday at the Mayo Clinic and and picked up some new headgear! Here she is modeling her new hats!

I won TINA TURNER tickets!

The concert is Monday at the Verizon Center in DC!

I won the tickets with a $5 raffle ticket purchased yesterday at work for the Combined Federal Campaign.

Too bad I can't go.

I held onto the tickets for about a half hour agonizing about how I could possibly pull off going to the concert. Delay my flight to Minnesota until Tuesday? Fly Saturday as planned but come back for the concert? Both options would be crazy not to mention outrageously expensive.

So with the painful realization that my going to this concert was not meant to be, I handed the tickets back over to the raffle organizers so they could draw another winner. But all is not lost. Appreciating my gesture, the raffle organizers decided to come up with a consolation prize for me next week.

I'll let you know what I "win!"

Mayo Appointments

As you know mom/gramma had her appointments today at the Mayo Clinic. She had blood tests, the oncology evaluation, and chemo scheduled for today.

The blood tests came back and all indicators looked good. So the chemo treatments went forward as planned. The taxol is being administered right now and so far so good. After the taxol she has one more (the carboplatin). She should be done at about 6:45 p.m. eastern time and on her way back to the hotel by 7:15 p.m.

At the oncology evaluation, the nurse practitioner reported that the CA 125 marker is down to 125. Originally it was 499. Surgery is off the table for now and the foreseeable future. The plan is to continue with the chemo and re-evaluate every few weeks.

On Monday she has an appointment with the radiology department. Fluid has been building up again in her abdomin. The condition is called ascites and it is caused by the cancer. To remove the fluid they do an abdominal paracentis or "tap." This is a procedure where they insert a needle into the abdominal cavity and withdraw the ascites fluids out through the needle. Taps usually can take up to several hours depending on how much fluid is in the cavity.

Other than that, Sylv said she is in good spirits.

Anybody have a DVR?

I'll miss the big game on Saturday! I'll be in the air.

But I hope you get to watch! And let's all hope for a miracle.

Travel Itinerary

My flight itinerary:

Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
Depart 12:10 PM
Arrive 1:53 PM
Northwest Airlines #1705Washington National/Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA) to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

Witness History

The DC metro area is expecting a million visitors during inauguration week. The trains, streets, monuments, museums, restaurants, and the mall will be jam packed. So it's not surprising that hotel rooms in and around DC are completely booked during inauguration week.

Locals, recognizing the opportunity to make a fast buck, have begun renting their homes to visitors determined to witness history. One of the residents in my condo building in fact has jumped on the bandwagon. Their apartment is renting for $3,500 for the week. I repeat: for the WEEK.

While jumping on the bandwagon is very tempting, I believe it's best to play it safe and forego the $3,500. I will instead witness history from my own couch.

UPDATE: This is tempting.

Inaugural Seating

1 Million Plus Expected for Inauguration.

UPDATE: Inaugural crowd estimates soar to 5 million.

Johanna's Law

My friend Johanna is a documentary filmmaker and she was online today researching ovarian cancer for a possible film project. She happened to come across "Johanna's Law," which was named after Johanna Silver Gordon who died in 2000 from ovarian cancer. The law creates a federal campaign to educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer in order to save women's lives through earlier detection.

You can find more about Johanna's law here.

The press release is from the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance.
_________________

Press Release

President Bush Signs ‘Johanna’s Law’ to Launch a National Gynecologic Awareness Campaign
President Bush has signed Johanna’s Law, landmark legislation that authorizes the development of a national gynecologic cancer awareness campaign. The federal campaign would educate American women and health professionals about the signs and symptoms of ovarian and other gynecologic cancers.

The President signed the law on January 12. Both houses of Congress unanimously approved Johanna’s Law: the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act late last year.
Johanna’s Law authorizes $16.5 million over a three-year period to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the awareness and education campaign. It is named for Johanna Silver Gordon, who died from ovarian cancer in 2000.

“This is an exciting development in our efforts to save women’s lives through earlier detection of ovarian cancer,” said Johanna’s sister, Sheryl Silver, who conceived Johanna’s Law and has worked tirelessly for its passage. “By educating the public about the risk factors and symptoms of gynecologic cancers, Johanna’s Law will help women recognize potentially dangerous symptoms and seek appropriate medical attention sooner.”

MOCA members can be proud of the work that has been done by the network of gynecologic cancer advocates throughout the country.” But our work is not done”, says Kathleen Gavin, MOCA’s Executive Director, “We need to continue to push for Congressional funding to make the provisions in Johanna’s Law come alive. There cannot be a national awareness campaign without the appropriation to fund it.”

Flowers

The bouquet of flowers and small centerpiece on the kitchen table came courtesy of Mavis Straughn. When she stopped by last week she brought these with her. The flowers are a perfect accent!

Kitchen Makeover - After Pictures

After finishing up on the cabinets, I patched and sanded the walls for a much smoother look. And the paint makes a huge difference, don't you think? Working off the colors in the curtains, Mavis picked out red and green for the paint. The backsplash is Antique Red and the wall color is Grass Cloth - both are by Behr. The two colors were actually highlighted in a Behr brochure we picked up at Home Depot. I also painted the underside of the kitchen table the same color as the backsplash.

Curious Cabinets - Before

Mavis had some nice cabinets installed a few years ago but her neighbor who installed the cabinets had a curious approach. At first glance I noticed these boards underneath the cabinets and thought the installer had used them to help with leveling. This is standard procedure. But why, you might ask, didn't the boards come down after the install? Because they were holding the cabinets up!

After further inspection, it turned out that the installer screwed the cabinets to the wall only at the top. He used these boards to secure the bottom. In the event you decide to take on your own kitchen makeover sometime, do not use the curious approach. It is incorrect.

After a run over to Home Depot for supplies - a stud finder and cabinet screws - I secured the cabinets to the studs and then removed these boards underneath. We still have a bit of work to do on the cabinets, including putting beadboard inserts into the cabinet doors. That will be a project for the next trip.

Kitchen Makeover - Before

A few days ago I mentioned that Mavis has a 1920s era house with a lot of character. The kitchen however - not so much. It just did not fit in with the rest of the house. So during my stay in Minneapolis my project was a kitchen makeover. Before I started work though I took some pictures. Sylvia had already done the windows which were much improved so I picked up where she left off. The walls desperately needed patching, sanding, and paint, as you can see from these shots.

Know the Symptoms

After the Michigan game this weekend, Mavis and I walked into a bathroom at the Metrodome and saw this poster up on the wall. The organization OvaryAct! is responsible for this ad. A small group of ovarian cancer survivors founded OvaryAct! to fund ovarian cancer research. To learn more about this creative ad campaign and this worthy organization, visit its website here.

Who Is?

Who is the most famous person you've seen at an airport?

I saw Jim Blanchard at National airport tonight. Does he count? He was standing right next to me at the baggage claim.

Sunday

Sunday is a big day.

Mom is traveling home to Baraga for the first time since the end of September. She is relieved and overjoyed to sleep in her own bed, be in her own home, and see her close friends and family. Mavis is driving her to Wausau, where they will meet up with John and Carl at a restaurant just off the highway. Emily is meeting up with everyone for lunch too. So it will be an exercise in coordinating schedules! Afterwards, they'll go their separate ways: Mavis back to Minneapolis; John, Carl, and Ma back home to Baraga; and Emily a couple miles down the street back to her place. Safe travels for all!

Meanwhile, I will be heading back to DC tomorrow. The flight from Minneapolis to DC is about two hours. We are scheduled to land at National at about 4:30 eastern time. It'll be nice to have a few hours to settle back in before heading back to work on Monday.

Sylvania Superset

Mavis has a home full of character and charm but it needs a little work. When my other sister Sylvia was here she spent hours on the kitchen windows. She stripped, scraped, sanded, primed and painted all the trim around and between the windows in the kitchen. Sylv also installed rods and picked out the curtains for some needed color and cover. It was a lot of work, but kept her busy during her stay here while all along keeping the whole house tidy, running endless errands, driving back and forth from Rochester, and taking care of mom's needs all at the same time. Awesome job Sylv!

Final Score: 29-6

Michigan wins the Jug again! Go BLUE!

By the way this is an after-game shot. For some reason our other pictures turned out blurry, probably because the zoom feature of the camera is not great. Or we are inept at zooming. I think it's the camera, myself. In any case, after we discovered that we had some really cool but blurry action shots, I took this photo with my iPhone on the way out.

Neutropenia

In case you are interested in learning more about white blood cells (and who isn't?), I found out that a low neutrophils count is a condition called neutropenia. The lower your neutrophil count, the more vulnerable you are to infectious diseases. Mayo recommends patients with neutropenia wear a face mask, avoid anyone with a cold, and wash hands frequently.

Home

We asked whether it was okay for her to go home to Baraga. The nurse said that is fine. She also mentioned that if for some reason Ma becomes ill and her temperature reaches 101 degrees or higher she would need to go to the emergency room.

Neutrophils

The blood tests this morning showed low levels (900) of neutrophils. These are the most common type of white blood cell and comprise about 50-70% of all white blood cells. The count should be at least 1500. Since it is not, there will be no chemotherapy treatment today. The nurse told us that the low levels are due to the Taxol. She also told us that the neutrophils fluctuate and they will rise, but today they are just too low to go forward with today's treatment. All other blood indicators were at acceptable levels.

The treatment for November 21st is still on schedule. They chose not to set up an alternative appointment next week. The appointment with the NP for the oncology evaluation, also on the 21st, goes on as planned. Any appointments beyond the 21st will be determined at the evaluation.

A Nice Visit Today

This afternoon Mavis came over to check in on mom, chat about the latest, and share a few stories. Mavis is our first cousin. Her mom Ida and my dad Ed were brother and sister. Mavis came over today from St. Paul where she lives. Together she and mom had a lively visit, and they had a couple big laughs as you can see! I think I speak for all of my brothers and sisters when I say that we all really appreciate Mavis for coming over and spending time with our mom, because she really enjoys her visits. Thank you Mavis!

Rochester

A reminder: We will be in Rochester tomorrow, Friday, November 7th, for Ma's next appointment at the Mayo Clinic. First they will do a blood draw at 8:30 and then the chemo is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. central time. I'll be blogging throughout the day with updates.

Can Ovarian Cancer Be Found Early?

Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is rarely diagnosed early because the symptoms are commonly mistaken for other things, such as gastrointestinal disorders. Researchers continue to look for new tests to help diagnose ovarian cancer early. To help fund cancer research, please donate to the American Cancer Society today.

Questions for the Doctor

My question: Does the ascites go away with chemotherapy?

Add your questions in the comments section or send them via email. I will compile our questions for the next appointment with Dr. Hartmann.

A New Era

Let’s start with the obvious. Lastnight America took an historic and tremendous step in electing the first African-American President of the United States. No matter where you fall on the poltical spectrum the symbolism of this event is deep and moving, especially when considering our past.

It was 54 years ago in Brown v. Board of Education the U.S. Supreme Court declared “separate but equal” unlawful and it set a precedent for future cases which desegregated other public facilities. After Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to let a white passenger take her seat on a Montgomery, AL bus, African Americans began a prolonged boycott of the bus company by walking or carpooling for more than a year.

When four African-American college students placed an order at a "whites only" lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, in 1960, they sparked acts of civil disobedience in many other cities. And it was just 45 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, sharing his dream that his “children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

And now we begin a new era where we entrust our future to a 47-year old African-American man. Our election yesterday is one more milestone in a long struggle for civil rights and it will continue to reverberate for a long time to come, as it should.

A Pattern

I have observed a pattern the past couple of weeks. The day after chemo treatments, mom feels good and even has some "pep." On Saturday, for example, she swept and dust-mopped the living room floor, peeled potatos, put together an awesome casserole, and even got in some reps with her barbells. I realized that this does not last longer than a day or so.

It seems there is a pattern where one good day, the one after chemo, is followed by several days when she has some difficulty taking in calories, getting up and down the stairs, moving around the house, and staying awake for more than a few hours at a time. There are also temporary and thankfully short-lived bouts of naseau here and there but it has not gotten to the point where she has to take the medication they gave us for that. Overall while I think these days are not good, neither are they bad, but just okay.

Watch On ESPN

In the department of awesome timing, Michigan will play the Minnesota Gophers for the Brown Jug this weekend at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. And the best part? We totally scored tickets! We'll be in section 213, near the 10 yard line. No, it is not the 50 yard line but what do you expect on short notice? The game is this Saturday, November 8th, at noon EST and it is airing nationwide on ESPN. So be sure to watch and cheer on the Wolverines!

GO BLUE!

Reading Some Blogs

Sunroom Makeover!

Before it served as more or less a storage area with some desk space off of the living room, but look at the sunroom now! To make space for guests, Mavis and I spent Saturday afternoon working to makeover the sunroom into a guestroom. It was hard work but worth it! And by that way the bed is incredibly comfortable.

Arrivals and Departures

This is a picture of the main entrance of the Gonda Building on 3rd Avenue. Since so many people are coming and going, the Gonda Building has arrivals and departure lanes not unlike an airport. Porters stand by to assist patients arriving for treatment or admission. This involves bringing over wheelchairs, helping patients get out of vehicles, and if needed calling an escort to wheel patients to whatever floor they need to go to. It is a very efficient operation.

Gonda Building

For those of you who haven't been to the Gonda Building yet, you can find interactive maps here and virtual tours here.

November 21st

Sara just emailed and asked about logistics and travel schedules around the November 21st appointment at Mayo. For people planning on traveling here on or around that date I'm putting up this schedule so you can plan accordingly.

Bottom line: the appointments will be an all-day thing and may require an overnight stay at a hotel that night. We discovered a side effect (sudden onset nausea) this past Friday and realized it is not a good idea to travel in the 2-3 hours after the chemo treatment.

November 21st appointments:
- 10:00 a.m. Gonda Building, 10th Floor, Desk 10 East, Blood Tests
- 2:00 p.m. Gonda Building, 10th Floor, Desk 10 South,Division of Medical Oncology, Dolores Nordquist, Nurse Practitioner, Oncology Evaluation
- 2:30 p.m. Gonda Building, 10th Floor, Desk 10 East, Chemotherapy

The blood tests should take less than a half hour so there will be a break until her next appointment with the NP at 2 p.m. If the chemo appointment starts on time (and it should this time) then everything should finish up around 5:30 p.m. After that she needs about 15 minutes to wake up and orient herself. Hopefully a bed will be available. The time to request a bed is during check-in with the 10 East Desk for her 2:30 appointment.

Quote of the day

"What are you working on? Your log?" - Ma asking what I'm doing on my computer.

Hilarious

Jucy or Juicy?

My sister, Mavis, lives in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood in South Minneapolis. A visit to Powderhorn is incomplete without a stop at Matt's Bar, the original home of the "Jucy Lucy." Or is it? Read on to get to the bottom of this raging controversy.

But first, what is a Jucy Lucy, you ask? The Jucy Lucy is a south Minneapolis original. In brief, you take a large amount of cheese and sandwich it between two patties of ground beef. After carefully sealing the edges, you grill what basically becomes a big beef/cheese jelly doughnut. Slap it on a bun with some pickles and onions, and you have a cheeseburger better than any in the world, even better than the Five Guys cheeseburgers and that is no exaggeration.

According to Wikipedia, The Jucy Lucy was apparently invented at Matt's Bar, though this is disputed. The 5-8 Club, a short distance south of Matt's, also claims to have invented the cheeseburger and uses the "juicy lucy" spelling. Concerning this spelling, Matt's Bar proudly boasts on posters that "if it's spelled correctly, you're at the wrong place".

Now based on sources close to this blogger and based on my personal experiences, I can report that Matt's Bar is in fact THE home of the original and best Jucy Lucy. So on your next visit be sure to stop by Matt's and order a Jucy Lucy!

Emily and Adam

Emily and Adam (Emily's fiancé) drove over from Wausau for a visit this weekend. Most of you know my niece Emily but only a few of you know Adam. For those of you who have yet to meet him and are curious (admit it), here is the report: Emily and Adam met at Michigan Tech. They are both engineers. Emily is working at Siemens on clean water technology systems in Wausau. Adam works in Cleveland with USG, which makes ceiling products (i.e. tiles and stuff). This was my first time meeting Adam and I can tell you that he's a very charming fellow. And what's even better about him? He's very handy with a drill. Thanks to Adam for helping us disassemble that oversized table for our sunroom makeover project!