Once again we had to wake up early. We had to meet with Dr. Flanagan at 7:15 am thus we were up at 5:30 am to have time to shower and eat. Breakfast was nice today as we didn't have to eat alone. We ate breakfast with Kim and Terry. Terry agreed that the Biscuits and Gravy were very good. :) Following breakfast, we headed over to the Mayo Clinic. We arrived not the Neurology floor, checked in and were almost immediately called back. Dr. Flanagan has always gone out of his way to take care of us and it has been wonderful. Dr. Flanagan reviewed the CT of the lungs with us as well as the MRI and CT of the brain. He reminded us that at this point, after talking with several physicians the best course of action at this time would be the biopsy of the brain. Dr. Flanagan answered some questions and then told us that we could follow up with him following the procedure. We explained that we were hoping to head home Saturday and he informed us that we could come by Friday and have one last appointment and anything that came up after Saturday he could call us and inform us of any changes. I asked Dr. Flanagan if he thought there would be any more appointments for the day and he said that there would be nothing else for the day and we could go do anything that we wanted. I decided that Brianna needed a pick me up so we went to the mall.
Not just any mall, we traveled to Minneapolis to the Mall of America. The Mall of America was AWESOME! We got there around 10 am and started walking around. We started at Nickelodeon Universe which is a massive amusement park inside the mall. We looked at the rides and there were a couple that I thought about riding but it was just too expensive for my taste but it was fun looking at all of them. The mall was fairly empty considering it was Monday morning. After we walked around the amusement park, we went to LEGO world. WOW. I have never seen such massive LEGO figures. There was one (picture below) that was about 2 1/2 stories high! I can't believe I missed the sign up sheet for the job that was building LEGOs for the rest of my life. I still have time to change careers right?!?! Following LEGO world we started walking around the first floor. The Mall of America has 5 million square feet. It is a very big place to walk and there is a LOT to see. After a bit of time on the first floor, it was time for lunch so we headed to the third floor which is basically a GIANT food court. There are some stores on the third floor but it was mostly food. Brianna decided that she wanted A&W for lunch. They had a special that with any combo you could upgrade your drink to a float which of course everyone wanted except for me. I like floats but just didn't want one at the time. I bought Brianna one of the nice A&W mugs for her float to go in and she really liked that. Lunch was a lot of fun. We shared a lot of stories and had a lot of laughs especially with some of our impersonations. After lunch we continued our quest to walk the whole mall. I asked Brianna what she wanted specifically and she wasn't sure. I asked if she wanted a manicure and she said she would really like that so off we went to find a nail salon. Terry and I "rested" as the girls go their nails done. Brianna looked pretty happy after that. We then split off and went to some stores separately. When we met back up it was time for some dinner although after our lunch we weren't all that hungry. We left the mall and headed to Panera Bread to have some soup for dinner.
We arrived at Panera Bread and ordered some soup and Mac N' Cheese. I needed to buy some time so I asked the worker to hold off on bringing us our food for about 10-15 minutes. Why did I need to buy some time you ask? At that very moment, my parents as well as Watson, were on their way to a rental car from the airport to come to Panera Bread. I didn't want Brianna to wonder why we would just be staying at Panera Bread so I needed to create some sort of slow down for why we were there. I looked up from our table and saw my parents and Watson come through the door. Excited to see them all but wanting to keep it a surprise I simply looked back to Brianna. We were sitting in a booth away from the door so she hadn't noticed. It felt like an eternity waiting for them to come around the corner. They let Watson walk towards us first. He got close, I picked him up and put him on the booth and he went and hugged Brianna. She hadn't really noticed what was going on and when she did she was very excited. It was very emotional to have Watson with us again. We are very grateful for all of those that have taken care of him and to those that will continue to take care of him moving forward but it was SO NICE to hold him again and see his sweet smile. After that, my parents came over and Brianna just seemed amazed. We then ordered the rest of the food and ate dinner together. We probably spent at least another hour just visiting and enjoying that precious time together. Following dinner we headed back to Rochester and arranged everything for bed. We obtained a pack n play for Watson to sleep in and put him down for bed. We then spent about an hour in my mom and dad's room just catching up and spending time with them. We are now getting ready for bed as we have another long day tomorrow. However, we don't have to be there until 9:35 am so at least we get to sleep in.
Again today, Brianna and I are reminded of the strength that comes through family. There was so much peace today knowing that we are not in this alone. Having our parents here as well as Watson helps us feel that we can do anything to overcome this. We cannot thank each of you enough for your continued support and for your prayers. We hope that each of you can feel of our love and gratitude for all that you continue to do for us. We want each of you to know that we have a strong testimony that Families are Forever. We can be with our families again after this life and be reunited with those that we love. This life is short and is not at all the end of our eternal progression. We know that God lives and that He loves His children. We continue to put our trust and hope in Him. We invite you to do the same. Until tomorrow......
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