Living in Minneapolis provides numerous benefits for all.  For example, the girls appear to have reached the apex of violin talent here in Iowa, and require violinists their own age to challenge and invigorate them. It’s not that we do not have access to fine teachers, as ours are of the highest caliber, and we will be keeping with them, it’s that the competition among their Iowan peers is lacking. With that said, Andrew and I often lay luxuriously in bed at six a.m. as two violins send their haunting scales down the stairs into our bedroom reminding us that “yes” we must finally rise after having hit snooze twice.The girls are quite sad to leave their friends and teachers, but are looking forward to city life also.  Since it is only a 5 1/2 hour drive, they will be back often to visit. Here are three samplings of the girls’ playing if you’d like to hear them:

The benefits of Minneapolis for me can be summed up in one word: freedom, or maybe two words: freedom and healthcare, but I like to forget once in awhile that “healthcare” is a necessity in my life. Living in Minneapolis makes the Mayo Clinic a one day ordeal due to its close proximity.  We have moved my Mayo appointments to the end of June with the hope that we will be living there by then. Thus, I have no current updates on my health.  I do feel fantastic, and I am incurably optimistic!

The benefit of the move that I find the most exciting is freedom:  freedom to walk, bike, rollerblade, and use the transportation system to go anywhere I want and all right from our front door.  We are scouring the city for homes in the downtown lakes area–Linden Hills and Lowry Hill mostly.  We’d like to be close enough to walk to the “Chain of Lakes” and have the girls attend Southwest Senior High School.  It will be wonderful to live uptown again—where we started 18 years ago in our charming brown stone apartment.  It is surreal to be moving back to the beautiful Twin Cites with our young ladies and puppy-boys in tow.   Andrew will be tele-working for John Deere.  Deere has been uber supportive with our situation.  We are forever grateful for their generosity over the years:  living in Brazil, living in India, Andrew’s University of Chicago MBA, and now allowing him to tele-work so my Mayo appointments go smoothly.

Lake Harriet

Thanks as always for checking in with my family and me!  We wish you all a lovely spring or fall and send all our love to you and yours.

xoxo ~Autumn

P.S.  To those who have sent me notes regarding more information on the diet:  I have not been 100% faithful to it, so I don’t feel competent in commenting on it.  I’d recommend purchasing Doctor Terry Wahl’s book, “The Wahls Protocol” to see if you think it’s a worthwhile option for you.