Thank you and a lot of traveling

Before I post anything I just want to say thanks soooooo much to all the amazing people out there.  I am one of the luckiest boys around.  Not many people get to see the world like I have recently.  I feel so special that so many wonderful people are thinking of me; special enough that I am in fact speechless… seriously!!! If I ever get the chance to meet you in person I won't be able to say anything at all!  Since I can't formulate my words I figured I'd thank you all in writing.

Mommy and Daddy have told me so much about traveling the world and all the amazing places that they wanted to show me.  I didn't think I would ever see those amazing places, but I have seen so much more.  During this journey we have realized that my story sometimes brings strength and inspiration to others, what we didn't know is that everybody around us gives us so much strength and courage.  Thank you all from the bottom of my little heart.

Now on to my pictures:

**DISCLAIMER-I've been a busy boy this week, so get ready for A LOT of pictures.

 Ariana and Serina Wihongi took me to the happiest place on earth… Disneyland

Ashley Kyle took me to the Dominican Republic and we did some awesome activities like Zip-lining

Brad and Marcus Bennett took me to North Padre Island where we fed seagulls and played on the beach

Doug and Cassie Bray took me out to sing Karaoke

Doug puts on quite the show, and I enjoyed looking buff for the night too

I had an amazing time with the Highmark group, out of Draper Utah.  They took me on a service project where we built homes in India.  Such an amazing group.  While we were traveling I also saw Amsterdam, Brussels Belgium, and Munich/Frankfort Germany.  

Horst Foster showed me around Albuquerque New Mexico

Mark Wilson hadn't received a shirt yet, but he was still willing to take me to Niagra Falls

I got to see Dodger stadium twice this week, How awesome.  Here I am with Matt Edwards

Then I took a tour of Dodger stadium with Bethany Gonzalez and Brook Barton

I got to go sailing around Kauai, Hawaii with Captain and Mrs. Bob Sundown

I went to Montana with the Jacques family.  Here are Sydne and Nikki in Great Falls

I went to Lake Sacheen in WA with Jamie and Cynthia Sullivan.  I wonder if they know that I LOVE boats???

I got to visit Indiana with Elaine Pastore.  Here we are at the IU medical center

The home of the Indy 500

Lucas Oil stadium where the Indianapolis Colts play.  Is that where Payton Manning used to live???

I got to go in a Jet (Boeing 737-700) with Stacy Papajohn

With all of my travels, Brett Oliver and family knew I'd get hungry, so they took me to Planet Hollywood in Myrtle Beach SC.  "I'll take the Cheeseburger, blended up, and put in my feeding tube.  Yum!!!"

Dick and Bobbi Wiseman know that every little boy needs to pet a puppy to be happy

Meet my friend Isaac and his parents Dana and Melissa.  Isaac Loves to go fast and drive on Twisty roads, so he took me with him on Route 17 in VT.  Guess what, I love twisty roads too now.  

Isaac also showed me the capitol building in Montpelier Vermont.

Thanks again to all those that have taken me with you, read my blog, thought about me and my family, or kept me in your prayers.  You are all amazing people.

Teaching the doc's some valuable lessons

This last weekend, Friday the 13th, I had to go under sleepy medicine again.  M & D say this is a bad day to do anything, but I don't know what Friday the 13th means so I told them "lets do it".  I had to get my feeding tube replaced with a new "button", get the inside of my tummy looked at with a camera, and have samples of my tummy taken to send off to a lab.  Everything seemed to go really smooth.  They put me to sleep, then I woke up feeling pretty good.  The hole in my tummy was a little sore, but nothing I can't handle.  I was actually feeling so good, they were going to send me home that same day (something that hasn't happened before).  As we were getting ready to leave, M & D wanted to make sure my feeding tube worked properly.  Unfortunately, the tube that I get food from (the one going to my intestines) was clogged and wouldn't allow anything through it.  The nurses called to Dr to see what he wanted to do.  The Doc wasn't very helpful to the nurses so Daddy wanted to talk to him.  I heard daddy asking if he (the doc) checked if the tube was working properly before they pulled me out of my sleep.  It sounded like the doctor didn't check to see if it worked, and that was the problem.  Next thing I knew, mommy was covering my ears as I saw daddy get really mad on the phone.  I'm not exactly sure what was said (because mom was covering my ears), but I think the doctor told daddy that there was nothing that he could do.  The doc suggested that they admit me to the hospital for the weekend and he would fix the problem on Monday.  Like I said, I don't know how it happened, but the doctor ended up coming back in later that night to check me out.

Before the 1st attempt

After I changed into my hospital clothes for the 1st surgery

After my 1st attempt

Mommy and I after my 1st surgery

After an Xray (which they should have done in the first place) they found out that the tube he installed was way too long and it folded up in my intestine and kinked, just like a kinked hose.  They decided to go back in and do the surgery a second time.  M & D were worried because I don't handle sleepy medicine very well.  After the 2nd surgery I was feeling okay.  Not quite as good as after the 1st one, but I'm tough and it didn't phase me too much.  We ended up staying in the hospital for a couple more hours so they could watch me, but I got to head home around midnight that night.

Daddy explained the whole situation like this, "Its like if you took your car to the auto mechanic to have the starter replaced, and the mechanic never turned the key when he was done to assure that the new starter works properly"

I think I probably taught this particular doctor 2 very valuable lessons this weekend.  1.  Don't operate on Friday the 13th (I hope M & D learned that lesson too) 2. ALWAYS, ALWAYS check your work before you send someone home.

Luckily when I was asleep I dreamed of going to a lot of places with some amazing people.  Since I had 2 chances to take sleepy medicine I got to see a lot of places.  Here is what I dreamed about:

I dreamed of riding all around on a Harley with my buddy Bob Brown

I rocked out with Kevin Paige at Alfred's on the famous Beale Street, in Memphis TN

I went to Lake George, Indiana with Nicky Parrish

Kristin & Jeff Rose took me to San Diego to see the City

We tried on hats with my name

And I got to see the infamous San Diego fireworks showed termed "The Big Bay Bust"

Gary and Sharon Vasher had me in Tega Cay, South Carolina

Jack & Nancy Lettow showed me Legoland in Carlsbad CA

Jim Hoerricks took me along with him on the Pacific Crest Trail, just north of LA

I got to visit the Hampton House in Towson MD with Pat and his awesome special needs 5th grade class

I spent some more time at my favorite place, Lake Powell, with the Shields family

I also watched Jakob and the North Coast vipers advance to the little league world series.  This was in Youngstown Ohio with Elayne, Dave & Jakob Siegfried.

Here is a current map of all the places that I have visited

Thank you SOOOOOO much to everyone that has been thinking of me, praying for me and my family, and taking me on your travels.  I hope I can continue to be strong so all those of you that are rooting for me can continue to see my progress and small accomplishments.

the last 2 weeks-7/12/12

Sorry that I didn't post about my travels last week.  Between seeing the world, and helping Daddy study for his finals I've been a pretty busy guy.

Tomorrow I have to go to the hospital and get some sleepy medicine again, I'll be sure to take some pics of that.  I am getting my big floppy feeding tube replaced with a small sleek new one.  Daddy says it will be like trading in the family minivan for a dodge viper, I'm not sure what that means but it sounds pretty awesome.  They are also going to get some more pictures of my insides, to see if they can figure out what is wrong.  Hopefully I don't have a reaction to the sleepy medicine again, and I get to come back home tomorrow, but good fortune like that doesn't happen to me… so I may be there a couple of days.

Anyway, here are the latest destinations I have visited:

I got to go to Fiji with a couple of awesome Mormon missionaries

I went to Helsinki Finland with Elder Ballam 

I got to see the space shuttle in New York City with Kimber Ballam

I got to go to one of my favorite places on earth with Robbie Ballam… Lake Powell

I also got to go to Lake Powell, AND WATERSKI, with M&D's good friends Jason and Becky

I went to Hawaii, and visited Pearl Harbor with my Cannon cousins

I got to go to a few amusement parks this week.  Here I am at Legoland in San Diego with Gary Weist

I hung out with my buddy Maddie McConnel at Bear lake.  I even went on the boat with her.

Eric Crawford took me to Seattle and showed me how the ballard locks work

In Alaska with the Crawford's

Edna and Randy Crawford took me to Alaska to discover where the most expensive salmon come from… the Yukon River

I got to see Discovery Kingdom, in San Francisco, with aunt/uncle Christy and Chad and my cousins Marley and Carsen 

Look at all the amazing places I have been already.  Can I make it to 10%???

Thanks soooooooooooo much to everyone that thinks about me when you travel.  This experience is so cool, and I really feel like I am traveling the world.  Now that daddy is done studying (for a while) I'll be sure to update with pictures more often.

And on a side note-  If anyone would like Jett shirts ("me" shirts as I like to call them) in a onesie or small kids sizes, you can still order them from my AWESOME AUNT Amy.  Her email is iamamyrigby@hotmail.com.  For any adult sizes you can see the link at the top of the page.