Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Road Trip

In my post last year titled "Losing Dad", I shared how we have cared for family members with Alzheimer's.  Our family has seen a lot of it over the past 25 years or so:  my grandpa,  a couple of his brothers, my aunt on my dad's side and my dad himself.  Unfortunately, it is also showing up on my mom's side of the family as her sister is now in an assisted living facility with the same diagnosis.  

In December 2012, my mom voiced a desire to go see her sister, in Indiana.  I made a mental note to see if we could get down there for a visit in January 2013.  Then, the rough year with my dad started.  There was no way they could both make the trip, and my dad did not want my mom out of sight.  This December, on Christmas Eve, we moved my dad to a memory care facility.  He is doing very well there, in his corner "office" with his name on the door,  and mom is adjusting to visiting and taking care of all the paperwork that in involved in these situations.

My dad and three of the grandchildren. 
My mom's world has opened up a little since he was admitted. She made a trip to California, in February, to see my brother and his family.  


Then, in April, we finally made our road trip to Indiana. We drove there and back in two days.  It was amazing!  The weather was perfect; the roads were fairly free of traffic and the company was great. 

I have short arms, thus the hacked off sign. :-)

When we arrived at the care facility, Pat wasn't sure who we were.  She looked at my mom and my mom told her it was Noreen.  Then she looked at me and her face lit up like a beacon!  I've been told, often lately, that I look like my mom,  and Pat's reaction confirmed that!  

This is mom and Pat after a 5 year absence from each other. This photo makes me tear up with happiness!!!  


Happy sisters!!


Pat and me. 

While in Indiana, we stayed with my cousin and her family.  I haven't seen them in a lot longer than 5 years, so it was wonderful to catch up.  No idea where life will take us next, but open to another adventure.



Our New Kitchen

On June 2, 2013,  I posted photos of our cramped living space (family room) while we were getting the kitchen, dining room and living room floors redone.  Little did I know then, that it was going to take until late April 2014 for the project to be done.  Here are some more photos.


The view from the dining room (yes that cabinet now has doors ;-)  ).  The stove will be in the bare spot between the window an the doorway.  We are awaiting the arrival of the stools that will go under this side of the countertops.  It's already a favorite spot and seating will make it more inviting. 

The sink now has a faucet. That was an adventure in itself! 

These are the lower cabinets.  We ended up with a wine rack because we changed things around a bit and needed a slightly smaller cabinet in that space.  It holds two liter pops very well.  Yes! That really is an awesome pop-up shelf for my mixer.  There is an outlet right behind the open door, in the false front of the sink.  One thing that there is no shortage of, is outlets


Upper cabinets. As you can see, there is under-cabinet lighting (and also outlet strips: 7 on the right, 4 on the left.) Thanks Josh!

So, now we're fully functional, and the countertops will never be as empty again, as they appear above.  But, that's ok. It's nice to have them in and usable and used.

Thank you so much my dear one for your hours and hours of labor.  I appreciate each and every minute you have spent making it beautiful!!

The next project is windows!!  Watch for updates!









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