Weekend Away

We left Thursday to Grandma's for the weekend. Grandma recently returned home after her lengthy hospital stay and we wanted to follow up to see how she and grandpa were doing. We've had some rough times recently with illnesses, medical emergencies and most recently Poh-Poh's,(great-grandma) passing. So it was nice to have the boys spend some time with their grandparents. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it helped bring some joy during these somber times.





The boys had fun at grandma and grandpa's house, their home is much more spacious than ours which made for much fun play, we just love their fabulous backyard. They also got to play piano with grandma, enjoy some local sites, and have some yummy meals out.


One afternoon, we took the boys to the LA Zoo while grandma got some rest. It turned out to be a pretty hot day so, to beat the heat the boys had their first shaved ice.






The following afternoon we all went to the Arboretum where the boys got to see a peacock up close.

Grandma and Grandpa sat in the shade while we strolled the grounds.


We came across this fabulous tree that seemed to be screaming, "come take a seat". The boys could not resist climbing and sitting in this tree.




The visit came to an end and we were all sad to say our goodbyes. Although I'm amazed at how well grandma is doing, she still has a long road to recovery ahead of her. We'll be making more visits to grandma as I do believe that good times are healing.

A Daring Adventure

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
Helen Keller

I believe this is how Grandma (my MIL) lives her life. She never stops to fret about her ailments or think about her limitations. She's always ready for the next adventure. The boys love this about her, she's playful, takes risks, and always gives it her best. Her most recent adventure, a trip to Portugal and Spain with Grandpa has taken an unfortunate turn. Grandma is in the hospital with a terrible headache, so we've told the boys. What we haven't told them is Grandma had a brain hemorrhage and is in a hospital about 5000 miles away....and now it's an abyss of unknowns. So many details, some simple, some not so simple but these details help fill in the gaps to what feels totally out of control. There are no heroes in an event like this, we simply do what we can.

• cancel airline tickets, reserve for a later return flight


• cancel their newspaper delivery


• contact health insurance and her primary care doctor to alert them of her current status


• contact travel insurance, to clarify terms of coverage


• prepare for Medivac (air transportation back to the states)


• prepare for daddy's trip to go assist grandma and grandpa with their return

and so on, and so on......



And so my artful Thursday has taken on a somber mood...making a memory book for grandma. This project has actually gone on through the weekend,



involving the boys in letter writing and artwork for it. I wanted to include photos of the boys, our family, something to remind her we are all with her, maybe not by her side physically but by her side in spirit.























I kept it simple. Not knowing what her current cognitive status is, or if she's visually/perceptually impaired, I thought simplest would be easiest to process. Most importantly letting her know that we are...

Believing
trusting,
waiting,
hoping,
praying for her recovery.