Busy Days

Hello again. I'm back with an update on our drive home to Nebraska from Texas and what's been happening since. I apologize if it's long. It's certainly been busy around here. I haven't even had time to be online yet today to check your blogs. I hope to do that right after I finish posting this.

On the way home from the cruiseport in Galveston we decided to take a detour across the state of Texas to San Antonio.  We left the ship around 9:00 Saturday and drove to San Antonio where we stayed the night. We had lunch on Sunday with a very sweet lady named Terri who has a YouTube channel called "Yarn Joy" that I have watched for several years, since her very first video.  She and her husband met us after church for lunch at a great Mexican restaurant. Terri and I hit it off right away and Dennis and her husband also found some common interests, so the guys had a conversation while Terri and I talked grandkids and yarn! It was SO FUN! The time passed so quickly and before we knew it we all had to part ways. I love meeting my online friends in "real life." We both thought it would be a great thing if we lived closer together and could spend some time crocheting with each other. I always look like such a giant. :-(

We also visited "The Alamo" in San Antonio. We've always wanted to go there and it was so interesting. We could have spent a lot more time there, but parking was hard to come by and we used up our entire allotted time on the parking meter. We had a few phone calls about Mom while we were there and by the time we left, our minds weren't really on The Alamo anyway.

The heroes of the Alamo. They really didn't stand a chance. 182 men against Santa Anna's 6000.

We stayed in Austin Sunday night and on Monday morning, we visited with one of Dennis's long time customers from before he retired. They were very surprised and happy to see him. He went to Austin many times to see them through the years and they also visited Spokane. I was glad to see how pleased they were to see him again.

After that, we headed to Waco, TX and the Magnolia Market and The Silos, where Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV fame have a fun space. Lots of little shops and the bigger market. I had gone there a little over a year ago with my sister Melanie and niece Chaela, but I wanted Dennis to see the silos. I did find a nice heavy 9 x 9 cake pan for Mandy. She's always cooking and baking something and this seems like a pan that will last a long time. 

The obligatory picture in front of the sign. We both HATE selfies. 

I am always impressed when I see real flowers blooming in the winter months. I have no idea what they were but there were boxes and boxes of them everywhere. Cabbage roses? I don't know!

And the silos. That's the industry Dennis was in for years and years.  Although he designed silos made with galvanized metal, not concrete. He traveled all over the world, since his sales territory was Montana, the Middle East, Africa and Europe! :-) I'm sure glad he doesn't travel those places anymore with the craziness in that part of the world. He used to go to the Ukraine often along with other places that are now very dangerous. That was before he became part of management and he didn't travel much after that.

After that we drove on to Wichita and stayed in a hotel one more night before we made a beeline for home and our own bed after almost two weeks away. We arrived home and immediately set in with life. 

We toured several Assisted Living places and then took Mom back to the one we really liked last Thursday. She really liked it too and to try to make a VERY, VERY long story short, we're moving her on Friday of this week. Meanwhile she's had several doctors appointments scheduled during these two weeks that we had planned even before our cruise. Today, the nursing director came to visit her in her current apartment to evaluate her and so I could let her know all of her prescriptions. Dennis had to work today and tomorrow, so I've been running all over. Tonight we picked up a twin bedframe that I found on facebook marketplace. It's in almost new condition for a very good price. Tomorrow I'm driving his HUGE truck to Costco to pick up the new mattresses. Pray for me. That thing is so big and I'm used to my little Honda CRV. His truck is an F350 diesel and even sounds big! Ha! I've bought her all new bed linens, mattress pads, comfortor, etc.  Wednesday we sign all of the admission paperwork and start packing. Friday morning we've hired the Firefighters to move her furniture. She'll be able to take it all with her except the queen size bed. She's fine with that. We had the Firefighters move us last May and they are wonderful.  We just can't do it all anymore. This makes 6 moves between us and Mom in the last 2 1/2 years! We're the people that usually stay put!

This facility will take care of all of her medications and her insulin injections. While we were gone the company that was supposed to take care of her insulin and blood glucose testing dropped the ball at least once. Again. It's happened a few times and we have to run over there and give her her shot. That's why it's hard to go anywhere. We worry about her the entire time. Plus, her memory is getting worse all of the time and we're really worried about her wandering off. This facility is one where you have to be buzzed into or out of the building, but they have several nice sized courtyards that she can take her walks in. She does love to walk. It's a super nice place and has been voted number one in Omaha for several years. Plus, we've known several relatives that have lived there and a friend too. They've all like it so...here we are. No one said this was easy did they? Another plus? She's only about 5 blocks from our condo. We can get there very quickly if need be.

Last weekend Grandpa helped Miss Piper work on her Valentine box for school. Can you guess what it is? It's the quidditch field from Harry Potter. She came up with all of the ideas, Papa just provided an extra set of hands to hold things while she applied tape. I think it turned out great. We're so glad to be close enough to her to do school things and just experience life with her. We missed out on our two oldest grands since they live in Montana and also with Baby J in London. We facetime lots, but it's not the same.  Her Papa sure  does love her and so do I.

Mandy and I went to the Jane Austin Book Club on Saturday where we're reading Mansfield Park. When Mandy graduated from nursing school, the two of us went to London for a week. We also visited Bath, Jane Austins home. Mandy has always been a fan of hers. Since Brad was helping a friend move, Papa spent a few hours with Piper and then took her to a friends birthday party. We love doing those things. 

Here's our girl, ready to cheer on the KC Chiefs last night! And they won! Guess who's a happy girl? She's definitely a KC fan. She even has a "superbowl" ring replica from their last win. Her Uncle Bill makes sure she knows about sports. He takes her to the College World Series every year too. Bill is Brad's brother and also lives close by. He's definitely a doting uncle. 

Now, quickly to the crafty part of the blog because I'm writing waaaay too much tonight. I finished the wheelchair lapghan that I started before we left on vacation. I got about 20 or so of the 48 squares done before we left and finished it right after we got back. I tried to replicate that new Red Heart granny square yarn with yarn from my stash. I came pretty close to one of the colorways. This will be donated, maybe to the memory care at Mom's new place. Zoey seems to be asking if you like it? :-)

Last week I started Piper's latest and third sweater I've made her in the past two months.  It's a mix between the Portage and the Pure Comfort sweater patterns. The sage green one I made her is the Pure Comfort and the white one is the Portage. She likes different things about both, so I'm combining those parts in this sweater. I'm using JoAnn Fabrics Big Twist yarn in Dark Coral. I'm working on the bottom ribbing now. Not much is going to be happening with it this week because of the move. There isn't much time to knit.

I'm sorry to drone on and on. It does help to decompress with typing it out. It really has been a stressful time since we got home. Wishing you all a wonderful Valentines Day.  Remember that God ALWAYS love you.

Blessings and love,

Betsy