MY TRIP TO SEE GRANDMA

This is my sweet Grandma Christina. She's 95!!

Earlier this year, my parents told me that my Mom's side of the family (step brother & sisters & others) were going to have their annual family reunion in northeastern Utah. They asked if I wanted to go & I'm just not into family reunions, ya know? But, Grandma Christina was going to be there & I've missed her soooo much, so I said I would tough it out so I could see her. I used get to see Grandma fairly often when I lived in Salt Lake, but since I moved down to Arizona, not much at all. So, I booked my flight to Las Vegas. Now, you're asking, "Why is she flying to Vegas if her Grandma lives in northeastern Utah? " Nope, I'm not NUTS (this time...). My parents live in St. George (southern Utah) & it's WAY cheaper to fly to Vegas than it is to Salt Lake, & since my parents were taking me with them, it's smarter to fly there & have them pick me up. Right? Well, shortly after I booked my flight, Grandma fell & broke her pelvis & for other reasons, the reunion was cancelled, which was fine with me. My Aunt Patsy took Grandma to Logan to be closer to her (Logan is in WAY northern Utah, almost to Idaho). Instead of cancelling my flight, I realized I REALLY wanted to see Grandma, so off I went. (Jodi, Madison, & Olivia took me to the airport & I heard that they got all upset that I left. Insert an "AHHH How Cute?"...here.) My parents picked me up, we drove 2 hours back to St. George, stayed overnight at their house, & left the next morning for our wonderful, all day trip to Logan. I wasn't feeling well when I left home but I like to drive, so I drove part of the way from Vegas to their place. Well, Mom finally talked me into letting her drive, so I climbed in the back to take a nap. I had just barely fallen asleep when lo & behold, there was a billboard that Dad felt the need to read out LOUD to Mom. Something about the price of rooms in Mesquite. Up I popped. I settled down again & as we passed Mesquite, Mom & Dad decided they needed to locate the "4" on the mountain (it looks like a "4" from the way the water runs down). Up I popped again. Lots of rest, huh? I gave up trying to sleep after they continued to discuss maybe Dad ought to drive up the Gorge (this narrow canyon than winds & winds around up the mountain). It was getting to be dusk & Mom doesn't like to drive in the dark. I offered to drive again since I was awake, but Mom kept on driving. Finally, we finally got to their place.

Like I said before, we left the next morning for Logan. Several hours & about 43 potty breaks later (not just for my parents, but I will admit, I had to "potty" too--NEVER, NEVER take a water pill before traveling!!), we arrived in Logan, checked into our hotel room, & went to see Grandma. It was wonderful to see her again! She really looks good for 95, don't you think? We loaded up her wheelchair & Dad's walker (fun undertaking for it all to go in the trunk...NOT!) & off we went to the restaurant everyone recommended. Grandma picked at her dinner. I ordered potato skins, thinking I'd get about 6 & ended up with 12!!! Have you EVER tried eating 12 potato skins in one sitting?? Not done. They were good, but even I can't finish that many. When we were done, we went to my aunt's house to visit & then back to the rehab/nursing home. We had a great visit with Grandma!

Now, if you remember back to my last post, that night was not a great night for sleeping. Let's just say, I was happy when the night was over!! Enough said...

The next morning we went to visit Grandma one last time before heading back to Salt Lake:

Back in Salt Lake, we settled into our hotel room, had dinner with my sister Trudy & her son Beau, & went to visit my Dad's sister Dorothy & her husband Weldon. Back to the hotel room. I definitely was NOT going to replay the previous night's sleeping pattern, so I took one of my many pills that makes me drowsy. I slept like a baby. Didn't hear Dad get up at all. Of course, he didn't want to endure my torturous teasing so he slept with a towel AND the sheet over his face mask all night--LOL!

The next day we drove back to St. George, which again took a few additional hours for several more potty stops, including a stop in a town called Beaver (yes, Beaver) for some delicious Curds (cheese--like "Curds & Whey, ya know?) at the cheese factory, & a good Mexican dinner in Cedar City.

The rest of my stay was at my parent's house which was a really nice stay this time. My Dad & I are so much alike that sometimes we argue a little too much, but he was on his good behavior & I guess so was I, so we had a good time. We didn't even fight over the computer. Their DVR (TiVO) was broken, but hey, when they get a new one, everyone has their own remote plus some.

They took me to dinner & lunch a couple of times & I got to go shopping with my Mom. The original idea was that I was going to buy a dress. I ended up buying several blouses & pants & 1 dress. I won't tell you how much I spent. (Too much!) One of these days, I'll tell you all about my Mother's shopping habits. Let's just say for now, she's a GREAT shopper! When it was time to go, I felt bad because I had only been there for a week & instead of being ready to go home, I wished I had a few more days. My parents are

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!!!

When I got back to Phoenix, Jodi picked me up at the airport, took me home, I dropped my luggage, called the dr. & off I went. The diagnosis: Bronchitis! (This will factor into my next blog about the camping trip. Stay tuned...)

P.S. As you know, again from Jodi's blog that stole all my thunder, a few years ago, we got to go to Salt Lake where my parents brought her so we could get a 5 generation picture of us females. Now, I know (as usual) that Jodi beat me to the picture, but since she's MY grandma, here it is again.

This was taken in 2004 when Madison was almost a year old.