Sunday, May 30, 2010

So We Loaded Up the Truck...and Moved

Emily to a different apartment.
Like Amy says..."Mom, everyone in your family is in transition."
Not only was it my last day of school...
But my best friend at school retired this year.
We have both taught in our district for over 30 years...
We shared a space in the Teacher Planning Center.
We shared our complaints and concerns about students
(and other staff!) ...
and we both knew it would go no further than the TPC.
I'm going to miss her...
When we got to Emily's she had most of her things in boxes
and we are able to get them moved on Friday night.
Saturday, we devoted our time to cleaning.
 Emily tackled the stove and I, the refrigerator.
While our family supports gender equality...
We were pretty stereotyped.
While the women cleaned...
The men moved all the heavy stuff.
Oh...and we caught a glimpse of Emily's new neighbors!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Saying Farewell

This last week went so fast for Line.
School was out, but she was busy packing and spending time with her friends.
This morning we took the last two boxes to the USPS.

High School students have a busy schedule...
but I wanted to gather as many as possible in our home, so Line could say goodbye.

The lunch hour was a perfect time...and Walking Tacos was the perfect menu item.
And Line loves cupcakes.
She is the reason I bought my cupcake tree!
Some of the girls came from agility training,
from the dance studio,
and from summer work orientation.
But they all enjoyed the frozen lemonade,
good conversation,
and the warm sunshine.
The girls relaxed... just one more time... in our living room...
But, before we knew it...we were at the airport.
Line waited till the last possible minute to go through security.
Good Bye, Line...So long for now...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

No one said that This was Going to be Easy...

...But no one told me that it would be this hard...

Mom has been a rehab patient at the Heartland Care Center for about 6 weeks.  She has been going to Therapy nearly every day.  She is doing so well that she no long needs their services, so will be discharged...maybe sometime next week.

So...today we had her Home Safety Evaluation...

Yes, sandwiched between my last day of school and Line's last day here in Aberdeen...I went to Devils Lake.  Four hours driving up and 4 hours driving back...

And that is not the hard part...


Because of her age, her decreased vision and her decreased balance...the recommendation is to go to her home...Guarded.  That is the therapist's term.  in other words...She needs assistance.
Either, assistance from the outside...such as...building an entrance ramp, getting the Life Alert System, adding more grab bars in her bathroom, rearranging her kitchen cabinets, rearranging what's in her bedroom drawers, setting up Meals on Wheels, setting up a Cleaning/Laundry service, getting a cordless phone, buying a shower seat, changing the how the pharmacy delivers her medications, decluttering all her walkways...etc., etc...

Or...she could give up her apartment and move to an Assisted Living facility...where all the assistance is already in place.  But...You all know how Independent Mom is...She's the one that took the Senior Bus to get an Angiogram.   
But now, she is a bit overwhelmed...she cannot decide.  So...It is up to her family.  That would be me...
...I thought the Mommy was supposed to make all the hard decisions...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Time for Summer Celebrations

I am a member of Etsy Team, The Old Farmhouse Gathering.
This week we have launched our Summer Celebration.
Click here to check out the talent and variety of these Etsy artists.
Our good friends, the LaFaves, have good reason to celebrate.
Ashley graduated from high school and they hosted a lovely party in their home.
As a high school teacher, I get to celebrate with many graduates and their families...
Line celebrated her last day of school a week ago.
Doesn't my room look bare? 
I worked two more hours today, cleaning and storing my teaching materials away until next fall.
And yes, I feel like celebrating, too!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Half Marathon~Running 13.1 Miles

Remember last year's marathon experience?  Emily ran the 4th leg on a relay team...7.6 miles.  Here she is just leaving the exchange chute in 2009.
This year...the half. Just over 13 miles. If one can run nearly 8 miles, does 13 sound like that much more? Umm...Yes...I think it's much harder than any of us non-runners can imagine!  A marathon runner must get up early for breakfast and a little coffee.

Hubby and I went to Fargo to join Jake as her marathon 'support crew'.  (Line decided she didn't want to go.)


There were about 17,500 runners...add to that their support people...Well, the Fargo Dome was full of people.  So, surprise, when we ran into a few of the runners that were there from Aberdeen.
Last year's weather?  Cold.  Here are just some of the thousands of runners lined up in the starting area.
This year's weather?  Warmer...but raining.
Runners didn't report to the start line until they absolutely had to!
By the time Opening Ceremony was finished...
for the Americans,
for the Canadians,
in English,
and in Norwegian,
...it was pouring.
I put my camara away for fear it would get wet.
While Emily was running, the 3 of us drove downtown to cheer for her.
We caught up to her just before she reached Mile 10.
Then quickly, back to the Dome to watch the finishers...Here she is...
She's the one coming under the finish banner...on the right...
Notice her time?  Under 2 hours...
She did sooo well...
Next...the support crew must locate their runner down on the floor of the Dome.
And, there's a lot of runners there...without their cell phones...
How would we ever find her!
The medal is pretty sweet...
Definately a Keepsake.
Congratulations, Emily.
Congratulations to all runners...
5K, 10K, Relay, Half and Full Marathon Runners...
It is an amazing accomplishment.
You inpire me!

When all the Grandparents Come to Visit

This little girl was pretty excited to have all four grandparents around the dinner table. It took her little Toddler Mind a few minutes to ...