Memorial Day Weekend

This year, we had a different sort of Memorial Day Weekend. Last year was spent gardening and picnicking. This year, we went to visit my Grandparents in Pennsylvania. My Grandma has been ill and staying in a Nursing home for the past month, so we really wanted to go out and see her and help them out with a few things.

We left for their house very early on Saturday morning. We packed a breakfast and lunch so that we could drive without needing to stop too often.

We had a minor accident with the car part way through the trip. Can you see what’s wrong?

Yep, we lost part of the mirror! As we were cruising down the freeway, we hear a loud bang. Dad said we had hit a black bird, and the impact knocked the cover off. Thankfully it was nothing major, and the part can be replaced. But it was a bit of a shock initially!

When we got to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, no one was home and we assumed Grandpa was at the Nursing home. We unpacked our things, and headed over there.

We arrived at Grandma’s room and visited with her and Grandpa for a few hours. She was pretty weak, but still able to chat a bit.

Photo Credit: Roma.

Grandma’s room is very close to the back of the Nursing home. It’s a rather long walk down lots of different hallways.

Photo Credit: Roma.

Later that afternoon, I took a walk around the yard at their house to look at everything that was blooming. I’ve always loved Grandma’s snapdragons.

They’re so fun to play with! J

Beautiful Clematis blooming on a trellis.

My Dad and his sister planted this magnificent Oak tree as a sapling many years ago. It has grown tall and sturdy.

But this tree is the REALLY big tree. This maple tree has grown into a behemoth over the years. It provides wonderful shade in the yard.

The rhododendrons were in full bloom when we arrived. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen them in bloom before, and I was stunned by their loaded bushes!

We did some cleaning up around the flower beds, and Dad and Ben cleaned all the maple seeds out of the gutters. Here, Rubia works on weeding around the hydrangea bushes.

That night, Mom made some delicious cheeseburger pie for dinner.

We topped it off with a coconut cream pie. It was quite creamy and refreshing!

After we cleaned up dinner, we went back to the nursing home to see Grandma one more time that day. Then we came home and showered and got ready for bed.

Sunday morning, we had a “sunny yellow” breakfast: scrambled eggs, fresh pineapple, and danish. Then we all went to church with Grandpa.

After worship service, we ate a quick lunch at the house, then drove back out to the Nursing home to pay Grandma a visit. The skies were clouding up dramatically when we arrived. Shortly after we got into the building, rain started pouring down.

Photo Credit: Roma.

Unfortunately, Grandma’s room was pretty small. There weren’t many chairs so we had to bring in a few when we wanted to visit with her.

Photo Credit: Roma.

But we were very thankful that there was a comfortable lounge right next door to her room. When she was feeling up to it, we wheeled her over to that room where we could visit better. Her oxygen machine—in her room—makes a lot of noise, so it’s much easier to hear her—and each other—in the lounge. We kids enjoyed putting together a puzzle while we were there. We tried to finish it over our 3-day visit, but we weren’t quite successful. Maybe next time!

Photo Credit: Roma.

On Sunday afternoon, they have ice cream sundaes in the lobby. We wheeled Grandma down there to get some ice cream. There are a lot of skylights, and you could hear the rain pelting the roof. It’s nice to be inside a warm building with ice cream in your tummy on a rainy day like that! J

Photo Credit: Roma.

That evening, we brought Kentucky Fried Chicken home for dinner after numerous requests. This is definitely a favorite family treat!

We topped it off with a patriotic dessert: angel food cake with strawberry sauce, blueberries, and homemade whipped cream. It was very good!

Photo Credit: Roma.

On Monday morning, we went back to the Nursing home one last time to see Grandma before we left town. It was hard saying good-bye to her. We love her very much and don’t like to see her in declining health. But we look forward to seeing her in the next month or two when we visit again!

We ate lunch with Grandpa at home and packed up our things. I helped a bit with the driving on the long ride home.

Photo Credit: Roma.

I’m so thankful we had the opportunity to visit with my Grandparents over the weekend! I’m reminded that I should never take these times for granted. They are truly a blessing!