Just before Natalie's birthday in September, I was again able to take advantage of my travels for work to incorporate some important family time as well. Prior to attending a conference in Toronto, I joined my mom for a road trip to visit my grandma in Rochester. For a variety of reasons, I had not been able to see her since Nathan was seven months old, so I was thrilled to be able to spend some time with her. A combination of hip problems and dementia means that Grandma is no longer able to live alone in the house that my mom grew up in and that I have visited my entire life. She now lives in an apartment in a very nice assisted living facility, and most of the time will admit that there is no way she could live on her own anymore.
While we were there we went out to Grandma's favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner, and were even able to get together with my great aunt Anne. It was lovely to catch up with her as well! We also took care of running some errands for Grandma, mom took her to a doctor appointment, and I did a bunch of laundry. It felt good to be doing something useful for her.
Before we left town, Grandma decided that she was ready to visit her home, which she had not been to since moving out almost a year before. She wasn't ready to go inside, but she really loved seeing the yard and exclaiming over all the work that needed to be done in the garden. As an added bonus, we ran into some neighbors that are old family friends. It made Grandma's day to be there, and was really special for Mom and I as well. Grandma hates to have her picture taken, but I couldn't resist taking some candids with my phone, of her and of the house that I grew up loving.
I snapped this photo of my favorite portrait of my grandparents, taken shortly after their engagement. What a beautiful couple!
Ah, the classic pink hue of a Sears portrait from the 80's. :)
The culture in an assisted living facility is kind of like high school, only with lots of walkers. It was fascinating.
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