Sunday morning we left the motel to head to Hutch. Only we didn't go straight to Hutchinson. Mark surprised me with a route for me to see my mom. She was surprised to see us. It was so great to see her coherent and able to visit this time. Shortly before we got there she was given some morphine and another water pill. So about an hour later she was becoming confused and very tired. Randy and Julie stopped to see mom just as we were leaving so we got to see them for a short bit. I had a nice Mothers Day surprise that I will remember for years. Only one thing would have made it better.
We got to Hutch about 6:30 or so. After settling in to the Motel, Mark went to see his friends in Silver Lake, and I took a shower and settled in after a nice long shower. I'll be meeting Patty and some friends before heading back home to Yuma.
Monday, May 27, 2019
May 11, 2019
Saturday started out chilly and cloudy, but that didn't put a damper on the joy of the day. Now and then a breeze would come in and blow over some things, but with a of adjustments it was back in place unscathed. The decorations were what I would call simple elegance. Maria worked hard and did a great job of putting together all the decorations and the choreography of the whole wedding. The theme was of the Lord of the Rings which is a game they greatly enjoy and are very much involved. The bridesmaids attire were reflections of the women of the game, as were the swords which were raised for Maria to cascade down the isle to Lincoln, her groom. A dear friend of theirs officiated the ceremony, His words were very touching and heartfelt. The best man gave a speech that had us in tears and he even said some words in the language of their game. Or so I think it was, I only understand english. hehehe There were many speeches from friends and Maria's family. They all touched our hearts and had Mark and I in tears once again. Hearing how many and how Lincoln touched so many lives made us very proud parents. The praises made toward Maria gave us a better insight to the wonderful person she is. The love that Maria and Lincoln have for one another was so very evident. It made this mom and dad so very proud.
Following the ceremony was cocktail hour and pictures. The wind was not being kind for the outdoor pictures but it didn't hamper the spirits one bit. Dinner of steak, salmon, cheese potatoes, almond green beans, and candied carrots satisfied everyones hungry stomach well. The sustenance was needed for the dance that followed the meal. And everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.
The bride and groom started the dance with their practiced first dance. What a wonderful dance it was too. Then an anniversary dance was next. All married couples were asked to the dance floor. The DJ asked for those married for less than 6 months to leave the floor, then one year, 5 years and so on. That left Mark and I being the last ones on the dance floor, being married the longest.
We didn't stay for the last dance of the night. My toes were frozen to the bone and us old folks were tired and worn out. So around 9 we left for out motel.
Following the ceremony was cocktail hour and pictures. The wind was not being kind for the outdoor pictures but it didn't hamper the spirits one bit. Dinner of steak, salmon, cheese potatoes, almond green beans, and candied carrots satisfied everyones hungry stomach well. The sustenance was needed for the dance that followed the meal. And everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.
The bride and groom started the dance with their practiced first dance. What a wonderful dance it was too. Then an anniversary dance was next. All married couples were asked to the dance floor. The DJ asked for those married for less than 6 months to leave the floor, then one year, 5 years and so on. That left Mark and I being the last ones on the dance floor, being married the longest.
We didn't stay for the last dance of the night. My toes were frozen to the bone and us old folks were tired and worn out. So around 9 we left for out motel.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
May 10, 2019
Friday morning we woke up to a very cold outside temp of 36º. We are not used to that anymore. And I'm glad I brought a winter coat along. I'll be needing it. All we did was sit and rest the morning away and I even took a nsp, which I never do. Yesterday really zapped us.
Early afternoon we went to Ramsay Park and Lincoln took us on a quick tour of the park. We saw the beautiful falls and fast rolling river. The wedding party was busy setting up things for the wedding tomorrow. The sun was shining but it was chilly. But the warm welcome from Lincoln and Patrick warmed me to my toes. It was so great seeing them again.
Mark and I didn't have lunch and we were getting mighty hungry. We stopped at a Country Kitchen only to find that they had just closed. One of the employees saw us and let us in anyway. Wow. They were doing the end of the day cleaning. We found it odd that they closed at 3 in the afternoon but in such a small farming community we understood.
After a quick bite we headed back to the park for rehearsal. What a fun time that was. Everyone was so full of excitement and jocularity. Lincoln's dog Rory was not at all happy with all the repetition so she tried a few times to hide from Patrick. But Patrick did a good job of keeping her where she needed to be. Yes, Rory is in the wedding and lined up with the groomsmen with Patricks guidance.
Rehearsal over and off to the grooms dinner and a cocktail. Maria had a burger and hot wing bar planned. With a tossed salad, bread stick, relishes, and tater tots, everyone left with full tummies. The guys headed back to the motel for a game that they enjoy. Mark went along to watch and I opted for the motel and a nice hot shower.
Early afternoon we went to Ramsay Park and Lincoln took us on a quick tour of the park. We saw the beautiful falls and fast rolling river. The wedding party was busy setting up things for the wedding tomorrow. The sun was shining but it was chilly. But the warm welcome from Lincoln and Patrick warmed me to my toes. It was so great seeing them again.
Mark and I didn't have lunch and we were getting mighty hungry. We stopped at a Country Kitchen only to find that they had just closed. One of the employees saw us and let us in anyway. Wow. They were doing the end of the day cleaning. We found it odd that they closed at 3 in the afternoon but in such a small farming community we understood.
After a quick bite we headed back to the park for rehearsal. What a fun time that was. Everyone was so full of excitement and jocularity. Lincoln's dog Rory was not at all happy with all the repetition so she tried a few times to hide from Patrick. But Patrick did a good job of keeping her where she needed to be. Yes, Rory is in the wedding and lined up with the groomsmen with Patricks guidance.
Rehearsal over and off to the grooms dinner and a cocktail. Maria had a burger and hot wing bar planned. With a tossed salad, bread stick, relishes, and tater tots, everyone left with full tummies. The guys headed back to the motel for a game that they enjoy. Mark went along to watch and I opted for the motel and a nice hot shower.
May 9, 2019
Thursday stared out at 3:30 am. The horrible music sounding from the radio alarm woke me from a dead sleep of only a couple hours. My apprehension of flying and excitement kept sleep at bay for most of the night.
Our friend Steve picked us up just before 5 to take us to the Yuma airport. Upon arriving at the airport we checked out luggage and got our reserved tickets. We met a lady from Yuma heading to Colorado to meet her 6th grandchild. She like us, packed for the cold weather we were about to encounter.
Mark and I did not have seats by one another this trip. My seat made was a nice man who kept me calm during the flight. This time I had trouble with dizziness. He told me to close the window, close my eyes and take deep breaths.. All the while he chatted about his job. That helped keep me calm. Upon landing in Phoenix we came across the lady from Yuma. We exchanged our flight experience. She had some dramamine and offered me two to help with my next flight. After a quick bite to eat at Wendy's we met the son of the gentleman that bought our little trailer. His father, Ray, passed away on Sunday. He was on stand by in Phoenix to make arrangements. So sad that Ray never got to live in the trailer that he was so excited about.
After a start delay and slow unloading of our Yuma flight, and early departure of the Phoenix flight, we missed our flight out of Phoenix. American Airlines treated us very rudely and weren't much help with our dilemman. They did offer us Stand by for the next day since all flights for Thursday were already overbooked. After an uncomfortable flight and now thie, my blood pressure soared. Now what do we do?
A quick internet search found us one airline that had two seats for Thursday left. We hurried, well Mark doesn't hurry, to find now to get to the Delta terminals. With some help from airport staff we found the check in point. Not having already purchased tickets we needed to find someone to tell us where to go to purchase tickets. Once we got ot the right area, I almost needed an EMT. The price of same day flights are outrageously priced. But we had no option. We had reservation for the motel and the car rental waiting for us in MN. Mark contacted Expedia and told them our dilemma and they took care of contacting our car and motel reservations to hold everything for us.
The Delta flight, thanks to the extra Dramamine, was a much better flight. The plaine looked to be quite new and the attendants were very friendly too. Mark watched a movie all the way that wasn't many years old and it was free to watch. I just tried to stay in an upright position and battle the aching butt/thigh muscle. I was uncomfortable most of the way to MPLS.
After renting a car from Budget we were finally on our way to Redwood Falls. The care they gave us was a Ford Fusion Hybrid. Nice car but glad we don't own one. I much prefer our truck and SmartCar. Upon leaving the airport we found that we were smack dab in the middle of rush hour. Luckily we never hit the stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic. Exiting towards Hwy.7 didn't take long. Stopping Hutch for a quick bite at Taco Johns and a potty break we were energize to continue our journey. It was a nice scenic ride.
Check in at the Quality Inn went smoothly. The mangers were new and anxious to show us how warm and accommodating they could be. The reviews on line were not very good but it was where we needed to be within our budget. We found the Inn to be very clean and everything worked. The bed was very comfortable as well. I needed to ask for an additional pillow for my arthritic shoulder and elbow. In the morning the breakfast consisted of cereal, scrambled egs, sausage patties, toast coffee and juice. There were also doughnuts bagels, muffins, oatmeal, waffle mix, and fruit. Which is a lot more than at McCormicks Shamrock Inn in Hutchinson. You were lucky to get coffee and toast. The accommodations at the Shamrock in were in ill repair. The previous managers had to be the reason for the bad reviews at the QI, because it is far better with the new managers now.
Our friend Steve picked us up just before 5 to take us to the Yuma airport. Upon arriving at the airport we checked out luggage and got our reserved tickets. We met a lady from Yuma heading to Colorado to meet her 6th grandchild. She like us, packed for the cold weather we were about to encounter.
Mark and I did not have seats by one another this trip. My seat made was a nice man who kept me calm during the flight. This time I had trouble with dizziness. He told me to close the window, close my eyes and take deep breaths.. All the while he chatted about his job. That helped keep me calm. Upon landing in Phoenix we came across the lady from Yuma. We exchanged our flight experience. She had some dramamine and offered me two to help with my next flight. After a quick bite to eat at Wendy's we met the son of the gentleman that bought our little trailer. His father, Ray, passed away on Sunday. He was on stand by in Phoenix to make arrangements. So sad that Ray never got to live in the trailer that he was so excited about.
After a start delay and slow unloading of our Yuma flight, and early departure of the Phoenix flight, we missed our flight out of Phoenix. American Airlines treated us very rudely and weren't much help with our dilemman. They did offer us Stand by for the next day since all flights for Thursday were already overbooked. After an uncomfortable flight and now thie, my blood pressure soared. Now what do we do?
A quick internet search found us one airline that had two seats for Thursday left. We hurried, well Mark doesn't hurry, to find now to get to the Delta terminals. With some help from airport staff we found the check in point. Not having already purchased tickets we needed to find someone to tell us where to go to purchase tickets. Once we got ot the right area, I almost needed an EMT. The price of same day flights are outrageously priced. But we had no option. We had reservation for the motel and the car rental waiting for us in MN. Mark contacted Expedia and told them our dilemma and they took care of contacting our car and motel reservations to hold everything for us.
The Delta flight, thanks to the extra Dramamine, was a much better flight. The plaine looked to be quite new and the attendants were very friendly too. Mark watched a movie all the way that wasn't many years old and it was free to watch. I just tried to stay in an upright position and battle the aching butt/thigh muscle. I was uncomfortable most of the way to MPLS.
After renting a car from Budget we were finally on our way to Redwood Falls. The care they gave us was a Ford Fusion Hybrid. Nice car but glad we don't own one. I much prefer our truck and SmartCar. Upon leaving the airport we found that we were smack dab in the middle of rush hour. Luckily we never hit the stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic. Exiting towards Hwy.7 didn't take long. Stopping Hutch for a quick bite at Taco Johns and a potty break we were energize to continue our journey. It was a nice scenic ride.
Check in at the Quality Inn went smoothly. The mangers were new and anxious to show us how warm and accommodating they could be. The reviews on line were not very good but it was where we needed to be within our budget. We found the Inn to be very clean and everything worked. The bed was very comfortable as well. I needed to ask for an additional pillow for my arthritic shoulder and elbow. In the morning the breakfast consisted of cereal, scrambled egs, sausage patties, toast coffee and juice. There were also doughnuts bagels, muffins, oatmeal, waffle mix, and fruit. Which is a lot more than at McCormicks Shamrock Inn in Hutchinson. You were lucky to get coffee and toast. The accommodations at the Shamrock in were in ill repair. The previous managers had to be the reason for the bad reviews at the QI, because it is far better with the new managers now.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Carport
Due to the large amount of stuff we still have in storage we purchased a portable carport/garage on Monday. Harbor Freight had them on sale at a very good price. Yesterday Mark finished with the assembly and Shelby got to park in it last night. The little SmartCar fits perfectly and there will still be room for our motorcycles. When our things get here from MN some totes will go in there until we can sort through everything. It will be hot so we will bring boxes in as we empty the ones in the house.
We never got all of our possessions sold by the time we left MN in the Montana so they are waiting in storage for us to go through and keep or give away. Now that we have a bigger place to live we will get to keep more than if we were still in the little trailer. Of course it will be hot by the time we get our things here and unloaded from the truck. I'll have plenty to keep me busy all summer long. But there isn't much else to do in the summer other than going to the pool in the mornings.
Yesterday after supper I went with Mark to the pool again. I didn't last long the water wasn't very warm again. The wind made the wet skin ice cold so it wasn't a refreshing swim to me. I'll not go again unless we go in the warmer afternoon or the temps are higher. The heater gets turned off in the summer because the sun warms the water in the pool nicely. I'm not sure if the heater is off or not, but the water was to cold for me. Right now the evenings are cool so it takes a long time to warm the water to a comfortable temperature for me. My toes were so cold by the time I walked home last night they hurt. The big heavy towel kept most of me from frostbite. LOL A hot shower warmed me up some when I got home. I just don't do cold well at all anymore.
We never got all of our possessions sold by the time we left MN in the Montana so they are waiting in storage for us to go through and keep or give away. Now that we have a bigger place to live we will get to keep more than if we were still in the little trailer. Of course it will be hot by the time we get our things here and unloaded from the truck. I'll have plenty to keep me busy all summer long. But there isn't much else to do in the summer other than going to the pool in the mornings.
Yesterday after supper I went with Mark to the pool again. I didn't last long the water wasn't very warm again. The wind made the wet skin ice cold so it wasn't a refreshing swim to me. I'll not go again unless we go in the warmer afternoon or the temps are higher. The heater gets turned off in the summer because the sun warms the water in the pool nicely. I'm not sure if the heater is off or not, but the water was to cold for me. Right now the evenings are cool so it takes a long time to warm the water to a comfortable temperature for me. My toes were so cold by the time I walked home last night they hurt. The big heavy towel kept most of me from frostbite. LOL A hot shower warmed me up some when I got home. I just don't do cold well at all anymore.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Up and running
Mark has all the security cameras up and running, as well as the accent lights up and shining. I love the inside accent lights as they just give the living room a nice subtle ambiance. Outside the lights lighten up the porch without attracting planes. We have one set of outside lights that just don't fit anyplace at this time. They are very bright and we really don't want them on the porch. At the little trailer we had them shine towards the driveway and sidewalk. It made it easy to see who or what was there. No sidewalk here. :) That means no golf carts flying by or people walking their dogs and thinking the dog can use our drive as a bathroom. 😡
Today I'll be washing Lola's extra bed for her stay at the kennel. It has been sitting on the porch and is now more of a sandbox than a bed. We had some pretty windy days stirring up the sand. I'll give the porch a good sweeping today too. By afternoon it will be hot and I won't want to do much outside other than sit and read. The previous owners left a nice patio set that we enjoy using. Big glass top table with 4 large cushioned (replaceable) chairs. All are in really good shape too.
Today I'll be washing Lola's extra bed for her stay at the kennel. It has been sitting on the porch and is now more of a sandbox than a bed. We had some pretty windy days stirring up the sand. I'll give the porch a good sweeping today too. By afternoon it will be hot and I won't want to do much outside other than sit and read. The previous owners left a nice patio set that we enjoy using. Big glass top table with 4 large cushioned (replaceable) chairs. All are in really good shape too.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Brokenhearted
Even though we have been preoccupied with moving and bringing our stuff from MN to Yuma, we also have something else exciting to look forward to, it’s the reason for the trip to MN to begin with. Our son is getting married on the 11th of May. We are excited to see them begin their life together as man and wife. The sad part is that Mark, I and Marks sister and husband will be the only one of Lincoln’s relatives there. Not one of his cousins took the time to even send back an RSVP. He was broken hearted and I felt so bad for him. But I reminded him that we are the black sheep of the family. I thought he was used to it by now, but he still hurt badly. Emails, snail mail and roads only go one way and he and us have lived in the wrong direction. Barb, his aunt and Godmother and Uncle David have been to many of his activities even though they lived several hours away. They have invited him to holidays, never forgot his birthdays, and such, he was never felt left out or made to feel forgotten by them. He will now be sharing a life with a family that enjoys each others company and thrives to stay in touch. I’m so happy for him to have that in his life. My cousin Patty has been a constant in my life. As our children were growing and we were busy with our children's need, we didn’t connect as often as we would have liked, life just got in the way, but we still at least sent cards to one another and knew we were just a phone call away. And now more than ever I am happy we have each other. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t contact me in some way shape or form. I don’t have to be the first one to make the move and neither does she. It’s just a given that we will hear from one another.
God bless the marriage of our son Lincoln and his love, Maria.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)