Elaine's Joyful Journey: November 2016

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Happy Birthday Meg!

18 Years Old

You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Having the grandkids all together this week was such a treat for both Scott and for me. I don't recall an angry word from any of them and loved to watch the interaction that was so much fun. How blessed we have been to see the wonderful fruits of great parenting! Thank you Bill and Cathy, Andy and Angela, Ben and Becky, and Christian and Amy. You have done such a great job and loved that you each sacrificed much to come and be with us.

Talents!

We have some very talented people in our family and to finish off the evening we had talent show. There were several cute surprises like Janie's belly roll and Jeremy's lip quivers. After some coaxing we did hear from Ellis as he played a beautiful song on the piano. The girls did some dances and singing and Uncle Bill got everyone involved by teaching us the Kirby song. Owen wowed us all with his trombone solo! Ava also did a number on the piano and Angela surprised us with her beautiful music on the piano. And even with all of this we had many others in our family who had talents but no instruments to share with us but I know we would have been impressed with their talents as well.

After all of the sharing we were all amazed when Uncle Andy hauled out a stand and then proceeded to do one magic trick after another! Who would have thought it. He was so good and the kids and adults were pretty impressed. Thank you Andy for sharing a talent that you have obviously kept hidden from us all!

Thanksgiving 2016

Our dream came true when all of our children and their spouses were able to come home for Thanksgiving this year. With the exception of Perry and Rachel and Austin all the grandkids were under one roof and it was truly wonderful! I can honestly say that the food was the best I have ever tasted and Angela and Andy did a great job of hosting the dinner at their house. Everything was decorated beautifully and the food was beyond impressive. This year we had a ham as well which Andy had cooked in the BBQ and that was a great addition. After a great meal we headed over to the park where the guys played football and the little ones played until it was to dark to see. We added a new tradition of a family talent show to top a perfect day off!

Cooking Again

Because of the move we haven't done our weekly cooking class but this week we were able to start again. This time we worked on pies and Ava was a whiz at it. It took much longer than I thought it would but she stuck with it to the very end. We had fun making the pies but I think our favorite part was tasting them!

Thinking for Two!

I understood the concept of eating for two. In fact when I was pregnant I lived up to the challenge-- unfortunately I often still do that! Now fast forward my life to dealing with the realities of being a caregiver to a person with Alzheimer's disease. I recently realized that now I often have to think for two. Whenever I have a thought about what we are going to do I have to work in through in my mind for what I need to do and then I have to start the process again and think about what I need to do to help Scott maneuver through the process as well.

Yesterday we went to Walmart and as we were getting ready to check out he told me that he had to use the bathroom. We were right by the restroom so I showed him where to go and then said I need to get a clock so while you use the bathroom I will go and pick one up. Not my best thinking. I had told him that when he comes out just wait by the entrance of the bathroom and I will pick him up. I went and got the clock and then came back (which took less than two minutes) and he wasn't standing by the bathroom. At first I thought he just hadn't finished up yet but I got in line right by the restroom area and watched for him to come. After about five minutes I knew there was a problem. I had unloaded the things we bought and realized that I would have to ask for security to help me find him once I checked out. Just as the clerk started to ring me up he walked up to the check-out with a terrible panicked look on his face. I felt so bad for him and so bad for me. He came out of the bathroom and he started looking for me and went outside thinking I had gone to the car. Fortunately, it was raining so he came back in and then found me in line.

Little moments can change everything and the realization that we have to stay together even if it isn't always convenient came home to me yesterday. I hope I get better at the double thinking in the coming years. It definitely isn't as easy as double eating!