We have been on spring break for the last week. We went to Palm Desert again, to visit with my parents, and it wasn't difficult this time. I want to say a prayer of thanksgiving for that, because it was very hard to do this around the Thanksgiving holiday. 
I must say, there are some pretty spicy seniors down in the Palm Springs area, and a couple of them have given me a ribbing over my comments on feeling "about 80 years old." I tried to tell them that I said this because I am under 50, and feeling 80 when you are still under 50 is not great, but they weren't having any of that. "I'm 80 and I feel great!" is what I was told, so my advice to you is, don't use age as a reference point to describe how you feel...especially if you are going to the Palm Springs area anytime soon!
David swam every day; he and Gregg golfed with my dad 3 times, plus they had the necessary forays to the driving, putting and chipping areas. We had a tennis lesson, and the men played tennis a couple of times. Gregg and I walked 4+ miles each morning. Mom and I went to a spa for treatments and lunch (here is a great visual for houseswife/moms, like me: eating lunch --in a bathrobe, by a swimming pool, adjacent to a golf course-- in a huge resort). This cracks me up, and it is totally commonplace at this spa. I just think America is a hilarious place, sometimes.We went to our favorite shopping street, El Paseo. Of course we thought of Katie many, many times each day, and wished she were with us, enjoying her favorite aspects of Palm Desert. We wished we could share it with her, and we talked about her frequently. It was healthy (and felt good) to be able to share thoughts with my parents, who loved Katie and were very close to her.
We had many good meals, wine, and because it was so hot there, MARGARITAS! For those of you who didn't drink alcohol until you were 40 (like me), this is a real treat! It doesn't appeal to me for most of the year in the Seattle area, because it doesn't get hot enough here, but let me tell you, in the Coachella Valley, bring it on! If you don't drink alcohol, the virgin daiquiris/margaritas are just as festive and tasty.
We had a bit of difficulty with our flight home. The mechanics discovered some fluid on the wing and couldn't readily identify it. We waited, fully packed onto the 737, as they discussed it with the pilots and the staff in Seattle. In a situation like this, my feeling always is: take your time; be sure we are safe. I'd rather spend the night on the ground, than get up in the air and wish you'd taken another look! Our plane, scheduled to leave at 3:15 p.m., finally was cleared to go at 6:00 p.m. After arriving safely in Seattle shortly before 9:00 (and looking for something that David had left on the flight down to California), we decided to drive around the peninsula, rather than take the ferry home. We got here at about midnight, and discovered 2 Sheriffs' cruisers on the road near our driveway. Hm. We will have to find out what the heck was going on with them.
I am back to getting fabric and preparing more quilts. We learned that the ones we donated have all been handed out, with a few going to the Emergency Department and a few to the Hem-Onc Clinic.
Some of our Caringbridge friends are working to help others in their own ways. I'd like to encourage you to read about them, or support them (if you would like to), by going to their Caringbridge sites and reading. They are wonderful, loving families. Their sites are:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/carriemaniscalco (Carrie is in the hospital in Mississippi, where recent tornadoes ripped through her hometown. She regularly remembers others in her prayers, and she is an inspiration to me.)
1 comment:
I'm glad you had such a wonderful visit and look forward to seeing you tomorow.
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