More Photos

More Photos

Mom's Trip Home

Mom and I flew from Champaign to Chicago and then onto New Awlins on Monday, October 10th which happened to be Columbus Day! Mom enjoyed sitting by the window seats and looking out at the beautiful fall coloring of the tree tops and the shimmering silhouettes of the clouds. She carried herself with confidence and acted as if she had been flying for years. I was so proud of mom for the way she adjusted to this mode of transportation and very thankful that God was giving us peace and joy during our trip. Everything went according to schedule and we arrived at Moisant Airport right around the start of rush hour traffic. The first thing I noticed when walking through the airport was the amount of people huddled around tables experiencing some of the local cuisine and drinks. This place was definatley different from the O'hare airport we had just left where there seems to be lots of fast food joints at each turn. Moisant airport is a much more relaxed and casual atmosphere and there was that ever familiar aroma of fried foods lingering in the air. Yes, we were definately back home in New Orleans! Joey arrived in his bright yellow truck to pick us up. Joey met us at the baggage claim area where he jokingly told us he was ready to pick up two old bags! Well mom and I knew we were right back home with that greeting..... HaHa! We soon headed to Joey & Trish's home in Slidell, which will be mom's new place she is visiting for a few months. Joey & Trish had been working day and night renovating the bathroom adjacent to mom's bedroom. They refinished the tub, tiled the bath surround and used the extra italian tile from our house on Redwood Street, as the new flooring in her bathroom. When mom arrived at their house and saw the bathroom she was so surprised to see her favorite tile in her bathroom. She rememebered it well and it meant a lot to her to see it again. Mom's bedroom was set up for her as well, with a chair from her old house in the corner and a few familiar photo books on her bookshelf. Mom's favorite picture of the Cafe du Monde arrived the day before she did and it was already hanging on one of her walls in her room. After visiting for a while we went ahead and unpacked the suitcases, tried out the newly renovated bathroom and decided to go to bed early. It will take a few weeks for mom to get into her new routine but she will adjust and enjoy her new surroundings while spending time with her family. We have all tried to keep the same routine and have shared tips with each other to help make her transitions easier. We all really enjoyed spending the afternoon with everyone and going out to lunch at the Picadilly cafeteria and then topping it off with coffee & cake at Aunt Santa's. It'll be nice for mom to see her brother and sisters more often and during the holidays!

Mom's Trip to New Orleans

Mom and I will be flying to New Orleans on Monday, October 10th! Mom is excited about going back home and being able to see everyone. She is a little nervous about flying until I remind her that she has flown before and that she once took a ride in a helicopter at one of dad's Chevron picnics, to everyone's surprise! Mom will be getting settled in at Joey & Trish's house in Slidell and use to her new "crib" and routine. We have all tried to be as consistent as we can when it comes to mom's daily routines and schedules and know that mom will adjust to her new adventure. The hardest part has been explaining to her that she isn't living by herself anymore in grandma's old house. Mom has improved so much by being around her family and having daily interactions and a purpose. I can't even imagine her ever living by herself anymore. I tell her that she gets to see the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly by living with each of her children. The main thing is that mom is happy, safe and enjoying her time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is looking forward to seeing the rest of her family too and visting some of her old stomping grounds. If Uncle Joe reads this I know she would love a batch of your bread pudding! We've made it a few times and all love it!

Fall in Illinois

Mom Update

Mom's back injury is healing well and we have started going for our walks again, which we both enjoy very much! She had a followup appointment last week and everything looks good. She isn't taking any medicines or pain relief, only her vitamins. Each day we go a little farther on our walks and try not to overdo it. We have been enjoying the cooler temperatures and can't wait until the leaves start turning their beautiful fall colors. This is my favorite season and I know mom will enjoy taking in every moment of it while she us still here. We'll be picking apples from the apple orchard later this week and enjoying their homemade cider & apple donuts. Mom says she doesn't mind picking apples, but she won't pick okra because of the thorns! She told me the story of when she was a kid and her grandma wanted her to help pick some okra. Even wearing gloves she tried picking a few, but it still pricked her hands so she took off running as fast as she could in the opposite direction so she didn't have to help pick the okra. I wonder who else escaped this job too!






A few weeks ago we brought mom to our neighborhoods annual potluck picnic. After eating we played games and mom really enjoyed playing Bingo. She did a great job checking for her numbers and to her surprise even won two prizes. She also plays scrabble well too!

Mom's time with us in Illinois will soon be drawing to an end and she will be going back to New Orleans to live with Joey & Trisha for a few months. The switch will probably happen sometime in mid October, but we will keep you posted. I'm sure this transition will be a little harder for mom when she realizes that she will not be going back to her own home. She asks if she still has her home in Gretna and is thankful that Uncle Joe is watching it for her (along with the roaches). Mom has a wonderful sense of humor and we all try to say things to make her laugh while reminding her that she is "just visiting and spending time" with each of her kids and their families. My time with mom has been wonderful and I feel so much closer to her. We have talked about so many things and I have even learned a few new things about my mom. While it is hard for me to imagine not having mom living here, I also know that it is time to reconnect with my family and recharge a little. I think the hardest part of taking care of mom is the time spent repeating the same things to her or shifting the conversation to something else. Saying the same phrases over and over does tend to wear a person down a little. It really bothers mom that she has memory problems and sometimes she is so apologetic for not remembering. It's amazing that she sometimes remembers that she had to do the same exact thing while taking care of her own mom. I know deep down she understands what is going on and is glad that she has her children to help her through these times. I am so thankful that mom has always been in good health and that she has always had a sweet and gentle spirit. She is a joy to be around and a blessing! I'm already starting to miss her..........

Birthday Blessings!

Finally added some new pictures of mom. Mom looks so happy in these two pictures. Please check out my facebook page for plenty more new pictures of our family......

Mom enjoyed her two birthday celebrations. Mom and I went out for lunch at Olive Garden and ate too much, eventhough it was just salad, soup & breadsticks! Afterwards we had cake and sang to her. So far we haven't done the nail salon, but we'll try it another day. We might go see the new Planet of the Apes movie later today too. Earlier in the week mom and I did went to the movies and saw The Help. It was really a good movie and we both enjoyed seeing it.

Thanks again for your cards and especially your prayers! Till next time......

Mom's Birthday

Tomorrow mom will celebrate her 79th birthday. She has already received several cards and gifts from family members and has enjoyed reading all the birthday wishes. I don't know if everyone knows the story surrounding mom's grand entrance into this world, but it starts when mom was born in an elevator at Charity Hospital. Over the years we have all teased her that being born in an elevator has contributed to her ups and downs in life! I told her that I was going to take her on several elevator rides on Friday to commemorate her birth..... but somehow I think she would much rather just go to lunch. If all goes well I plan on taking her out to lunch and then for a manicure & pedicure if she is up for it. Today we picked out an italian cream birthday cake and plan on celebrating with our family tomorrow. We did have an earlier birthday celebration for mom when Kristene and her family were visiting with us. We sang to mom and she enjoyed seeing her great grandchildren eat up slices of her cake. When I remind her that she is turning 79, she says she is getting old, so I tell her that she needs to hang around much older people because that will make her feel younger. She laughs at that because it probably reminds her of something dad would have said. Mom is also thankful that my dog Biscuit is older than her. He is 13 years old which is 91 in dog years compared to mom who is in her 70's and is still a spring chicken! Mom misses everyone and sends her love to her family.... Keep her in your prayers & for a speedy recovery from her back injury. Will post some birthday pics soon.....

Mom enjoying the flowers

Mom, the checker queen!

Mom enjoying the sunroom with Biscuit

Mom's Tumble

Last week we had a little scare when mom was holding baby Judah in my sunroom. She was really enjoying spending time with her two great grandchildren (Judah & Kate) and Kristene while Randy has been busy working in Wisconsin. She tried to sit on a foam footstool that I had and it accidentally tipped her and the baby off. Mom's maternal instinct must have kicked in and she held onto Judah like a football , which protected him from any harm. However, Mom went down in slow motion and twisted her lower back. We took mom to get checked out and had x-rays done which has shown a small fracture on her L-1 vertebrate. After taking mom to a spine specialist she is expected to heal up on her own the next 3 to 6 weeks. Everyone we encounter is amazed that mom isn't on any medications and is in such great shape. She has great flexibility and strength for someone her age! We have been busy icing and applying heat to ease some of the discomfort as well as giving her Aleve and Tylenol. She also has a pain medication as needed. She will have a follow up in a few weeks to check her healing process and I will update you then. Until then keep your prayers coming for a speedy healing so mom and I can get back to our daily walks, which we both really miss.....

Pictures of Mom in Illinois

Summer in Champaign, Illinois

In June, we went to Houston to visit Linda, Mike, Katie, Lauren and of course mom. I had been preparing mom for our visit but was nervous as how she would take the news that she would be coming home with me all the way to Illinois. (For more on Dootsy in Illinois, go to my Illinois Page).

Dootsy is On an Adventure!

She's known as Rose or Dootsy, Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Sister, Cousin and most recently, Great Grandma!
Yes, Dootsy is on an adventure, traveling to visit her son and daughters across the country. This blog is dedicated to those adventures! We want family and friends to be a part of all the fun things going on in her life. Come join us! Visit this blog whenever you like. We plan to update it frequently!