Mom Goes to Arizona!!!

Stan and Sandie's place in Arizona.

Mom just got back from a five day trip to Arizona to visit her brother and his partner, Sandie! Of course, two of those days were mostly air travel. And, Uncle spent one day in the ER (he is okay, phew!). Mom had never been to Arizona before. 

Stan and Sandie at dinner during Mom's first night there.

Uncle Stan and Sandie flee the cold Chicago winter for a while each year, so Mom went to visit them in Arizona this year. Uncle said he would take very good care of her! When she arrived the first night he made a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans since her stomach has been bothering her so much.

Mom and Uncle during dinner the first night.

Before Mom left for the trip I said: Make sure to take photos of Stan and Sandie and of YOU with your brother. Yet, this is the only photo of the two of them she came home with! :P

The backyard. It is so weird not to see any grass!

Mom really, really, really needed this vacation and I am so proud of her for going. The sunshine, change of scenery, and break from caregiving were much needed. I really don't think she has hardly taken a break in the entire 12 years I have been sick. I hope she will take a vacation more regularly now! I don't think she was quite ready to come home.

The neighborhood.

She didn't miss any nice weather here, that is for sure. She loved the SUN and RELAXATION! 

Mom's little casita!

She even had her own little casita! She spent her time here devouring The Help.

The patio.

Is that sun? They spent lots of time hanging out on the porch and going to water aerobics in the outdoor pool. Look how hip Stan and Sandie are with their Smartphones! :)

To manage while Mom was away, we hired a caregiver as well as a petsitter. Amy, our petsitter, came in the mornings to let Asher out, walk him, and feed him. Peg, my caregiver, came in the evenings to prepare dinner, do dishes, help with Asher, do laundry, help with bathing, etc. 

Everything went really smoothly here and I loved spending time with and talking to Peg. She was really able to just figure out what needed to be done and do it.

Still, there were quite a few things that I needed to do on a daily basis that Mom usually takes care. Often they were very little things like getting the paper, feeding Asher snacks, turning the heat up and down, picking up a few things around the house, but I found myself pretty low on spoons by the fourth day of the trip! By Saturday night, when Mom came home, I was ready to be back to our 'regular routine'.  I also had a lot of appointments on top of her being away.

At first I felt a bit frustrated that 'all I was doing for 5 days was taking care of myself' and I wasn't able to get anything else done. But, then I realized that I was doing what was most important in the world, and that was to give Mom the gift of a BREAK. That helped me to have perspective for the rest of the week. Making it possible for Mom to go away was most important, and now that we have done it successfully, I hope she will feel that she can leave for a trip again! Of course, I totally crashed when she got home. :P

Stan and Sandie on the trolley in Scottsdale.

Thank you Stan and Sandie for having Mom for a visit and taking such very good care of her! Please drink some coconut water and Gatorade, Uncle! None of these ER shenanigans again. :) Enjoy the rest of your time in the SUN! :)


Blessings,


Emily