My Weekend

I took a break from bloggin' this weekend to go visit my Step-Mother. The chirrens went with me. Angel Baby Girl and I rode together,but the tallSon drove in from his East TX home. AND, he only got lost once! [both my chirren are 'directionally challenged']

ABG and I had to make a couple of stops on the way down. We stopped in Hillsboro at the outlet mall to exchange some pants I'd bought for the Dearly Beloved. ABG and I also went to another store. She got some new jeans and I got some new pajama pants, so cutey...purple and hot pink plaid. [Son allowed as to how he needed some warmer clothes for the changing seasons, so he and I went shopping for some pants and shirts. He wound up with some 5.11 duds, I got a kewl pocket knife and now my Christmas shopping is OVER!]

Then of course there was the obligatory stop in West at the Kolache Store. I'm sure any of you who regularly travel the I-35 corridor between the DFW-plex and Austin are familiar with this Czech bakery. We also stopped on the way back, ABG needed to get some FRESH sausage Kolaches she hadn't gotten the day before.

She and I traded playing our CDs on the drive down. She doesn't care for much of the Americana and Texana music I prefer. She likes her country slicked up Nashville style. So I'd paly a Country CD then she'd play some Death Cab for Cutie or Tom Petty. [Yeah, she has great taste in music.] She DID enjoy the Puppini Sisters cuts I have on a “Chick” music CD I'd made. But then both my chirren like Big Band tunes.

When Son arrived, all the wimmin folk got his patented hugs. That's another trait he shares with his Big Sis, they give GOOD hug. He folded his 6'7” frame into a chair and the visiting began.
Mom's health is beginning to fail. Her body and mind have found it difficult to cope in the 4 yrs since Daddy died. She'd had a small stroke before he died, now she's having tiny strokes that are robbing her of brain power. It's just a matter of time before she has a BIG stroke. So, the kids wanted to see her in a quieter environment [as opposed to a big family gathering] before that happens.

For those of you also dealing with an aging parent...I know how you feel. It's weird to take the caretaking role with a parent who was strong all your life. It's downright heartbreaking to watch them decline, no longer able or even interested in former activities they once enjoyed.
For those of you whose 'rent[s] are still in relatively good health, enjoy it and MAKE the time to spend with them. It won't last forever, unless you're luckier than the rest of us. Take your kids and grandkids with you when you go for your visit. It means a lot to the parent and it will stick with the kids that they made the effort to visit.