Santa Claus Came to Town

I've missed writing SO much the last couple of weeks!  Just when I thought life was going to slow down and give me nothing but time to write, read, cook and relax, everything got flipped upside down.  Such is life, huh?  At any rate, I’m back and very excited to begin sharing with you once more.

The entire week leading up to Christmas and the week that followed are a blur for me.  My grampa suddenly went back to the hospital and was released to the nursing home.  Just as he was getting settled back in at home, his health took another dive.  That certainly shook up Christmas plans a bit, but it certainly didn't ruin anything.  My wonderful family adjusted their plans and made sure we were all together and that grampa got to see everyone. 

A few days before Christmas, my mom and dad came to town and stayed at my house for a night.  We had a blast.  It’s the first time they've stayed at my house since I moved away eight years ago, so it was super special.  They also spent a night at each grandparent’s house while they were in town.  We had a great time together, telling stories, eating great food, visiting with relatives… all the things that make it feel like Christmas time.

One of my favorite activities that I got to share with them was shooting.  A few firearms, LOTS of ammunition, and my Halloween pumpkins made for great fun at the lake.  I bought myself a new gun for Christmas so I was dying to play with it and share it with anyone who wanted to fire it.  Mom didn't think she would enjoy shooting at all, but she was the one who couldn't wait for me to reload the magazine and hand it back to her. 

On Christmas Eve, I went to see grampa at the nursing home and brought him his gift.  He’s carried a knife everywhere he’s gone for most of his life.  Many of his knives were sold in the auction earlier this year and his normal pocket knife has become very dull.  Knowing this, I ordered him a great new SOG knife.  He liked it right away and got in some good therapy for his hands learning to unfold and re-fold it.  It’s quite a challenge for his weak, numb fingers, but after a few times, he was opening and closing it almost with ease. 

It was great to see him with a knife and I knew he would have ten uses for it within the next day.  In fact, he found a use for it immediately.  Someone had brought him a jar of pickled eggs (gag!) for Christmas, but he didn’t have any silverware in his nursing home room to fish them out with.  Before I knew it, he had that new knife submerged in the pickled egg jar and was stabbing at eggs.  He ate one and then carefully cleaned and dried the new knife.  It brought new meaning to the saying, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

Later that evening I got to go over to my aunt and uncle’s house and visit with the cousins for a while.  One of my cousins is in the Navy and currently in Africa, but her husband and two little girls were in town.  It was the next best thing to having her there with us.  I don’t typically know what to do with kids (I think I’m missing that maternal gene to some degree), but with those two, I always have the time of my life.  They are so happy and friendly.  They melt my heart with their innocence and beauty.  I can’t get enough of hugging them and playing with them.  Having them around was a great Christmas gift in itself.

Here are a few fun pictures from Christmas weekend in my world.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic new year in 2013!

Mom and Dad inspecting their gifts

I've put bows on my head for longer than anyone can remember

Mama playing sharp shooter with my new gun

Nothing like firearms and deer sausage

Me, grama and mom (grama got in the spirit with bows on her head too!)

Day after Christmas "Blizzard"

I made a fire once the snow stopped

Grampa's Great Escape

On Monday my phone rang and I saw it was the nursing home where my grampa lives.  Of course I immediately had a feeling of concern wash over me, wondering if he was ill or injured or goodness knows what.  To my surprise, the nurse on the other end of the line informed me that grampa told them he was moving back home that day!  She asked me if I knew anything about that or if I could approve it.

For those of you who aren't aware, grampa has been struggling with his health for probably close to two years now.  He is 78 years old and there have been multiple times he has been rushed to the hospital and the doctors have told us he isn't going to make it.  His organs have shut down and are beyond repair (or so we've been told).  He goes between home, nursing homes and hospitals every few months.  His heart has only been able to pump at about 20% for well over a year now.  We've been told time and time again that people with less than 40% often struggle to even carry on a conversation.  Grampa has managed to run the backhoe, lean down into a well house, make his bed, dress and ready himself each day and even walk around WalMart.  Our family as well as the medical staff who have worked with him are fascinated by his strength.

The last time he went into the hospital, the ER doctor pretty much assured us he would not make it through the next few days.  It was basically medically impossible for him to be alive in the condition he was in.  When his regular doctor came in the next morning, I asked him to be direct with me and tell me if we should even attempt to plan where he will go when he gets out of the hospital or if it is likely he will never leave that hospital.  His response was, "If it was anyone else, I would have my doubts.  But (your grampa) has shocked us time and time again and keeps on going."

That was three months ago.  And now, he has built his strength and independence back up to a point where he feels that he could move back home with grama.  It's incredible!

Everything got approved and I went down yesterday morning to pick up grama and take her into town to get everything grampa would need to come home.  Then we went over to the nursing home to get grampa.  It was a precious sight when I opened the door to his room.  All of his belongings were neatly packed in trash bags and laid out on his bed.  He was sitting in his chair just waiting.  He didn't know exactly when we would arrive, but he was ready.  No telling how long he'd been ready.  He was in his recliner, but his feet weren't propped up.  He had his shoes on.  The TV was off.  He was just waiting for this joyous moment he'd looked forward to and worked so hard to get to.  This was his dream come true.

The staff at the nursing home have been such a blessing to grampa and our entire family.  It's always a warm welcome when I go in.  Many of the nurses know me by name, as does the administrator.  They have gone above and beyond time and time again to meet grampa's needs and even do things that are a little extra special for him.  One of the nurses brought a cart down to his room and helped me load his things. The administrator called out to me from several feet away behind a desk with a big smile and a wave.  It was an incredibly joyous time.

As grampa took his small, slow steps with his cane helping him along, he had lots of interactions between his room and the exit.  He talked to, hugged, waved goodbye and thanked everyone in sight.  The nurses, aides, residents and staff.  Looking back on it now, it feels like a movie scene.  That glorious moment when all you've worked so hard for becomes reality.  And there is love and gratitude all around for the folks who've helped you get to where you are.

We all went out to lunch and then headed home.  The whole time, he was talking about all these ideas he had.  Things he wanted to do, things he wanted to buy, how he planned to achieve those things.  I'm in absolute awe of this man who defies all odds and simply never stops dreaming.