I had a very busy weekend! Blair and I, along with my dad, made a quick trip to Georgia to pick up my mom. Let me give you a little history. Back in April my grandmother that lives in GA started having back trouble. She went to the doctor for it and they decided she needed surgery. Since it was easiest for my mom to go over there and help her (my mom doesn't work and my aunt would've had to pay a lot of mullah to get to GA from New Jersey on short notice). The thing about the going over is not that she needed help post-op, but she didn't tell the family she was having surgery until Monday and the surgery was on a Wednesday. So, anyway, the point of this weekends trip was to go collect my mother...at least it started out that way. You see, my grandma has a sister in the hospital and very ill, Aunt Hilda, and we all thought she was doing better. (She'd had a stroke a couple of months ago that put her in a nursing home.) About a week before we left we found out that she had had multiple small strokes, that she was in the hospital, and the doctors said to 'call in the family.' So that was our second reason for traversing to the land of peaches.
All in all it was a very good trip, even if it was quick. Friday morning Blair and I left our house a 5 a.m. For most of you that know me, that's WAY early for me! But we did it and it wasn't too bad. On the way to my dad's house, we stopped at Southern Maid donuts and got all of us donuts. We were officially on the road by 6 a.m. Yes, Ashlie, be proud! I was really tired so I climbed in the very back seat of my dad's van and promptly fell asleep. The next time I was awake I was a little fuzzy headed so I decided I needed to lay back down...and did! I think I slept for about four hours! When I finally woke up for good, I decided I would drive to help my dad out (he always did the driving when we were little). I ended up really enjoying this time. Daddy sat in the front with me and Blair took up my vacated spot in the very back and slept. Daddy and I don't get to see each other much and definitely don't get to do nothing but talk. The whole time I drove (about 3 hours) we had a very good conversation, just talking about everything that came to mind. It was great. (I love my Daddy so much! I will miss him a lot when I move to ND.) It just so happened that while I was driving, we were passing Montgomery National Guard Air Base (I believe that's the name of it) and Daddy wanted a picture of an F-4 that flew in Vietnam. (He was in the Air Force for 4 years during Vietnam.) So, not thinking anything of it, I pulled over on the side of the road by the plane he wants a picture of and he gets out and starts to snap pics with my camera. Now, we are probably a hundred yards or less from the main gate of the air base. I look up and the MP at the gate is waving at Daddy motioning him to come speak to him while talking into a walkie talkie! All I could think was, "Oh, no! My dad is about to get arrested for taking pictures! And my camera is going to get confiscated!!" So Daddy goes over and talks to the MP and another man walks up...then another man drives up in a huge F150 quad cab. I'm thinking, "That's the truck they're going to take him away in!" Well, finally, the man in the truck leaves and the second man walks away. The first man and my dad are talking and I'm left in the van by myself (Blair is still asleep at this point) to wonder if the other men left to get reinforcements or what and is my dad bout to get taken up by the po-po! Finally, he comes back to the van and said they just wanted to know what he was taking pictures of exactly because behind the infamous F4 is the operational base that is not allowed to be pictured. However, Daddy showed them the only thing seen in the picture is the plane. All I could do was say, "Whew!" After that adventure the rest of the trip into GA was uneventful.
We got into my grandma's town, Columbus, GA, about 4 p.m. their time. She owns a floral shop so we went there first to see her and get the key to her house so we could freshen up before we went to dinner. After dinner, we all went to bed fairly early so we could get up on Saturday and make the two hour trip to see my aunt in the hospital in Macon, GA.
Saturday morning rolled around way too early for me, but we all got out of the house without a hitch. We stopped by Dunkin' Donuts for early morning fortification. I got powdered donut holes, mmmm! The trip into Macon was okay, I dozed for the last half. When we got to the hospital we found the room and all my dad's cousins were there! It was really good to see them again (hadn't seen them since my granddaddy died in 2003) and introduce them all to Blair. It was really hard on my grandmother to see her sister laying in the hospital bed with all of the wires and tubes hooked up to her. (Aunt Hilda is her baby sister and when she passes only my grandma and one more sibling of the seven will be left.) My grandmother would sit and hold her hand while she slept, which she did a lot of while we were there in the morning. It was so sweet to see their bond. It made me think how much I love my sister and how if I was in that position I would be balling my eyes out. Then I started to think how much I'm going to miss my dear, sweet sis when I'm in ND. Then I had to stop thinking about it (like now) because I was about to break out crying. Anyway, we stayed at the hospital all day and finally left to get something to eat. After dinner we left and went back to the hospital for my grandma to see her sis one last time (we don't know if it's the last time she'll see here alive or not). When we got there Aunt Hilda was very alert and talkative. She recognized her sister and my mom and I. And said that Blair was "very good-looking!" I am so thankful that my grandma's last memory of her sister is not one with her lying in the bed sleeping but of her talking and responding. I am also comforted by the fact that Aunt Hilda is a wonderful Christian woman and I know right where she'll be when she passes.
When we got home from Macon, we all went straight to bed again because we had to leave Sunday! (Told ya it was a quick trip!) We kinda overslept Sunday, but were still able to make it out by 10 a.m. our time. I really hated to leave my grandma this time. She looked so frail and fragile, and it broke my heart to know that it might be
my last time to see her alive. She is old and very set in her ways, but I love her. I pray God will keep her safe while she is there alone.
Our return trip, thankfully, was much less interesting than the trip over. No worries about being arrested!! I praise God also that we made that quick trip safely with no car troubles!
I hope everyone else had as good a weekend as I did!!
