Family events after the wedding

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As mentioned before, the morning following the wedding, Kim and Kris met a lot of family and friends at the local Bob Evans for breakfast. It was nice for us as we had one more chance to chat in a less hectic environment than the wedding. We enjoyed breakfast, the company, and then said good bye as folks headed for the road.

With the wedding over, and family and friends gone, the kids had a lot of follow-up/clean-up to do. Both worked hard at it and on Wednesday, left for a 4 day honeymoon in western West Virginia at a wonderful state park lodge. That gave us four days to torment our new granddaughter, Autumn, and make sure she was inculcated into the family properly by listening to lousy jokes, Trish and I saying the same thing simultaneously, eating weird foods, and being cared for and loved. We started by my sleeping in the house at night while Trish had the whole bed to herself in the RV and then I would take Autumn to school in the AM.

The first day, after dropping Autumn off, Trish and I had a quick breakfast and then we drove to Warrenton, VA to see our friend Annette Heinz. She drove over from Fredericksburg and we met at at a restaurant and chatted for several hours. We shared the pictures from the wedding and talked about RVing and retirement. Kurt and Annette are getting closer to his retirement and we have been encouraging them to come take a look at Alabama. My former boss gave us encouragement so we thought we should pay it forward and introduce others to the beauty and advantages of retiring there. After lots of fun and laughs and sharing, we had to go and be back in time to get Autumn from school. (We were picking her up because she had bruised the bottom of her foot and was on crutches.)

We got back just in time to get her and when we got home, after some quizzing from Trish, Grandma determined that a healthy dose of vinegar and brown paper would help heal the foot. If you are not familiar with this remedy, it is quite successful for sprains and bruises. (Soak strips of brown paper in cider vinegar and wrap the affected area. Put the wrapped area in a plastic bag to keep from dripping and drying, and rest it for over night. It will be significantly better in the morning.) For those who doubt, go read the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill--BOTH verses.

Apparently Kim had done this before to Autumn, so she knew about it. Needless to say, she objected. No good. Autumn finally confessed that it did work, she just didn't like it. Tough. So with wrapped foot, she hobbled around and we fixed supper.

Kim had LOTS of leftovers in the fridge and we vowed to get rid of them creatively before the kids got back. Long story short: we had leftovers every night but fixed very differently and with additives and salad or such. Autumn wanted something fresh, so the last night we went and got pizza, which she really wanted. When I made the call, she changed her mind and got a sub with french fries. But she was happy. We did sit that night and watch a movie together: Short Circuit from the mid-80's. She has now added "More data" and "Johnny 5 ALIVE" to her vocabulary.

Kim and Kris got home Sunday afternoon and we loved hearing their tales. Kim, following the stress of preparing for the wedding and the event itself had gotten sick and had a horrible cold. But they had managed to get out at the lodge and canoe and take a river trip on the sight seeing boat. We filled them in on our adventures and told them how we had tormented poor Autumn. They laughed and said it was good for her.

Monday we did clean up around the house and went out for dinner for Mexican. We had spent enough time in Martinsburg and it was time to let the newlyweds settle in. On Tuesday we headed for Ohio to see John's folks and some other friends. We opted to drive across MD to Morgantown, WV, up to Washington, across to Wheeling and then up the Ohio River to Liverpool and finally north to the Ohio Turnpike. It was a trip full of nostalgia and we enjoyed seeing the changes in Wheeling, along the river, and also noted that many of the improvements on the river seemed to be for the better as far as the environment was concerned.

We had reserved a spot in a 55+ Mobile Home community in Chesterland, OH, and it was wonderful! It was close to to the folks, had full hook-ups, and very convenient to shopping. The owner was most helpful and we were pleased with our choice. After getting in and hooked up, we called the folks and headed over to see their new home in Chagrin Falls.

They had moved from a large farm house in the county 20 years ago to a condo in Aurora, OH. This put them further from many friends and church friends but they found a new church and made many friends in their new home. But after 20 years there, they are beginning (?) to realize that age is creeping up and they wanted to be on one level, have a slightly smaller space, be closer to friends in Chagrin, and most important, be in a community where, if needed, they could have some professional assistance if health became an issue. They had been looking at Hamlet Hills for a number of years and finally decided this was the time to move.

Utilizing a super agent, they were able to sell their home in a matter of a week or so, get a good price, and settle on an apartment in the retirement community and start the move. By the time we got there, they had moved in and were unpacking boxes and finding places to put things. We arrived and got a grand tour. They have a living area, dining area, small efficient kitchen, large master bedroom and with full bath and a smaller bedroom being used as a den with a 1/2 bath. There is a washer/dryer provided on the same level and a small storage area. They are able to park the car in an open shed/barn arrangement and have lovely trees and flowers all around.

Perhaps one of the most stunning aspects of the new home is the view out two large sliding glass doors/picture windows. These large doors look out over a bluff that drops to the Chagrin River far below and face west, so every night the folks have a wonderful sunset view. Because it is on the edge of this drop, there are plenty of trees and wildlife, with birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even an occasional deer wandering right up to the apartment. Walking out the front door, there are woods and trees, lilacs, lily of the valley and other flowers and flowering trees, none of which they have to tend to. This gives them the chance to enjoy without all the work. Mom, who loves to walk, has both flat and hilly terrain, all within the grounds and if she becomes tired during the walk (which none of us have ever seen), there are park benches where she can pause, rest, and admire nature all around her.

We admired the new home and then left to go back to the cats and our RV. We made plans to come back the next day and help in any way we could.

Next day we went in to Chagrin and Dad had a load of things in the car to take in to the apartment. We helped carry them in and then carried out empty boxes to be taken back to the house in Aurora for more loading. We thought we would go to Aurora and help with a large computer desk, but Dad finally decided it just wouldn't fit. We went to their storage unit in town and they gave us several boxes of items to take back to Alabama, things they could no longer fit or display. I spotted a large box of postcards Dad had collected and he said I could have them. In going through them, I found some cards from MY grandfather when I was about 4. This is what got me started on collecting cards and gave me the idea to send cards to our grandchildren as we traveled.

We did a bit more, but it was obvious that there was no heavy lifting for us to help with so we returned to the RV. We had been to brother Todd's house early in the AM and chatted with he and Sandy so we were pleasantly surprised when I got the call that we would all meet for dinner in Chagrin at a local restaurant. Todd said it was a favorite of theirs and the folks liked it, so that was fine. We drove back in and found great food and drink, had fun sharing with the folks and Todd and Sandy, and then went back to the RV in Chesterland.

The next day, Thursday, we had plans to see a good friend Carla in Chardon. We drove out to her place and spent a couple of hours chatting, then headed in to Chesterland to meet Carane for dinner at Guido's Pizza Haven. This is the BEST pizza spot I know (of course, I grew up on Guido's). There was enough pizza left over that we could eat pizza for lunch in the future.

Friday we were back in Chagrin and Mom had put more stuff away and emptied more boxes. We chatted a bit and then went to see the Atrium. This is a large, multi-use building with assisted living facilites, dining, recreation and lounging facilities. It is a lovely center piece and only a brief drive for the folks and or goodly walk in nice weather. We headed back to the RV for some rest and then in the evening, we all met at Guido's for dinner. Todd and Sandy came with Kelli and we had pizza, ravioli, eggplant Parmesan, spaghetti and wonderful rolls. Again, it was more than we could eat, so we had leftovers for a future dinner.

We said good bye to all since we were leaving the next morning for the next leg of our adventure. We certainly want to see the folks place again when they finally decide on placement of some furniture, Dad gets his books put away and the computer up and running, and Mom has had time to decorate. It is a lovely place we we know they will be very happy here.

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Photos

Jen and Drew being silly
At the breakfast following the wedding, Drew was being bashful. Jen, fortunately, was feeling better.

Kelli
Brother Todd came to the wedding with his daughter, Kelli. She is a beautiful young woman who also came to the breakfast the next morning.

Good friends
Trish is sitting next to Martha Musgrove and also niece Cindy Jopling. We had a delightful time and Cindy and Martha had a good time talking quilting, as both ladies are very good quilters.

Grandma enjoying a break from unpacking
We went with Todd and Sandy and John's parents to a nice eatery in Chagrin Falls. They served my mother's favorite drink, some kind of daquari with cinnamon around the edge. She's had it before and loves it.

Appetizer!
This restaurant has a happy hour every day from 4-6 and appetizers are 50% off. This was a flat bread pizza. It served as a whole meal!

Chips and dip
I opted for an eggplant appetizer dip with a variety of bread/chips. It was very good and filling.

New home
Folks have moved to a retirement community and are now in a 1200 sq ft apartment. It's a bit smaller than where they were, but has great amenities and is right in Chagrin Falls, close to their church and many friends.

Still sorting
In downsizing, folks hoped to keep most of their furniture. As often happens, the floor plan and paper cut outs seemed perfect, but in actuality, hmmm....some things may have to go or be moved elsewhere. But the view from the window is spectacular!!

Bedroom almost finished
With regret, folks gave up several nice pieces of wicker from the bedroom. But that room is almost done and with some minor adjustments, it will be lovely. There's still space to sit a read in here.

At the center
In the retirement community, there is a building, The Atrium, that houses assisted living, a dining room, and rec area, library, and lounge. This week they had beautiful art being exhibited. We could tell they will be very comfortable here and enjoy all the new home has to offer.

Comments

[Deborah Chamberlain]

Busy, busy........I do enjoy hearing about your exploits and visits with family and friends. You need to get this way!