Friday, March 29, 2019

Family Time on Thursday

Thursday was my father's birthday.  I was a child when he died, but I always remember him on his birthday and the anniversary of his death.   I have written about him in various other posts, including this one and this one about the bunny.   

Cousin P called me in the early afternoon to say that her daughter was off work and they were planning to visit Aunt T in the nursing home, if I'd like a ride.  I happily accepted the offer.  They picked me up at 3:00 p.m. and we went to the nursing home.  We were with Aunt for about 2 hours, chatting with her and another member of the extended family who was also visiting.  Aunt looked well, but, she has two hairline fractures in her spine and she is in some pain, even though they give her pain medications.  But, she was sitting up in a wheel chair and was quite alert.   

After we left the nursing home, we went to a nearby shopping mall since cousin P needed to buy a gift for a friend.  On the way back to the car, I bought us all some chocolates from the chocolate store.  You can pick and choose your particular favorites and buy them by the piece, you can buy them by the pound, or you can buy the boxed assortments that were on the shelves.  I took a photo of some of the chocolates in the display case for the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt, as well, since one of the prompts was "chocolate":

#8 Chocolate

Then, we went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant.  Cousin and her daughter have been there, before, but, it was the first time I've been there.  It was a bit too crowded and noisy for my liking, but the food was good and quite reasonably priced (we ordered off the Happy Hour menu).  I had a salad and coconut shrimp, which came with its own coleslaw, as well.  Cousin P ordered clam chowder and I gave her my coleslaw, as well, since I didn't want any more salad.  Her daughter ordered an individual size cheese pizza and hot wings, which I sampled, too.  We sat and talked for a long time about various things, even long after we had finished eating!  It was a nice, family bonding time.  It was past 8:30 p.m., when we left the restaurant. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Memories of my father
- Cousin giving me a ride to see aunt
- Aunt is recovering
- Going out to dinner with cousin and her daughter
- Spending time with the family

Today's joyful activity has to be spending time with family and going out to eat.

How was your Thursday?

20 comments:

  1. That chocolate shop looks AMAZING!

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    1. It's one of my favorite shops in the mall! :D I bought myself a piece of their marzipan filled dark chocolate - definitely my favorite!

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  2. Sounds like a very nice family day remembering your father, visiting your aunt, going out to dinner with your cousin and daughter, and to top it all off, visiting the chocolate shop.

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    1. It was a very nice day, Live and Learn. Spending time with the family I still have, reminiscing about those who are no longer with us, sharing stories about the family with the younger generation, sharing good food and, of course, chocolate! :D

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  3. I love how you find joy in the ordinary everyday things, Bless. It is a lesson to us all, and one I try to remember when feeling grumpy about something out of my control.

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    1. Thank you, Eloise! That is exactly what I try to do! Find joy in the everyday things. :) As far as I am concerned, each day that I wake up alive is a blessing, a prayer answered, especially after the cancer.

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  4. I met lots of friendds at our Seniors Lunch Club. I usually go and help serve the food, but because I've been unwell, yesterday I just sat and enjoyed my meal and good conversations. I am grateful for caring friends, who keep making sure I do not overdo things!! I am glad that on a day of memories, you could be with other family members. [and I agree, sometimes the added coleslaw is just a bit too much salad]

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    1. I am glad your friends make sure you don't do too much, Angela, and you were able to just sit and enjoy your meal and conversations. :) Yes, yesterday was a good day to spend with family. I enjoyed it.

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  5. It sound like you had a wonderful time. I'm sure your aunt appreciated you visiting her. The chocolates look delicious. Thursday was great. I did a lot of knitting, yoga, walking, biking, and reading.

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    1. Yes, aunt was happy she had visitors. Your day sounds lovely! A nice balance between exercise and relaxing. :)

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  6. How lovely to have a good visit with Aunt T. and other family members. I'm sure she was very happy to see you all.
    Those chocolates look delicious. Fortunately we don't have a chocolate shop like that near us or I'd be so tempted. There is a lovely one near where our son lives but that is a 2 hour drive away!
    Today was a beautiful mild day but everyone is a little alarmed by the forecast of 10cm or more of snow and possible freezing rain tomorrow (Saturday). Perhaps we shall stay indoors and putter around and feed squirrels on the porch!

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    1. Yes, Aunt T was happy to see us. She enjoys having visitors.

      The chocolate shop is a very tempting place! They hand out samples when you walk in, and it is so hard to resist getting another piece or two to go!

      Not more snow! Although, I suppose that would help the sap run longer? Sounds like a good day in which to stay indoors and feed the squirrels!

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  7. I'd love to visit that chocolate shop. 😊

    It sounds like you had a really good time with your relatives. I hope your aunt will be able to go home soon.

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    1. If you ever come for a visit, I'll take you there, Nil. :)

      I spoke with my cousin V (aunt's older daughter), today, and she said aunt will be discharged from the nursing home on Monday!

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  8. Wow, love the chocolate shop and glad to hear you had such a lovely meal and chat with your cousins.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. The chocolate shop is a favorite place! LOL. Really enjoyed my dinner with my cousins.

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  9. Isn't it wonderful how your day turned out? I'll bet when you woke up you hadn't planned any specific events, and fortunately your family called to include you in their plans, and from there the day just evolved. I love days that begin with spontaneity. And of course, what a great day it turned out to be for everyone else involved.

    Today, (Sunday) we woke up to more snow. March is leaving as a lion, I guess.

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    1. It was lovely, Susan. You are right; when I woke up, I had planned to just stay at home and be lazy! LOL.

      More snow! Winter is reluctant to go away, I suppose. Yet, spring must come, eventually.

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  10. Glad to hear Aunt T is well.
    One of my elderly clients had fractures in the spine, but also lived on pain meds because she’d never survive a surgery. (Once I caught her doling some out to her 70 year old son, shhh oops). She passed recently. I miss her a lot.

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    1. Thank you, Akasha. Apparently, she will be moved to an assisted living facility on Monday, for several weeks. She's in her early 90s, so I guess we take it one day at a time.

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