I walked into Coventry on Wednesday afternoon to a smell that was not 'Halloweenish' at all. You know, pumpkin, caramel, apples....nope, none of those frangrances. There was No Doubt that somewhere, someone was getting a Permanent. Dave, Colleen and I grew up in a home where that spell could be frequent during the time there was a Beauty Shop in our house. I walked up the stairs to the in-house hair salon. Yep, it was Hilda Thomas at the hair dressers.
However, her 1:00 pm appointment lasted much longer than she thought. She was not done until 4:00, so we missed Relief Society/Priesthood. I told her that she would need to schedule it on a different day next time, but she seemed a bit pleased with herself that she had missed it. She is getting a little more upbeat about it though, since "that lady from the Relief Society is here. I think she lives here", Grandma told me.
A woman who makes wonderful handmade chocolates was in the lobby. By the time I got there Grandma had already given the lady $20 and said "Fill up a bag with $20 worth." She would have gone back to purchase again many more times if I would not have been there. I reminded her that she had two bags and that was enough. The Chocolate Lady returns in November and December. Better lock Grandma in her room that day.
The Halloween Carnival was not what was expected.....at least for the kids. It wasn't a Carnival. Just a Halloween meal with a musical program. Greta (a cat) and Lily (a fairy) came with me and Chantelle brought Kallie (a ladybug) and Nathan (a bear, I think.) He didn't have the hood on but was so adorable as were the girls. The kids were disappointed. I will do my homework next time to find out if the event will be worth coming for the little ones.
We went back to Grandma's room where she and I gave the kids some Treats. Just before I left with a large bag of laundry to do Dave and Kelsey came to watch some of the Jazz game with her. It was a day that kept her busy.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Shopping Excursion
Mallory and I took Grandma shopping yesterday. When we got to her place she was in a good mood and showed us her knitting that she had started with her new "good" yarn. She was also excited to show us the Halloween decorations in the lobby. She told us about the Halloween carnival the night before and how fun it was to see all the little kids in their costumes. She could only remember that Lily was a fairy. She didn't know what Callie or Greta were, but they both had something on their head.
At our first store Grandma quickly found the chocolates. She also looked at the calendars for a while, but said they were too expensive. Then she went back and picked one up because she said they might be gone next time she looked for one. She also found a new sweater at the second store. She wanted a sweater with short sleeves, but we found one with 3/4 sleeves that she liked.
When I asked her what kind of food she wanted for lunch she said she would just look at the menu when we got there. When we actually got to the restaurant she glanced at the menu for a quick second and then said she wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, root beer, and ice cream. Thankfully they had a grilled cheese sandwich on the kids menu that she was able to get.
We also picked up some preparation H supplies for her at Walmart on the way home. It was a good day with Grandma.
At our first store Grandma quickly found the chocolates. She also looked at the calendars for a while, but said they were too expensive. Then she went back and picked one up because she said they might be gone next time she looked for one. She also found a new sweater at the second store. She wanted a sweater with short sleeves, but we found one with 3/4 sleeves that she liked.
When I asked her what kind of food she wanted for lunch she said she would just look at the menu when we got there. When we actually got to the restaurant she glanced at the menu for a quick second and then said she wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, root beer, and ice cream. Thankfully they had a grilled cheese sandwich on the kids menu that she was able to get.
We also picked up some preparation H supplies for her at Walmart on the way home. It was a good day with Grandma.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
2 Little Grumps...
I went to visit Grams last night. Cambria joined us for the first 30 minutes but then she had to leave for a previously scheduled engagement.
We ate dinner at the cafeteria and since I had never eaten there before I decided to get the same thing as Grams (a cup of fruit, a grilled cheese sandwich or "toasted bread and cheese" as Grams calls it; root beer; and chocolate ice cream). We chatted about her childhood and the snow and how windy it was on Sunday night. We also talked about the upcoming holidays and she mentioned that she is going to have Thanksgiving with my Mom and Kristen. I am not sure if Mom and Kristen are having Thanksgiving together, and since Grams didn't mention anyone else I had the odd picture in my mind of Grams, Colleen and Kristen sitting there eating a big Thanksgiving dinner, just the three of them. When I giggled a bit and tried to get clarification on where they were going to eat exactly, Grams did not think it was funny. She was not in a joking mood. She also brought up the fact that we will be getting the rest of her things out of the Magna house after Thanksgiving. She said "After that I am done." I said, "Done going back out to Magna?" and she said, "No, I am done with it all".
We finished up dinner and headed to her room. I asked if she wanted to watch a movie and she said, "Only if you'll watch it with me." I told her I could only watch the first hour of the movie and then I'd have to go. She told me to pick what I wanted to watch. I decided on Singing in the Rain since I love that show and the DVD hadn't been opened yet. I am not sure if it was just because she was in a bad mood, but she did NOT want to watch that movie. Every 2 or 3 , minutes she'd say something about how crazy that movie was. I was too grump at that point in time to try and talk her into enjoying the movie.
After being there for 2 1/2 hours I told her I had to leave for the night. She got very upset and asked me to stay a bit longer. I stayed for 5 more minutes and when I announced that I was going to leave again she asked me to stay again. We went back and forth for another 30 minutes. I finally told her that I really needed to leave and that I would come back soon. I looked at her calendar and told her that she would be seeing Jen the next day and that seemed to cheer her up a bit.
Sorry this was such a sad post. I love Grams so much and my entire life we have always had such a fun time together. It was sad to see her in a bad mood and I was sad that I couldn't pull her out of it.
On a final note, she did tell Cambria and I that she'd like more phone calls. She said that Harold's kids call him all the time, and Cambria asked if he got as many visitors as she does, and she said, "No, but I want more phone calls too." I think she's turning this into a little competition. So call her people :)
We ate dinner at the cafeteria and since I had never eaten there before I decided to get the same thing as Grams (a cup of fruit, a grilled cheese sandwich or "toasted bread and cheese" as Grams calls it; root beer; and chocolate ice cream). We chatted about her childhood and the snow and how windy it was on Sunday night. We also talked about the upcoming holidays and she mentioned that she is going to have Thanksgiving with my Mom and Kristen. I am not sure if Mom and Kristen are having Thanksgiving together, and since Grams didn't mention anyone else I had the odd picture in my mind of Grams, Colleen and Kristen sitting there eating a big Thanksgiving dinner, just the three of them. When I giggled a bit and tried to get clarification on where they were going to eat exactly, Grams did not think it was funny. She was not in a joking mood. She also brought up the fact that we will be getting the rest of her things out of the Magna house after Thanksgiving. She said "After that I am done." I said, "Done going back out to Magna?" and she said, "No, I am done with it all".
We finished up dinner and headed to her room. I asked if she wanted to watch a movie and she said, "Only if you'll watch it with me." I told her I could only watch the first hour of the movie and then I'd have to go. She told me to pick what I wanted to watch. I decided on Singing in the Rain since I love that show and the DVD hadn't been opened yet. I am not sure if it was just because she was in a bad mood, but she did NOT want to watch that movie. Every 2 or 3 , minutes she'd say something about how crazy that movie was. I was too grump at that point in time to try and talk her into enjoying the movie.
After being there for 2 1/2 hours I told her I had to leave for the night. She got very upset and asked me to stay a bit longer. I stayed for 5 more minutes and when I announced that I was going to leave again she asked me to stay again. We went back and forth for another 30 minutes. I finally told her that I really needed to leave and that I would come back soon. I looked at her calendar and told her that she would be seeing Jen the next day and that seemed to cheer her up a bit.
Sorry this was such a sad post. I love Grams so much and my entire life we have always had such a fun time together. It was sad to see her in a bad mood and I was sad that I couldn't pull her out of it.
On a final note, she did tell Cambria and I that she'd like more phone calls. She said that Harold's kids call him all the time, and Cambria asked if he got as many visitors as she does, and she said, "No, but I want more phone calls too." I think she's turning this into a little competition. So call her people :)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Three Days with Grandma
I am loving reading these blogs! They're not only a help to us now, but will be very dear to read in the future as we remember the sweet experiences we are having with Hilda.(-:
Visit #1: Friday, October 8th. When I arrived she had her hair newly styled, all dressed up and earrings on, too. (It is her newest fashion statement because all the other women wear earrings.) We were going shopping for a coat for the second time. Kristin had suggested Nordstroms Rack so I decided to try there first. It was the charm! Within 20 minutes we had found and paid for a darling gray wool coat, priced $250, and Grandma paid $79. Since we had gone to so many stores looking for coats the first time, we were both happy at the short shopping trip.
After shopping we had lunch in the dining room which turned out to be the least positive experience I have had there since I started my weekly visits. No, the food was good. But the little lady who joined Grandma and I at the dining table was a most negative person. She's lived there three years and had very little good to say about Coventry. Needless to say, I was anxious to get Grandma out of the dining room, so we took our dessert "to go" and went back to Grandma's apartment.
She wasn't in the mood to do anything, even a drive to see the Autumn leaves. She just wanted me to watch a movie with her, so we settled on the sofa together and watched "Dan in Real Life". I had hoped that watching a movie other than the ones she watches over and over would be a good change for her.
Visit #2: Wednesday, Oct. 13th was a beautiful day and when I arrived she was looking forward to go for a visit. To where? Colleen's office! She said she had not seen where Colleen worked. We wanted to surprise Colleen, so I curled and styled Grandma's hair and we were off. It was a great visit and Grandma seemed to really enjoy herself.
On our drive back to Coventry she said she did not want to go to Relief Society....she had insisted two weeks earlier she didn't want to go even though I was there to go with her. She said she just wanted to go get some chocolate. I told her we would get some chocolate after Relief Society, but she said, no, she didn't want to go. Finally I said, "I'll tell Dave," and she said, "Okay, I'll go to Relief Society." (I found the magic bullet.) I kept my promise and took her to get Hershey bars after Relief Society.
Visit #3: Friday, October 22: When I arrived yesterday it was Friday, so her hair was all styled and cute. She was excited to talk about her grandchildren. First, she loved the visit from Cambria, Marissa and little Peach. She said how adorable that little one was! Then she had a great visit with Chantelle and her little Nathan earlier that morning. They went around Coventry to see all the Halloween decorations and she said Nathan was so cute as he saw them "come to life". She wanted me to see the Halloween card and pictures that she had received from Jenny's family and was so happy about Kristin's news of Grandma's 20th Great-Grandchild due in June.
Eating lunch in the dining room with Grandma is so fun when Jose is a server. He calls out "Hilda!", and she laughs. Then he brings her out her order before she even orders it. She just adores the sweet kindness that he shows her and I have thanked him so much for that.
Getting her to branch out more within the Coventry community was my plan for the afternoon. I had brought my set of dominos and told her we were going to play 'Chicken'. After lunch we went up to the third floor in the Library area where there is a very nice sitting area and a table and chairs by the french doors for natural light. When Grandma heard that we were going to play Chicken, she invited Pamela, the PR Lady, to join us. Her schedule was so busy but she made time for one game with us. While we were playing, a resident named Reva saw us and came to watch. Grandma was in her element, and won all three games! I told Pamela they should add another game day called "Chicken" with Hilda.
Grandma shared something with me last week that I wanted to pass on. She commented on how Harold gets phone calls from his family all the time. I think she loves it when the phone rings. It brings joy to her. I've increased my phone calls since then.
Also, Grandma loves to receive a card. She displays them for all to see. She loves to check her mailbox to see if there is anything there for her. I know that sending her cards during the different seasons, like Halloween right now, would be so appreciated.
And for anyone living in Utah, there is a Halloween Carnival for the Coventry Residents and their families this coming Wednesday, October 27th at 6:30 pm. If you want to eat the chili dinner it is $7 per person. Or you can just come for the carnival, bring the kids in costume and enjoy the activities for a short time. Grandma would love it.
Visit #1: Friday, October 8th. When I arrived she had her hair newly styled, all dressed up and earrings on, too. (It is her newest fashion statement because all the other women wear earrings.) We were going shopping for a coat for the second time. Kristin had suggested Nordstroms Rack so I decided to try there first. It was the charm! Within 20 minutes we had found and paid for a darling gray wool coat, priced $250, and Grandma paid $79. Since we had gone to so many stores looking for coats the first time, we were both happy at the short shopping trip.
After shopping we had lunch in the dining room which turned out to be the least positive experience I have had there since I started my weekly visits. No, the food was good. But the little lady who joined Grandma and I at the dining table was a most negative person. She's lived there three years and had very little good to say about Coventry. Needless to say, I was anxious to get Grandma out of the dining room, so we took our dessert "to go" and went back to Grandma's apartment.
She wasn't in the mood to do anything, even a drive to see the Autumn leaves. She just wanted me to watch a movie with her, so we settled on the sofa together and watched "Dan in Real Life". I had hoped that watching a movie other than the ones she watches over and over would be a good change for her.
Visit #2: Wednesday, Oct. 13th was a beautiful day and when I arrived she was looking forward to go for a visit. To where? Colleen's office! She said she had not seen where Colleen worked. We wanted to surprise Colleen, so I curled and styled Grandma's hair and we were off. It was a great visit and Grandma seemed to really enjoy herself.
On our drive back to Coventry she said she did not want to go to Relief Society....she had insisted two weeks earlier she didn't want to go even though I was there to go with her. She said she just wanted to go get some chocolate. I told her we would get some chocolate after Relief Society, but she said, no, she didn't want to go. Finally I said, "I'll tell Dave," and she said, "Okay, I'll go to Relief Society." (I found the magic bullet.) I kept my promise and took her to get Hershey bars after Relief Society.
Visit #3: Friday, October 22: When I arrived yesterday it was Friday, so her hair was all styled and cute. She was excited to talk about her grandchildren. First, she loved the visit from Cambria, Marissa and little Peach. She said how adorable that little one was! Then she had a great visit with Chantelle and her little Nathan earlier that morning. They went around Coventry to see all the Halloween decorations and she said Nathan was so cute as he saw them "come to life". She wanted me to see the Halloween card and pictures that she had received from Jenny's family and was so happy about Kristin's news of Grandma's 20th Great-Grandchild due in June.
Eating lunch in the dining room with Grandma is so fun when Jose is a server. He calls out "Hilda!", and she laughs. Then he brings her out her order before she even orders it. She just adores the sweet kindness that he shows her and I have thanked him so much for that.
Getting her to branch out more within the Coventry community was my plan for the afternoon. I had brought my set of dominos and told her we were going to play 'Chicken'. After lunch we went up to the third floor in the Library area where there is a very nice sitting area and a table and chairs by the french doors for natural light. When Grandma heard that we were going to play Chicken, she invited Pamela, the PR Lady, to join us. Her schedule was so busy but she made time for one game with us. While we were playing, a resident named Reva saw us and came to watch. Grandma was in her element, and won all three games! I told Pamela they should add another game day called "Chicken" with Hilda.
Grandma shared something with me last week that I wanted to pass on. She commented on how Harold gets phone calls from his family all the time. I think she loves it when the phone rings. It brings joy to her. I've increased my phone calls since then.
Also, Grandma loves to receive a card. She displays them for all to see. She loves to check her mailbox to see if there is anything there for her. I know that sending her cards during the different seasons, like Halloween right now, would be so appreciated.
And for anyone living in Utah, there is a Halloween Carnival for the Coventry Residents and their families this coming Wednesday, October 27th at 6:30 pm. If you want to eat the chili dinner it is $7 per person. Or you can just come for the carnival, bring the kids in costume and enjoy the activities for a short time. Grandma would love it.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Sleeping Pills and Cheiko Okazaki
Marissa and I went to visit Grandma yesterday and we took the Peach with us. When we got there Gram was in the Dining Room because one of the new residents was having a birthday party. Gram was in there at a table with some friends and Miss and I sat down and met them. Everyone there was really nice and the baby was keeping everyone entertained.
The lady who was having the birthday was a new resident, an adorable white-haired Japanese lady named Cheiko. In addition to the cake that Coventry had for her, Cheiko bought eclairs for all the residents (Gram took three back to her room with her.) We all sang Happy Birthday to her and I didn't think much more about it.
When we got back to Gram's room, there was a flier to remind everyone about the birthday party and it said that the birthday girl was Cheiko Okazaki. She is the new resident at Coventry! So I told Gram that if this place was good enough for Cheiko Okazaki, she was in good company :)
Miss and I put on the Sound of Music and I made some kind of joke about how Gram is obsessed with South Pacific. Without missing a beat, Gram started singing "Some enchanted ceiling..." Miss and I looked at each other and laughed so hard. I think that is going to be my next song creation :)
While we were there Gram kept asking us to get her some more sleeping pills. Unisom is her brand of choice. We said we would stop by the store and get her some. Then she said that she really needed to go shopping for some winter shoes. I looked down at her feet and she was wearing sandals. So we said yes, of course, we will take her shoe shopping to get some new shoes.
After we left, I called my mom to tell her about our fun visit and that we met Cheiko Okazaki and didn't even know it. When I told her that we were going to pick her up some sleeping pills she said, "No, she has lots of bottles in her bathroom; she doesnt need anymore." I guess Gram has a full supply of pills and just forgets that they are there. She just sees an empty bottle and figures she needs more and doesn't remember that she has other bottles waiting for her. When I told her about the shoes, mom laughed and said that she and Kathy have taken her on several shopping trips recently and she has new shoes, and new coat and several other new items.
So family, I think the best thing to do when Gram tells you she needs something is to always check with Kathy, Dave, or Colleen before you buy something for her. It sounds like she is forgetting about her new stuff. Other than that, Gram is happy and doing better and better each day. She loves her new hair stylist and she LOVES the Halloween decorations that Jen came and put up in her house.
The November calendar is coming this week so that we can keep this great momentum going.
Love you, family!
Cambria
The lady who was having the birthday was a new resident, an adorable white-haired Japanese lady named Cheiko. In addition to the cake that Coventry had for her, Cheiko bought eclairs for all the residents (Gram took three back to her room with her.) We all sang Happy Birthday to her and I didn't think much more about it.
When we got back to Gram's room, there was a flier to remind everyone about the birthday party and it said that the birthday girl was Cheiko Okazaki. She is the new resident at Coventry! So I told Gram that if this place was good enough for Cheiko Okazaki, she was in good company :)
Miss and I put on the Sound of Music and I made some kind of joke about how Gram is obsessed with South Pacific. Without missing a beat, Gram started singing "Some enchanted ceiling..." Miss and I looked at each other and laughed so hard. I think that is going to be my next song creation :)
While we were there Gram kept asking us to get her some more sleeping pills. Unisom is her brand of choice. We said we would stop by the store and get her some. Then she said that she really needed to go shopping for some winter shoes. I looked down at her feet and she was wearing sandals. So we said yes, of course, we will take her shoe shopping to get some new shoes.
After we left, I called my mom to tell her about our fun visit and that we met Cheiko Okazaki and didn't even know it. When I told her that we were going to pick her up some sleeping pills she said, "No, she has lots of bottles in her bathroom; she doesnt need anymore." I guess Gram has a full supply of pills and just forgets that they are there. She just sees an empty bottle and figures she needs more and doesn't remember that she has other bottles waiting for her. When I told her about the shoes, mom laughed and said that she and Kathy have taken her on several shopping trips recently and she has new shoes, and new coat and several other new items.
So family, I think the best thing to do when Gram tells you she needs something is to always check with Kathy, Dave, or Colleen before you buy something for her. It sounds like she is forgetting about her new stuff. Other than that, Gram is happy and doing better and better each day. She loves her new hair stylist and she LOVES the Halloween decorations that Jen came and put up in her house.
The November calendar is coming this week so that we can keep this great momentum going.
Love you, family!
Cambria
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Happier Hilda
I had a great visit on the phone with Grandma yesterday afternoon. I hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks & she seemed happier & more optimistic than I have heard her in a long time. When I called I made her guess who I was & she got it right! :) She told me that living at Coventry is getting better... she likes having someone clean her house and she likes the food. But she told me she especially loves seeing family so much more than she did when she was way out in Magna. She told me fun stories of those who have visited her recently & I could tell how much she treasures those times. (And she also loves phone calls. I think we all need to give Grandma a quick call more often.) Thanks to those of you in Utah that are taking such good care of Grandma! She sounds like such a different person from when I saw her last at Mallory's wedding. She has come alive again!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
What happened?
I've been so disappointed lately in the lack of posts. Has everyone stopped visiting and calling Grandma? Obviously, I know thats not the case, but I have loved being able to stay up to date on things with how Grandma is doing. I've found it so helpful in knowing what to expect when I've gone to see her, and in general I enjoy the information. Please post when you visit or talk to Grandma. It doesn't have to be more than three sentences, but I've missed the updates. If you find it challenging to keep up, e-mail me a couple of notes and I will be happy to post it for you.
Happy Autumn!
Happy Autumn!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Bob's Birthday
I figured I would post a little note about our outing with Grams last Thursday, October 7. It was my Dad's birthday, and as such he wanted us all to go out to dinner with him. I asked him if he would like Grams to come along and he said "YES!" of couse. So Cambria went and picked her up and brought her to dinner.It was all 6 of us, my dad, Joyce, and 5 significant others, and Grams. My dad sat next to Grams, and I kept thinking how amazing it was that my 80-some-odd year old grandma had better hearing then my 56 year old dad. Then I realized Grams isn't much of a rock and roller, or a hunter like my dad, which is probably why they are both in the boat they are in.
Anyway, Cambria told Grams that she would just order something for her. But being the stubborn woman she is, she wanted to look at the menu and decide for herself. Now, I don't think you can go wrong with anything from the California Pizza Kitchen, except for one thing. I have always thought the Cheeseburger Pizza looks awful! Lettuce on a pizza?! NO THANK YOU! Of course Grams took one peak at the menu, saw the word cheeseburger, and said that's what she wanted. Cam tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't hear of it.
Sadlly, I think Grams only had one bite and called it quits. She did, however, have her regular root beer. Only she didn't finish off the meal with a chocolate shake. That is, as long as she didn't convince Ryan to stop by and pick one up for her as he so kindly drove her home. I haven't asked. :)I love that Grams and my dad have always had such a close relationship. It meant the world to him to have her there, and to still be a part of our family. Thanks to all of you for making sure he still feels that way. It means a lot to him, and to us.
P.S. This post is probably pretty boring, but I decided to post it anyway....
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