Yo Bro ! Say Cheese...

It has been a good couple of days (for me at least). Lee, and his wife Diana, came in from Massachusetts on the 2nd, and we went to ChuckARama for dinner.I took pics, but they are not shown. Really fancy... dinner at a buffet!!! Pops was hurting and wasn't going to go but busted out at the last minute with energy and we all went. Had a good time and established our plan of going to Zion National Park early on Sunday and then over to KerryAnn's mom's pad in Virgin, Utah for lunch. Adele (my sister) was staying with mom and Pops and hooked up with Lee and Diana and they met myself, KA, Rick (Bro in law), kids at Zion at 10 AM. We hooked up and got on the bus, which is handicap accessible and worked our way to the end of the run- near Temple of Sinewava. We all exited and I took my Dad to a river access with grandkids and Rick and KA while Adele took my Mom to the bathroom. It was so nice at the Virgin river edge with the hanging gardens and cool water that KA suggested that we hook Pops up on a rock on a shady spot and go back and get my mom. The plan was for her and Adele to just stay at the dropoff point once done in the bathroom but it was such a great oppoptunity. We got them both to the river, along with Lee and Diana(who were functionally capable with their own mobility), and really enjoyed a good 20 minutes or so.
Watching Pops after we loaded on the transport bus to get into Zion was nice, at times emotional, as he looked at the large monuments and rocks. At times he put his hand out the window in the breeze and you could tell he was enjoying himself. I took him 4 wheeling in the wheelchair and worked the eighth of a mile to get them to the river and it was a blast. I want both my parents to experience the beauty of the outdoors that they have been denied- either from lifestyle or physical limitation. We were never a real "outdoors" family growing up/ My kids are different- we love it.
At the Virgin river I sat Pops up and he watched the grandkids and others wade in the water. It was cold but he did not want his bandages off to dip his feet. I told him I would rewrap him at Cindy's (KA's Mom) but he said no. My Mom put her feet in the water after we did a wheelchair exchange. I put Lone Star on a rock in the shade and then took the wheelchair back and got my Mom and brought her to the river. It was so nice I didn't want her to miss out. We ended up taking her to the river edge and she put her feet in from the wheelchair.

Lee and Diana: Their visit was a blessing in many ways- no more than it excited Pops. He has looked forward to it for days and it went off without a hitch. They were great to see (our immediate family saw them a month ago when we went to Massachusetts) and with KA's planning it all went went well with the festivities. Adele also helped arrange meeting times and the pictures do not show the brotherhood that was seen and heard with the visit. Granted, they are not a sappy, sentimental brotherhood being from the New England area but a genuine love and conveyance of concern and comradery was seen. It was nice just to listen to them talk with similsr mannerisms and speak in low down conversations. Thank you Lee and Diana for one of the most memorable and and dynamic weekends that Lone Star and "EE" have had in a while.... Matt

Overall Plan:
Wait about a month and have either KA or Adele, when she comes back again, help me take them the 1.25 miles down the trail at the end of Zion so that they can enjoy the whole deal. We will bring two wheelchairs so they can both be propelled and enjoy the whole experience. It will be a little cooler, a lot less crowded, and we can take our time (related to Pops)- we'll bring extra drugs, etc...


Watching both my parents enjoy a day out of their realm reminded me of all my blessings. To be able to walk, hike, run and maneuver loses it importance until you are in the realm of dependence. Taking them in the wheelchair to the Virgin river and how they enjoyed it emphasizes to me the importance of getting them out of their realm of Coral Desert M, W, F and lymphatic treatments to who knows what. I'll tell you this: I know Pops is not going to the Hoffbrau house in Vegas for a Jagermeister shot followed with a paddle spanking but I am not holding out of the realm of possibility of a tandem jump from a plane while wearing a pink thong. Afterall, I was the one to inform him that he was not allowed to wear a blue Speedo at my work in the pool. Pops rocks in an old man way! GO LONE STAR!