There’s no place like home.

Last night I couldn’t sleep. I was so excited to get my mom from Mary Free Bed today. She has worked so hard the last couple of weeks. I finally gave up on sleep and stared the coffee. Once the coffee is started there is no going back .

Today is also my 15th wedding anniversary. This is not how we envisioned celebrating but the timing is perfect. Chuck and I are both off work until November 23rd. We have a long list of things to accomplish around the house, and I want to be available for mom at all times. I’m assuming with the way our luck is going, that the kids will go virtual next week. You know, who wants to be kid free all day anyway.

This morning was a bit chilly. Chuck started my car while I was getting ready. I decided I would take the van to get mom today. It’s easier for her to get in and out of, and her walker is still in the back of it. I was right on time. I headed out the door and walked up to my van. It was running and the heat was blowing. The only problem was that the doors were locked, with the keys in it.

Now, I wasn’t even mad. I could have been, maybe I should have cried, but I didn’t. I calmly walked back in the house to share the news. Chuck was instantly defensive and upset. Why would it lock, and where was my spare set? See that’s the funny thing, I’m 99% sure the spare set is in the van. So there he was trying to jimmy his way in and save the day. I laughed and I whistled because lately that’s what I do. Eventually he got it and I was a bit behind schedule but on my way.

I parked in the parking ramp and grabbed my mask. I was off to get my mom. I imagined her waiting on the curb but thank goodness that wasn’t the case. Every time the elevator door opened I would get excited. Each time it would be someone else, someone less jovial. Finally this time it was my mom. Damn I missed her so much. She was walking with a walker but looked so much better than the last time I saw her. It was like she was the queen of the parade. Waving and saying goodbye. I think there was even some clapping. I was honestly busy trying to focus on not crying. We got her and her bags loaded in and we were off. She tried to talk me into going to Hobby Lobby. Not today mom, not today.

When we were getting out of the van at the condo she told me she had butterflies in her stomach thinking about the stairs. She was going to have to tackle the stairs that she fell down 2 weeks ago. I went first, and she followed. Very confident, almost showing those damn stairs who was back in charge. She was extremely happy with all of the work we did while she was gone. We did some purging and re arranging to make things easier for her to navigate. There really is no place like home.