So Many Special Things

Two days ago, we made the familiar trek over the mountain to the airport to send our dear Grandma Fisher on her way back to California.  One last quick group shot in the airport...

...and then she was gone...

...making her way through security as we watched until she turned for her final wave and then was out of sight.

"This trip has gone so fast!" she exclaimed many times during her last few days with us.

And so it had--especially the last week--rushing by in a swift river of special moments.  Moments like...

The day before Jeff's mom left, I took her and our friend Doris (who now lives in the retirement community where my mom lives) out for lunch.  Benjamin came, too...

...and while the ladies chatted on after lunch, Benjamin and I strolled around the market...

...and admired all the interesting things.

The day before that, I had taken advantage of Grandma's Free Babysitting Service and had left all the kids at home while I had traveled to Richmond to speak at a MOPS group organized by my friend Miriam.  It was a huge honor to be there, and I loved every minute of my time with the women.  I was having so much fun that I completely forgot to take any pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it that the event actually happened.  ;-)

Two days before that, Jeff took his mom and the five older kids to Washington DC because that's the day he was able to get tickets to tour the White House; I hope to do a post about that at some point, using the pictures David took.  Meanwhile, I stayed in town and had the great fun of accompanying Sarah, a violinist I've known for the past decade or so, in her senior recital.  

She did a beautiful job, playing so expressively; it was such a treat to be part of that!  In addition, she introduced each piece herself, giving a brief bit of background about it or her reason for choosing it or some other tidbit of interesting info.  Her poise in speaking and in playing was impressive.

Afterwards, I sort of glowed all afternoon as I remembered the wondrous thrill of making music together with her...and the flowers her parents gave me brightened my heart, too.  :)

Two days before that, I had slipped away one evening to go to a Ladies' Tea at a nearby church with my friend Diana; and that was a delightful break from my normal routine.  The physical food was outstanding--such special, unique combinations of flavors--and the spiritual food was, too.  Once again, I forgot to take any pictures, but fortunately my friend Tess took this one.  Thanks, Tess!  :)

To have four out-of-the-ordinary, out-of-the-house events in six days is a little unusual for me, but I enjoyed each one thoroughly and was especially grateful for the presence of my mother-in-law during that time so that I could run off a little more than normal and not worry about things falling apart at my home during my absence.  ;-)

Besides the noteworthy extras, Grandma Fisher's time with us was filled with many ordinary activities...

...like feeding Benjamin...

...and playing Settlers of Catan with Jeff and the four oldest boys.

The picture below shows Grandma Fisher during her first game, and I do think her initial reaction--like so many other people who are just learning that game--was slightly bewildered.  ;-)  But she sure picked up on it quickly and got hooked.  I don't remember exactly how many times this crew played Settlers of Catan while she was here this visit, but it was a lot!  :)

As I look back over the last 11 years since Jeff's mom's first visit to us in Virginia (that visit occurred in March of 2006), I am so thankful for her good health and her ability and willingness to come and spend these extended vacations with us.  While she's been with us, we have "gone and done" interesting things and also stayed right here at home and enjoyed the simple parts of life together.

We have shared many, many, many special moments; and I am quite sure that as we look back on these years, we will marvel over the blessing of having so much time with her.  Certainly my children will remember the anticipation of knowing "Grandma Fisher is coming!" and will have precious memories stored up in their hearts of the days and weeks and months we've shared with her.

We're already looking forward to the next time!