Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2003. Mattie was 11 months old and we took him on his first plane trip to Los Angeles. That day, we took Mattie to the Huntington Gardens. I absolutely LOVE this photo. Mattie was riding around on Peter's back and came across some bamboo. Mattie absolutely detested a stroller! We learned that early on and thankfully it was Peter's mom who convinced us to try a back pack! Apparently this was Peter's favorite mode of transportation. Like father, like son! Mattie was absolutely fascinated with the bamboo! Actually both Mattie and Peter had great expressions on their faces and yet neither knew I was snapping a photo of them!
Quote of the day: Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company. ~ Rachel Naomi Remen
No matter what time I get up, it is never early enough. I had high hopes today that after I got my parent's settled after breakfast that I could get a lot of Foundation work done! Unfortunately that did not happen and when this is the case, I get very frustrated! As I feel great pressure to do things, and yet in all reality I am lucky that I can get up and showered in any given day.
This afternoon, we drove to Rockville, MD to take my parents out to eat. We visit this same restaurant weekly and in fact we followed Dawn, our server, from Reston, VA to Rockville, MD. When the Reston restaurant closed (which was minutes from where we live), we were so fond of Dawn, that we followed her to Maryland and make the long drive weekly. In theory, this restaurant in Maryland isn't far away geographically. What always gets me is highway traffic! So for example when I drove there on Friday, it took me over an hour to get there.
So why go there? Why not just go somewhere five minutes away? The simple answer is.... the people! I can't quite explain this, but Dawn has a way of getting my dad out of his stupor. While in her presence he is more engaged and tries to participate in conversation with her. The emphasis is try! Mainly because my dad will ask her the same thing over and over again throughout the meal. Most people would have lost it with this conversation, but Dawn gets it, and goes with it.
In my opinion, this kind of friendship, stimulation, and care are worth the trip. Of course that would mean that my dad's needs supersede mine, and in this case, I would say that for the most part I put both of my parent's needs above my own and I work hard at keeping them active, physically healthy, and engaged with the outside world. I assure you this is no easy feat!
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