Fulfilling Our Long Time Dream of Cruising Has Changed All Our Lives -- Especially My Mother's

As I mentioned, my mom stayed most of the trip with our daughter, Kim. My mom was not comfortable on the boat. I think she really wanted to be with her great granddaughter, Madilyn. Mom was recovering from knee surgery and had a setback with extreme hip pain. Her time with Madilyn seemed to lift her spirits. Madilyn had not seen NANA since November and we didn’t think she’d remember her -- but within a day she climbed up on her lap with her books for NANA to read. Mom had been with Madilyn every week since she was just over a month old because we kept her when Kim worked. A little two year-old did more for mom than the doctors and medication.

Our long time dream of cruising has changed our comfortable life but also that of our children, grandchildren, my mom, my sisters, and brother. Mom felt it best to relocate back to Madison when we moved aboard. She had been with us for six years in Denver and was there for the birth of Cambry, our first grandchild and her first great grandchild. My brother Tim and his family were in the Denver area also. We really miss mom -- especially Bob, since she cleaned up after him when he cooked. Those years were precious to us and that is the only downside to our decision. We see Scott, Kim, and Madilyn more often, because they live in Tacoma, but miss Chris, Kree, and Cambry. They visited us in March and stayed on the boat a few nights and then at Kim’s new house. We will see them the end of August (and our new baby granddaughter born July 6). My sisters have taken over watching over mom, which they had been doing for years before she lived with us. She is living in a beautiful retirement apartment building on Madison’s east side. We are so very fortunate that mom is so healthy mentally and physically. She will be 82 in September.