The week before Valentines day all of the kids in my family got a message from my Mom saying that my Dad was in the hospital due to some heart problems he was having. The heart problems ended up being what is called atrial fibrillation (afib), and is when the upper chambers of the heart beat really fast, while the lower ones beat slow. When the heart does that, it causes the person experiencing it to feel weak and dizzy and panicky and my Dad ended up in the ER twice and was even admitted overnight for observation. It was a really scary time in our family though as none of us knew what all this meant or if it was really serious. But we all did know one thing…we wanted to be with my Dad and Mom during this really scary time of their life.
So my brother Luke and I along with his cute family (mine wanted to come too but we didn’t want to overwhelm my parents with too many kids) made a last minute trip down to Arizona to see my Dad over Valentines weekend. Luke picked me up in Payson Friday evening and then he and Liesa and I drove down to Hurricane where we picked up Lukes three kids. From there we continued onto Las Vegas where we spent the night in our Worldmark Condo.
Then Saturday morning we pretty much just got up and left, getting breakfast on the road so that we could arrive in Mesa that afternoon and spend as much time with my parents as we could before we had to leave the next day. We ended up getting into Mesa mid afternoon and then Mom, Jasmine, and Kollin and I all went to the pool while my Dad, Liesa and Tri went to grocery shopping, to pick up Pizza for dinner, and to check us into our motel (which ended up being the big joke over the weekend because it was SO CRAPPY!) I had booked it online and tried to get us a better hotel, but because it was Valentines weekend almost everything was booked solid, or only non smoking, or only had one bed in the room (and we needed two). So in the end the only thing I found that was reasonably priced (and it was STILL the most expensive place we stayed in being over $100 a night) was this crummy Motel that only had 1.5 star ratings. I felt really bad that it was so crappy, but figured it was only one night and that we were campers and knew how to rough it, so I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, but apparently it was the worst place Luke had ever stayed! He even made me sleep with a gun under my pillow! ha ha. But it all worked out and we didn’t get shot by any drug dealers! đ
That night we kept things pretty low key and just ordered in some pizza and then watched Matt Damon in “The Martian” which we had to laugh was listed as a comedy. Or maybe Matt won an award for best comedy in it? Something like that. But in any case, it really isn’t a comedy! We had a good time snuggling up on my parents bed though and eating pizza! Then we headed to our crappy motel for a crappy nights sleep (at least for Luke and Liesa), Jasmine and I slept fine up in our room. Poor Tri got sick though and ended up coughing so hard she was throwing up. Poor thing!
The next morning was Sunday, so I got up early and headed to church at 8:30, and then came home afterwards only to find Luke and Liesa still sleeping. So I took all the kids up into my room and let them watch TV while I showered and fed them breakfast. Then once Luke and Liesa woke up (around 10:30 or 11) we headed over to my Mom and Dads.
The kids, and my Mom, and Luke and Liesa ended up going swimming, while my Dad and I just sat on the side of the pool and talked. It was nice to have some one on one time with my Dad and I loved talking to him about some of his and my Mom’s future plans, as well as some of his fears with this new health concerns. Basically I just enjoyed being with my Dad.
After swimming we all headed back to my parents RV where we grilled up some pork chops and laid out an amazing feast! Mom made her potato salad and jello salad, we had cut up fruit, Dad made his guacamole, and then we had some green salad as well. It was so yummy! Then we had cupcakes and twizzlers and cornflake treats for dessert! Yum! We pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon sitting around my parents RV talking.
The kiddles mostly hung out inside playing on their tablets or in Trinity’s case trying to rest on my parents bed (she was still sick and fevering and coughing and throwing up.) Poor thing.
And then it was time to say goodbye. đ We were all sad to go, but had work and kids to get back home to. We were sure grateful for the time we got with my Mom and Dad though and loved getting to be with them during this scare with my Dad’s heart. It meant a lot to us to be able to spend that time with them and my Dad sent us the sweetest text just shortly after we left which said “Thank you so much for coming down to see me! Can’t tell you how much it meant to have my family around me in this scary time in my life. I am so fortunate to have such great children who really care. I miss you guys already. Be safe, love Dad.”
That reminds me of another cute story my Mom told me. She said that my Dad was really worried about us all driving down to AZ together in one car because he was worried that if we got in an accident that all of his kids would die in one car. And yet, how practical is it to drive separate cars and waste gas going on trips? I don’t remember a single trip ever where my Dad took two cars. Anyway, it was just cute and funny and tender that he was so worried about us. My Mom said he’s also been staring at her at times and when she asks why, he says, “I just never know when the last time is that I’m going to see your face, so I want to soak it in as much as I can now.” CUTE!
Although these times of trial and health are scary – they also do bring you closer together as a family!
Just as we were leaving we also got to witness this incredible AZ sunset! Wow! I couldn’t stop taking pictures!
I also just have to say how much I really enjoyed being able to drive down to AZ with my brother Luke and his family. Its not often I get my brother to myself and it really was a special and treasured time for me to get to do that with him. I learned so many things about him and Liesa that I didn’t know. Like how they want to travel the world, and live on a boat and sail to a deserted island and try to survive. How Luke wants to volunteer as a disaster relief person and go in after hurricanes and tornadoes to help clean up and rescue people. There were just some great conversations that we had that I will always treasure. Luke and Liesa also took me dancing in Las Vegas while we were there which was quite the eye opener! We had a good time though and I enjoyed getting to get crazy on the dance floor with my bro and Liesa (and luckily we didn’t get too wet during the bar fight! ha ha!)
Luke and I were also able to come up with some great plans on how to help my sister and parents and brother who are all dealing with hard things at the moment and talk about ways we can support them so that they can get to a better place in their lives. In any case, it really was a very special weekend where I got to bond with my parents and brother and where I left feeling very grateful for the wonderful family that I have. I also have to give a huge shout out to Adam who was kind enough to take the kids so I could go down. He really is the Hero in this story and I’m so grateful for his sacrifices for me. How blessed I am to have such an amazing family!
