Last Day in Ft. Lauderdale - Tracking Mom's Flight

(Ft. Lauderdale, FL)  Hi 74 Lo 54 -- Everyone around us was talking about the cold front that came through our area last night. It still got up to the mid-70's today, so it wasn't much of a cold front.

Today was a big day for my mom. Regular readers know that a month ago we moved mom into an assisted care facility in Fuquay-Varina, NC (about 20 miles from Raleigh). Mom had a little bit of a rough time emotionally settling into her new home. And during the past month she has gotten a lot better physically. Her back has gotten a lot better. She's now walking without her walker, and even picking stuff up off the floor. She's able to get up and down off the bed without pain. And her mind has gotten a little sharper too. She's back to doing her crafts and card making. She's come a long way.

My sister decided that rather than continue to spend down mom's money for assisted care, she would take her into her into her home in Missouri. She has set up an extra bedroom just for her so she has a place she can call her own. There's a senior center nearby where Sis can drop her off during the day. So today was moving day!

Sis has a good friend who works for a major airline. She arranged to fly with her from St. Louis to Raleigh. While this was happening a mover came to mom's room this morning to pack all her things and transport them to Missouri. Once Sis and her friend landed at Raleigh-Durham Airport they rented a car and drove 40 minutes to Fuquay-Varina to pick up mom. While they were in the air I tracked their flight on flightaware.com. And while they were on the road in their rental car I tracked them on Google Latitude. After picking up mom they drove back to the airport, had some lunch, and did a little shopping before departing about a half hour late on their flight to St. Louis. They landed about 8:30 pm this evening and are currently on their way home by car. So it's been a whirlwind day for all involved! I'm so thankful to Sis and her husband for making such a sacrifice in taking mom in. All of us had an uneasy feeling about not being available for mom on short notice. No matter how good the care is in any facility, it's nothing like the care you get from family. Thanks Sis! And good luck mom, enjoy your new home!

Today is our last day in Ft. Lauderdale. This morning Jim took my car to Best Buy to have our new XM satellite radio installed. Now I can listen to my 60's oldies all the time! When he got back he cleaned the RV tanks and I did some packing up for the trip in the morning. This evening we went over to Karel and Jim's for one more great meal. Karel's Jim grilled some steaks and ribs, and Karel made some side dishes. We brought a fresh pineapple, which we trimmed, sliced, and sprinkled with cinnamon, then my Jim cooked on the grill. Yum... Yum!

It's only 3 1/2 hours tomorrow to our winter destination in Avon Park. We're both anxious to get moving again. But this will be the last move for a while. But if we have to stay in one place for several months, Florida is a wonderful place to stay.