One day and counting…Packed and ready to go…

Yesterday afternoon, after I had a pedicure with my dear friend Chere at the beauty school in Hopkins, Tom picked me up at 2:30 to drive to Billy’s Bar & Grill in Anoka for our final get-together with Tom’s siblings for dinner and happy hour. It couldn’t have been more enjoyable to see everyone and visit with familiar patrons who stopped by.

But the highlight of the evening was when Tom’s long-time friend from the railroad, Tommy, stopped by to say goodbye to both of us and wish us well. Tommy has always been special to me, as well. This wasn’t the first time he stopped at Billy’s to see us. He has been reading our posts for 12 years and knows plenty about us, as many of our dear readers do from years of reading about our daily lives.

But Tommy has always been very special to me and Tom, and it was delightful to spend some time with him yesterday. Tom had pulled my wheelchair close to the big round table where we all sit every Friday, and when Tommy arrived, he sat between Tom and me while lively conversations ensued. When he left, we immediately continued our discussions with his family, and the time passed quickly. Thanks for stopping by, Tommy!

Before we knew it, it was time to go, and we headed back to the hotel, only stopping to fill the rental car with fuel for today’s drop-off. Tom left a short time ago to go to the airport to drop off the rental car and pick up another larger vehicle, preferably a roomy SUV. He’ll pack the car before we head out tomorrow and then shower afterward.

I just received a text from Tom informing me that he requested an upgrade for a large SUV. It was an extra $35 a day, but since we’ll drop it off in Cleveland on August 27, it will be well worth it. Once we know how long we’ll be staying in Cleveland, we’ll arrange for another rental car or not, depending on how close we’ll be to Cleveland Clinic at whatever hotel we book for the extended period.

This morning, we packed everything we own and were done in less than two hours. It proved to me, once and for all that I don’t need to start packing days ahead as I’ve often done in the past. Even in my current condition, where I run out of breath from walking across the room, I packed all the household items, my clothes, and the toiletries. Tom packed his clothes, and now we can relax for the remainder of the day.

Greg’s lovely girlfriend Heather will stop by within an hour to say goodbye since she could not join us and Greg’s family at Pizza Luce at 3:00 pm. She is driving from a location an hour from here. No words can express how much I appreciate this remarkable woman. I’m so grateful she and Greg have found each other. Heather has three children, who are a little older than Greg’s three, and together, they form a perfect blended family in which everyone gets along well.

These past three months in Minnesota have been a fantastic opportunity to spend valuable time with family and friends. It’s sad to say goodbye. God willing, everything will go well in Cleveland, and we’ll be back many more times.

That’s it for today, folks.

We’ll return with more tomorrow while I post “from the road.”

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 24, 2014: