Following all our trips, I consider whether or not we are likely to take others in the future. I am glad to say that our overnight trip to Nashville this past weekend went well. I think Kate should be able to continue this kind of trip a while longer. The key is not the travel itself. It seems like the distance is not a problem for her. I believe it involves the type of situations in which we find ourselves that is more relevant.
For the most part, the kind of things we did were very similar to those we experience at home. Kate wasn’t under any additional pressure. We arrived at our hotel on Saturday with enough time for her to rest about an hour before going to dinner. The restaurant was right behind the hotel. We could easily walk the short distance. We went early, 5:30, and were back in our room by 7:15. It was a pleasant evening. Kate was tired and relaxed in bed while I watched the LSU/Alabama football game.
Kate was able to take it easy Sunday morning. She was awake for about thirty minutes around 10:00. I turned on the TV and watched “Meet the Press.” I woke her at 11:00 to get ready for lunch. She didn’t want to get up, but I was able to use the excuse that we needed to check out of our room. That worked, and we arrived for lunch at 11:45.
We ate at Maggiano’s which is less than a five-minute drive from our hotel. I used valet parking at the mall where the restaurant is located. I did the same thing last time and found that much better for Kate. She can’t remember the restaurant by name or even recognize that we have been here for lunch during each of our last four or five visits, but I like to think she has a comfort level being there. The manager remembers us and always drops by our table to greet us.
From there we drove to see Ellen and were there a full two hours. Although she appeared to have declined a little since our previous visit with her, the visit went well. We arrived in Knoxville around six and stopped at Panera for a quick bite to eat before going home. A couple from our church came in shortly after our food was ready. We invited them to sit with us. We had a nice visit with them and then went home.
The weekend had gone well. It was an easy one for Kate. That is the way these visits to see Ellen usually go. I think we will continue to visit her for a while longer but recognize that both Kate and Ellen are declining. I suspect that when our visits end it won’t be a result of the challenges of travel but their respective health issues that are the cause.
