The Ory Story: Week 30: Generations

We spent the first week of August in Eau Claire with Mom while she had some vacation from work. Dad was going to be gone to Texas, so we thought we would come and keep her company while he was away. We spent our first day thrift store shopping and found some awesome treasures! The kids were thrilled to find a play camera, tons of cool books, a Mjolnir hammer, a Sandman Action Figure (that Nolan slept with that night), and some amazing dress up costumes. We also paid a visit to Olive Garden and the kids did so well. We all had a great time.

The kids also could not get enough of the horses. From grooming, feeding, and riding, they wanted to spend every waking minute out there. Nolan has really grown in confidence and ability this summer and learned all about cleaning hooves, bridling, leading, and even did some riding on his own. He's a speed demon and wants to spend all his time trotting and when he saw Mom lope - he decided that he was ready to try that, too. Mom thinks he needs to wait a bit yet... Elliot was a very good and patient teacher, and while Nolan was in control, kicking him to go faster and faster, Ell would turn and look at me with a "Are you sure about this, Mom?" look before he would half-heartedly start his gentle jog trot. He listened so well when Nolan would lose his balance and pull back to stop. I was so proud of both of them. We're going to try a leadline class at a horse show later this month. Livi was extremely brave, too and spent so much time diligently brushing him before and after each ride. She'd push her stool right up next time him and spent 10 minutes grooming the same spot until she was sure it was clean. (Don't try to rush her...) I love sharing this part of my life with my kids.

Day 3 of our visit was spent with the Great Grandparents. We started at Grandma D's house, where the kids had a blast playing with all the toys on her porch, especially the balloons. We had lunch together and the kids loved getting to play with Grandma's cat, Georgie, who was the most tolerant, laid-back cat I've ever seen. She was carried all over by Livi, in every position imaginable, put in the wagon, taken back out of the wagon, and just kept purring. What a sweetheart. This was the first time that I've been to their house since Grandpa Ralph passed away earlier this spring. It was different without him there, but Nolan found Grandpa's prank drawer and kept his memory alive by trying to trick us and make us laugh. Grandma is struggling a bit, as expected, and I wish we were closer so we could see her more often. But, it was good to spend this time together and make more memories!

Later that afternoon, we headed over to the Weisenbecks house for a visit and dinner. I really got a kick out of Grandpa Arnie and Olivia interacting. They are both so stubborn (and similar) that I don't think they quite knew what to do with each other. It cracked me up. Grandpa would sing her a song and she would declare, "I don't like that song!" He would stop singing and turn his attention to Nolan, when all of sudden she would start singing the same song. Then when it was time to leave, she asked him for a sloppy kiss, which she promptly wiped off, saying "yuck!" Such a stinker, but so funny. We had a delicious meal of salad, pot roast, potatoes, sweet corn, and carrots, finished off with some ice cream pie. Grandma's cancer is currently stable and she has been feeling pretty well lately. It was so bittersweet to have this meal at their house, which felt so reminiscent of the many meals I've had there over the years. It was almost like the cancer was gone, or at least not at the forefront of everyone's mind. It's scary not knowing when the cancer will resurface, but for now, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have another wonderful meal together with them in their home.