Life Gets in the Way

It has been 3 weeks since I have posted on this blog.  That is because on the day of my last post, my 89 year old mother in law fell and broke her ankle.  That sort of threw a kink in the wedding planning.  My husband is one of two children, but his brother lives in Texas and his mother lives here in NJ, so most of the care of her falls to us.  She has been slowly failing in memory and physical ability.  Two years ago we moved her to a more elder friendly apartment, but one that is completely independent.  Interestingly enough, the day she injured herself, I had made appointments with 3 assisted living facilities and that was BEFORE I knew she was hurt.

Well, took her to the ER, they confirmed a break and this being Friday night (she always seems to hurt herself on a Friday), and we took her back to her apartment.  Our house has all kinds of stairs in it, so it would not have been safe for her.  Well, we all did the best we could over the weekend, then she got casted on Monday.  Then she really couldn't get around, so between paid caregivers and Scott and I, someone was with her at all times until Wednesday. Then, with the help of a kind orthopedic surgeon, we did manage to get her admitted to Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital for short term rehab.  Alleluia and Amen right?  Saturday morning @ 3 am, we get a call that she was sent to the acute care hospital with low oxgen levels and high blood pressure.  She was in congestive heart failure and also had bronchitis.  Then, a few days later, her heart rate went down into the 30's (not good for those of you who don't know) and she got a pacemaker that same day.  The next day, she celebrated her 89th birthday in the hospital.  The staff was so kind, they got her a cake and sang happy birthday to her when we got there!  The next day she was sent back to Marlton Rehab where she continues to work on her strength (she didn't really have any BEFORE she broke the ankle).  She will have the cast for at least another month and she will probably be transferred to The Fountains @ Cedar Parke for subacute rehab in the next couple of weeks.  After the rehab, hopefully, she will just move into an apartment in the community there, which means my husband and I will be cleaning out her current apartment and moving her again.  Hence the title of this portion of the blog!

Some wedding planning has gone on through all of this.  We hired a photographer, SueB Photography.   Sue is the sister of a friend from church, and this past summer she photographed her nephew's wedding, in which Kelsey was in.  She is very gifted, you should check out her website.  Also, since Kelsey and Matt cannot make any of the scheduled food tastings at Luciens, I made reservations for Scott, Emily (sister of the bride and Maid of Honor) and myself to go to the November 7th tasting.  We will then pick some of our favorites and then from that paired down list, Luciens will do a private tasting for the bridal couple when they are in on Christmas break.

And today, the bride is home from Nebraska and currently sleeping in her own bed!  Our goal for the next few days?  Find a wedding dress.  We will also be visiting a florist and a DJ before she heads back to Nebraska on Tuesday.  So stay tuned, lots of good things to come.....