My family and I recently returned from a short vacation to Arizona. The main purpose of the trip was to visit my grandma Gangestad for her 95th birthday. 95 years! Can you believe it?
My mom and dad divorced when I was really young and my mom raised me and my brothers. I saw my Gangestad side of the family about once or twice a year up until I was around 6-7 years old. I am 33 today so many of the people I saw this past weekend I had not seen in decades! It was really fun catching up and seeing my cousins all grown up with family of their own.
We rented a large house in Mesa, Arizon for the party. The house sleeps around 20+ people and had an amazing backyard for entertaining. With the hot desert heat the pool was very refreshing and popular hang out spot.
I was a little nervous for the party because leading up to it we would get periodic updates from my aunts who care for my grandma. Up until last year Grandma was living independently with the occasional check-in. The updates were not good news for her health and mental state. She was placed in a group home due to concerns of falling and she was also starting to show signs of dementia. A few months back grandma got sick and lost all her hearing. This was devastating news as her bright personality instantly faded. She lost her appetite and didn't want to attend events she usually looked forward to. As a family we crossed our fingers that she would make it to the birthday party.
Over time she gained back some of her hearing. That was a huge relief. But she still would sometimes not remember who her own children were :( I had not seen Grandma in 5 years and assumed she would have no idea who I was. To my surprise she her old self at the party. I am not sure if having all the attention and family around peaked her memory and alertness, but it was if she never missed a beat. She knew who I was and was as sassy as ever and very quick witted. The only time I noticed her dementia was when she asked me what I was doing for work. I shared with her what I was doing and no more than 30 seconds later she asked me what I was doing for work these days. God Bless her!
It really was a great weekend and I am so happy I was able to make the trip with my family. If I could go back and spend more time with this side of the family I would. We all get along so well. I can't change the past, but I can work on the future and that is what I plan on doing going forward. I have connected with many of them on Facebook and plan on staying more up to date with what is happening in everyone's lives.
Here are some additional photos from the party. I hope you enjoy them!
The Gangestad Crew
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