Parents Move In

As I mentioned, this past month has been very busy. It seemed to have flown by...my parents have actually been here for a month now! Unfortunately, a week after they moved, my mom tripped on the sidewalk and broker her wrist. She also hit her face and knees. It was a big deal in Happy Valley! Boy, our family has sure had some drama here.

My first interaction with "the law" was being pulled over right in front of the moms at the school bus stop! I didn't have my new Oregon license plates yet, and had actually just received the California plates since I bought the mini van just before moving. I didn't really want to put the California plates on, thinking people here aren't happy about us moving up here. The police officer smiled, politely told me to put the plates on until my Oregon plates arrive, and that it's only a rumor that they don't like Californians. But in the meantime, there was a buzz about Cyd getting stopped by the police!

The next time was the real deal. I was driving from the school bus stop to my house...oh say, less than a city block on a private residential street, without my seatbelt on. The officer was quite abrupt and read me the riot act about setting the right example for my kids. He even said Erin wasn't properly buckled in her seat, when in fact, after having the seat checked at the fire station, it was fine. Apparently, this guy was "on loan" from the county and had a reputation for being a bit harsh on women. Our lovely city proved to be just as the name says, Happy Valley, and the people at the court clerk's office and city hall were so nice.

Then, bring us to present day....and the same police officer who told me to put my California plates on....mom takes a bad fall on the sidewalk on the main street. The police officer happened to be driving towards us. He stops and offers assitance and is everything you'd hope an officer would be. The next thing you know, the paramedics are on the way, and the city director is there to see what happened. My mom's left wrist looked like it was deformed! Her face battered. Then the school bus pulls up and all the neighborhood kids jump out to see what's going on. They want to check out the police car. Then they ask what happened to my mom. Some of the mischievous boys are asking "did that man beat her up?" Cars are driving by and later I get phone calls asking if that was me at the corner! Yup, life in a small town...it's great.

My mom dislocated her wrist and fractured two of the main bones. Fortunately, they were able to set it and it's held up enough that they don't need to perform surgery. She'll be in a cast for another five weeks.

There's been so much to do, taking care of lots of little details and helping them to get settled. It looks like the rest of this year will be a very busy one. I hope next year will be a peaceful and restful one!

Can't believe, just 7 weeks until Christmas! Yikes!