2011 has turned out to be a pivotal year for our family. On January 18th, Wes died after a long journey through dialysis and diabetes. He got a blood infection and due to complications decided to quit dialysis and go to Hospice of the Valley. He died two weeks after being admitted there. During this time we were able to be with him and offer support.
We decided to have a Memorial Service in May and held it in Lincoln, NE. It was a week filled with memories for both Dennis and Barb. Dennis was able to meet up with a bunch of his high school and college friends and I got a chance to meet many of the people I’d only heard about!
It was nice to be able to be with family from both the Dripps and Standiford sides. McKenna enjoyed getting to know her cousins better and we all enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather! We even took in the smell of lilacs for the first time in several years!
Den’s ankle injury from his long-ago parachuting accident caught up with him and he was told he will eventually need to have his ankle joint fused to his foot. He’s had a special prosthetic boot made for the time being and is
learning to deal with it.
Arizona State University followed through with the privatization of the bookstore and in July, Dennis became an employee of Follett’s. The transition has been anything but smooth and he was transferred to the West Campus and just recently was moved to the Downtown Campus (which he likes better!) It’s been an extremely difficult transition but Dennis is fairing better than those whom have worked in the University setting alone and have never tasted “Retail”!
Due to many factors including the second story issue with Den’s ankle and the location of our home we decided to move to a single story home. We found a beautiful house centrally located to all the things we love!
It was completely remodeled and had a very open floor plan. We have 2,500 sq. ft and a finished backyard! (much nicer than the dust lot we formerly occupied!) This area of Phoenix is grassier and greener than where we were previously. We were told we had an orange tree, but after observing this week the size and color of the fruit, we’ve determined that it is grapefruit instead! This made Barb’s day!
We’ve been slowly selling and acquiring furniture that better suits the new home. It’s been a fun project to keep people from falling into melancholy moods.
Wes’s passing has been very rough on everyone. We miss his dry sense of humor and his wry wit. Barb has been learning to be on her own for the first time in over 50 years. She’s working hard at learning this new life. We’ve even got her trying Cuban and other foods which she’s never tried!
The house has a large family/dining room and then a big room all along the back, which is “Barb’s room”. She’s got her chairs and television out there as well as her desk and a twin day bed. We also have an additional counter/sink area like a second kitchen as well as a breakfast table.
She also has a pretty new bed and we found a mid century chair for her bedroom! It’s a beautiful room of blue and chocolate brown with hints of silver!
Besides the daybed we have a very nice guest bedroom available for anyone who wants to travel this way. We’ve got some great cooks ready to entertain!
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