Memorial Day Weekend Trip To Indiana
I know I have mentioned it before, but I’ll go ahead and mention it again. I was born in Indiana, my parents were born and raised in Indiana, and basically all of my family(for at least the majority of my life) lived in Indiana. Every holiday, summer vacation, spring break, and on were spent visiting my grandparents there. We have family all over the state, so I’ve seen a lot of it, but my grandparents(both sets) live in Anderson, so that is where I have spent most of my time.
I talked about it last month after our trip to Florida, but my Pa is incredibly sick. So we’ve been visiting them and helping them get things taken care of. They have a home in Florida that they are ready to live in 100% of the time, so they are preparing their Indiana home to be put on the market.
They have that whole one house…two houses worth of stuff dilemma happening, so they asked if my brother and I could come and take some things that they wanted us to have. A few bedroom sets for Cameron, a garage full of tools for Jim, odds and ends and sentimental things for me.
We rented a big Penske truck and drove from Joplin to Anderson on Friday. A trip that normally takes us around 8 hours took us a full 11. Who knew traveling with two kids would add so much time to your traveling….oh wait…everyone knows that. The girls were amazing. Total troopers. But, it was still an incredibly long and tiring day.
On Saturday we did all of the loading of the truck(and unloading of their Florida truck) along with hitting up our two very favorite food stops while we were in town- Gene’s Root Beer Stand and Pizza King, naturally.
On Sunday we went to church together, visited with family, and then we started the 11 hour drive back home.
It was one of those trips where we really didn’t do anything overly “special” and so I didn’t pull out my camera a single time- and on the drive home I was bemoaning to Jim how much I regret that! I wish I had taken pictures of the girls playing in the living room and in the back yard. I wish I had taken photos of them in their church clothes in front of the house. I wish I had taken pictures of them sitting at the table in the dining room just like I did every meal for years. But, I didn’t. I lived it instead, and will just have to cherish those memories while I still remember them.
In more upbeat news, Miss Mabel decided to save her very first proper crawls for Mimi & Pa’s lush carpet. It was so exciting! We all cheered her on like crazy and that girl is finally starting to think that maybe she’d like to get around on her hands and knees instead of scooting and sliding everywhere.
It was an absolute whirlwind of a trip. It went by so much faster than I would have liked it to. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I’m so thankful for the time that we did get to have.
It was definitely an emotional trip for me, having grown up moving from home to home all of my life, my grandparents house has always been a constant place for me to return to. I know that they need to consolidate and that now is definitely the time to do so, but driving away from that house was incredibly hard for me. Knowing that I will never go inside it again. That my girls will never actually remember it. It breaks my heart to know the circumstances of why we have to say goodbye to this home and it hurts to see such a tangible reminder of time marching right on.
Of course, things are just things. And stuff is just stuff. And people are what is important. And we have more than enough of that to love on and be thankful for.
I think I am the only person in Indiana who doesn’t care for Pizza King. And we actually had it for lunch yesterday at work! Blah! But give me all the Spanish Sauce Hot Dogs, please!
Ugh. I hear you, girl! My parents have just sold our family home, and it’s breaking my heart to think that it won’t be ours anymore… It’s just a house, but I spent 20 years of my life living there. It’s so hard to think of it belonging to anyone else.
I’m so sorry to hear that your Pa isn’t doing well. Seeing our grandparents age is one of the toughest parts of life. He’s lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive family, helping him out. <3
Oh I’m so happy to hear that you have been getting in more family time! I love how Jim got hand me down tools!!! But yes, things are just things, and you will many memories without the pictures. I’m sure you were even more present during this trip than others in the past!
oh i can just feel all the emotions of this post!! the photos you wish you had taken! the extra special sweetness of mabel’s crawling! stuff is stuff and places are places… but when the stuff and places are part of your history, i don’t know. it’s a little more to let go of, huh! i love these shots. they capture the trip pretty well i think!
I don’t know how I missed that you were from Indiana! The house I grew up in was torn down a few years ago, so I know how you feel! Hopefully you’ll still be able to at least drive by it and you’ll have your memories.
Ah, I feel you and completely teared up by the end!
I’m so sorry to hear your Pa isn’t in the best of health right now. Aging grands are so difficult to reckon with, in my opinion.
I know it is hard to not have that photographic support, but I just know you’ll remember the times more because you were present in them this time instead of behind the camera.
Plus I think you got some pretty fabulous memory jogging worthy pictures anyway 😉
Your girls will have posts like these to read though…and that’s special 🙂 Glad you were able to spend some time with your family and say goodbye to your grandparents’ house.
That’s so wonderful that you were able to make the trip there and just be with your family. I think that family picture is picture enough. Everyone all together. Even though it would have been wonderful to get pictures of the girls doing all the things, you do have the memories!
things and stuff are just things and stuff, but it doesn’t make it any less hard. i am sorry, and i hope you have plenty of photos and memories to remember your grandparents house. i am also sorry about your pa. i hope he is okay. sometimes i get cranky that i didn’t take photos, but sometimes the memories i remember – or want to remember – aren’t things i can or would photograph anyway. on an upbeat note, yay for mabel and crawling!
My dad was born and raised in Indiana, too. So great to have some of your Grandparent’s things. The Gene’s Root Beer stand sounds pretty great. Love the pictures y’all took there. I know there are some photos you wish you would have taken, but I think you got some pretty great ones.
OMG girl! I love Pizza King! I’m from Angola, Indiana and will be heading that way next month to see my parents and sister. I miss them so much and am in desperate need of a visit home. What special memories you have from the weekend. That’s all that matters. 🙂
I’m so sorry about this Courtney. I completely understand your feelings. I grew up in my grandparent’s house and spent summers there, I couldn’t imagine what you’re having to go through. I’m glad you were all able to go one more time!
Glad you were able to have a fun weekend in Indiana!! Your family is so sweet and I’m sure it made your grandparents happy to share their things with family. Change is always hard. Kevin’s parents have moved a lot so his childhood home is long gone. My parents haven’t moved in 25 years so I hope they stay in their house forever 🙂