Teri Parris Ford's Blog

A Funeral

The weather was cool and grey. I suppose for mid December it was seasonal for Santa Clarita. It was somewhat appropriate for the taste of the day. Jim's dad funeral was at 11am. It was a very private affair, no guests, just immediate family. Jim spoke and Erika and Linda both shared some as well. Tears were shed remembering the life of a good man who had lived for 90 years.

It is interesting to find Jim and I are on parallel experiences with our parents although my parents are so much younger than his. We are finding ourselves in a very transitional time of life as we watch our parents age and our children become adults.

After the funeral we gathered for pizza and pasta at a local Italian place. Monika scheduled a family activity per Jim's instructions at 4pm. We got reservations for the Broad in downtown LA. It was a really fun experience and great opportunity for photos. I kept thinking how much I wish I could bring my department! We made our way home in the traffic and spent the rest of evening together watching tv.

Out and About

We had a very relaxing morning. I got up at 5am just knowing it was 7am in Wisconsin and I didn't want to sleep in too much. My feet hurt from all the walking I did yesterday, so I decided to take it easy today. Diet and exercise start on Monday. We enjoyed family breakfast, lounging around. Jessi and Cody went hiking, Erika and Kelly went to the mall and Monika and I went out to visit my brother's family then to a cat show. We had In N Out for a late lunch and got ice cream after seeing a movie-- the new Fantastic Beasts. We had back tomorrow early in the morning. 

A Red Eye

I had the day off but Erika had to work. I went into work to take photos of the girls basketball team and check on the newspaper. I made it to a noon yoga class and then took Balt for a follow up exam. He's back to normal officially which makes leaving him behind a lot easier. I have a service walking him in the morning and a friend of Monika's condo sitting in the evenings. Erika, Kelly and I left at 5pm for an 8pm flight that was delayed. Luckily we did not miss our connection through Kansas City to LAX. It was pouring rain when we got in-- crazy! I have no memories of rain on Thanksgiving in California. This is a first, but it won't last.

Goodbye Austria

My alarm went off at 5:30am for a 9:30 flight out of Vienna to Amsterdam. We land in Minneapolis around 2pm but lose 6 or 7 hours so it’ll be a long day. Monika is hanging out w friends in Minneapolis waiting to catch a ride with us to Rochester and drive back to Madison w me. 

Last night in rained in Vienna but it did not mess up our plans to see a concert at the Mozart Concert Hall. It was prey spectacular and special way to end our vacation. I’m eager to sleep in my own bed and do yoga. I’m interested to find out how much weight I gained but the diywont start until tomorrow. 

Our last day!

Monika left this morning and then went out for a late city wandering time. We went er the famous Central Cafe for lunch but only ordered dessert!  Tonight we are going the famous opera house for a Mozart concert before leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. It’ll be a travel day all day tomorrow without much fun or rest. I’m glad to get Sunday to recover before having to go back to work on Monday. It’s been an amazing 2weeks with Jim celebrating ourselves and accomplishments. The next year will be challenging so I’m glad we got this time together. 

Wanderings

Monika wanted to make sure to go to at least one art museum— we did not make it to a second one. Our leisurely breakfast was very nice with lots of conversation, sipping coffee and eating different breads, fruit or meat (for Jim).  We went to the Belvedere where there is lots of Austrian artist including Klimt’s famous “the kiss” (shown on top). After several hours at the museum we ventured out to wine country and did some wine tasting. While Monika and Jim do most of the sipping, I ordered coffee but still tasted a bit of wine. We decided to stay and eat dinner at this country restaurant where the food was very good. We got back to hotel for some time to shower and cool off but tonight is Monika’s last night here so we’re going out for dessert with her later. 

Vienna, Austria

Having Monika join us means we can get photos of Jim and I together finally!  Vienna is amazing and none of us have here so it’s all new to the 3 of us. We had a great dinner at a pub last night for dinner and spent the late morning and afternoon wondering the city. Our hotel is really nice and in the middle of the city making the visit off to a wonderful start. 

Family time

Travel day to Austria

We checked out of our hotel early and went down to the train station area and grabbed breakfast at a coffee shop instead of doing the hotel breakfast which cost 14euros per person. For 9 total Euros we got coffee and a couple of fresh baked items. While Jim likes the all you can eat options, I prefer less for less. For less then what one of us would cost at the hotel we both can eat plenty at a grocery store or market which have been everywhere and convenient. Last night after over 10 miles of walking all over town we came back to our room for an array of meats and cheeses and chocolate. Jim had wine and I had a Diet Coke. We watched a movie on Netflix before hitting the hay. 

Monika is flying into Austria from France as well and we will get to have dinner all together which will be great fun. 

Time changes a lot

The fountain I had hoped to create a “then and now” picture with is no longer in Augsburg. There is so much construction around this city I assume it is doing well financially. There is very little that I have seen in the city that I have any memory of but I spent so little time in the city. Jessi was 2 weeks old when moved here so the first few months was spent at home recovering from the trip here and figuring out how to be a mother of two. Jim and I have thought about our life here in Germany as a distant dream— like it was a different life. I suppose it is. This trip was to be a celebration of 30 years of marriage but it has been a reflective time of our decisions and a time to hope for our future. The 20 to 30 years will bring more changes to our family because that’s what time does — it changes things. 

Traveling back

We checked out of our hotel— a very nice Best Western— this morning and walked to the train station to catch a 9:30 train to Augsburg. We had purchased snacks for the trip in leu of going out to breakfast. Jim has been impressed w my ability to eat on a budget. Once in Augsburg we checked into our hotel and made our way out to Inningen the neighborhood where we live 24 years ago. So much has changed and there seems to be construction everywhere! But our house looked the same- exactly the same. We visited Erika’s kindergarten tried to find the grocery store but it looked as if all the stores were new. We walked 12 miles today and rewarded ourselves w Mexican food for dinner—fajitas and nachos. 

Schlosspark Nymphenburg

A couple of days ago we spent the morning on a tour of the Residence of the Bavarian royals, today we wondered out to their summer residence which was a bit of a trek outside the city. We opted not to spend the money on a tour inside since we had seen all their wears already in the city and suspected more of the same opulence that most likely would not be air conditioned (the other residence was not). Instead we walked the grounds and enjoyed the gardens, stopping for coffee and apple strudel.

We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon doing laundry and wondering around the city near our hotel. We went to a grocery store to get food for dinner and eat back at our hotel which was very picnic like!  Tomorrow we are off to Augsburg!

Shopping Day!

We headed into the old city of Munich again but this time being able to experience it with everything open instead of closed. I loved the market place where I finally got to pick up a pretzel, Jim got a chicken leg. We wondered around the same places we had yesterday only got to go in and out of stores, including a book store we stayed in for a while to enjoy the a\c. We headed out to the river (Flaucher) after a pit stop at the hotel to freshen up. We enjoyed a great walk and then sat outside in the hotel lounge with a glass of wine catching up on media (Jim had a bit of work to do) and sorted some photos for Instagram.

It's a holiday!

We passed out pretty early last night, having been awake for over 24 hours. I woke around midnight and got on my phone to catch up on email and social media for about an hour before trying to get more sleep and then bam! it was 7am and I had been in bed for over 12 hours! We made our way down to the hotel breakfest, which for 19E was pricey but we knew it would be our main meal for the day. Jim is still doing all meat, so he had a great array of things to chose from. I decided to just enjoy a variety of things but not overeat, trying German style potatoes that were delish, eggs, grapefruit, yorgurt with museli mixed in and of course a cinnimon crispy danish of sorts. I don't want to be on a diet while here, but I certainly don't want to gain wieght either. We walked out to a large church at the end of our street (St. Paul's on Theresienwiese), walked around a bit and then purchased 3 day train tickets for the inner city and made our to the city center. I have vague memories of being here and there but a lot of time has passed (23+ years) as well as lots construction sites around that made it hard to remember. Jim has been here several times since our living here with students, so he was a great guide. We spent most of the morning touring the Residence (Germany's palace of former Bavarian kings and rulers) and enjoyed a light lunch (I had a german cabbage salad while just drank coffee) in the old city across from St. Michaels. We wondered around Marienplaty and strolled in the Botanical Garden. We wondered why most all shops were closed on a Wednesday and found out today was a church holiday of some sort. It made for a quieter day, I think without the option for shopping. We still have a couple more days here, so no problem.

To Munich

We hardly got any sleep but it was a great trip, without any problems to Munich thru Amsterdam. We weren’t able to check into our room at the hotel so we left our luggage there and made our way to Dachau where the memorial for the concentration camps are. We had a late lunch at the cafeteria there, enjoying a quiet afternoon looking at somber history. It is not close to the city, so we were able to use our train tickets from the airport (also not close to the city) to get out there. While being economical, I was glad to get this out of the way. Jim had never been and I felt bad that we had never made the trek when we lived here before (which was on the 25th anniversary of the American's liberating the prisoners). While depressing in nature, I feel it is an important monument to see.

Travel day

We spent the morning with coffee and a liesure paced morning to catch a shuttle to MSP at 1:15pm (the photo is in Rochester, MN waiting for our shuttle). Our flight for Amsterdam left at 4:50pm with an arrival tomorrow in the morning. We grab a short connection to Munich after that. So far we are enjoying a wonderful vacation!! 

It is the first time we are taking a trip to celebrate our anniversary ever. It is about time. I occassionallz think about what we will do for the 50th anniversary, which quite frankly doesn't seem like it will be far away!

Road Trip 2018

Here's what I wrote on my Facebook wall this afternoon with a google album link of 13 photos-->
I’m back from a 2 week road trip today and here are my highlights & noticings:

• I drove over 5,500 miles and spent over $800 in gas. I spent $98.58 on a tank of gas in Van Horn, TX, while not the most expensive place on my trip it was where I let it get the emptiest.

• While it would have been cheaper to fly, I was able to take Balt along to visit Jessi and bring back all of Monika’s belongings from her 4 years of college living in California, so I saved a bunch on shipping.

• Visiting my adult daughter at her apartment which was only a block away from the beach and 10 miles from Padre Island National Park was definitely a highlight of my trip. The tour she give me of the Lexington (old battleship) and getting to see lots of old aircraft while she told me about learning to fly new jets was pretty amazing.

• My camping trip with my brother was another great highlight. I realized I had never gone anywhere with my brother alone, just the two of us for any extended period of time let alone 3 days. While he and I are VERY different —I’m 4 years older, a girl and an optimist. We have a lot more in common than I expected: both Gen-X’ers to a “T”, although he is a bit more pessimistic politically.

• The power of positive thinking is a whole lot more powerful than I expected as my mom is now living 4 years with stage 4 mediatized lung (brain) cancer. Spending time with her is wonderful because I am witness to so much will power and grace but also difficult as I see cancer and illness impair her. She is fighting a good fight and is being rewarded.

• Connecting with family (and friends!) is always special because we are all so far apart. Seeing my cousin Sylvia and her family in her home was a blast, as well as getting to spend time with my brother at his home with his family. I wish we could all see each other more often.

• I listened to 5 books, several podcasts and lots of music. Favorite book- Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind (I’m ready to). Favorite Podcast- Jon Favreau’s The Wilderness (every American should listen). Favorite Music—it’s so hard to pick one song or even album but Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation helped get me through some tough Texas congestion and Genesis’s Mama made bumper to bumper traffic on the 80 in Nebraska a lot more fun.

• Hearing Stairway to Heaven on the radio feels exactly the same on the road in the middle of America as a 52 year old in an old Ford as it did as a 17 year in a Fiat Convertible… Why is that song always on the radio while driving long distances?

• A wise man once told a good friend that you don’t go on vacation to lose weight. Well, I gained 10 pounds on this road trip—not good! I went to Starbucks 10x, In N Out 4x, Subway 2x, Mexican 1x, Chick Fil A 1x & McD’s 1x. Yes, I’m on a diet now!

• My first road trip was 35 years ago! I’m more experienced, driving a bigger vehicle & body. While I certainly haven’t gone on a road trip every year since I was 17, I’ve been on plenty and ready for another one... but not this year.

In the comments: I thought about my dad every time I was surrounded by truck drivers! I even got a friendly honk from oen after letting him cut in front of me to pass a slow poke.  

Just drove all day!

Santa Clarita to Grand Junction

 
I left by 9 AM for Wisconsin, knowing the soonest I get there would be tomorrow. I knew that heat was going to be an issue, but we survived without issue.   For some reason my feet swelled up like sausages and were in some pain, so I tried to keep them up whenever I had cruise control on. We made decent time, stopping in St. George or In and Out. I decided to spend the night at a Red roof Inn in Grand Junction. 

Just Sitting

My brother picked me up at 6am on Sunday to take me camping. We had to go up to Carmel to pick up his trailer and then back down to Gaviota to camp with lunch in Salinas in between. Neither of us had been to Gaviota before so we weren't sure what we were up for-- crowds, loud generators running, lots of wind, not a lot of sleep and no dogs allowed on the beach (even though I took him on the beach at dawn when no one was around). Basically we were both disappointed with the situation. We went up to Solvang for coffee Monday morning since it was only 10 miles away and made for a very nice morning walk. We decided to pack up and make our way down the coast looking for a more attractive situation. Everything was full until we got to McGrath State Beach, which was surprisingly nearly empty. While did not have a view of the ocean, we hadn't had a view of it at Gaviota either. Dogs were not allowed on the beach here either but I was able to walk past the state beach easily on a nice path that dogs were allowed on and then enter the shoreline with Balt without guilt--not that anyone would have cared as no one else was on the beach! We had a grand morning but came home that my brother could get some work done and get back to his family since he had ditched them to take me out (although they were very welcome to join us, they had too many appointments to make the trip out). So we left the 75 degree weather for 107 back at my mom's but at least we had found success and had a great night of sleep. I hope we can make it an annual event.

Change of scenery

Gone Camping

Through to California

Balt woke me up before 5am and I got up to take him for a walk. There was a Starbucks around the corner from the hotel, so it made for a perfect walk before heading out early. I blew through New Mexico and Arizona and got to the border town of Blythe in California around 1pm. I stopped to have lunch and catch up with my cousin Sylvia. It was great to visit with her family and eat a wonderful meal. Balt had to hang outside in 107 hot weather, but he had iced water with green grass and shade, so it wasn't torture but I knew he wasn't thrilled. I left after 4pm in order to get to my mom's before 9pm. Traffic was easy for a Monday evening in Los Angeles, which made for great time. It's good to be home!

Across the Whole State of Texas

Jessi had studying to do, so I took her out for morning coffee (she got a smoothie) and then I left her. I drove from Corpus through to Las Cruces, New Mexico. I had planned to stay in El Paso but with the time change, it was just too early to stop. I was surprised by the expanse of the city. I know I will be back there someday. I actually have a lot of family that live there but none that I have kept tabs on. I passed through a major downpour and the weather cooled. I took Balt for a walk the hotel in Las Cruces that was very pleasant (we're at a Day's Inn). Tomorrow we get to California!

Padre Island

So it ends up Jessi actually lives on Padre Island and is about 10 miles away from the National Park!  We first walked around the block to get breakfast with Balt and then after some leisure time watching the morning news we headed out to see the Lexington, which is now a museum. We spent a lot of time looking at all the planes on the Flight Deck (see photo on top). Jessi told me that she had landed a plane on that deck but in a simulator (not in real life). While walking around a couple of T6B Texans (planes) flew by in the sky and she told me those were the planes she was learning to fly on and the ones we were seeing were students in flight. It was super cool to see and know that just a couple of days ago she was up there flying!

After some lunch, we went back to pick up Balt and headed out to the beach again, but this time the national park. I was able to get a park passport finally and get my first official stamp even though I've been to lots of national parks. Now I can make my trek to all the parks more official. I'm wondering if I should go out of my way on this trip to get in Big Bend (4 hours out of the way) or maybe just Joshua tree (only 1/2 hour). 

Corpus Christi, TX

Balt and I got up at 5am and went for a bit of a walk before getting on the road. I hit a lot of traffic and construction making the 10 hour drive more like 12 hours. It was great to see Jessi. We went out to the beach right away. She lives SO CLOSE to the beach, it's awesome (like a block away). We tried to tired Balt out so that we could go out to dinner without him. After dinner we watched Netflix.

Madison to Little Rock

I spent the day on the road. I didn't leave until around 9am, giving myself the morning to finish packing and to make sure Balt got a good walk in before before being on the road all day. I finished my book, The Soul of America, which was so good I did not want to stop in order to keep listening. I'm at a Red Roof in Little Rock and will most likely get up at the crack of dawn with Balt, to get back on the road toward Texas.

Hiking in Minnesota

Jim and I spent our Sunday afternoon at Whitewater State Park hiking. We had to cross a river where the bridge had been washed out and I was very glad I had chosen to wear my Teva walking sandals. There were several fallen trees we had to climb over as well. It was a very grand trek!

We had a nice lunch at Famous Dave's BBQ (a place I've always wanted to visit) and then spent the evening at a guesthouse spa. After all the hiking, my hips were in need of the hot water soaking.

Lloret de Mar

Today was beach day and I was in and out of the Mediterranean Sea from 11am to 5pm, which meant I was in and out of the sun all day as well. I got pretty brown and a bit pink, but it was a great day. Marie and I split a set of lounge chairs and an umbrella which was the best 10 Euros I spent all week.  We did some shopping before dinner and I tried to eat very light for dinner. I’m going on a diet on Monday!!

Barcelona

We left at 7am with sack breakfasts from our hotel in Granada for the airport. We flew to Barcelona which was super fun! We had a full day of tours going to lots of places I had not seen before and a few I had. I want to come back with Jim and get more time at The Sagrada Familia cathedral. We are staying in Lloret de Mar at a vacation hotel by the beach north of Barcelona that’s a lot like Dells only very international— tons of kids, families, loud and Las Vegas like. I’m not thrilled but it’s the beach. One more day and it’s a beach day.