I am not much of a traveler because I get so anxious about the logistics of the trip as well as having to find my way around an unfamiliar place and interact with so many strangers. I also have difficulty with a lot of physical activity because I am out of shape as well as dealing with arthritis in my right hip. But I hadn’t been to visit my parents since 2022, and my son Michael hadn’t seen them since 2019, so it was definitely time to make the trip.
After researching flight options and costs, I decided we would fly out on a Saturday and return on the following Wednesday. Since we would just be in the Quad-Cities where my parents live, we didn’t plan any sightseeing and decided to just focus on spending time with family.
Our first flight left at 6:45 am, which meant we had to get up at 3:45 am. Next time I will definitely book a later flight and also try to have a longer layover. Walking across O’Hare is exhausting!
The flights were uneventful, other than a half-hour delay leaving Chicago due to having to wait for our turn on the runway. I have a problem with my ears not popping and being quite painful when they do. I tried a product called Earplanes, which are earplugs that control how fast the pressure changes affect you. They helped a lot on takeoff. I still had some pain with the descent, but I did notice that afterwards I felt fine. Normally I have problems for a couple of days afterwards.
Since we arrived in Moline before noon, we took my mom to lunch at Red Lobster. That is a favorite for her and she also gets to take lots of leftovers home to enjoy later. We hung out at her place for a couple of hours and then headed over to check in to our hotel.
The hotel was basic but decent. They had a full breakfast which was just okay, but the room was very clean. Sunday morning I did a quick 300-piece puzzle while waiting to go meet my Dad & Carolyn for lunch. It was good to see them. We had a nice chat over lunch and then we took some pictures outside of the restaurant. After that, Michael and I just chilled the rest of the day.
On Monday we hung out with my mom and my youngest brother Jeff; then we all went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Tuesday morning I took my mom to her neurologist appointment, where we learned that she does not have Alzheimer’s. Her previous blood test had suggested she was borderline, but her MRI was negative and her new blood test was negative. Her current diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment due to chronic small vessel disease in her brain. So not great news, but better than it could have been.
We also visited most of her doctors to fill out paperwork so that Jeff and I can both speak to the doctors about her health. Mom wanted to get her hair cut and then chose Applebee’s for lunch. After that, we spent some time at her place and took some pictures.
Wednesday morning we checked out of the hotel and met my dad for breakfast. Unfortunately Carolyn wasn’t feeling well due to side effects of a new medication, so she didn’t join us. After breakfast, Michael and I had some time to kill before going to the airport, so we headed to the library and hung out for a while.
We arrived home Wednesday night around 10:30 pm and were greeted very loudly by our cat, who was quite put out that we had been away. The friend who had checked on him every day had said he was very talkative with her as well. It was so nice to be home and still have two more days of vacation, since we had both scheduled our time off through Friday.
I am so thankful that the trip went well and we didn’t have any trouble making our flights or getting around in the Quad-Cities. It was so good to see my parents and brother and have Michael get to spend some time with them as well. Given how well things went, I am open to planning another trip with Michael if we can agree on a place where we could find interesting things to do and see.
In So Many Words 