Scottsbluff/Gering, NE Trip

We visited family in Scottsbluff, NE from July 9-12. My mom lives in Scottsbluff and Mike's mom lives in his hometown of Gering, NE. The two towns are joined which makes visiting our mothers/Katelyn's grandmothers very convenient. We had 2 main reasons for our visit this time: to celebrate my mom's 61st birthday and to visit Mike's mom who is in a nursing home in Gering. MarJean, my mother-in-law, is in failing health. Hospice has been brought in to oversee her care at this point, and we are told she will pass soon; although no one can give us a definitive timeline. At 81 pounds, Jean is a mere shell of the person I first met 13 years ago. She is literally wasting away, although her mind remains reasonably in tact. It's so sad. During our visits with Jean she mostly slept, fading in and out of consciousness. Mike and I continued to "talk" to her and Katelyn made her "ColorWonder" pictures. We know in our hearts that she "felt" our presence and that having her family with her brought her a little joy. Each of us kissed Jean and told her we loved her. In a way, we said good-bye.

When we weren't visiting Jean, we did "touristy" stuff with my mom. The pictures above are from our trip to the small zoo in Scottsbluff. I remember visits to the Scottsbluff Zoo when I was a child, but it has changed & improved SO much. The animal enclosures are much nicer and this summer they added a splash pad for the kids. Katelyn had a great time playing in the water and then we toured the zoo.