What ever happened to Jeff & Sheryl Bright?

NOT that ANYONE has asked... but I'm telling you anyway!

It's been over ONE YEAR since I posted on our blog.  The longer I waited, the more difficult it was  to get caught up... until eventually I just forgot about the blog all together!  How and Where have all of you been?  I guess I better look!

As for us... Our past year...

We worked at Bell Haven Resort for our 6 months which ended the end of September 2014.  It was a wonderful workamping gig... full of interesting, fun and even some challenging experiences.



A shot with an actor

Actor and family brought some wonderful help

Even had a beautiful and fun Wedding held at the resort

 Jeff was able to enjoy time with both his boys while we were there.  This was Jacob's time.
Jonathan's visit was in an earlier post.

In August, my parents had moved in to an Assisted Living Facility because my Dad was needing more help than my Mom could provide by herself.

 So when our time was up at Bell Haven, rather than take another workamper job somewhere, we decided we really wanted to be there for my Mom and Dad. 

This meant moving out of our home on wheels, and parking it in an RV Storage.  We moved into my parents house, just a mile from where they were in assisted living. 

We offered for them to come back to the house where we could be their assistance, but it didn't seem a good idea to them.  So we took care of the house, and gave all the support we could.


My Mom worked so hard doing all she could for my Dad.



She was being the caring wife she had been for the past 69 years.




In October, all of us girls (my 2 sisters and I) along with our husbands, were together for my Mom's 85th birthday celebration. 

Happy 85th Birthday, Mom!

 

We celebrated together on her birthday in the dining room at Avamere. 

Then the following day, a neighbor friend offered the use of his wheelchair van to bring Dad to the house for an at home family celebration.

 

We had a wonderful time together back at their house once again.

This was an extra special time... because it was my Dad's last time in his own home.

My Dad made it to their 69th wedding anniversary, which was on the 16th of November, but he passed away on Thanksgiving day.

Of course, we KNOW now that we made the right decision to settle in and be there with family for what turned out to be my Dad's last weeks.  We had some very special moments together, and made some meaningful memories.

Grandkids and Great-Grandkids came to love on their Grandma and say good-bye to their Grandpa.

 

 And my Mom continued to do what she has always done... Care for her husband.

 

 Jeff and I joined my Mom for Thanksgiving dinner, there at their apartment.

And I spent most of my time that Thanksgiving Day, "visiting" with my Dad.

Mom and I were both at his side when he took his last breath.

How thankful I am that we were there.

Good-Bye Dad.






Now Moving On...

On October 31st, Jeff had surgery on his foot to remove a very painful bunion.  The Doc also cut off a huge spur on the top of his foot.  The pain in his foot over the past 3 years has kept us from doing the hiking we once did... so we were hopeful that this was the answer.  But so far, it seems it wasn't the answer.  The bunion is no longer a problem, but now there is hammer toe, and a whole lot of arthritis and arthritic bone spurs.  Hmm!

With my Dad gone, my Mom had no need to live at an Assisted Living Facility... she had her own house!  So she moved back home at the first of the year.  She wanted us to stay in the master bedroom, and she wanted to make the back of the house, her new living space.  What WAS the guest room, became her bedroom... and what WAS my Dads study, became her private living room.

 

It turned out to be a good set up.  She is very comfortable.

 

                My Mom is remarkable...


                After 69 years of marriage (since age 16) she is "on her own" for the first time in her life... and she is adjusting remarkably well!





January 2nd of this year was our 6th Wedding Anniversary.  So we got away on a short trip to Reno.  But being more than 5 months ago... I can't tell you now what we did!  THAT is why it's important to take photos.  The way our memories are, if we want to remember our life, we better photograph everything we do.  The only time we took out the camera on the trip was when we visited the Harrah's Automobile Museum.  So there it is... our trip to Reno! 

This March was the 8th anniversary of my late husband's death.  Its quite the story, but Jeff, my husband of now, hardly knew me or Ken at the time, yet he felt strongly that he wanted to build a cross to place at the accident site... and he did.  Then less than 2 years later, he and I were married!  Very Cool, huh? 

Eight years later, the cross was still standing at the site of the accident, but it was a bit tattered.  So we decided we would replace it.  Jeff made another Cross, and together we replaced the old with the new.

In April, my Mom went to visit my Sister and Grandkids in Canada.  So we had the house and her car to ourselves for 5 weeks.  We decided to make a trip to Arizona to visit our friends, Harry and Drina.  We spent time in Reno and Vegas along the way... and it should have been more fun but we both ended up sick, AND its just not the same traveling in a car, staying in motels, eating in restaurants.  It's so much better traveling when we have our home with us!

As nice as it was in some ways, to live in a house with a big bedroom, big bathroom, a garage, a yard of our own... we really missed our cozy little home on wheels.

My mother was doing so well, and she made it clear she wanted us to live our own life the way we want...  so at the end of May we moved back into our fifth wheel.  And boy was that an ordeal.  It is so much easier to be a full-time RVer, than to be a seasonal or part-time RVer.  Besides all the work to get stuff put back in and organized, we had lots of issues.  But all issues are resolved and we are once again settled into our comfortable home on wheels.

We are hosting for the Summer in Central Oregon... and it's great!  We are very happy.

Thanks for reading!
Now I better check up on the rest of you!