Look out, she's on the move!

One of my favorite pictures of Grandma and I!
(At the summit of Jungfrau in Switzerland). 

Grandma has an return ticket to UT booked! Yay! She'll be in San Diego until the 19th, so just 11 more days at the residential care facility! She has made so much progress this week; her need for pain meds is getting less and less, which means she'll start feeling better and better! I knew she was doing well, but I had no idea just how well until last night when she said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back." Before I even had a chance to even ask if she wanted me to get the nurse to help her get up, she was off the bed and walking to the bathroom alone. Take THAT, hip fracture! She is now able to get in and out of bed on her own and go to the bathroom without assistance. The care facility is wonderfully equipped with "help buttons and pull cords" just in case she needs help. I can not get over how fluid she is moving and maneuvering with the walker. I guess she's named Ann Walker for a good reason :) (did I ever tell you I make lame jokes? haha) She'll be using a cane in no time. I think she'd be ready to leave as soon as next week, but the extra time will give her the confidence that she's lacking right now. I don't blame her one bit-- what a scary fall!

After being completely amazed by her progress, last night consisted of our usual: Food Network and talking. As always, it ended up being more talking and laughing than anything else. She has the greatest stories and has so much wisdom from her 83 years. She's probably one of the most talented artists I've ever met. She still attends art classes, sells her artwork, volunteers at homeless shelters, has weekly lunches with friends, and is very active in her church. She has many goals and fun adventures waiting in Salt Lake, so I know she will do very well!

It was so hard saying goodbye last night! You have no idea how much I wish I could stay to help and be her cheerleader, but I guess finals are calling me... And I know my dad will do a great job keeping her company!

To give her something to look forward to each day and as a countdown to going home, I made little daily care packages with cards for her to open every day until she goes home! Hopefully it will help her next 11 days fly by :)

Simple, but great way to brighten someone's day!

Now... back to school, back to school... Let's do this!

Haha, so true.  Story of my life right now.

To Stanford, I go!