Aloha from Denver,
It’s been a very busy summer; I’ve been constantly on the move since I sold my home in Hawaii and moved to the mainland the first week in June. After living out of a suitcase for 12 weeks I’m excited to finally be getting settled into my own place but first the reason I’m in Denver – adorable grandkids!
With her husband Mike, sister Taryn and me in attendance, Tristen gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Thursday August 21st at 9:14am. Little Barrett Samantha Bergener (aka “Peanut”) weighed in at just 5 lbs. 13 oz. and 17 ¼” long. She was full-term but the placenta was small so she didn’t grow as much as she should the last couple of weeks. She’s doing fine now and eating well. A sweet baby with lots of dark brown hair it’s hard to tell yet but she seems a bit darker & more Chinese-looking than her brother so she may look more like her Mommy, much to Tristen’s delight! Big brother Ash Thomas (2 ¾ years) is adjusting well to his new role. He’s a very happy boy who calls me Tutu Mary (Hawaiian grandma) and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him (as does Mike’s mom whom he calls Grandma Barrie.) So it’s no surprise that I’ve promised once a week babysitting for the happy, proud, tired parents.
So back to my adventures in getting here. At first the plan was to go to Texas to house-sit for my brother so I flew to Houston . Vern & his family took me in and treated me to several vacations - a week in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, the 4th of July weekend in San Antonio, and then in mid-July we drove out to California to pick up my car that I’d shipped to LA & on to San Luis Obispo for a family reunion celebrating my parents 60th anniversary. It was a wonderful party and great to see my 5 siblings & their kids, but especially nice to see my 3 (Trevin, Taryn, & Tristen) and my grandson Ash; he was so cute playing with my brother John’s 5-year-old granddaughter, Ilina. After the party Dad & Mom asked me to drive them up to Santa Cruz to check out an assisted living facility near my sister Nancy. They liked it, so I drove them back home, packed them up, and was able to get them moved into their new apartment in just one week. Sadly a recent fall & concussion plus the stress of the move dramatically increased my mother’s dementia and she has not done well in the weeks since. Mom fell again and was in the hospital for a week or two where they decided that she probably has Lewy Body Dementia (characteristics of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.) She’s no longer lucid very often and this week was moved into a nursing home. It’s all taken a toll on Daddy (Aug. 20th was his 90th birthday) who’s sad & lonely without Mom. He’s doing his best to make new friends & find someone to play cards with at his new home, but says most of the people aren’t that alert.
As you can see, it was very difficult to leave California and my folks but as soon as I’d gotten them settled into their new apartment I had to head to Texas to meet the moving van with my stuff from Hawaii . By the time I got to Aransas Pass/Corpus Christi I’d decided to decline my brother’s offer to house-sit & instead redirect the moving van & go to Denver to be near my grandkids. (With Vern 3 hours away I’d have been in a little town by myself and I’d have to move again when the house sells, plus I didn’t really like the hurricanes, heat, humidity & mosquitoes.) Anyway after driving 3,000 miles I arrived in Denver on Aug 7th, tired but ready for the birth of my granddaughter and the start of my new life. It’s taken me awhile to adjust to the altitude (haven’t played tennis yet) but I found a nice apartment the first day and scheduled my move-in date for – yep, Thursday Aug. 21st. So again I had to reschedule the movers. With no sleep the night Tristen was in labor and then busy moving into my own place ever since, I’m EXHAUSTED but happy. My new address is: 5250 Cherry Creek South Dr., Apt. #6-I, Denver, CO 80246. My apartment is very small but it’s in a terrific location – one block away is the Bull & Bush Brewery the best tavern in town, one mile away is Cherry Creek Mall, two miles away is the Gates Tennis Center (the largest public courts facility in the state), and 6 miles away is Tristen & my adorable grandkids. I miss Hawaii and my friends there, but I’m very excited about making Denver my home! I love looking at the Rocky Mountains and might even have to start skiing again.
Although I’m tired of moving and traveling, as soon as I’m settled here I need to take a 2-week trip back out to California to help my sister Nancy with my parents and the sale of their house. I’ll probably go next week so I can help Daddy move to a smaller apartment in the Sunshine Villa, then I’ll go down to Los Osos as their house has sold and someone has to go thru all their stuff to see if we need to keep it in the family or just sell it. My poor sister has already missed too much work and doesn’t have the time to do everything by herself. When I get back to Denver I’ll just get a job at Target or something through a temp. agency that I’ve registered with ‘til I find a decent job. I’m not really too worried – my credit cards are still working!
So that’s it for today. Much love to you & your family, Mary
Mary V. Ogle
Cell: 808-960-3511
New Home Phone: 720-255-2157
New Address:
Creekside Apartments #6 - I
5250 Cherry Creek South Drive
Denver, CO 80246
Email: mary.ogle1@gmail.com
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