Serenity Now!

November 28, 2010

2010-11-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

Uh, yeah, so it's been a while. Gonna try to catch up a little and add some more frequent posts, if anyone really cares to read (doubt it, but here's to you!!!).

Quick updates:

Dave/Mike: Nothing exciting happenin' with him right now. Still working swing shift as a local cop and getting his kicks out of it. We love the dinnertime stories about suicide, drug abuse, runaways, and domestic violence. When he's home, our house is full of laughter and fun. I must be the boring parent, because when he's not around, it's pretty dull around here.

Audra: FINALLY (and this is why I haven't written much lately) sent in my final edits to my book to the publisher whose response was very positive. She said she'll send it to her editor the first of the year, so it should be out, hopefully, in a few months. I'm pretty proud of it. It was a LOT of work, this one. Lots of research and organizational changes and all that. Little crazy and stressful, but I'm very happy it's done. Work is going great. I have great staff, a nice office space, and such wonderful families I get to work with. I really enjoy what I do. On my off time, I mostly hang out with the fam or friends. No exciting hobbies to speak of!

Isaak: Doing really well right now. He has been taken off his special education plan at school and is "flying solo" and doing fine so far. He is also off all medication, and any lingering "issues" that the meds used to help with, he's learning to navigate on his own. He's getting straight A's which include AP Calculus II and Physics at the high school. He's also in chess club and competes with the high school math club, plays piano, and is signing up to play basketball at school next.

Lil' Audra/Maggie: Turned 12 today! Can't believe my "baby" is 12. It was really fun to go get her out of Primary today, with the Young Women, and escort her into Young Women's with us! She was so excited and ready to be out of the "kids" class. Maggie still loves to read and eat sunflower seeds more than anything. She is in two drama clubs, one community and one for school. She saved her moo-lah and contributed half to get a new puppy a couple months ago who has proven to be the CUTEST DOG EVER!

Lil' Audra with all her birthday "loot"

Katie: Was a little unsure of the puppy when she came home, but she has turned into quite the adopted mother. She lets Ellie climb all over her, bite her ankles, jowls, and stomach, and eat her food with hardly a growl. Our little anxiety scaredy-cat shepherd has become quite the guard dog (finally!). Oh, she still runs away if someone challenges her, but I think she would actually scare off a would-be thief if they tried to break in now!

Ellie's favorite hideout. Katie only tolerates it for a few minutes.

Ellie: Is half Pomeranian, half Chihuahua (Pomchi) and is now about 6 months old. She is one funny ball of energy! Puppies are hilarious, anyway, but to see her wrestle around with this huge shepherd is quite the thing to witness. She's a good, obedient dog who has been easy to train so far. And yes, she is dang cute!

All in all, it's been a good year for us. I'll try to keep everyone posted on any new antics in the near future!

From Dave

2010-02-09T07:56:00.001-08:00

Dave wrote the nicest e-mail to my family, unbeknownst to me, about my new office...

(I can't get the text to wrap right, but you get the idea)

As you may/not have heard, Audra moved out of her broom closet to an actual office building that treats her like a business. The building is a nice little place. First of all, it’s named after a local guy who was a Navy pilot and Blue Angels team member who was shot down over Vietnam, taken prisoner, then subsequently “disappeared.” He is still considered MIA. The lobby has a nice little display about him. For me, this alone makes the location respectable.

She has an actual sign, visible from the street. Whoa.

She’s on the building directory…

A sign pointing to her office!

Another little sign outside her door.

Sure, come in, take a look around… That back room there is her own office space.

She’s got a big therapy room. For big therapy I guess.

Additionally, there is a good size storage closet for all her cabinets full of supplies, strait jackets, chair restraints, whips, and whatnot. This keeps young easily distracted minds and hands relatively un-tempted. It’s nice that her business is brisk, and that she was literally out-growing her original office. In 2 years she has gone from using our spare bedroom (ugh) to this. She’s got employees, payroll, billing, and occasional sleep. Anyway, she’ll probably blog about this when she gets time. So, don’t hold your breath. She’s got a lot of clients. She helping a lot of kids, and doing much good. She’s helping provide our living while also providing it for the people working for her. Much respect to my wife. ~dave

February 9, 2010

2010-02-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Dave's gone for most of the month on military duty. I'm trying to do one small thing for him each day (he's staying at his mom's, so she's my "proxy"). I asked the kids to write something to him to get one of the days. This is what they wrote:

Isaak: "Please come home now! *COUGH HACK* We're dying without you! *uuuugggh*"

Maggie: You are the best dad ever. I love you. You serve our country. For all of us. Even if your gone for a day or a month or a year I know you will always come back. You are the best cook in the world. Happy Anniversary and Valentines.

Love, aUdr4M49913

I have proof!

2010-01-17T21:58:00.001-08:00

They used to adore each other. /sigh

I suspect it will return someday.

http://picasaweb.google.com/audra3141/OldFotos#

January 10, 2010

2010-01-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Dave: I waited a long time, many years, to get him. It was well worth the wait. We were talking the other day how it must have been designed that way, that it just never worked out before it did, on purpose because we probably would have screwed it up when we were younger. We had to wait for each other to grow and prepare. I can't believe what a perfect match we are. He is everything I ever wanted. He is so dang smart. I love talking to him about really serious topics (although we steer away from some political topics since we don't agree on them all :)). He can give me all the historical facts about some religious topic or who said what about what topic when or just some obscure, random fact that you'd only hear on Jeopardy. I love and respect him for that. He is also a civil servant to the heart. I'm glad he found a career that gives him a chance to "give back" because that is what fulfills him. He needs to feel like he's doing something meaningful in the world. Amazing. He has always been an involved, hands-on father. I have never, ever hesitated to drop the kids and run with him in charge. I knew that he'd know what they needed to do and where they needed to go, and do so probably in a more efficient and "fun" way than I would. He always pushed me out the door when I needed it (and often when I didn't know I did) and has never begrudged me my "girl time." He makes me feel loved and adored and sexy everyday. That's a real feat!

Isaak: He has had some real challenges to conquer in this life. He'll never be "free" of them, but I've come to accept him for who he is today and what he has to offer the world. He is an amazing young man. He is kind and patient. He is the guy I want to use as a model in my social groups for other kids because he is so flexible and patient and a good example to follow. He is so dang smart. It hurts my brain to think about the stuff that he learns so easily. Yeah, he may have to work on the normal social ins and outs that come easy for the rest of us, but I guess the trade off is we have to work at the other stuff he gets so easy! And the social stuff is coming. He'll make it. I love how cooperative he is at home. He may not always think of it on his own, but whenever I ask him to do something to help out, he never complains or rolls his eyes or tells me "later." He just says "K" and stops what he's doing (or finds a good stopping point) and goes and does it. He doesn't complain about picking up dog poop or doing dishes or laundry. He doesn't complain when he's reminded to practice piano. He, of course, rarely has homework, but if I ask him to get *something* done, he'll work on something. He loves little kids. I wish he could babysit (not possible for him) because he just loves little kids. He coos and smiles and follows them around, and they love him for it. He'll make a good dad one day. Despite his challenges, he has deep connections to his family. He loves us very much. He feels it; it's obvious. If he finds the right girl, I have no doubt he will be able to make it work. She'll just have to tell him what to do and he'll do it! He just may not know instinctively!

Audra Maggie: She has always been just this little bundle of joyful energy. That has never gone away. I expect the teenage moodiness to creep in one of these days, but no sign yet. Even when she gets down, it doesn't last long. She bounces right back with a little love. She loves people. All people. She seeks interaction. She will be a fun mother. She is so naturally talented in almost anything she tries. Her artsy brain works really well. You should see these little clay sculptures she makes. She is artistic and creative, none of which she got from me. She has her grandma to thank for that. She loves to cook, which she didn't get from me. She has her dad to thank for that. Some might says she got her energy from me, but who knows. I know that I have a really good time hanging out with her. She's at the age where I can just say, "Let's go see a movie" and it's not like a mom taking a child out to a movie, it's more like two friends hanging out. It was really cool to have her join us for the midnight release of New Moon. I love that she loves to read so much. She will devour a full-size book in a day. She bleeds me dry. I can't keep up with her. I love how passionate she is about whatever she's doing. Whatever she chooses to do in life, she will be passionate about it.

Katie: I call her "idiot" all the time, but I really do love her. I don't love how she still pees in submission if we act too dominate over her (not intentionally). I love how she knows her pack, and she is only truly happy when we are all here. When any one of us is gone, she sulks. I love how obedient she is. Such an easy dog to discipline and train. No work, really. She goes to the bathroom when and where we tell her (no poop on the grass; yea!), we can go out front and give her permission to come out, but she won't run off. She is forgiving that we don't take her on walks cuz we're too lazy (or busy). I love that I have absolutely no worries when any of my friends have their little kids over. They can crawl on her, pull her hair, stick their hands in her mouth, and she just loves it all. I hear that she has growled when a kid took food or something, but that is rare and I suppose normal dog behavior.

I love my family. Each and every one of them.

Recent fotos:

Christmas Card 2009

2009-12-16T08:05:00.001-08:00

December 16, 2009

2009-12-16T08:02:00.001-08:00

Maggie had a big business project at school where part of it was they had to apply and interview for actual jobs they were going to do in the faux town that was created. Here are her interview questions and answers. I thought they were cute.

1. In what school activities are you involved?

I'm in choir, patrol, and I was in track last year. Choir helps me work with others. Patrol helps me be safe and know and respect the rules.

2. What skills do you have that would make you a good employee?

I work good with others. I'm responsible and trustworthy.

3. Do you like working alone or with other people?

I can do both. I like to work with other people when I'm having fun.

4. How would your friends describe you?

Spunky and hard-working. I make new friends a lot.

5. Who is someone you admire? What is it about this person that you admire most?

I don't really admire anyone. I want to be my own person.

Hawaii Final Day

2009-11-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's taken a few days, but the last days were crazy!

Morning sunrise. Then, we got some clothes on and ran off to a couple of local spots to take our annual family pics. Had to fight the wind, but I think we got a couple of cool ones. Most important was capturing the essence of our year.

After a quick trip to the beach, we spent the remainder of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Of all the things we did this week, I have to say that this might have been the highlight for me (close with swimming with the turtle and boogie boarding). If you haven't heard of it, it's zoo-like, but instead of animal attractions, it has Polynesian island attractions. There are 7 island represented in small areas. In each area, there are traditional buildings built, activities, and mini-shows demonstrating the song and dance of the island. A great educational experience for the kids, yes, but it was truly amazing. I absolutely loved every minute of it. I love to experience different cultures of the world, and this was not lacking. It made me realize how little "culture" we have here! I suppose it's because we are such a young country. The day/night ended with a traditional Luau, complete with pig from the ground and a lei ceremony. The flowers were beautiful. I also loved seeing the little kids doing traditional hula dances. So cute! Then, there was a more professional show, with probably 100 participants. It was fabulous. It told the story of a boy growing up, but it was mainly to show the different island cultures in dance and song. The finale was a fire dance with a fire eater and tossing fire sticks and all that. It was way cool! It was worth every penny and spending the whole day there. Absolutely the highlight of the week for me.

Trip to Hawaii. $Lots. Day at the PCC. $Not cheap. Seeing your 12-year-old gawking at the hula dancers. Priceless.

No joke. This is really what he looked like. :)

More pictures added. Click Here.

Couple more vids

2009-11-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

USS Arizona

Kids Goofing Off

Hawaii Day 5

2009-11-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

Fun day today. First, we went to a local fave, The Pancake House in Koa, for the most spectacular breakfast I've had in ages. Papaya crepes, Portuguese sausage and marinated pork, homestyle potatoes, pancakes, french toast, eggs. It was "marvelous." In fact, held us over for food until like 3 PM! I think my favorite part was that we were the only white peeps in there. All locals. Very cool.

Then, we went to a local LDS ward. We lucked out. It was one of the best Sacrament meetings I've been to. One of their young men (although a little older from what I gathered) has been called to the Tacoma, WA mission and is leaving. It was his farewell. Several young people spoke and gave great talks, and there were a couple of musical numbers that were great. Two young men sang a duet in fantastic harmony, very Hawaiian sounding. Loved it. At the end of the service, an older gentleman stood up at the front and started singing "Aloha 'Oe" (Farewell to Thee). Everyone joined in at the end. During this, there grew a huge line up to the front of the chapel where the going out elder stood, and people came up, put a lei around his neck and hugged and kissed him good-bye. Found out later that the gentleman who stood up to sing was actual the father in the movie Johnny Lingo (old, famous Mormon show). The whole ceremony was quite something to see.

Next, we went to Pearl Harbor. That was something to see, too. Watched a show on the history of the USS Arizona, then we took a boat shuttle out to the site where the ship had sunk and there is now a memorial built on top of it. Quite humbling and reverent. Went back and Dave showed them the cool missles and old guns on display. It was cool.

Went to Kailua Park and beautiful sandy beach. Little bit overcast and windy, but the water was warm and great for riding the mini-waves. Very shallow quite far out. Great for the boogie board although none of us were very good at it. Still, I could have stayed out there all day if I weren't such a wimpy girl these days. It's hard work! Once I got out of the water, it was windy and cold, so time to go. Hit the showers, then dinner at a local Hawaiian plate cafe before heading home.

Lovely day. Last big day tomorrow. Polynesian Cultural Center is the big thing on the agenda. Looking forward to it.

More photos added. Click here.

Hawaii Day 4

2009-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Time is passing too quickly. It's actually the morning of the 5th day, so we only have two more nights.

Weather has been a little disappointing. Dave loves it, but I wanted cloudless sun. I knew not to expect it this time of year, but still, a girl can hope, right? Day 4 was overcast a good part of the day. We did, however, get to the snorkel place during mid-day sun hours. That was fantastic. I guess it was murky and rough waters more than usual, but I would never have known. I thought it was incredible. At first, Maggie wasn't happy. Having problems with her snorkel gear. I have learned, though, not to push or react to her. I just casually said it was fine; I'd be happy to sit out with her. Told her it was totally up to her what she wanted to do. Didn't fuel the fire. After a few minutes, she settled down and asked to go try it again. Now, if I had *suggested* she go try it again, no way would she have agreed. It had to be her idea. (She's going to read this. Maggie, I LOVE who you are and that you are such a strong person with strong ideas. Don't get me wrong!). Anyway, when we went back in, we switched snorkel gear, and she did much better with my mask. In fact, we saw a huge sea turtle hat we ended up following around for at least 20 minutes. It was so cool.

After a while, they announced on the loud speakers that the tide was high and visibility was very low. A whole lot of people were giving up. And, since we had spend a few hours in the water already, we were ready to go, too. We got showered off and changed and then found a yummy Mexican food place.

Got back to the house, settled down for a little while, went out and got shave ice again (yum!), and then we went to see "A Christmas Carol" at the little local theater. OK. So, it was absolutely MARVELOUS, but not a show for little kids or for people who scare easily (despite being a Disney film). It was quite intense! But, if you can handle a little ghost scare, Robert Zemeckis did an incredible script write, making it more literature than movie. Something to study in an English class. I want to go see it again in 3-D (this was was 2-D). Now, Maggie was not such a fan. Well, she liked the movie in the end, but was quite freaked out! There were some good scares!

Then it was bedtime again. Another wonderful day in paradise.

Hawaii Day 3

2009-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

First, last night was a tremendous storm including lightening. Very fun! Maggie had a dream about a poisonous rooster attacking us. Ah, the adventure of Hawaii!

In the morning, it was still overcast. We debated what to do since we had planned to spend the day at the beach in Waikiki. We wanted to risk it, since we've found out that the weather forecast here, when it says rain, means it might possibly sprinkle a moment or two. Nothing like what we're used to. So, although it was overcast and yucky when we left for Honolulu, we took the risk. By the time we got there, about 45 minutes later, it was sunny and beautiful. Perfect beach weather. Not too hot, not cloudy, not rainy. And, we got to the beach early enough that there weren't many people there. We spent the morning on the sand. About noon, when more people were crowding the space, we got out of there, sand in our shorts and all. Very pleasant. Did a little shopping, then got back in the car.

Drove home to change clothes and de-sand-tize our bodies. Headed to the infamous Shave Ice place (Motsumoto's) where they put ice cream on the bottom, then the shave ice (note no "d" at the end of "shave"; that's what it's called here) on top. It was marvelous (Dave's good food word). Really, it was awesome.

Next was the shrimp truck, Giovanni's. Took a buttload of shrimp back to the house to devour. Yum. Fresh shrimp. Caught today. Can't get any better than that.

End of the day was Dave and I heading to the temple to do a session while the kids stayed home to watch a movie. Problem #1. Temple ends up being closed for renovations until July. Bummer. Problem #2. Stupid little DVD in the little house leaves much to be desired, so kids didn't get to watch their movie. Oh well! No big deal around here. We're in freaking Hawaii! All's good.

We will be ending the day with some fresh made chocolate cream pie we got at a local bakery. Nigh-night!

More Photos Added. Click Here

Added some videos

2009-11-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

On the Spit
At the maze
At a beach

Hawaii Day 2

2009-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Still on Seattle time, so we were all up by 6 A.M. (some 4:30). Time enough to sit in the backyard and watch the sunrise. It was magnificent. Dave and kids got suits on and jumped in the water in high tide. Maggie got feet scraped up, but all worth it.

Cleaned up, had breakfast, hopped in the car for some island exploration. Found a couple of good spots we want to check out later in the week (with suits on). Stopped at a surfing competition going on and watched that for a few minutes, but only after Isaak, climbing a tree, took a dare from some 4-year-olds to jump off, despite him having a bum knee. So, yup, he hurt it worse. After a few agonizing minutes of him moaning and finally tears falling down his cheek, we decided we'd better take him to the doc. Stupid kid.

So, off to Honolulu to the E.R. However, he had some ibuprofen in him, and the wait was going to be really long, so I was a really bad mother and said forget it. I'm sure you're fine. Keep taking the ibuprofen, ice it, and wrap it. You'll live. Which is what he's doing now.

After the almost-trip-to-the-E.R., went with Dave to the police station where we had to wait for him to "register" his firearm. Whoopee. That was truly exciting.

Went to Sushi to a spot Dave had wanted to hit, and it was marvelous. Expensive, so we didn't eat much, but it was good.

Went to the Dole Plantation per Maggie's request which she just forgot about until I reminded her. It was cool. Has the largest labrynth in the world (in 2008). Maybe there's another one bigger now, but it was pretty cool regardless. So, we ran around there for a while, then ate really good pineapple sorbet and shopped at a fun gift shop. Highlight of the day for sure.

On the way home, we drove up to a spit, walked out to the edge, and observed CRAZY waves. Dave said he could stay there all day. I could, if it had been a little warmer. End of the day haze and clouds were rolling in.

Came back to the beachhouse where we found a dead cochroach by the sliding door. We ARE in Hawaii! Dave and the kids went swimming again in the backyard. What a way to start and end the day!

Tomorrow's plan: hit Waikiki beach and hopefully enjoy the sun most of the day. Need a lazy day or two for this to really be a vacation.

More pics: Click Here

Hawaii Day 1

2009-11-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

We pulled it off. Some family knew, but we wanted to surprise the kids. So, we told them that we were going up to Seattle to see grandparents and that we were going out to breakfast with Grandpa in the morning (this morning). Off we went first thing this morning. Kids had no idea. We drove right up to the airport terminal (drop off) before lil' Audra finally said, "Um, why are we here?" We just got out of the car and got the bags out, refusing to answer any questions. Tension/excitement rose. Isaak remained clueless and just followed us along wherever we directed him, but Audra finally figured it out by looking at the gate number and the departure board. She went and told Isaak, who didn't believe her until I told him she was right. Then, excitement was in full swing.

Plane ride was uneventful except for some turbulance which always makes Dave poo his pants. He doesn't like to fly. 5 1/2 hours later, we arrived. It is beautiful. It is humid. The temperature is hovering around 70-75. Some showers so far, but at least it's warm! Not like Portland/Seattle rain! Rain and sun will share the skies this week.

We rented a little beach front house on the Northeast side of Oahu. The sand is coral sand where are, a little rougher than your classic white sand, but still totally toe-able. No injuries to tootsies. There is like a tidepool right there, and then a row of rocks, and then the surf beach. Makes it easy for the kids to wade around in where the water is all calm. We'll be having some fun.

We plan to just relax and explore. We plan to do one day at the Polynesian Center, but other than that, we're just winging it. I'll write about each day's adventure. Today's adventure is ending in Dave trying to find where he put the week's cash somewhere in the house. Ah, the joy.

Here are some pictures: Click Here

November 8, 2009

2009-11-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

Emailed a friend of mine who inquired about Isaak:

"Isaak’s doing great. Had a parent conference with his block teacher, and he basically said if he could have 90 like him, he would. He pays attention, gets to work, stays on task, gets his assignments done. It was fantastic to finally have a positive conference! Although, last year was good, too. For him, it’s just been about middle school. Getting out of elementary made all the difference in the world.

This year, he’s taking AP Calculus and pre-AP Chemistry at the high school. He actually has no class in-between those two, so he just studies, then he walks to the middle school, so he spends about half his day on each campus. Everyone seems to treat him well and like him. He’s on the high school math team which is quite competitive, and he keeps up with them. He took home his first individual math competition trophy last week. He’s still as awkward as poo, but he seems to have found his niche. Although, even among the math nerds he sticks out a lot of the time. At the competition this weekend, he was paired up with a girl his age from another school he didn’t know, and his way to first interact with her was to put his arm around her. Not like boyfriend, thing, just friendly, but boy! Did she shrink away from him! Some other girls saw and laughed and stuff. He was clueless. Idiot. He also got a minor knee injury last week, and he continues to baby it (walking straight-legged on it) even though I know it’s fine. He looks like a complete buffoon. It’s like he has to re-learn to walk right because he forced himself to baby it for a week.

I just roll my eyes most days about some of his quirks. "

November 1, 2009

2009-11-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

Ah, Halloween. Well, the kids are to that in-between stage. For a couple of years now, Isaak has already said he's "too old" for Halloween and has opted to just stay home and hand out candy. He's been completely happy with that, of course, since he doesn't like candy which makes trick-or-treating kinda senseless. Add to that the fact that he's never really had a core group of buddies to hang out with, so he's just hung at home. My, how things are different this year! Isaak now has this group of buddies that do all the normal meet-at-lunch, hang-out-after-school stuff that kids his age do. Yeah, they are loud and obnoxious, quirky kids, but they're HIS buddies, and that's saying something. I never look a gift horse in the mouth!

As for Maggie, she still wants to trick-or-treat, but she also wanted to have a party. So, I relented. I let them invite who they wanted to, and I prepped and planned a big old shindig at our hours for their friends and a few of mine. Isaak had about 8 friends and Maggie had about 5, plus some parents and my friends with families; totalled more than 30 people. The boys were incredibly loud and rough, but that's what 12-year-old boys are like, I've learned. The girls just huddled up together, which is also what 10-year-old girls do (they don't want to have anything to do with the boys yet). Groups went out trick-or-treating here and there, but mostly there was just loud noise and chaos.

In one room, I darkened the whole room, put black lights, a strobe light, and spooky music in there. I heard lots of "Thriller" going on. In another room, I had 6 covered bowls where they had to stick their hand in and figure out if the stuff was supposed to represent eyes (boiled eggs in jello), brain (steamed cauliflower), guts (spaghetti and sausage), vomit (pumpkin insides), snot (bananas and pudding), or heart (canned whole tomatoes). Lots of disgusting noises in there! There was a table with cookie decorating, but I only think a couple little kids did that. Then, I made a ton of fun, Halloween food, and a couple friend brought some great stuff, too. We watched Coraline (so creepy!). I only had to get after the boys once for going to far when they went out to ding-dong-ditch.

I learned a couple of things that I will improve upon for next year. Young teenage boys are not trustworthy. I heard later that a lot of our handing-out candy went into their own bags. Also with the ding-dong-ditch idea. I know it's normal, and we all did it, but I still need to reign them in a bit. Also, kids don't appreciate the funky foods so much. I won't go to such efforts next year until I just have my friends over. I'll do the fun stuff I know they'll eat, but not some of the other stuff that took lots of time to make but didn't get eaten much. Not worth the effort. Worth a try, though! I also learned that Maggie's friends are sweet, gentle souls, and Isaak's friends are, I say again, loud and obnoxious. I may look at transforming part of the upstairs for just the girls and let the boys have free reign downstairs. We'll see where they all are in a year.

Yes, that means I will do it again. They kids really seemed to love it. Maggie was so excited, I thought she'd pee herself for days leading up to it. Isaak is just so laid back and content, he would probably be happy with anything, but I sure love to see him having real friends. It's really amazing to me.

October 11, 2009

2009-10-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Not such a hot week for me...

Very full work week, which isn't such a bad thing were it not for...
Caught a nasty virus that turned into bronchitis. Sound like I have croup (is that how it's spelled?). Not sleeping well, feel like poo, was not getting any better. Finally went to doc and got some happy drugs. Feel better when those are in me.
My thumb drive got broken off when it was in my laptop. It had all my edits for my book and notes from my publisher's conversation. Hours of research and work not easily reproduced possibly down the drain. I cried. I never cry. I'm more upset at how stupid I was. I know better than to not back up my work regularly. I know better! Anyway, I've had it sent into some data recovery place in California. We'll see. Stupid stupid stupid.

Well, I guess that's all the bummer stuff. Not the end of the world. I have wonderful family and great friends, and it all works out. I was just thinking the other day how cool my kids are and how much I like hanging out with them. We really have a good time. They are easy to parent (for now) and cooperative and fun and laid back. Our house is generally very peaceful and is only loud and obnoxious when certain friends come over to hang. But, I'm fine with that. I wanted to have "that house" when I grew up; you know, the one all the kids go to to hang out? I'd rather have them all come here, make a mess, and be loud than to have my kids always gone. So, I have "that house" now, at least for Isaak's friends, and I love it! And I love that he HAS friends that want to come hang out. It's so cool! We just took him to see his pychiatrist. Decided to decrease his meds since he's doing so well. He had almost nothing to say to us. He's doing so well!

Anyway, totally rambling, but I got a post out this week! Woo-hoo!

October 4, 2009

2009-10-04T15:53:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I'm such a feast and famine blogger. When Sunday comes around (the day I TELL myself I will update), I just think about what happened that week and think how boring it all is and how no one in their right mind would really care about reading it.

We're all sick here. Well, so far Dave isn't, but the kids and I have a cold. I thought mine was getting better but then the last two days have been worse; AND now the kids are coughing. I think Maggie has it the worst. She just took a nap. She NEVER takes a nap. Definitely not feeling well. Nice crackly cough, too. I never know when to keep them home when they don't have a fever or are throwing up or anything like that.

My friend, Dana, gave us AWESOME tickets to the Mariner's game last night. So, I farmed out the girl and dragged Isaak on the 2 1/2 hour trip up to Seattle to see the game. K, so it wasn't dragging him. He was really excited. Turns out, it was an AWESOME game! We had an absolute ball. Of course, he'd just asked me to go get him another hot dog when Junior hit a home run. I just missed it! And there was this awesome play where the first baseman caught a straight fly and THEN touched first to get the guy out who was running to 2nd. Nice double play.

Best part of the night, though, was watching a lady get thrown out just a few rows in front of us for being loud and obnoxious. She went out swearing like a sailor!

We had fun...

We won!

And some fun with friends last week...

Maggie's Art

2009-09-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

She's getting ready to prepare a porfolio to submit in her application to the Art school for next year. I'll keep adding photos as we get them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/audra3141/MaggieSArt#

ABC Friday Fun Day

2009-09-02T08:07:00.001-07:00

This year for our Ward's Youth Conference, they came to me and asked if they could do something for my clients. The youth arranged a bunch of activities (like bubbles and water balloons and playing with shaving cream), and my clients were invtied to come and play for a few hours. It was held in the parking lot of the church. Each child that came was given a "buddy" (youth) and were helped through whatever activities they wanted to do. It was so fun! It was good for my kiddos to get to know new people and for the youth to get more families and acquainted with kids with differences. My favorite part was the Kickball game. No rules and lots of cheering for kids, some of whom can barely kick the ball at all. I saw tons of smiles and laughing in some boys who are easily frustrated by a sports game like that. They could play! And people were cheering for them! It was wonderful.

You can see pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/audra.jensen/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCIP0yK6lk--ZlAE#

And video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzja2jgqXlU&feature=PlayList&p=7EB62DCE65A77109&index=0&playnext=1 These are short, little snippets, and they should play one after the other.

September 2, 2009

2009-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

So, our kids don't start school for another week. Everyone else around here starts today. I hope we don't go longer. Very irritating. The kids are itchy to get going. Especially Maggie. Well, she says she just wants to find out who her teacher is. I don't think she really wants to go back to school.

We've had a really good summer. Little trips. Nothing big. But, the kids were able to relax and just enjoy being a kid. Lots of playing. Our house is full almost DAILY with loud boys. I never thought that would happen, so I'm so grateful. It's loud and obnoxious and some of the boys just irritate me to death, but I can't believe they come in droves to hang out with Isaak. They play hide-and-seek (weird for 12-year-olds, but they love it) and Bakugan (little toy thingies), but mostly they play Halo together. Very "normal" tween thing to do. They seem to accept him for his little oddities, and he seems to fit right in with them. In fact, as the summer as progressed, I've seen more kids coming, and more and more of them are more "normal" than the first ones. I think he's fitting in more. I hope this is a good year for him! We were given the option this year to send him to a self-contained "gifted" classroom at a different school, and we decided to let him stay where he is. I think we made the right decision. He'll still be taking AP Calculus and pre-AP Chemistry at the high school, and I think that will be sufficient for him. In fact, I think he'll even get his first college credit for his AP Calculus class.

So, last night we went out to dinner (found a Fudrucker's in Portland; Isaak was thrilled) and discussed the upcoming year and their "responsibilities." Then, we came home and Dave gave the kids Father's Blessings to start out the year. They were really nice. Some interesting things: In Maggie's, he talked a lot about her strong spirit and personality. I think he used the word "stubborn" about 20 times. He said that being stubborn can be a great thing, and that it will do her well when she needs to stand up for what is right. The most interesting thing in her blessing was that he said that if she could know some of the things she has already been through before this life, that it would frighten her, that she was a valiant spirit who fought and did wonderful things before even coming to this life, and that she was reserved to come until this perilous time because of her strong spirit. He also said that her spirit was very much like my spirit. I like that.

Isaak's was also amazing. He talked how proud we are and how this is the first year we have not spent hours and hours worrying about the school year. Most interesting in his was that he said that Isaak knew and volunteered to come here, knowing the challenges he would be given. He said that Isaak was allowed to bring with him some of the "brain power" (not the words he used; he was much more eloquent) that most of us have to leave behind *because* of the challenges he would face, and that those talents have helped him and will continue to help him. He also warned him that he's going to start hearing things and being around more people who may not always make good choices, and that he should stay near the Spirit and strong so that he can stay centered.

Dave also gave me one. What sticks out in my head about that was that I was comforted that the time I have to take away from the family with my work will have no negative impact on the family. I have not talked about worrying about that, but I do. It was very comforting to hear that I was doing what I should be, that, in fact, I am gaining more wisdom as a parent, myself, through my work with other families. He also told me how much he loved and admired me and that he was grateful to have me in his life. Nice to hear (understatement), but also good for the kids to hear.

I have a good man in my life.

Long Weeks

2009-08-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is Isaak writing on Mom's blog. You've probably heard from my mom that Scout Camp was fun, but hard. We had to sleep in platform tents and go to merit badge classes. Out of the 4 classes I had, I'd say First Aid was the worst, because it doesn't have any flare, besides the "unconscious" dummies. We learned about what to do when someone is unconscious, which lead to CPR, which was at first taught to my Swimming class. Swimming was tough; the water was a bit too cold at 10 A.M. but warmer later. Cooking was fun, but it wasn't meant to be, because we didn't really pass off most of our requirements, but played games like Mafia and Lava Monster instead. (Sooner or later I have this feeling that someone may sue those merit badge counselors!) Environmental Science was my favorite, and that turned out to be the only merit badge I got at camp. That was because, unlike First Aid, there wasn't much spice in it. We got to observe nature and sketch drawings. It was said to be the hardest merit badge earned at camp, but it was the easiest for me! The food at camp was usually great; I tried enchiladas and breakfast cake, but when there's something at camp that I don't even attempt to try, I just have a bowl of cereal or I make the meal a peanut butter jelly time! (Too bad there weren't any dancing bananas, or even regular bananas at all! But there was a skit that included the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song.) I loved the skits there. There were some remade classics and some new ones. I think this camp will never be forgotten.
Kiwanis Camp was different than Scout camp, and the previous Kiwanis Camp years. We went rafting and went to the Mt. Hood Skibowl! It was absolutely fun! But there were drawbacks. I almost got hypothermia during canoeing, because it was about to not just rain, but there was an upcoming thunderstorm! What's worse, when I headed to my tent, a bee landed on my nose, and stung me! The stinger was fat, and it hurt. I needed meat tenderizer on my nose and Benidryl (did I spell it right?) before I go to bed. It doesn't hurt anymore, and my nose probably stopped swelling, but it left a mark, and I think of a different condition, I have a bad cold and skipped Sacrament Meeting today. But the past two weeks have been quite an adventure, pushing me out of my comfort zone in the summer and I got to do greater things. Hopefully the next years will be even better!

August 2, 2009

2009-08-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Isaak made it home safe and sound from his first overnight Scout camp. I think he had some inflexible moments, but nothing major, and he said he had a great time. Today, I take him to Kiwanis Camp, overnight camp for kids with disabilities, for a week. This year, he's old enough to do a "Tent and Travel" camp where they are camping and doing daily excursions like River Rafting and rope courses. I didn't mean to sign up for one camp after another, but that's just the way it happened.

Maggie gets to spend the week up north with family and friends. She's excited. And I'm excited to have a week home alone! Dave's still on Army duty for another week, so it'll just be me and my work. I plan on getting the first draft of my book complete (fingers crossed) although I do have some clients I have to see. But, I'm really going to shoot for it.

I took the kids to La Push last week with my sister and her kids. It was fun! It's her family annual tradition that we plan to keep crashing. The kids love it.

My good camera battery ran out, so here are some cell phone pics. I got a disposable camera after I took these, but I haven't gotten them developed yet. What a pain film camera's are! :) Those are mostly of when we went into Forks and took silly tourist pictures. It was so fun.

Maggie's crazy hair. She's trying to grow it out. At least I'm encouraging her to. :) She looks better without bangs.

Heh heh

La Push beach. It was overcast and "eery." We kept a watch-out for werewolves.

So, who's seen Harry Potter and who wants to discuss it with me!?!

July 18, 2009

2009-07-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Came out to Sequim to see my family and the Lavendar Festival--huge herb party. Crazy hippie and old people who come to sing songs about purple flowers or something. Quite a sight to behold.

Little Audra with Lemon Lavendar ice cream. Her hair never looks better than this, by the way. I don't know what it is.

Nice looking kid. :)

It really is beautiful when it's all in bloom. However, this is where...

...this happened. That is the stinger of a bee that got me on my foot. I haven't been stung since I was a little kid. I don't know if I'm semi-allergic or what, but it hurt like no one's business! Not at the time, so much, but as the day went on. It was excrutiating! I could barely walk. And, the worse part was I had to "hide" it from Maggie because she already has an irrational fear of bees (thanks to her dad), and seeing my pain certainly wouldn't help on that front!

My sissy!

The cousins.

Took the kids to Harry Potter (second time for me). Liked it about the same. Enjoyed it, yes, but definitely have some complaints about what they changed and left out and what they chose to focus on. But, it's all good fun!

Heading off to the other fam next, for Anna Marie's baby blessing. Looking forward to it!

July 12, 2009

2009-07-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

Finally cropped some fotos from our California trip. So, I took our friends Carla and Kyndall (who Maggie is attached to at the hip most days) with us. Carla used to live down there (San Jose area), so she got to visit old friends and family. She was kind enough to watch Maggie (and Kyndall) while I was working most of the days. The girls had a ball. I think it's a memory we'll have for years to come.

I love this picture of Kyndall.

This is a good one of Maggie. I love the colors.

I love railroad tracks.

The girls spent about 4 hours in the pool every day.

I didn't get any pictures of us at Great American, but we had a blast. I even got Maggie to ride a real roller coaster with me. She was reluctant at first, but then she wanted to get right back on afterwards. I went alone on a couple other, bigger ones, and truly thought I was going to die on one. It was so dang freaky! The day was perfect. Weather was nice, no crowds, we hardly ever had to wait in line, great company. It couldn't have been any better. Highlight of the trip.

This is the mentor group I was with during the week at Michelle Garcia Winner's clinic. She's there hiding in the back. It was an amazing week. I learned so much. I also got to "hobnob" with her and her staff at her house when she held a speaker's conference that weekend. That was pretty fun. Now, I gotta get this book done so she keeps thinking "good" thoughts about me! My goal is by the end of summer, so I gotta keep working. Meanwhile, my business is busting at the seams. Which is good... and bad. I just wish I had more time to do all I want to do.

Ah, the complications of life!

Maggie got my video camera

2009-06-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

What a ham...

IEP, Choir, and stuff

2009-06-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Had Isaak's annual IEP. He's done SO well this year, we really have to nit-pick to find good goals for a year. But, they're there. Some organization goals, some to help him understand instructions, and to help him deal with when he makes a mistake or misunderstands something and how to deal with it appropriately. He's made tremendous progress, and he knows it, so he got a little "down" having to listen to what he still needs work on. But, even though he got a little emotional, he said he was fine, and didn't completely lose it like he used to. He's learning to control so much better.

In addition, the 7th grader will be going to AP Calculus and pre-AP Chemistry at the high school. It hurts my head to think about it.

Went to his choir concert. Wow! Can't believe how "developed" some middle schoolers are. I mean physically, but also in voice. They seem so grown up! He's a shrimp. It was pretty cool, but he got all emotional at the end when they were singing good-bye to the 8th graders. Boy, he does wear his emotions on his sleeve. I don't want him to stifle that, but I also don't want him to be seen as a weirdo. Hard balance to find.

We joined a gym near the house. Took the kids yesterday. We all trotted on the eliptical for a half hour. Pretty fun! Little Audra's heart rate got up to 190. Is that OK? I don't know. My was around 155 and Isaak's around 180. It'll be good for us.

We slept in this morning, and Isaak's missing Math, but who cares! It's been a stressful week!

Isaak's poetry

2009-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

For his English assignment, they had to write 10 poems using other poetry as a template. Here are his:

A sneaky, secret chameleon,
I mark a little connection to what mastery one should work toward.
It vanishes and becomes the Cheshire Cat; you could see its smile.
Its mouth opens quicker than a heartbeat and catches a fly in the woods.
Its tongue launched straight ahead… straight ahead… with powerful precision.
Its smile returns, wider and larger, but it can’t leave a contented burp.

A perfect, hypothetical human,
Full-grown, well-educated, all-around, and smiling, he is ready to take on anything.
Anyone in need of being taken care of can be taken care of in his presence.
Anything obstacle covering the path he seeks can be removed with wits and courage.
His reputation deeply swells… deeply swells… in powerful precision.
His smile returns, wider and larger, with the similarities of the chameleon’s fill.

I’ve seen children
That spent time playing
I’ve seen children
That tripped and cried
I’ve see children that act as an example like
Being the tallest tree in the forest.

I’ve seen children
I’ve seen children act important
and bossy and hateful.
I’ve seen children that react and cower
As they get picked like
Giants shoving trees out of sight.

I’ve seen children
I’ve seen children stay inside and play video games
To get their brains wired
I’ve seen children
That loved
Their mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends.

Oh yes, I’ve seen children…

Whenever thunder cracks the hills,
Whenever walruses wail,
Whenever sprinkler overdrive
Pours on mills,
From the depths arises a yellow tail.
It, struck before,
Attracts a shock.
How does it survive such a nasty mock?

The creature rises, resembling a seal.
It heads towards the eye of the storm,
When lightning and thunder
Come down for their meal,
By at the tail makes a dorm,
By at the tail makes a dorm,
And then,
By the shock it flushes again.

There was an old man with two eyes.
They can pop quite far with surprise.
His wife thought her aid
Malfunctions again
Until she saw the old man’s popped eyes!

I have known
Pretty young girls
And handsome young boys;
Their matches.

Date after date
And location after location
They kiss, and cry
And wave goodbye
Sometimes they part
And join up again.

Today
I hug the tree.

With their
hooting,
guffawing cries,
hyenas spread
creature
comedy.

How doth the
smelly little rat
Improve his
garbage reek,
And invade
dumpsters all around
In every house
he squeaks!

How vulnerable
he seems to be!
How predictable nearby;
The cat
pounces and
eats the rat—
HAAAACK!
How can’t she die?

A jittery stranger in the deep
Ambles
Underneath,
While way up high its many dangers
Pass by above
His sheath.

The burgundy signal
And he gets
Swept away
By the playful puffs of gray
Tickling in
Every way.

He settles in a dung heap
But never
Launches stench,
Rather takes care of the leafy gods
In the
Open trench.

He digs in through rich chocolate
And creates
Helpful humus,
For Mother Earth suffocates
And he must save her
And us!

He is shunned by its thick lard,
Size, shape,
And being,
Care can only be so helpful
As if it
Must sing!

Flap! Flap! Woof!
Flap! Flap! Woof!
A flying dog is in my house;
His existence is enough.

He flew in through the window
And broke my mom’s Greek vase.
Stephanie asks, “Can we keep him?”
But he’s a great disgrace.
He flew and smashed nine dishes,
He flew and startled the cat,
His paws left marks in Play-Doh—
Hey! Give back Sebastian’s hat!

Flap! Flap! Woof!
Flap! Flap! Woof!
A flying dog is in my house;
His existence is enough!

He played tug-o-war with my suits on hangers,
His barks are louder than shrill yells,
He wrestled Stephanie’s stuffed “Betsy”,
And Cupid shot him when he saw silver bells.
Every minute he influences thrice
That includes twice of my concern,
If only he would fly a—
No! Stop pooping in my fern!
Will he ever learn?!

Flap! Flap! Woof!
Flap! Flap! Woof!
A flying dog is in my house;
His existence is ENOUGH!

I
liv
four
skul
cant
wat
four
skul
I
wac
up
just
too
goh
too
skul
I
studie
their
to
luk
ahed
Id
sta
untill
I
goh
too
bed
Sins
wen
Im
thru
Im
fre
too
rom,
mature
as
evir
frum
skin
to
bohne
Sucses
is
strait
ahed
in
vyo;
Im
ready
four
soh
much
too
doo!

K, I'm completely flabbergasted. I actually didn't believe he wrote these and had to go back and see the original works to see if he really did just use them for ideas and write these poems on his own. I'm utterly in shock. Really amazing poetry here. I'm going to have to go study them, now.

Total Dorkness

2009-06-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm a complete dork. I'm completely obsessed with everything Twilight. I check the offical New Moon movie website (http://www.newmoonmovie.org/) at least several times a day. I'm making big plans for when it comes out with a ton of friends. I've read/listened to all the books at least a dozen times now. It's crazy. I suppose I need one stupid outlet in my life.

With that said, Dave got me the most spectacular shirt that I love. It says "...and then Buffy staked Edward. The End."

Gotta love good humor, even at my expense (or Edward's, to be precise).

June 6, 2009

2009-06-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

Shall I try to blog again? Who knows if it'll stick. Let's see what I have to share...

I am keeping a professional blog, too. Right now I'm adding more to that one.

http://socialthinkingvancouver.blogspot.com/

There are some old videos of Isaak on there. Kinda fun to watch. I'm working on getting some old videos from Penny transferred from video to the computer. Having issues with the software, but once that's figured out, those will be fun to share, too.

Family updates. Dave works. He cooks. He sleeps. He cleans. He plays Halo with the family.

I work. I don't cook. I don't sleep well. I travel. I kiss and cuddle and smother kids. I also play Halo with the family.

Isaak thinks. He laughs. He eats bananas. He takes AP Calculus and pre-AP Chemistry next year at the high school. He has a best friend. He beats the family playing Halo (3 against 1).

Maggie sleeps in. She draws. She paints. She gets paint all over her room and carpet. She leaves her clothes everywhere. She learns piano quite easily. She plays Halo with the family.

More to come soon.

October 26, 2008

2008-10-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

My friend, Krista, took our family pictures this year. Now I have to decide on some to print. So hard to decide! She did an awesome job.

October 19, 2008

2008-10-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Got a Flickr account so I don't have to post each picture one by one. Family involved, if you want a copy of any of these, let me know soon. Some of them are still "big" in case you want them that way. Soon, they will all be resized small except the ones I want big. So, if you want one I don't necessarily want big, you better let me know. :)

We had a BALL this weekend. The homecoming was fabulous. Really awesome. Lil' Audra sang a solo for one verse of a French song (with English words, although not even the same song words; it was very cool) that the parents sang. She was so nervous, but she did a great job and was so proud of herself afterward. It was very cool to see my Aunt Ginger. She rocks! Anyway, it was a great weekend all around.

Click here for all the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/audrajensen/sets/72157608190382816/

My favorites:

Heh heh. Battle injuries.

Cousins really don't get along. They're just pretending. :)

She gets her good hair from me.

Not much has changed in 18 months.

Dave Story...

2008-10-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

From Dave...

So... For the most part, I get bored doing traffic stops. Most people get a warning because once I find out they don’t have warrants or aren’t at least suspended, I lose interest. I make traffic stops hoping to get someone off the street who needs to be in jail. I really don’t care about giving regular people tickets. But I still do stops compulsively hoping for that one good stop.

Tonight I made that 1 in 1,000 stop that results in a good pop. I was going through a four-way stop intersection. A black 1989 Honda 2-door was going the other way. It was dark, and it had its headlights on. I couldn't make out the occupants. I glanced in my mirror and saw the rear of the vehicle looked completely blacked out. No tail lights. I whipped my car around and followed to check it out.

As I caught up to the car it had all 3 brake lights illuminated. It had its headlights on still. Periodically, the brake lights would flicker off, revealing that the tail lights were not working unless the driver’s foot was on the brake. We got to a stop sign. As the car started to move again, the rear end went dark momentarily. The driver was clearly riding the brake pedal in an effort to prevent me from seeing the equipment defect. The car had 3 white males in it.

I put a stop on the car and went up to it. The driver was nervous and his dress/demeanor just screamed “prison.” He was wearing a light blue jersey with a matching cap that said “LA” on it. He had a silver chain with an “LA” pendant hanging from it. His numerous tattoos included a “310” area code (which can also mean “13” for the Mexican Mafia--Sureno) and a filled in tear-shaped tattoo under his eye.

The other 2 dudes were pretty sketchy too.

I had my driver exit the car, and I patted him down for weapons. He gave me a name (Willis) and said he was suspended. No ID or wallet with him, of course. He could not, for the life of him, give me an address where he is staying, or even a phone number. Right… I called him on the brake pedal thing. He initially denied it, but then admitted he was trying to keep the defect from showing.

My sarge showed up to cover me, and we started to sort them all out. One of the passengers said the car was his. We checked his name out, and he ended up having a BOLO (be-on-the-look-out) indicating probable cause to arrest him for a DV Protection Order violation. The other passenger had ID on him, and ended up with 4 warrants, 2 of them for felonies. That guy is quite busy with ID theft, meth, and robbery.

So, all 3 of these dudes get arrested. As I am about to take them all to jail, my driver, the big, fat liar head, admits he gave me a false name (which is felony since he used a real person). He gave me his real name, Thomas, and it turns out he was wanted for a felony as well. Two warrants for him.

When I took them to jail, it was like a happy family reunion; one of the custody officers looking up and saying “Thomas! Where ya been, dude?” So, in one traffic stop I made 2 felony arrests, 1 misdemeanor domestic violence arrest, with a total of 6 warrants and 2 new charges. I got 3 animals off the street with HUGE histories of arrest for auto prowls, auto theft, burglary, robbery, assault, and drug possession. Didn’t find any dope in the car though.

Then I got to write the report for 2 hours…

October 18, 2008

2008-10-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of years ago, I was getting allergy shots. They make you wait a half hour after getting your shots in case you have a "systemic" reaction--AKA it hates you and makes you die. If they catch the reaction soon enough, they know what to do to prevent the full anaphylaxis (is that the right spelling?). Anyway, I had received my shot and all was well, and I went off to my class. It was something like 3-4 hours later, after I'd eaten some sushi rolls, when that nasty systemic reaction started to emerge. Started with a really flush and hot face, then a scratchy voice, then tightness in my chest. I figured it was a reaction, but didn't know if it was what I ate or the shots earlier. I didn't know how serious it could be, so I just drove myself to the ER after taking some Benedryl. On the way to the hospital, I remember it was starting to get a little hard to breathe. But, by the time they got me in, the Benedryl was kicking in, and it was all slowly subsiding. I got a nice (understatement of the year) lecture from my allergist that week about NOT DRIVING cuz if it had been worse, well, you know. Anyway, she wasn't sure if it was the food or the shot, either, because a systemic reaction usually shows up within 20 minutes of getting the shot, and this was 3-4 hours. She actually had me bring in the food I ate, ground it up in a blender, and shot it under my skin to see if I reacted to it. Nothing. So, she wasn't sure.

Fast forward 2 1/2 years to now. For the past month, I finally started getting shots again. Woohoo! This past allergy season was a BUGGER, and I am ready for it to get better again (my seasons were much better after I got the shots, even though I didn't finish the series, until this last year). I've been going in weekly, getting a bunch of shots, to get up to "maintenance" so I don't have to go so often. Last week was my last "big" week of lots of shots, and then I get to start coming in every 2 week and then every month. No big deal. Anyway, after the last shot last week, I was to wait 90 minutes before I could leave; still plenty of time from what they expect a reaction to start taking place. Well, at the 90 minute mark, the gal checking me over to send me home said, "Uh, you look kinda flushed. Do you feel alright?" Oh crap! Yup, it had begun. Same symptoms. Luckily, I was right there, so they loaded me with anti-histimine and watched my blood pressure (drop and then go up again as it subsided) and everything else. Took another hour. All was well, and I went home.

So, the first time it took 3-4 hours to start, this time it was 90 minutes.

Yesterday. First week on the same dose, but this time in the shot clinic (no doc around, just the shot nurses). Oh, you see where this is going, don't you? 20 minutes after the shots, I walk back into the area and say, "Um, I think something's happening." Yup. This time faster and more furious. Internal cramping, breathing difficult, drop in blood pressure. Eek! So, they pump me full of anti-histimine again, some inhaler thing, and then shoot me with Adrenaline! Have you ever had Adrenaline? Man, tripiest thing ever. It's like you just downed a 6-pack of Mountain Dew. And the darn shot hurt (and my arm ached so bad for the rest of the day). Oh, and it made me pass out. Anyway, cramps were really bad (felt like really horrible female cramps, ugh). Took about an hour to start to improve. Dave came and drove me home, and I crashed. They said that would happen--that the anti-histimine would want to make me relax and the Adrenaline would do the opposite, and it would make my body really exhausted.

I got a little cat nap and then headed up to Seattle. All's well now! It was a fun day.

So, I have to see the doc again before the shot nurses will "touch me" (their words; they were really funny).

Now, we're out in Sequim doing the family boogie (my parents' missin homecoming). Back to the grind on Monday!

Well worth the read...

2008-10-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/13/war-weary-%e2%80%93-what-are-you-complaining-about/

Rebekah Sanderlin
"Operation Marriage"

If the American military went to war and America went shopping, then seven years later the war wages on but America is home from the shopping spree with her credit cards maxed out and her head aching from buyer's remorse.

The war didn't change and the fighting force didn't change, but the people back home are over it. War, it seems, went out of style in 2003.

In the military community we roll our eyes when we hear that Americans are war weary. Just what, we wonder, are you all weary of? Hearing about the war? Seeing stories in the news? Most Americans don't even know anyone in the military and won't have any direct contact with the war besides seeing uniformed soldiers in the airport. You all haven't been asked to do anything more to support this war than sit back and watch as your tax dollars are spent.

To us, civilian complaints about being war weary sound like the gripes of deadbeat dads: It's a bummer to hear that things are going badly and you're sick of being asked to pay for it, but you're not doing any of the real work yourselves. Many of you believe that fighting this war is optional. You seem to think our nation could make everything okay by just sitting this one out.
And, in a way, that reasoning makes sense. Most of you haven't been on the front lines or on the homefront. You haven't looked into the eyes of the enemy and the innocents and you haven't heard gunshots and mortar rounds in the background during a precious-but-short phone call. You haven't had villagers beg you to stay or to adopt their children. And you haven't heard your soulmate grapple with dueling guilt: Guilt that he's leaving his family for so long and guilt that he isn't deployed more frequently and for longer so that he could do more. You haven't seen or heard any of this, so how could you possibly understand?

It's not your fault. Nobody has asked you to do anything. Our leaders didn't think you would be willing to make real sacrifices, so they never bothered to ask. They let you all think that shopping yourselves into debt was patriotic, that spending yourselves into bankruptcy and foreclosure was enough to keep our nation safe.

You are war weary because futility breeds weariness. When you feel like something is for no good reason and getting nowhere, it's understandable that you'd be over it. But maybe you wouldn't be so war weary if you, personally, had a stake in what was happening "over there."
In the military community, the price tag for this war is much higher but the commitment level is much greater. Our country has not only asked for our tax dollars (and believe me, we're paying monetarily for this war, too) but for our blood, our family time, our futures, our children's happiness and our very lives. We have enlisted and reenlisted – and offered our support to our spouses who sign back up - because, soldier and spouse, we know the commitment level of the people who want to kill us and we know the desperate dependence of the people our nation has vowed to protect. We know that we have to be at least as committed as our enemy or our own children will be fighting this same war.

My husband has spent the bulk of our five-and-a-half-year marriage deployed. He's missed most of our son's life and our daughter has never even heard his voice – not even in utero. We won't know for years what the long-term effects of these deployments will be on him, on us and on our kids. Last year he suffered a serious head injury and he's lost most of the hearing in his right ear, the ear closest to his gun. We don't know what the long-term effects of his injuries will be, either. This year, on his third deployment to Afghanistan, he missed my father's death and funeral, our daughter's birth, our son learning to ride a bike and catching his first fish, and countless other precious moments that cannot be reclaimed. There is no predicting what events he'll miss in the future.

And we are the lucky ones.

My husband has lost more than 20 friends in this global war on terror and I have an ever-growing group of Army widow friends. They are young and beautiful and many have young children. They are also stunted. They hang around Army towns years after losing their soldiers because they say they don't fit in anywhere else. They say they can no longer relate to what they see and hear in the civilian world.

They can't reintegrate into the your world because there the people they meet don't know what it's like to sacrifice everything for something intangible. The widows say they don't feel like they fit in where people don't know how hard it is to break away from that last hug before a deployment. In the civilian world the widows, like all soldiers and military spouses these days, are treated as oddities, something to marvel or gawk at from a distance. People either fawn over us or try to ignore us. Our presence inspires either adulation or discomfort.

So we hunker down in our military towns, where regular pilgrimages to D.C. to visit loved ones at Arlington and Walter Reed are common. In military towns, we can laugh about all the dust and sand that comes into our homes after a deployment, carted thousands of miles from where it was picked up. We can complain about long lines at the post office during our weekly visits to send care packages. We can vent about news of another deployment, less than a year after the last one. If anyone in America should be war weary, it's us.

And make no mistake: We are tired. We are stretched thin. Our marriages and our families are collapsing. Our children are emotionally damaged. They act out at school and cry at home. Everyday we wonder if we have the strength for even another day of this. We're tired from the work, but we're not weary of the mission.

This war is far from over, that's something both candidates for the presidency have acknowledged. Whichever man finds himself in the Oval Office come January will be in a position to decide our fates in the military community in a way more personal and immediate than most Americans will experience. The next president will determine how much my husband and I will see each other for the next four years and whether or not he will have the tools and policies he needs when he is in harm's way. The next president will determine our odds of continuing to be the lucky ones.

This war is far from over – that is an obvious truth in military communities. But our reality seems so very different from yours. For the last seven years our elected officials haven't thought enough of you to ask you to pitch in. They haven't, so I will.

My husband and I know that this is not his last deployment and we know that his odds of returning home get worse with each trip. The only way our family and other military families will get a break is if more Americans sign up to join the fight. News reports these days are full of stories of lay-offs and the high cost of health care. Well, guess what? There are no pink slips in the military and our excellent health care system is free.

So sign up. We want you. Your nation wants you. And we in the military community need you. My family deserves a break.

Her blog is interesting. It's http://blogs.fayobserver.com/operationmarriage/

Dave

2008-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

His driver's license circa 1985. Radical.

School Pictures

2008-10-12T17:59:00.001-07:00

Tagged

2008-10-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Only cuz it was from Anna Marie...

9 Things that Happened Yesterday

Visited with my buddy Carla who I haven't seen in what feels like FOREVER on our way to Roloff farms.
Saw Matt and Zach Roloff.
Updated data notebook for one of my kiddos.
Planted about 75 flower bulbs.
Took a bath cuz my female parts were hurting me.
Took a shower cuz I was smelly from working in the yard.
Went on a date with hubby and ate authentic Indian food for the first time I can remember.
Saw a really stupid movie (don't know why I let him talk me into seeing An American Carol, ugh).
Fell asleep watching Food Network.

9 Things that I'm Looking Forward to

People to stop freaking out about the economy.
The elections to be OVER and to stop having to see all the stupid commercials and hear all the stupid vote-for-me double-talk.
Anything with chocolate.
My resurrected body with no acne or cottage cheese thighs.
Paying off debt.
Grandkids.
Going to Hawaii (ah, some day).
Dinner (Dave's making Tuna and stuffed mushrooms and rice pilaf).
Not the rainy season.

9 Things on My Wish List

A million bucks.
Paid off house.
Dog that didn't shed.
Husband home each evening.
Non-moody daughter.
Kids finding their perfect soul-mate that I like and Dave can tolerate that will give me pretty and perfect grandchildren.
Lush grass that I don't have to treat or trim.
No allergies.
Musical talent.

9 People to Tag

I won't curse anybody, but if you're so inclined, I'd love to read yours!

October 12, 2008

2008-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Let's see. Last weekend, we made a surprise trip out to Sequim to surprise my parents who just got back from their mission in the Caribbean. It was great fun! Ah, those two look just like I'm sure I did when I got back--a bit of deer-in-the-headlights look. You can't really explain to someone who hasn't gone on a mission the intense "weirdness" you feel when you come home. For 18 months or two year, you have spent every waking minute in the service of other people. You have studied, taught, served, in many cases lived life in a different language and culture. Every moment of your life is scheduled and busy. Even your "P-day" (day off) isn't a day off as you have to, in that one day, do all the day-to-day stuff you don't have a chance to do the rest of the week like laundry and cleaning and shopping. Oh, and most P-days you end up having real missionary work to do, too. There is no rest day! But, it's so full of fulfillment and purpose and you love it. Then, all of the sudden, you come home, and BAM! There's nothing. Oh, there's still plenty to do, but it's different. It feels... almost wrong. Like you're doing something you're not suppose to. It's an eery feeling. It goes away, and soon enough you're making all the dumb, selfish, and trivial mistakes you used to. It's actually suppose to be that way. That's really life--not mission life. But, it's still a real adjustment. Anyway, my parents are in the midst of it. It was *great* to see them, though! And we get to go back this coming weekend to be at their homecoming.

This week, I had my usually busy work week plus an extra Seattle trip for someone's IEP. I have one very challenging client that keeps me up at night, but for the most part, I love all my families and, of course, adore the kids I get to work with. It's a lot of work, but it's a labor of love. I really feel like I'm doing something meaningful and full of purpose. Kinda like the mission!

I've been getting allergy shots each week. It's a series of a ton of shots each week over 4 hours so I can get through the series sooner and not drag it out. I'm quite a ways into them now, and my arms are bruised and sore to show for it. This last one didn't like me so much, and I started to have a "systemic reaction" which I have had before when I got shots a few years ago. Long story short, I was glad they did make me stay that long period because they knew what to do to prevent a bad reaction, and I was just fine. But, that means they are going to have to slow down my injection plan a bit and go slower, so I will have to go in more often and for longer than I had wanted to by this time. Oh well. By next Spring it won't matter, and I'll pretty much be done either way, so it's fine.

Kids have fallen into a nice weekly pattern with school, piano lessons, lil' Audra's choir, Activity Days, and Swim Team and Isaak's chess club. I continue to hear good reports from school. Math teacher says he's been doing great (he has above a 100% grade right now) and has only shown his anger once. :) Isaak has become quite laid back and cooperative over the past few months. I'm sure it's a combination of the right medication and maturity, but whatever it is, it's wonderful! He's a piece of cake now! He went on a Scout campout this weekend solo and sounds like he did just fine other than some cold toes in the morning.

Yesterday, lil' Audra and I went with best buddies to the Matt Roloff farms to pick pumpkins. Have you seen that show on TLC "Little People, Big World?" Well, that family's farm is just over the border, so we went. LONG car line to get it, but we waited it out, and it was a ton of fun! We saw some of the guys from the show and the cameramen following them around. Lil' Audra thinks she's "famous" now because they were filming once when Matt was driving his little golf cart thing past us. It was really fun. Then, Audra and I came home and planted a bunch of Spring bulbs. We'll see how they turn out next Spring! It was a fun weekend.

September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T06:41:00.003-07:00

Isaak got his first test in Pre-Cal back. He got 105%! It was a review chapter, I think, but it was still good to know he's got the foundation for the class and he's doing well. So glad this year is off to a good start!

September 22, 2008

2008-09-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Audra's comments at dinner (paraphrase):

"You wanna know something funny? (Dave interrupted her a bunch, so she was irritable, too.) Tammy, that friend of mine who stopped being my friend because her friends didn't like me, well, she made friends with another friend and only hangs out with her now. Her other friends (the ones who said they didn't like her) want to be my friend now."

I clarified and she said she already is just nice to everybody and isn't "like that."

Catty catty catty. I hope she continues to remain above it, but that's probably wishful thinking.

September 21, 2008 party II

2008-09-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Conversation just now:

Me: You can do what you want until 7:30

(at 7:21)
Me: Time to get ready for bed.
Audra: You said I could do what I want until 7:30.
Me: Fine, you have 9 minutes to do what you want.
Audra: I'm bored!

The end.

Isaak's note from church (his handwriting):

"Today, my friend Sean was supposed to come with me to chruch. I silently said a prayer asking Heavenly Father that Sean can come over. But when I got to his house to confirm, Sean couldn't. Alec, my other friend, couldn't either. But Mom was proud of me to just try to do it. It was just bad luck."

Aw.

September 21, 2008

2008-09-21T10:44:00.001-07:00

I got an offer to publish! Yup, I'm working on a new book, and I'm really excited about it. I developed something in my social groups called The Book Chat where I use children's literature to teach social skills and "autism thinking" skills. Anyway, the international social skills training GURU wants to publish it which is perfect. It will get tons of exposure with the right target audience.

So, now I just have to get it written. Now that I have an offer, though, I feel much more motivated.

Kids have adjusted really well to school. Isaak is doing great! Only minor little "blips" so far, and very few of those. He's feeling confident and proud of himself. He loves his math class. He hasn't been in a math class in a couple of years (only individual work), so I think he's just eating it up. Audra seems to be adjusting better now. She still has her moments, but I think the hard adjustments are slowly passing. I know there will be more, but she'll bounce back. She's so positive about life. Great kids!

September 16, 2008

2008-09-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Audra was assigned the lesson for Family Home Evening last night. She was encouraged to do the whole thing herself. She did it on Tithing. I got a hold of her notes:

"Does anyone know what tithing is? What does the church do with the money. Who wants to read a scriptcher? (call, read) What does that mean? Who do you think is saying it. (If answer, say: "good.") (If no answer, say: "Well, I don't know ether, does anyone want to try again?") When do we pay? How much? (Testamony) in (tithing is special) In the name of Jesus Christ Amen."

I love her idea of what to do if no ones knows the answer about the scripture.

She did an AWESOME job. Very eloquent and thoughtful. Very proud of her. Guess she'll have to do it more often! :)

September 13, 2008

2008-09-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Confessions:

Sometimes I still have laundry yet to be put away by the time I have to start doing laundry again.

I rarely make the bed. Dave does, though.

I take a bath almost every night.

I hate dog hair, and yet we have a dog who has long, shed-y hair.

I still really like my high school music.

I only wash the sheets like once a month. I would more often, but I just don't think about it! If you visit me, though, you'll always have fresh sheets, I promise.

I have super hairy legs and if I weren't to shave, you'd think I was a man.

I hate to exercise and I like treats. It's amazing I don't weigh 300 pounds.

I love road trips.

My fingernails are thin and weak. They're always breaking (well, ripping, actually because they're not thick enough to break).

I'm short.

There's more, but that's all I felt like writing. :)

September 12, 2008

2008-09-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

More Lil' Audra saga: After picking her up after choir yesterday, "I'm so happy because Tammy's other friends are not in choir with us so she can talk to me." Um, OK. Glad you're happy.

Question: Why is prostitution illegal and so condemned when adult pornography is so protected and accepted?

Question 2: I don't usually discuss politics since I think it's a very personal issue, but this one gets to me. Why is Gov. Palin so chastised for being inexperienced and ill-prepared to take over the presidency if necessary when no one in the mainstream media is making the same accusations to Obama?

It has begun

2008-09-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

From lil' Audra today...

"I found out why Tammy (a friend of hers at school from last year) can't be friends with me anymore. She said that none of her other friends like me, so she can't be friends with me."

I really hate girls, sometimes. Such mean, catty little creatures we are.

I'm Back!

2008-09-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is Isaak, finally back from summer to have a return to the blog! We're working on making a separate blog for me, so keep checking back for weekly updates!

The summer was quite fun. We went to Disneyland and saw our old cousins, Scout Day Camp, going to La Push beach (in honor of the Twilight Series obviously), Breaking Dawn release, and recently we went on the boating trip just yesterday! There was a bit of a Titanic moment when Audra was driving. But most important, school started, and I was a bit nervous, but I'm now having a good time!

Because of my talents, luck, and charisma, I won the hearts of older middle-schoolers, and even high-schoolers. I was placed in a 7-8th grade PE class by a dilemma in the schedule as I would call it. Not to mention from those older boys saw my charisma in humor. When a Chinese boy was called, I tried to be funny and said, "The Chinese are invading our country! First Chinatowns, and now foreign immigrants!" I was pleased to hear them laugh! By the way, about those high-schoolers in my precalculus class? Well, because of underage talents, they thought I was pretty cool. We didn't really work on real stuff yet, but we probably will starting tomorrow!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I was in a still new documentary! If you hadn't known this, I had the last part of the documentary (besides the credits) to myself! It featured me playing a solid piano piece, working out quadratic equations, and reading my essay to try out to do the first pitch in a Mariners Autism Awareness game! There are also some other "me" moments and my mom and my tutor, named Matt, who was one of the "real" stars in the documentary. In a beginning part of the documentary, I was talking about my math talent with the cameraman, named Jeff. Jeff said, "They're going to run out of math for you by the time you're in high school." I answered in a joke saying, "Sure! College math person, coming through!" When I was in the debut of this documentary, I heard some laughs!

Well, I'll see myself out! Be sure to check in next week for more school stuff and maybe even a Game Club moment this Friday!

2008-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

August 7, 2008

Yesterday, we went sailing with a company that takes out kids with disabilities and their families to sail on the Columbia River. We had an amazing time! It was so relaxing and peaceful. The kids absolutely loved it. What a great experience.

Dave was quite comfortable on the boat.

Lil' Audra was a crazy driver. She thought she was all funny when she tried to make it swerve, but I didn't!

Ahhhh, peace at last!

Isaak was quite subdued the whole time. I think he was just taking it in. He said he loved it. I think the rock of the boat was very soothing to him.

We will definitely need to do it again.

Kids did great their first week of school. Isaak had perfect "reports" each day. He seems to be getting into the swing of things. I assume it's a honeymoon and he will have some issue pop up, but so far, knock on wood. He LOVES his Pre-Calc class. First day he said, "I think I charmed them with my charisma." Yeah, probably. So far, they're just reviewing; I'm sure it will challenge him a little. I looked through the book, and WOWSERS!, I can't remember any of it. Should be fun if he needs help! Lil' Audra is a little down. She's having friend "issues." She says she doesn't have any friends at school (her best friend goes to a different school), and her friends from last year (who she didn't really play with this summer) have sort of made other friends and aren't really including her. Well, normal girlie stuff. I told her to just give it some time. I told her that it took me quite a while to make friends in this ward, but now I have some of the greatest friends I've had. I just had to be patient and get to know people. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's just so dang social, and not having a ton of friends to be social WITH is hard for her.

Well, Isaak wants to blog today, do I should let him.

August 30, 2008

2008-08-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Got a major headache right now. Bad enough that I can't really work on anything for lack of concentration. Need to go veg in front of the TV. :)

Kids are ready to go to school. Or, I'm ready for them to go. It's been a very relaxing summer (for them) as we haven't placed a lot of demands on them, mainly due to our own crazy schedules. I'll be glad to get some structure back in their lives.

Isaak has made a group of buddies that come over almost daily to play. They're all a bit nerdy, themselves. It can get quite loud and obnoxious around here when they're here, but despite being complete dweebs, we're glad he's made some friends on his own. I suppose it's progress.

Lil' Audra is excited to go back to school ONLY because she wants to be with her school friends again. Isaak is nervous about middle school, but we've prepared him as best we can. He will meet his high school math teacher on Tuesday. I'm nervous about that class as, and I have NO idea who came up with this idea!, the high school has NO WALLS. That's right, classes are all in large wings with around 4 classes sharing a space, separated by portable dividers or file cabinets. They call it an "open learning environment." Huh? How is THAT suppose to contribue to the better learning of the students, ANY students, let alone students like Isaak. So, we'll see how that goes. There are no other options other than going back into individual lessons on a computer like he's done for the past year and a half. I'd really like to see him back in a classroom learning situation, so I hope this works out.

Anyway, that's about it. We have a new niece in the family who we are anxious to get up to Seattle to see soon. And my parents are due back on the continent (after a year and a half mission to the Caribbean; hard life, eh?) in the beginning of October. That will be fun!

Here's Isaak's baseball picture...

More good stuff!

2008-08-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

On the Spectrum, a documentary just released, has me and Isaak participating in parts. It's an awesome little snippet about successes with high-functioning autism and Asperger's. Very neat. Here is a clip of Isaak's part.

You can get the movie from www.onthespectrummovie.com :) It's very well done.

Old voices

2008-08-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Blasts from the past...

Came across these old tape recordings of the kids. Awww. Of course, the quality's horrible, but it's something!

Here is Audra (Maggie then) at age 4. At the end, you can hear Isaak running away screaming saying, "I don't want to do it!"

This clip is a little longer. When Isaak was 4 (almost 5, I think), his speech therapist (and I) took him to a local radio station to work on asking social questions. He is in his "Millionaire" phase, so he's totally perseverating on it, but it's cute. The clip is about 4 minutes long.

Breaking Dawn or Breaking Down?

2008-08-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

K, fellow Twilighters. Spoilers included here, so don't read if you don't want to be enlightened. If you have read and are ready to discuss, here are my thoughts and questions. Friends with whom I've already chatted with, please help me remember ones I forget here...

To me, there are now two Bellas, and two sets of books, really. There's the set of the first 3 books. They all "feel" the same. Same Bella, same Edward, same mysticism. Breaking Dawn was like this whole other entity. The first half was just bizarre. It was like X-Files. Maybe she'd been writing The Host too much because it felt a lot like that. I didn't really like it. The second half of the book I enjoyed, especially the last few chapters. Still, it was like a different series, although the second half was more like the first three books, but the characters were different characters. Which brings me to...
There were two sets of characters. First three books' characters and Breaking Dawn characters. Once Bella became a vampire, I did like the new Bella. I liked the old Bella and the new Bella, but they were not the same Bella. She was now strong and confident and determined and independent. Not the old Bella. Same with Edward although now he seemed less-confident and strong and pliable. I didn't like the new Edward as much as the old Edward. Even Charlie was different. Like he would have just accepted the weirdness of it all with a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude. That didn't fit with his 3-book character at all. He just accepted it? And where the heck was Renee? Which brings me to...
Where were all the other characters from the 3-books? Hardly anything happened in Forks. I understand why and all, but just no explanation or interaction with or without Bella. Weird. They're all just... gone.
Sorry, but the whole Nessie thing could have been done differently. She was like this monster alien child the way she was born, and then the stupid name (why didn't they use Carlie, her middle name; that's cute and not impossible to say?), the fast growing rate, the "elongated limbs" like a little adult. And imprinting on Jacob. Little creepy, have to say. I didn't find it as creepy as some of my friends, but still. Weird.
I felt there were a bunch of things I expected to happen or be addressed that just never were. Like Bella's premonition dreams. Her ability to smell blood unlike other people could. There were other things. What were they?
Alice's background was only briefly touched upon in the 3-books. I felt like that was really left hanging. I thought there would be more to clear that up. Nope.
I LOVED the final climax scene and all the religious tones in it. I couldn't put the book down once I got there. However, I was sort of let down that the fight didn't happen. Felt like it needed it. Felt like, if you're not going to have them fight and just have them all walk away, then you need to keep writing the series 'cuz there's a whole lot that's still going to happen. Didn't feel like a series-ender even if the author said it is. Maybe she'll try to redeem herself by writing another with Jacob and Nessie older.
Didn't like the wrap-up. No information about Renee and how that's going to work out, hardly any Charlie, hardly any about anyone. In fact, it must have been lame enough because I can't even remember what happened in the wrap-up. Big let-down.

I'll keep adding to this list as I remember them.

So, overall I hated the first half, liked the second half (even with flaws), loved the climax, but didn't like the wrap-up.

For me, the order of my favorites are:

Twilight
Eclipse
New Moon
Breaking Dawn

Yours?

July 30, 2008

2008-07-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

We had planned on watching some friends' kids overnight last weekend since their mom was out of town. Twins Isaak's age and a boy Audra's age. Great friends of ours. Dad was bringing them over in the evening. Well, we get a call from him that night that they had to take their cat to the vet because it had gotten run over. They'd be late. Then, they called a couple hours later. Dad said they were on their way, but they had had to put the cat down. The kids still needed to come because Dad couldn't get out of work in the morning. It was so sad! I opened the door to three very sad kids who had just had to say good-bye to a beloved pet! The twins were the only ones to stay (Audra's friend stayed with dad), but I did my best to cheer them up and keep them busy.

It was a great opportunity, actually, for my kids to see grieving, talk about it, and be a part of that process. We had some good discussions before, during, and after. And, in the end, the kids perked up, and we had an awesome time together.

Taking lil' Audra to get allergy testing tomorrow. Sadly, I think she's got 'em! Didn't have much of a chance with the two parents of hers so pathetically blowing their nose half the year.

My favorite thing right now: Playing Halo with my family before bed. I'm the worst player in the family now. Yup, even the little one can beat me.

What I'm looking forward to the most right now: This Friday, the fourth book of the Twilight series comes out (http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/) and some friends and I are going to the late-night coming out party at Barnes and Noble. I can't wait! I'm totally addicted.

I love Edward.

July 24, 2008

2008-07-24T23:12:00.001-07:00

This is how nerdy I am. I just got back from the theater re-presentation of "War Games"--the 25th anniversary. Man! That is a good movie. I'd forgotten most of it (being that I was probably a young teenager the last time I saw it). So nerdy.

I am now watching the season finale of last season's Gray's Anatomy. Mmmm. Love that show.

So, I have officially started my next book. I have started the outline and let MGW (the social skills guru people) know, and they seem very excited to see it and be a part of it. I think they'll publish it. If not, then I'll go with my old publishers. Anyway, I'm thinking maybe if I let people know I'm working on it, that people will keep me "honest" and will make me keep going!

I have to say, the kids have been doing really good this summer. I have "employed" them to work with certain kids with me and be helpers. Isaak, in particular, has really surprised me. He is a great model and help. It's pretty awesome. He does really good with the social group kids. I mean, he knows this stuff inside and out by now, and he has learned when to wait to give the right answer or be an example. He follows my cues and is patient with the kids that may be displaying "unexpected behavior." He's been awesome.

Wow. Gray's Anatomy has a LOT of commercials.

I gotta get my camera out and take some more pictures. My blog has GOT to be boring. I'm bored, myself. Going to bed now.

June 29, 2008

2008-06-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going to TRY to get something posted each week. We'll see how long that lasts.

This was our first week home after our trip to California. We had an awesome time (in CA, not at home; although home was nice, too). I think the whole fam really enjoyed themselves. Let's see what I can recap in the few moments of peace I have right now. I'm sure Dave can remember more details than I can, but here's what I have in my brain...

Saturday (June 14): Wait for Dave and lil' Audra to get back from a Daddy-Daughter Activity Days thingy in the morning before we shot out the door. Gotta love that "frantically getting things ready" panic state. But, we did get out before noon. We drove and drove until we landed on my brother's doorstep in Berkeley, CA at about 10 that night. Only Earl was there (no fam, yet), so we enjoyed a short chat before shuffling everyone off to bed. We'd be back later that week!

Sunday: Up and out first thing in the morning. Headed down to Thousand Oaks, CA to meet up with my Awesome Auntie (and extended family) and my other brother, Daniel, and his family for a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Got stuck in some lovely CA traffic on the way and was a tad late, but they loved us, anyway! It was great to see them all! I have some of my fondest memories from CA trips to them when I was a kid. I told them that my most vivid vacation memory was when my cousin, Candi, was maybe 7 or 8, and she could swim, but she was going through a "freak-out" stage. Well, she wouldn't get in and swim or something, so my uncle picked her up and threw her in the middle of their pool. She screamed bloody murder and dog paddled and said she was drowning, and my other cousin (her older brother) who must have been 10-12 or so, jumped in and "saved" her, dragging her to the side of the pool. He was SO MAD at my uncle, especially when he turned around and picked Candi back up and threw her back into the middle. Hee hee. Ah, the sweet, sweet memories. :)

My Uncle Joe and Aunt Ginger

While we were at the Brandenburgs, we had an awesome little lesson by Isaak about the 10 talents, and then had each of the young kids (the cousins' kids) share one (or more) of their talents. It was so fun to see them all. I was very sad when it was time to check out again and keep driving. We finished the trip south in Long Beach, CA, (near Daniel and his family) late that night where we would be staying for the next few days.

Isaak's "Talents" Lesson

The Garrett's

The "Young" Brandenburg's

The Daniel Malmrose's

Monday: Um, I think we went to the beach with Susan and kids this day in Huntington Beach. What a cute little beach town! We loved the little stretch of shops down by the beach with all the little taco shops. We vowed we'd be back another day to check them out. The beach was fun. Kids happily got sand into their shorts for a few hours while I dozed on the pleasant-weather beach. Not too hot or too chilly. Just nice. We went back to the cousin's apartment after for a dip in the pool and some Rock Band play.

Yummy Hot Tub Bubbles

Daniel's kids are awesome. Nathaniel just graduated from high school and it something like 6 foot 2 inches. Crazy. Cat is almost 16, has a boyfriend, and is still this sweet, gentle, kind person that I remember (a lot like her mom was). Elijah is going into high school, has this rad long, red hair, is a talented musician, and is a lot like his dad.

Yummy Mexican Food!

Catherine and her boyfriend, Luis

Rock Band

Tuesday: Ah, Disneyland day. We decided to pack it light, so I didn't bring my camera. I should have! It would have been easy to cart around. We did the whole one-insane-day thing. We got there when they first opened and stayed until after the firewords show at 11 PM. It was crazy! Yes, it was hot and crowded, but I think because we had *expected* that it would be, it was tolerable. No surprise, that's for sure.

First thing we did was lil' Audra and I went to Space Mountain (the rollercoaster in the dark). Dave and Isaak were too chicken, so they went off to do something else. Well, we LOVED it! It was totally a blast. It's not a super-crazy coaster, so even the little one loved it. On our way out, we got Fast Passes to go back later knowing that we'd get the boys talked into it. Which we did! And believe it or not, they liked it, too! We did a bunch of other rides and stuff, but nothing much worth spending time on, other than the kiddie coaster we rode in Toon Town (or whatever it's called). We sat in line FOREVER and it was way hot and I think I was getting sick from the heat, but we stayed because lil' Audra really wanted to, and, well, this day was about them, so we did it. Woopie.

Oh, my absolute favorite part of the day was lunch. We were super starving and the crowds were insane, so we finally decided to just wait in a dumb line in the this restaurant-saloon thing. It was a horrible line and it was horrible finding a table, but we did do all that. Then, shortly after we started eating, a show started and we had awesome seats! They were these 4 hillbillies who were just hilarious. I haven't laughed so hard in my life. So, it was worth it.

A few years ago, when Isaak was 4 and Audra was 2, we went to Disneyland. Neither one really remembers it, except Audra remembers the Tiki Room (where there is a show with a bunch of talking puppet birds and stuff). That's because when we took her then, she was absolutely terrified and hysterical, and I had to take her out before the show was over. This time, we told her she had to "face her fears!" We dragged her back, kicking and screaming (not really, though, just in play), and made her go again. She survived, but still pretends to "shudder" whenever we mention the Tiki Room. I tried to give her the nickname "Tiki", but she doesn't like that too much.

Anyway, it was a long, but awesome day. We went in happy and skipping and came out exhausted zoombies. In fact, Dave says Disneyland's the "happiest place on earth" because they take all your happiness from you.

Wednesday: We did some more play with Daniel's family. Got to tour his snowboard shop (he's a mechanical genius, you know!), went to the pier at the surfer's beach, played in the pool, ate at In-N-Out Burger, and played some more games with the cuz'ins.

Daniel's Shop

At Huntington Beach

Daniel Playing Rocket with Audra

Thursday: We started the trip back north. We didn't rush this time. We meandered, spent some time in Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world. We are HUGE artichoke fans, so that was really fun. We also called Dave's sister, Anna Marie, while we were there and rubbed her nose in the fact that we were eating deep fried artichokes in the artichoke capital (she's a bigger lover than we are!). It was fun to see what our artichoke plants in our backyard will look like someday (fingers crossed). They're huge!

K, not usually THIS huge, but still big.

Yummy! Deep Fried Artichokes

By evening, we were back up near Earl's fam, and they had us meet at Benihana's restaurant in San Francisco. So awesome! I have very fond memories of Benihana's since my dad used to take me there every year on my birthday (once I turned 16 as my first "date"). I miss that! Dad, you owe me a Benihana trip when you get back! It was great to see the Earl family, too. They're growing up so much! Anna is just a riot. And Jake is just a little man. And Vincent and Kory and full-blown teenagers. Very weird. We stayed with them that night.

Earl and Kory blowing up our beds

Jake, Isaak, Kory, Audra

Audra and Anna

Friday: Our day to hang out with the Earl bunch. They took us to this huge rock near them that the kids loved climbing on. What a beautiful view of the whole San Fran valley! We went to a science museum at the collge which had the kids (especially Isaak) enthralled for most of the afternoon. We ate yummy chinese food (that was that night, right? I get the days mixed up in my head).

Earl's "work" (or is it play?)

The BIG Rock

Kory's Head at the Science Museum

Saturday: I went to my first day of the conference while Dave took the kids on excursions. They went to the Golden Gate Bridge and to this gnarly underground fort. I don't know the name of it. Sounds like they had a great time.

Dave took this one on the Bridge

The Fort

I enjoyed a full day of awesomeness, hearing other social skills training providers and their programs and getting ideas from them. It was great (but the next day was even better!).

I met back up with the fam and Earl's fam, and Dave and the big boys made artichokes to die for. We sat around eating salad and artichokes and fruit and cheese and then played Scum and Mao (card games) until we couldn't stay awake any longer. We headed back to the motel we were staying at near my conference location.

Oh, and the motel? Um, got it "on the fly" while we were driving around down there when we realized the conference was too far from Earl to make the commute possible. Well, it was BAD! So bad that Dave actually propped a chair in front of the door and had his gun easily accessible during the night. It smelled all funky, the blankets had cigarette stains, and there were SCARY people hanging around. Quite the adventure.

Sunday: I went back to my conference while Dave got packed and ready. I don't know what else they did that day, but I had a great day! The talks on this day were even more informative. And, I gave my presentation about using reading comprehension strategies to teach social thinking. It went over really well! I got lots of compliments and even had a line of people to talk to me on each of the rest of the breaks. Michelle Winner, the social thinking "guru" whose conference it was, gave me some great compliments and has even asked me if I want to contribute a chapter to an upcoming book she's getting ready to write. How awesome is that?!? I left the conference feeling very "satisfied."

The rest of the trip was traveling, first to our last hotel Sunday night in northern CA, then the rest of the way home Monday.

Well, that's all I can get out of myself for now. It was an awesome week, but also was followed by crazy getting-back-into-the-swing-of-things stuff. Maybe I'll write about that next week!

Audra

P.S. Special thanks to all our family who hosted us and hung out with us and put up with us during our trip. It was one of the best vacations we've ever enjoyed!

Travelog Weekend of May 16

2008-05-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

This was one of my favorite weekends I've had in a very long time...

We took the kids to the new Great Wolf Lodge as a reward for "Blackout Month" where we turn off all electronics (TV, video games, etc.) for a month. It's my favorite month of the year. The kids are used to it and actually (although they would never admit it) like the month even though their friends think we're weird. Anyway, at the end of the month each year, we go do something real fun, and this year we decided to go to the Great Wolf Lodge which has an indoor water park and is just full of fun everywhere. We had such a blast!

Here is Isaak doing Karaoke to the Barenaked Ladies.

Coming down the water slides.

This waterslide is called "The Tornado." It's amazing! It's a four-person inner-tube, and you go into this dark hole, drop off a 20-foot "cliff" and then go into this huge open area and swish back and forth like you're going down a drain or the toilet bowl, as we called it. You can watch a video of this ride on their website, I think. With my bad luck, I ended up going down backwards almost every time which can be pretty freaky! Little Audra went down about three times and then had had enough of it and went back to the smaller slides, but Isaak could have kept doing it all day, although you'd never think he'd want to by the face he had each time he went off the cliff! Wish I had a water-proof camera there!

Here is Isaak coming down with some strangers.

After Great Wolf, the kids and I went out to Sequim to visit my sister while Dave went back home to break his back on the yard. We went to the beach...

Lil' Audra and Grace.

Isaak and Noah.

Isaak looking for clams.

Elias climbing the rocks.

We went to a park to ride bikes.

Lil' Audra.

Grace.

Isaak.

Noah.

Then, we went to a pond that had been stocked with fish for the kids to fish at. They provided the poles, bait, and lots of funny old men to help the kids. They had a ball! Too bad the city had messed something up and the oxygen level was off in the water, so the fish weren't biting much.

Grace caught the only fish!

We went back to play at Amber's. The kids found a lucky patch of clovers.

Amber's family recently bought a couple of motorbikes for play. It was awesome! The kids are already asking when we're going back to ride some more.

Noah in all his gear.

Yup, even I did it.

Amber on the "kid" bike.

Lil' Audra trying to make the kid bike go faster (it wasn't fast enough for her liking, I guess).

Amber with Elias.

Isaak took a little more instruction than the others...

But eventually he got it!

We also saw the new "Narnia" movie which was great, and I made Steve watch James Bond and the Casino Royale. Gotta love that torture scene.

Overall, it was just an amazingly fun weekend. I need more like it!

K, I'm tagged

2008-05-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

3 Joys...

Playing Halo with my family (yup, even the 9-year-old girl; she beats me, in fact)
When a little kiddo I work with makes unexpected progress
Sundays with nothing to do!

3 Fears...

Losing a child. What worse thing could there be?
Getting a call from school that Isaak's freaking out
Not having friends to hang out with when I need a break

3 Obsessions...

Autism. Always autism. Autism anything.
Thinking of new books to write (which I never seem to have time to do, I just THINK about it).
Dreaming of white sand and warm water beaches.

3 Surprising facts about me...

I'm pretty open. Not sure I'm very surprising. Um, some may not know I have really sticky-outty wrist bones. They totally gross little Audra-Maggie out.
I've "dated" three guys who were either gay or later admitted being gay (no, Dave's not one of them!).
If I could afford it, I'd buy a big motor home and spend 2 years on the road with the kids wandering aimlessly around the country.

Amber, Susan, and Cathy are "tagged."

Isaak visit to high school math class

2008-05-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

Revving up for a placement decision about next year. He visited a high school math class today. Will try this or maybe another class during the month of May to help prepare him to be back in a class environment for math. He's been doing individual math for long time, now. This will be good for him.

My next book!

2008-05-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally figured it out (at least right now; it may still change).

I grew up with a bunch of girls at church through my teenage years. Several of us ran in different social circles, but we were still friends with church as our common bond for many years. Three of us stayed in contact with one another over the years. Now, what would be the odds that all three of us would end up with children on the autism spectrum? I'll have to have Isaak figure that one out for me.

I couldn't find any old pictures of Corrine, but here are some of Dana and me (and some other scattered people).

Dacyl, Dana, Me around 1987...

Dana fixing my hair around 1985. Gotta love the hair!

Julie and Dana at Girls' Camp in 1987...

Youth Conference in 1986. Dana and I are in the middle.

So, we've started hanging out the past few years as we've been traveling down the autism path together. We've shared horror stories, joys, and lots of yummy Claim Jumper food. A few days ago we got the three boys together for the first time. It was a hoot! We were the model of autism! Quite a sight to see. We took the boys to a Mariners' game. It was such fun! We are going to try to do some outting together every month now. It was really fun.

Here we are in the parking lot...

And the goof balls...

Watching the baseball "bloopers" on the screen...

Joshua...

Isaak...

Kyle...

They are very interesting boys, especially together. They all have a different "flavor" of autism, so to speak. Isaak has the high intelligence, but is quite content to be by himself. Social awareness is really impaired. He'd live a happy life, I'm sure, if no one every bugged him to do anything with them. Kyle is very social. He struggles a lot with language processing. He's very into looking "normal," so when he isn't understanding, he has a lot of anxieties. Joshua is the clown of the group. He is loving and silly and fun. He has a lot of pent-up energy he struggles to control (especially when meds wear off). They ALL struggle with having a "flexible brain" and doing things differently than they want to.

Anyway, they are really funny and I think can learn a lot from each other. What a great journey that will be! So, if i can get my mind wrapped around it, I may have a new book to write! A flash-back-flash-forward of the three of us and our three ASD kids.

Isaak is Benjamin Franklin

2008-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

For a project at school tomorrow...

My favorite part: "...a *colonial* in the Philadelphia militia" pronounced phonetically. :)

Pictures from the Autism Walk

2008-04-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's our Walk group.

Isaak "won" the hot potato game with Radio Disney and got a DVD as a prize (can't remember what movie, maybe Underdog? We haven't seen it yet). He looks so serious! This is serious business, I suppose!

One of "my" darlings.

I like railroad tracks.

Isaak thought this clown was absolutely hilarious. His favorite part he wrote about on his blog entry, I think, about the clown saying "thank you, thank you" around the group of kids and when he got to Isaak, he said, "spank you" and just kept going. Isaak still talks about that roaring with laughter.

It was a great day! Thanks to everyone who participated financially or in spirit. The whole Walk was a huge success!

Isaak's Essay

2008-04-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Isaak wrote an "essay" for a contest to throw out the first pitch at Autism Awareness night with the Mariners in a couple weeks. This is what he wrote (no direction or editing by anyone):

How Autism Affects Me
By Isaak Jensen
For the Autism Awareness Night at Safeco Field Contest (or whatever it is)

Well, to me, autism is a social disorder that affects my senses slightly. Sometimes when someone asks me a question, I sometimes not listen to the question and say, “Wha…?” I can see pretty well, though, but sometimes, probably because of the pills my doctor has asked me to take, my vision gets all blurry and weird. My skin is sensitive, and I actually don’t like sweets such as chocolate. I even threw up in a café that got burned down later. I think it was because of customer satisfaction.
But autism didn’t affect just that. Sometimes when things don’t go my way, I get all stressed out keep convincing people to change. But I’m sure that this isn’t that important. Speaking of important, I think some things are more important than others. Sometimes I get a little curious and play with some things. One time when I was little, I shoved a penny up my nose! I might get a little nervous if I would throw the First Pitch or some other big event because I could mess up something like that.
But overall, I think autism was just a particular gift that gave me a challenge in life. Maybe I’m just born with the talent. Maybe, just maybe, I’m a powerful kind of guy who, in the future, can show why that we need just some attention. Maybe we just want respect from others. Maybe we could just stand up for ourselves and just be a true nation with different talents and stuff. After all, we’re just ourselves, that’s all.

Mathmathmathmathmathmathmath

2008-04-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

So, Isaak has not had a full math curriculum this year due to him "going through" every other option the district had in the way of self-paced programs (as opposed to in a classroom). He finished their Algebra and Geometry "credit recovery" programs by October, I believe. So, the district math coach had been just designing some extra work for him to do. I think much of which has been WASL-prep problem solving work. They did have him take the 10th grade math WASL (as a practice) to see how he'd do, and he did pass it, but I think they still want him to work on improving his problem solving techniques.

Anyway, he'd had consistently good daily reports from school for weeks, and then I got three days in a row where he'd gotten "stressed" during his math time. It was something about them asking him to revise his work or that he wasn't understanding a problem and was refusing help. I told them to just send the problems home and let me look at them.

First problem; he'd just didn't complete the question they were asking by giving direct evidence from the problem or something. He was a little irritable with me (had obviously caused him stress at school), but he quickly got over it when I just showed him what he was missing. He went and did it, no problem.

The second problem was this:

"Jay earns $16.42 per hour. He earns 1.5 times his hourly wage for every hour he works over 40 hours each week. He earns 2 times his hourly wage on Sunday. Jay worked 3 hours on Sunday and earned a total of $903.10 for the week. How many total hours did Jay work last week? Show your work using words, numbers, and/or diagrams.

His formula to figure it out was this:

It's hard to see, but it's basically if h<=40, $98.52 + $16.42h = $903.10 h = 49 hours then the next line, if h>40, $98.52+$24.63h=$903.10 x 1.5h = 49 hours

His answer: 49 hours

The comment on the paper from school was, "Need to see calculations more clearly."

I could not follow his logic, even when he explained it. And he was obviously getting irritated with me for not "getting it." So, I asked him if he knew the answer was right. "I don't know, they haven't told me yet."

I turned the paper over and went to figuring it out, myself. Took me many steps and Isaak sitting next to me as my "calculator."

Eventually, I did figure out that the answer was 49 hours, just what he had figure out with his complicated, but succinct formula. So, my question is this. Is the request for more clear calculation the basis of his horrible handwriting (I don't think so) or the request for solving the problem in such a way as the examiner is able to understand, regardless of the fact that he did use correct math calculations and formulas and showed his thinking in that manner?

I don't fault the teacher/aide with the request to show his thinking better. The fact is that he thinks at a very high level and the way in which he arrives at answers do not necessarily follow prevailing logic for the rest of us. Does it have to? And it's not just an issue with this particular problem. If it were, I'd just have him add some steps so they could see or clarify his handwriting or something. But, I think this is going to be a systemic problem. He thinks in an unusual mathematical manner and it may take people who really understand deep mathematical thinking to relate to him and understand him. Meanwhile, he is frustrated because, in his mind, he did show his thinking, there were clear calculations, and he got the right answer.

So, I understand his frustration, and, like I said, I don't fault the teachers as this is an unusual situation. However, we do need to find a solution so he can continue to flourish in his crazy math fantasy world in his head. I don't want him to lose that spark because the people around him don't understand him and expect him to think the way they do.

I do really detest the WASL and such problem solving requirements.

American Idol--The Final 6

2008-04-23T06:43:00.001-07:00

K, so I think David Archuleta stole the show. I did like David Cook, but I guess I expected more--something more original or "earth shattering." I was a little disappointed. I was very sad that Brooke had another poopy week. She is SO talented, but with two bad weeks, I think she's very much "at risk". I think it will be her, Carly, or Jason to go home.

Audra Jr 4/13/08 Blog

2008-04-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello. I haven't done a blog in quite a while. And I really need to, so I'm doing it. I started Karate. It is fun. I learned that the best self-defense is your mind and only use Karate when you are scared, not when you are mad (not like my brother). My mom's birthday just passed. I got her a thing that goes around her neck when she's tired and she's not in her bed. My brother got her a thing that scratches her back.

Today I went to Oaks Park to do the Walk-a-Thon. Mom and I joked that it should be the Walk-a-THONG with everyone in their underwear. That was really funny. Now, that's all I need to say for this blog.

Bye.

Isaak 4/13/08 The Autism Walk

2008-04-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

(Note: This is actually for Isaak's blog, not for this blog. We couldn't figure out how to get to his blog.)

Today we had something special on our time besides stake conference. (Actually, the Vancouver Ward Children's Choir sang "A Child's Prayer" during the adult session of stake conference, and I was there.) We had something called an autism walk in Oaks Amusement park. There were fun things there.
At first we had to wait in a line. The line was long, but we got moved to a shorter line. And guess what! Mom let us go see Radio Disney, who came here to visit! I got invited to a Radio Disney game. We had to pass a High School Musical Ball all over against 10 people. It's kind of like Hot Potato. At first it was kind of easy, but my sister got out in 7th place. Fortunately, I stayed in for quite a bit. I even was in the final 2! For that, I won Phineas & Ferb Stickers. Then the music stopped, and I WON!! I was so excited; I got the Underdog DVD!
Then came the autism walk. It was a mile long. There were some Autism fun facts along the way. They told us that in Oregon, the chance of having an autistic child is about 1 to 88; compare that to the national average of 1 to 150! We were also cheered on by some teenage girls that we past by. The final sign said, "Thank you for participating in the 6th Annual Autism Walk", at least that's what it least said.
One of my favorites is that we found a clown! He showed us some tricks that he had up his sleeve. He was going to show us a ball and there was none! He tried it 3 times, but then the fourth time he had 2 balls! Then again the fifth time he showed 3 balls! Quite impressive little cookie he was. One time he blew a balloon, then tried to have it bent, but then worked. But when he got some kind of magic thing, he tried to bend it, but it broke in half. Oh, and when he was going to do it at first, the air went out when he wasn't looking. When he had another balloon let go, and I mean "let go", it got twisted in two fingers, then one finger. When he let go, his glove got off! When he left, he said thank you to two kids, and SPANK you to me! How humilating!
Overall, the walk was really good! I'm looking forward to next year's!

Audra 4/13/08

2008-04-13T16:40:00.001-07:00

Moved blogs again. I think the kids have the same one. It's been so long since I've updated that I've forgotten everything!

It's been a crazy year so far! I'm still working at school part-time, and just last week I came across an office for my private consulting work that was perfect for what I wanted, so I snatched it up. So, I have an official "office" space and a monthly lease to go with it. It's great, though. All my "junk" is out of the house (mostly), and I have room in the office to romp around with the kids much better. Current area in the house will be turned into a real guest room (eventually when we can afford some furniture).

Dave is enjoying his work. We enjoy his stories. We were to meet him for work last night, and he called right as we got to the restaurant and he said he'd just been called off, so to go ahead without him. Right at that moment, there was a cop car behind me with lights and sirens blazing, so I figured he was just playing with us. Kids thought it was great. I'm thinking, "What a dork!" and I slowed down and even tapped my breaks just to play with him. Well, come to find out, he really WAS called off and it WASN'T him behind us! Ack! Sorry Mr. Officer-sir. :P

Isaak is doing SO well this year. We figured out a nice combination of medication that really helps him, and he's just maturing. Things that would previously have really "gotten" him, he's just letting slide off his back. He's so much easier to reason with and is more cooperative than ever. It's great! The best thing is that he's getting his own little group of friends that WE are not arranging for him! With that, though, comes some real emotional conflicts. He, for the first time, experienced a real sense of disappointment from people (as opposed to a game or activity he couldn't do). Some friends were getting together to have a Pokemon battle, and one friend said he'd pick him up or something since Isaak didn't know where it was. Well, I didn't know anything about it until that day, almost at the minute he was supposed to come. And, he didn't come. So, Isaak sat and waited anxiously, only to be disappointed that it didn't happen. We didn't have the guy's phone number to figure out what the story was, so I couldn't help him. I just had to assure him that it was OK and probably just a miscommunication and it wouldn't be the last time. But, to see those real tears and that true emotional pain was quite something. It was so NORMAL.

Little Audra is a doll. She's had a good year. She's not a huge fan of school, but she's a hard worker and a sweet girl. I told her this summer I'd hire her to come and be a "helper" in the clinic. She can start learning the work I do, and I think she'll be great at it. She's really excited to do that. She also wants to paint a picture for the new office.

We did the local Autism Society (of Oregon) Autism Walk-a-Thon today. So many people! The last walk we did was probably 5-7 years ago in Seattle. There weren't nearly as many people. I think the word is out. There was a statistic written on the path that said that Oregon has a rate of 1 in 88 (national is 1 in 150). Don't know how they're tracking their data, but if that's accurate, whoa! Anyway, it was a nice day. I know there's a lot of talk about the cause of autism right now, lots of people debating this or that. I wish I knew (I always get asked), but I can't worry about that. My fight, my focus, has to be intervention. I'll let the other people do the research and figure it all out. Hopefully, with events like this and more prominent people coming out of the woodworks, someone will figure it out.

Until next time (hopefully not another 9 months)!

Audra