Skip to main content

Homesick?

I received Christmas cards today from 2 very special people. Both are friends of ours from California, and both have had such a huge influence in my decision to go into the field of Special Education. They were both on our Special Olympic Swim Team (again, I haven't yet gotten that far in the writing of my life) and have been a part of our lives since 1999. They are definitely worth sharing about, and hopefully I can find some digital pictures (my Special Olympic years were well before I ever had a digital camera!) to share.

Michael and his mom Pat are both brave people. Michael was born with Down Syndrome, and he has 2 other siblings (a brother and a sister). The children are grown and married, except Michael. Michael's father passed away quite a few years ago, and Michael requires constant care. Pat and Michael lived down the street from us when we lived in our apartment off base. It was nice to be able to stop by for a visit anytime I was so inclined. Pat was a probation officer, but as Michael aged and grew progressively more dependent on her, she had to quit working. Pat is now in her late 60s and Michael is in his mid-40s. A couple of years ago Pat informed me that Michael has severe dementia. Obviously the older he gets, the worse his dementia becomes. It breaks my heart because he doesn't remember us, and even more sadly, the impact on our lives that he made.

The other card we received was from our friends Dick and Carolyn, and their family. They have 4 children, and Dawn, their 3rd born, was born with Down Syndrome. TJ and I still laugh at some of the sayings she had, and just the other night we had a good laugh. Dawn and another good friend of ours named Kendra used to affectionately call us "Chicken Nugget" when they saw us. We never understood why (it was part of the humor of their mental ages- at the time, the chronological ages of both girls was 15 but mental age was closer to 6 or 7 ). Anyway, Carolyn enclosed a picture taken from their oldest son's wedding this past summer. I can't believe at how much older everyone has become. Their family is originally from Marion, OH and Carolyn gave me some dates as to when they will be in Ohio next summer. I hope to coordinate something as we would LOVE to see them again.

My dream vacation since we moved here was to take our children back to California to meet the families who had such an impact on our lives when we were away from ours. I loved the athletes on my swim team dearly, and spent many hours outside of the pool realm with them. The athletes and their families knew TJ well before my own family did, and they were with me for 8 months of my pregnancy with Th. We moved just before he was born in 2002.

Thanks for the memories Pat and Carolyn, and thanks for the updates! We think of you all often!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Couponing

As you probably noticed, I added a new ticker to the top of my blog. I have recently started to be more diligent with my use of coupons because of the fact that we will soon need to buy a larger vehicle.  We do not currently have a car payment and would like to keep things that way, but quite honestly, we don't have the cash saved up to pay for a vehicle in full (at least not enough cash for a newer vehicle). My goal is to save $2,000 by the end of January 2012. That equates to a savings of about $250 each month. I have always used coupons if I had one, but never really made an effort to maximize my savings potential. Until now. And it's awesome!!! I wish I had started sooner because the savings available are crazy. I love the feeling I get when I save 50% or MORE on foods and items we use every week. Our grocery bill is typically $80-$100 per week or $320-$400 per month. That seems high but considering we're a family of 7, that averages out to about...

Thursday Thirteen #3

Thirteen Things about South Carolina Mom 13 jobs I have held. . . 1. Special Olympics Swim Coach Best job ever and very rewarding! 2. Preschool/Youth swim instructor My first job (I volunteered until I got hired on at the Y, then I was paid.) 3. Lifeguard This was my first paid job. 4. Crew Chief/aircraft mechanic on the KC-10 I loved it- I saw the world on this plane and pushed myself the farthest mentally and physically I ever have or ever will again. Of course I missed my family and friends, but if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. 5. Debrief personnel I talked with aircrews after they landed about their flight/mission. I learned the logistical side of flying. 6. Tool Crib personnel I gave the mechanics tools for various jobs needed to fix the airplane. I also inventoried and ordered new tools, and that was fun. Until this job, I had no idea that tool companies have a representative drive around in a truck full of tools for people to use and try. It was during t...

{Updated Blog List}

I updated my blog list to include some blogs that I have been following for a while but weren't linked. I also removed some of the links to blogs that were no longer being updated. I may add some more to my list, time permitting. This clean-up/update has been long overdue! :)