Time Is Just Flying By

I've been telling myself for days, "I've got to write a post!" But time is just flying by and well...

Let me look through the pictures on my phone and see what we've been up to this week. 

Oh yeah. That's why I haven't posted! 😊

Mondays and Tuesdays are 13 hour days for me but when I got off work Monday night I ended up going down to the beach to watch the sunset. It was so peaceful and just what I needed. The days are getting shorter and I won't be able to do that too much longer.

Chuck and I are watching Allie on Wednesdays this month so after my Kids Ministry Meeting we took her down to the beach. The temps have been in the 80's and 90's, perfect beach weather! Allie and I put our feet in the water but oooh, it was SO cold! I was surprised to see other kids (young teens) in the water up to their waists! Oh my word, no thank you!

We all went to Panera for dinner then came back and used our new fire ring for the first time. I would have taken more pictures but my hands were sticky from the s'mores. 😀

After work on Thursday Chuck and I went down to Centurylink Field and got to watch the Seahawks in their pre-season home opener! The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, it was so much fun! The girls bought the tickets for Chuck for Father's Day this year, the perfect gift!! Thank you girls! Knowing we'd be doing a lot of walking he wore his knee braces and brought his walking stick and when we got there they sat us in regular chairs on the center landing area and they were prime seats! We were right on the 50 yard line! We had such a great time!

 Well, the kitchen floor is dry now and I need to switch the laundry. 'Til next time!

Football in Canton, Ohio

Before we left on our trip Chuck was planning our route and brought up the idea of going to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton. Oh joy, I thought. Well, I guess if we're stopping to see a friend of mine from high school, we should make a stop for him. I was really excited for him to see this though, his whole life is football. He actually played semi-pro when we first got married and he's seen just about every single game ever played since then.

I expected it to be very boring and I was really trying to have a good attitude about it. Well, much to my (pleasant) surprise, this place was amazing! There were interactive areas, highlight reels, displays, it was so much fun!

Early football uniforms

 

 They had a table with Hall Of Fame rings that looked like they were sitting up on the display case but what you actually saw was just a hologram.

The actual rings were underneath and you had to lean over it and look straight down to see them. Beth and I thought it was very cool. 👍 😊

 

The Hall Of Fame Gallery was very impressive. These went on around the corner, there were SO many of them!

"Mean" Joe Green!

Dan Fouts 

(He was quarterback for the San Diego Chargers when Chuck and I met and I began watching football for the first time in my life.)

And of course,

We'd been there a while when Beth and I headed to another area and Chuck told us we needed to get going cause we still had a couple hours of driving before we got to our hotel. We weren't ready to leave yet!

If you've never been to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton, Ohio, I highly recommend it! We really had a great time!

The Duke and Duchess

All of our girls graduated from the same high school, in 2004, 2005 and 2009, and last night Chuck and I went to the Homecoming football game.

A few years ago they started a program called Sparkles, where some of the girls from the life skills class can try out for and become cheerleaders. Beth was in the Life skills class while she attended there but they never had anything like this! It was great to see all the cheerleaders on the sidelines, then lining up for the team as they ran off the field at halftime. Then all the cheerleaders stood in line and held the giant banner as the team ran back onto the field after halftime. It was just nice to see the school accepting them and including them in their activities.

When Beth attended there, the Life skills class was rarely, if ever, invited to assemblies or class activities. Beth wasn't in the Senior group photo for the yearbook, they didn't take part in Spirit Week, it was really sad. I asked the teacher about it a couple times but was always told that the kids didn't want to do it, or that it was too difficult to take some of the kids out of class and still have enough help in the class... I don't know, I always thought those were just excuses.

Last night they announced the Royal Court and the Homecoming King and Queen. Then the announcer said, "And for the first time ever, we'd like to introduce, from our Life skills class, the Homecoming Duke and Duchess ..." Oh my word! I thought that was amazing!

This school, who for years would barely acknowledge kids who had special needs, is now making changes. They are realizing that people with special needs are people too and they DO want to be included.

The Duke and Duchess. I thought that was awesome.

Falling Apart

I've been fairly healthy my whole life, but since I turned 50, I've been falling apart at the seams. In the last two years I've had pneumonia for the first time; I've had my first migraine, my first biopsy and today, my first MRI. My legs have ached deep inside for more than a year now and my doctor thinks I either have arthritis in my spine... or nerve damage. Getting old is a pain in the butt.

Now for the rest of the family -

Ryan is in detox again. I think this is his 3rd time. From talking to others that have been through this, being in detox numerous times is common. It's really taking a toll on his family and we're all praying that THIS is the key that sets him free from his drug use. Sharaya is under so much stress. Oh Lord we need a miracle.

Chuck and I took Allie to the park last week. She's growing and changing so fast. And she's saying things that surprise us. Her latest is "Shimmy Shakes." It makes me think of the movie Enchanted cause I hear it in Amy Adams voice. :)

Chuck and I also went to a high school football game last Friday. It was actually mild outside and the sunset was gorgeous! Of course, I forgot my camera. Our phones are so old and don't take good pictures. We don't even get the internet. In fact, when I pulled mine out to send a text, our friend M started laughing at us! The ironic part is, Chuck works for the phone company!! We had planned to get new phones last January but then my hours were cut at work... oh well, one of these days we'll upgrade.

Beth starts Special Olympics bowling this weekend. We're having to coordinate her DART bus between bowling and work. I'm not sure how it's gonna work this year, bowling starts at 2:30 and she has to be at work at 5:00. Her job is about 40 minutes north so she may only be able to bowl one game before her bus comes to take her to work. We'll try it this weekend and see how it goes.

There's so much going on. So much more I could write, but Allison will be waking up soon and I still have some housework to do.

I guess I was more nervous about the MRI this morning than I thought because I locked my keys in the car. For the first time. Sharaya and Diana came to my rescue.

To be honest, I'm probably gonna just go read for a while. :)

Tiny Gloves

We've had a somewhat quiet week around here. We're gearing up for Thanksgiving outreach at church, but here at home, things are kinda boring.

And it's been kinda nice. :)

Beth had choir rehearsal this morning. They sing in the morning services next week and are also practicing for the Christmas concerts on the 18th.

Diana went to a salon to have her hair dyed this week but it didn't turn out the way she hoped. So she was in the bathroom late last night trying to blend the dark and the blonde better then the salon did. She went to work early this morning so I don't know how it turned out.

I babysat Allie on Wednesday. She is changing so fast. She talks all the time and doesn't stop moving! I bought her some little gloves and Beth helped her put them on before she left for karaoke.

It was cute to watch. Allie isn't quite two and would put more than one finger into a hole, and because Beth's fine motor skills aren't the best, it took her a while to move Allie's fingers into the right spots!

We got our first snowfall of the season last night. Nothing stuck but it's so exciting to watch it fall! I absolutely love the snow. 

Ho hum. Like I said, a quiet day today. Chuck is watching the game - Washington Huskys and Oregon Beavers. Of couse he's cheering for the Huskys.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What about Hannah? And Ella? And Sheridan? And Whitney?

I have read the story of Ike Ditzenberger, the football player with Down Syndrome who scored a touch down at last weeks game. He plays at Snohomish High School, not far from where I live. It's been in all the local papers, on the news. It's definitely a 'good news story'.

I usually get teary eyed when I hear of these stories. But not this time. I read the entire article in the Seattle Times:
Ike%20Ditzenberger%20scores%20on%20the%20field%20and%20off. (Sorry, I couldn't get it to come out right.)

One paragraph caught my attention. 'Coach Mark Perry's classroom at Snohomish is across the hall from the classroom for the special needs students. He (the coach) sees them every day. He talks with them, teases them, hugs them, high-fives them, loves them." Ike is also on the wrestling team, which Perry coaches. The article goes on for another 6 columns, talking about how Ike has made a huge impact on the school, brings smiles to peoples faces and is teaching the students about compassion.

My question is, what about the other students in that special needs classroom? Are any of the other teachers or students making an effort to 'talk with them, hug them and love them'? Are any of the other kids being invited to join cheer, the yearbook staff or drama club? I'm sure the para-educators could tell the other teachers which student is creative and good with a camera. Which student likes to debate and who is the class leader.

What's being done about the other kids in Ikes class?