The day I officially started working as a full-time employee of The Children's Center as a certified social worker. I haven't worked full-time at a paying job since I was married...and really it was only during the summers that I worked full-time hours except the 11 months I worked at Kilgore Psychiatric Hospital for children and adolescents in 1977-78. That means that it has been almost 40 years since I worked full-time.......I hope that I can do it. And actually I am working 36 hours a week--although what I am doing is taking one full day off each pay period. With Jena and Ben, I still feel like I need some flexibility for appointments etc. We will see how that works----
My plan is to work four years...but by now, I know how plans can go....whatever happens--- it is a privilege to work with parents and children and hopefully help them in some small way, understand each other a little better and find joy together.
Never a dull moment around here.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Back to school
for Jena. This is Jena waiting for the bus on Monday, August 28th, and ready for her first day of school at the Vista Education Center. This year she will attend there on Mondays and Fridays. She was excited to see her teachers and her friends.
However, the bigger event came on Monday evening when another grand adventure and school day began for her. This is what I wrote on Facebook:
When we adopted Jena, one of the questions/comments I often heard was "But she will always live with you." In deciding whether to adopt a child, our question was "Is this the right child for us?"--we tried not to try to worry too far in advance about the "ifs and buts" of the future. However when she was very little, I would sometimes think that our life was going to look different from our friends. But by the time she was five or six I was more "how lucky are we that she will always live with us." It was kind of my "ace up the sleeve." When my friends lamented about their kids growing up and moving away, I felt contented because we would be blessed by Jena always in our home.
She has been preparing for days and gathering the needed supplies. Sometimes I would walk in her room and see her sitting on the floor surrounded by her "stuff" organizing things and I would have to walk out and compose myself--it is the same with each of the people I get to call my children--when stuff is being backed up and they are headed in a new direction--it is that strange feeling of excitement, love, and sorrow all rolled up in one--and this happened whether it is the first time they left or after several times. Motherhood----
On the wall in Jena's room is a quote she chose years ago:
It was perfect for preparing for this next adventure in her life.
Moving in evening----
Gary and I both came down--I from work and Gary with Jena and all of her stuff. We first visited Ben and had Chinese food with him and then headed to the apartment. Gary helped carry in her boxes and then headed home. I was planning on helping Jena get settled but as mentioned before, she got invited to an outdoor movie so off she went. That gave me an opportunity to spend some time with Sara's mom and to meet Hannah's mom as well. Hannah is the person we have hired to provide some structure for the girls. Her mom, Robyn, wanted to come and "meet the moms were so brave to do this for their daughters." She has a 17 year old daughter with Down syndrome named Kylie. She was more tearful than we were. It was so fun to meet her as well. In the mix of our conversations, we discovered that her husband served a mission in Hong Kong in the early 1980s and that Sara's sister Laurel had served in the late 1990s...small world!
After the movie ended, I said my goodbyes to Jena and headed up to Eileen Bradford's home in northern Provo. She is a close friend from Hong Kong days....and it probably isn't a surprise to anyone that we talked until 1:30 a.m. You would think we were old enough to know better than that.
Tuesday morning I headed back to the apartment to meet the girls and Vicki Elhen (the mastermind of all of this) to help with the BYU orientation for the girls. I can't walk around the campus without being filled with great memories and so it was as I walked with Jena on this first day of her College Bridge program.
Heading to campus for the first time as a group----
Sending texts at the landmark "Rock" which is one potential meeting spot for them.
We visited inside some of the buildings to give them a flavor of the university. Jena picked the Eyring Science Building which we had visited a month ago.
Ice cream at the Wilkinson Center--Emily, Jena and Sara
Jena unpacked and set up her room by herself with no problem...
After our campus tour, I joined Eileen, Dad and Eileen's mom and sister for lunch in Provo while the girls had their first afternoon of Wonderwood which is their reading, math, computer, and speech part of this program.
Then I headed back to the apartment to deliver pizza for their first apartment dinner and found them with Hannah doing a puzzle Jena had brought. They didn't want to stop to eat pizza then so I grabbed a piece and headed back to Syracuse.....and really left Jena there.
Hannah sent this selfie of the four of them on Wednesday when they headed out to go bowling. They will do an activity from 10-2 each Wednesday and they are being joined by Amy (who has autism and is partially deaf) and her aide as well. From all reports they had a great time.............
When I saw Jena on Thursday evening when I got home from work, she was happy but very, very tired.....it probably had something to do with late nights in the apartment. She sent me a good night text at 12:47 on Wednesday night. When I asked her about it, she said she and Emily (who share a room) were having fun.
And so the grand adventure/experience/experiment begins............Scott called a week ago and was asking me what the purpose of this was (he was expressing some of his worries for her safety), I told him that 1-It was one of her goals for herself and even if it only lasts one semester no one can take away that she accomplished her goal and 2. The more independence she can achieve the better she will be able to function in adult life--at work, volunteering or at Church. Even if she always lives with us, these experiences of young adulthood will be great for her.
(Do we worry, yes! But I am a mom and I worry about all of you...and your spouses....and your children! It is what I do. Hopefully we have made it as safe as possible, but whatever happens, we are just taking it one day, one week at a time.)
Jena is a Cougar!!! Classes start this week.
When we adopted Jena, one of the questions/comments I often heard was "But she will always live with you." In deciding whether to adopt a child, our question was "Is this the right child for us?"--we tried not to try to worry too far in advance about the "ifs and buts" of the future. However when she was very little, I would sometimes think that our life was going to look different from our friends. But by the time she was five or six I was more "how lucky are we that she will always live with us." It was kind of my "ace up the sleeve." When my friends lamented about their kids growing up and moving away, I felt contented because we would be blessed by Jena always in our home.
Until last night......... when this young adult started her new adventure in the Wonderwood College Bridge program. She will be living in an apartment in Provo from Monday night through Thursday afternoon with 2 other girls with Down syndrome and 3 BYU students. They will visit college classes in the mornings on Tuesday and Thursday on BYU campus and then come back for afternoon classes in cooking, speech, reading and math. Wednesday Hannah Price one of their roommates and an amazing mentor will take them on a young adult activity during the day and to Institute at night.
Jena has been saying that she was going to college since she was little and she did it! It will be an amazing experience (and experiment). She has not stopped smiling since we ask her about 3 weeks ago if she wanted to do it.
Yesterday evening as we were moving boxes in, some students from the complex stopped in to meet the girls and invite them to Family Night Outdoor Movie night in the yard just north of their townhome. Without hesitation, Jena was ready to go. After getting names and phone numbers, Jena was off and got to watch "Sandlot" on a blanket with about 30 other students, It was a perfect beginning to her college adventure. I am not going to lie...I teared up when I stepped out and watched her surrounded by her peers on the grass. Life is good!
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| A terrible picture, but a perfect way to start her College Bridge experience. And I know which face is hers laying on the grass with the biggest smile possible on her face!! |
On the wall in Jena's room is a quote she chose years ago:
It was perfect for preparing for this next adventure in her life.
Moving in evening----
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| the townhouse |
Ice cream at the Wilkinson Center--Emily, Jena and Sara
Then I headed back to the apartment to deliver pizza for their first apartment dinner and found them with Hannah doing a puzzle Jena had brought. They didn't want to stop to eat pizza then so I grabbed a piece and headed back to Syracuse.....and really left Jena there.
And so the grand adventure/experience/experiment begins............Scott called a week ago and was asking me what the purpose of this was (he was expressing some of his worries for her safety), I told him that 1-It was one of her goals for herself and even if it only lasts one semester no one can take away that she accomplished her goal and 2. The more independence she can achieve the better she will be able to function in adult life--at work, volunteering or at Church. Even if she always lives with us, these experiences of young adulthood will be great for her.
(Do we worry, yes! But I am a mom and I worry about all of you...and your spouses....and your children! It is what I do. Hopefully we have made it as safe as possible, but whatever happens, we are just taking it one day, one week at a time.)
Jena is a Cougar!!! Classes start this week.
Sweet kindnesses.....
In the mail, I got this Willow tree statue from my sweet friend, Kathy Siebach. It is called "Love of Learning." I have known Kathy since our days in Hong Kong. She and her husband currently live in Japan.
Eclipse Day- August 19, 2017
Gary had taken his mother to a doctor's appointment and then they stopped at the Center where our brother-in-law Allan lives to share the eclipse with him. He was asleep but Gary shared his glasses with staff who took turns heading to the patio to watch it.
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| total in Idaho! |
(Of course with the recent landfall of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, I also am humbled by its great power that we as man have no control over at all. We live on the earth--we admire it, we use its resources, we build bridges and tunnels and try to hold rivers in their ways--but it has a higher master than us. And nature obeys the laws set forth for it with exactness. I am not saying that our Heavenly Father targeted Houston and surrounding areas for a hurricane. I really don't know how all of that works, but I know that He created the laws that the earth follows--all of science is known to Him and His son, Jesus Christ. And when the winds and water and currents meet the scientific formula for an hurricane--a hurricane will happen.)
Hall Extended Family Reunion
On Monday, I got a text from the owner of the Bear Lake House where we were having our reunion inviting us to go up on Wednesday night for free. I didn't think anyone would be able to make that quick switch in plans, but I mentioned it to Gary and by the time I was home from work, his mom, sister Vonette and her husband and Gary had decided to head up on Wednesday and enjoy the peace and quiet before 50 people arrived on Thursday/Friday.
That meant that Tuesday night when I finished my final exam for school, we immediately began packing the RV and getting things ready. Of course with all of the studying I had been doing, I had almost done nothing to get ready for the reunion. It made Wednesday morning a whirlwind of shopping for food and getting the activities together which had to go up with Gary in the RV. But we made it...barely.
Gary sent me this picture of the sunrise over Bear Lake on Thursday morning:
They had a great day working on a mystery puzzle game. They had to put together two puzzles which were mixed together without photos to know what they look liked and then they had to read a brief mystery and use the puzzle clues to solve the mystery. They had a great time and it took most of the evening and the day before others arrived to get it completed. I was happy that they had such a great time doing something that probably they wouldn't have ever done in any other circumstance. They also enjoyed some famous raspberry shakes from Bear Lake.
Then the "troops arrived" and the party began.............
This was our third time to this same house (the one with the indoor playground and slides between the floors.) It was the first time we had grandchildren old enough to actually enjoy the slides and the playground and "run" with the pack of other great grandchildren. Oh how Liam and Scarlett loved it.
We went to the Lake on Friday and people took turns on paddle boats and Scott's jet skies. Jena got her first ride with Scott and she is now a huge fan. Friday evening we made pinewood derby cars to get ready for the big race on Saturday night. Saturday we spent most of the day at Bear Lake at the north end where we had a beautiful spot on the beach, three shelters, and two water trampolines. We had the paddle boats and also a canoe which provided lots of fun. We finished with the race and then Aunt Charon did a little devotional and the party ended. We had amazing food and fun being together. This time, Gary, Jena and I slept in the RV at a nearby RV park because we exceeded the number of people allowed to spend the night on two of the three nights. That made sure that we got more sleep than in other reunions because I didn't stay up late talking or playing games.
My favorite moments were looking at Gary's mom as she watched her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing in the water or racing pinewood derby cars. She seemed to take such joy in watching all of the chaos of family around her. I am sure that she misses Gary's dad a lots as well during these family times and her daughter, Valerie, as well, because I know that we do. I am sure that she wishes that he was here to share these family moments. But I think, in ways we don't fully understand, they are there both in our memories and feelings but also observing our family growing as well.
I didn't do a good job taking pictures but here are a few of mine and others which Jessica and my niece Christie Nakae took:
Heading to the Lake on Friday with Scott's ski dos
Working on the pinewood derby cars
Great view while washing dishes
This is the only picture that shows the fun water trampolines which we enjoyed---see them way out in the water--the yellow spots? We also got a slide for one of them but don't recommend that as it was hot and almost impossible to really slide on unless you pour lots of water on it.
As you can tell by the faces, the greats loved the races and their cars.
And that's a wrap...it was so great to get together and make memories together with all of these great people!! Until the next time.....................
That meant that Tuesday night when I finished my final exam for school, we immediately began packing the RV and getting things ready. Of course with all of the studying I had been doing, I had almost done nothing to get ready for the reunion. It made Wednesday morning a whirlwind of shopping for food and getting the activities together which had to go up with Gary in the RV. But we made it...barely.
Gary sent me this picture of the sunrise over Bear Lake on Thursday morning:
Then the "troops arrived" and the party began.............
This was our third time to this same house (the one with the indoor playground and slides between the floors.) It was the first time we had grandchildren old enough to actually enjoy the slides and the playground and "run" with the pack of other great grandchildren. Oh how Liam and Scarlett loved it.
We went to the Lake on Friday and people took turns on paddle boats and Scott's jet skies. Jena got her first ride with Scott and she is now a huge fan. Friday evening we made pinewood derby cars to get ready for the big race on Saturday night. Saturday we spent most of the day at Bear Lake at the north end where we had a beautiful spot on the beach, three shelters, and two water trampolines. We had the paddle boats and also a canoe which provided lots of fun. We finished with the race and then Aunt Charon did a little devotional and the party ended. We had amazing food and fun being together. This time, Gary, Jena and I slept in the RV at a nearby RV park because we exceeded the number of people allowed to spend the night on two of the three nights. That made sure that we got more sleep than in other reunions because I didn't stay up late talking or playing games.
My favorite moments were looking at Gary's mom as she watched her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing in the water or racing pinewood derby cars. She seemed to take such joy in watching all of the chaos of family around her. I am sure that she misses Gary's dad a lots as well during these family times and her daughter, Valerie, as well, because I know that we do. I am sure that she wishes that he was here to share these family moments. But I think, in ways we don't fully understand, they are there both in our memories and feelings but also observing our family growing as well.
I didn't do a good job taking pictures but here are a few of mine and others which Jessica and my niece Christie Nakae took:
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| Emily and Hyrum McKinney |
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| Jena took over cooking sausage for 50 people for breakfast. |
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| Natalie and Lisa (Page) |
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| Zaine Page (John's son) |
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| Flash from the past--I love cattails |
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| Our lates "crop" of Greats" James, Emerey, Zander |
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| Charon, Melissa and Chris Milo, Crew and Taya |
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| Halle and Aliyah Mann |
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| Breakfast together-Liam and Scarlett |
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| Riley, Milo. Natalie, Lisa, Aliyah, Hayden, Taya, Emily, Liam (accidently in the foreground) not sure who is hiding behind Riley |
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| I love pictures that capture fun things like flying hair. |
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| James |
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| Oliver and his mom, Leslie |
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| Jessica and Zander |
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| Emerey and Zander |
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| The greats are in the house! |
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| Grandma Hall |
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| Gary and Vonette Kerr with Emerey |
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| Liam |
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| Charon and her daughters, Melissa and Chera |
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| John, Matt and Amanda, Bryon, Grandma Hall, Cynthia and Nathan four of the five Pages who are the sons of Gary's sister-Valerie |
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| Jena and James |
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| Mike and Charon with Chera |
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| Scarlett |
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| Zander and I |
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| The trampoline is always a gathering spot |
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| Zander is always winning to pose for a picture. |
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| Liam and Elessia taking a little ride at the lake |
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| Chris and Jen (the other Page brother) Chris, Jen, Lisa, Natalie and Dallin |
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| Emily and Hyrum with their dad, Eric McKinney |
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| Christie Nakae with Emerey |
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| I loved this second picture with Eric and his two children (Number three, Eleanor arrived on the eclipse day about 9 days later) |
The Hall Pinewood Derby............
And that's a wrap...it was so great to get together and make memories together with all of these great people!! Until the next time.....................
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