Things Are Brighter

We started back to school today after an up and down Spring Break. Michael was sick this weekend but feels better now. He did the sweetest thing after we got home today. I told him in the car that my head was hurting and he touched my head and said, "Oh, your head's hurting." I told him yes but I'm OK. We got home and he walked straight to the medicine cabinet, grabbed a bottle of Advil and after getting help with the child lock, he handed me a pill. I hugged him and said thank you. He said, "I'm the hero!" I said yes you are. I feel bad when I whine and complain. Like I said, Michael is great-awesome. He tries so hard and is so loving and considerate. I need to keep working on patience. One day at a time! I hope all of you have a great week.

Tuesday's Reminder

Michael and I had some adventures Tuesday and these reminded me of how far he has come and how far we have to go. Running or wandering is a behavior of some autistic kids. I didn't know Michael was autistic when he would do this. Between the ages of three and six, he would be standing one minute and then dart off the next. He was so small and quick that I would panic and try to get him. I held his hand going into Walmart until he was nine because I was afraid he would run. (I won't bore you with the details of his running adventures of the past because that was a nightmare part of our journey and I want to forget it. It was hell, pure and simple.) Since then, he hasn't attempted to run away so I had thought that stage was over. Anyway, yesterday we went to visit my grandmother and Michael has not been there in years. I pulled in the driveway, we got out, I went to the house and he went the opposite direction. He went to the front yard, to the back, toward the street and up a neighbor's front porch and knocked on the door. All of this took two minutes. Now, why is this bad? He is eleven years old, he looks fairly "normal," he is almost as tall as me and would have freaked out anyone who answered the door because he cannot have a "normal" conversation. (I will let you imagine what a stranger could do to him.) I finally got him into my grandmother's house, we visited a few minutes then left.

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We got home, I got out of the car and he took off around the house. There is a river behind our house that he hasn't bothered with in years. Monday he went to the river and there he went yesterday. Monday he was careful and tiptoed into the water about ankle deep. (Mind you, the water has boaters and gets deeper quickly.) There is a big tree branch in the water and he was fooling with it. There is also a very small rotten dock. He inched to the tree branches then got out and tried the dock. He said, "Let's jump in!" I coaxed him down. Why am I worried? Several reasons: I cannot swim. If he got tangled in the tree and whatever is in the river, I can't get him out. Also, he has little fear. He finally came toward the house because he slipped and fell on the rocks and hurt his knee. The frustrating thing is that he is doing what most normal eleven year old boys would want to do and I want him to be able to do it. It makes me want to scream! I thought yesterday that summer vacation is going to be a nightmare. What a way to look at time off. We probably won't go to the beach this summer. We're redoing another bathroom and between the money and time, I don't think I can make plans. I am afraid to take him to the public pool because of past behavior. (Adults as well as his.) I would give anything to have a pool of our own but it is impossible with our yard. (Too uneven.) I hate to whine because most days are fine but I would like to have ONE DAY where I don't have to worry. I will only get it when I die and that is not an exaggeration. I'm sorry but that's depressing.

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I am trying to think of how to salvage summer vacation. I went so far as to see if there are any houses with pools that I can rent this summer here in town. Yes, pathetic. We haven't been to Manchester's outdoor pool. At least if the stangers there make fun of him or give him looks, I don't have to worry about seeing them again. Several well meaning teachers and adults have told me to get him out more, let him join a team. In the dreamland they live in, coaches want to play all kids and no one cares about winning. Also in this imaginary world, all adults and children are caring and mean well. In my real world, some family members look the other way instead of offering to help; some teachers blame us for Michael's odd behavior instead of realizing he has a disorder that none of us can help. Oh, and in even better news, the two girls who watch Michael so I can attend church are leaving for college so my spirtual growth and what keeps me going will be denied. Is God here with me? Of course. But it is nice to be able to meet with other believers. It will all work out. I would say I'm sorry for the rant but that is my life. Could it be worse? Yes, for sure. The one or two people who will read this, thank you for letting me vent. I love my family and especially my son. He does the best he can do so I don't blame him. It just gets hard sometimes.

Oh, what beautiful weather!

This March weather is so beautiful! I have gotten in some walking this weekend and hope that I can get back to that routine. It is so good for my health and my mind. It is so nice to put on my music and just relax for a few minutes. I hope to get some things done this week. I need to finish some painting, mark some stuff for a yard sale next month and pick up the house. Sleeping late sounds like a good plan, too!

It's hard to believe that school will be out soon. This year has flown. We have no plans for the summer. I think we are just going to take it one day at a time and see where we are in June and July. Unless something happens, no beach for us this summer. It will all work out, though. If we can just hang out together, that will be vacation enough.

Boy, what boring posts! I will try to find something interesting to write about next time!
Have a great week.

This and That and the Other

The last week was quiet, thank goodness! I needed a boring, routine week. Spring Break is coming soon. Yea! Here are some random things that have been rattling around my head:

-Team M&M is signed up for our fourth Autism Speaks Walk in Nashville. Want to join or donate? Click here! We have already started raising money. I had a Thirty-One Gifts sale at school and sold over $1,000 and $150 of that goes to our team. Thank you Wesley Hillis for your great selling skills and your open heart for our cause.

-Isn't the tragedy in Japan awful? I cannot imagine the devastation. Think about our town being totally destroyed and then worrying about radiation from a nuclear plant. Life is precious and can be changed or end so suddenly. It makes you appreciate everything we have.

-I am looking forward to hearing "The Company I Keep" play at Magness Library Thursday night for St. Patrick's Day. Click here for more information. I just love their music! (Yes, I am biased because my husband plays some fabulous percussion in it but that doesn't mean they're not good!)

-We went to see "Rango" Saturday at the matinee. It was a cute movie will lots of inside jokes for the parents. I love going to the movie with my guys.

-I enjoyed church this morning and am hoping to move some roses this afternoon. Grocery shopping and clothes washing are also on the agenda. Oh, joy! :)

Everyone enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has made!

Phoenix!

It has been a wild and crazy two weeks! Last Tuesday through Friday, I was in Phoenix for an education conference. I was so honored to be asked and learned SO much. I am excited about everything I learned and am anxious to share it with my school.

The actual trip was an adventure for me. It was my second time on an airplane and I was pretty nervous about it. I was so blessed to have two teachers with me who were more helpful and supportive than they can possibly know. We headed out Tuesday morning for the airport and I really enjoyed our conversation on the way there. We got to the airport and I played follow the leader because I had no idea what to do! We got our bags checked in and then headed for security. That was nerve-racking because no one tells you what to do. I followed everyone else: shoes off, watch off, laptop in one plastic bin, shoes in another and my other stuff in one more. I put it through the scanner and almost finished when a security guard very nicely told me that I goofed. (I put something on top of my laptop.) Finally, we were through security and went to find our gate and something to eat. I was terrified to eat because I was afraid of a sick stomach while flying but I knew it was a four hour flight and we would arrive in Phoenix late so we grabbed some lunch at O'Charley's. The potato soup did calm my nerves! We finished and went to meet our coworkers and await our plane. At last, take off. I am proud to say I handled it well. I was amazed at the change in landscape as we headed west.

We arrived on time in Phoenix, grabbed our bags and headed for our hotel. We were pretty hungry and went to eat. We ate at a place called Mi Amigos Mexican Grill and it was really good. I decided to try some new things on the trip so I had the Pollo Milanesa, which is breaded chicken and spaghetti. I was surprised when the spaghetti turned out to be green! We had a fantastic conversation and then headed to our hotel.

Below: This is a view from hotel room.
Wednesday morning, we were off to the Convention Center. I loved the presenters. They gave us some really good ideas to bring back to our schools.

Below: This is a picture outside of the convention center. The palm trees reminded me of Florida.

Below: A picture from a friends's hotel room. Those mountains were so strange looking to me. I am used to trees on the mountains!

On Wednesday night, I had my first taxi ride. My friend had heard that Los Reyes De La Torta had great food and it was featured on Man vs Food so we decided to try it. My friend had the biggest sandwich I have ever seen! I had the biggest quesadillas I have ever seen. It was really good, too.

On Thursday, we had another great day at the convention center and after we were finished, my two friends and I were picked up at our hotel by my cousin, Angie. It was so good to see her! She is living close to Phoenix and we were so grateful that she agreed to show us the area. I took the picture below because when we first flew into Phoenix, it freaked me out because there were mounds that looked like ant hills! This is one of the "ant hills" we drove by.

She gave us several choices of places to see and since we had limited hours of daylight in order to see, we decided to go to a place called Rawhide and then eat at a restaurant overlooking the city.

Below: A cactus!

This is the entrance to Rawhide. (And, yes, the music to Rawhide was playing as we went in!)

As we walked into Rawhide, the actors staged a fight. There was a shootout and then the actors posed for pictures. It was pretty neat, actually.

We stayed at Rawhide about an hour looking around and doing a little shopping then we headed for the restaurant. The place was called Rustler's Rooste. The view of Phoenix was just beautiful.

It was odd, however, at the entrance. There was a smell of manure and I turned and saw "Horny the Bull." Wow!

That was definitely a surprise! We were seated and had some of the best bread I have ever put in my mouth. I think it was called Indian Bread. It was like a donut hole, sort of. It seemed fried but was soft inside. The taste is hard to describe but it was delicious. Our main course came out and there was so much food! I had the BBQ chicken and couldn't eat it all. Just great. We had some good conversation then left for the hotel. (A side note: Phoenix does have Sundrop! We found it in a Walgreen's there. A friend was thrilled when we found it.)

Friday, our last day, we heard some great speakers at the convention center then headed to the hotel to gather our things for the trip to the airport. I wasn't as nervous over this flight. I did get scanned at security but not searched. (No complaints if they did. I'd rather be safe.) We boarded the plane with no big drama. After a shorter flight home, we arrived back home. Yea! I was so glad to see my two guys. I missed them so much.

After a weekend rest and one day back at school on Monday, I headed to Nashville for two days of assessment training. I learned some very valuable things at the meetings and am ready to share all that I learned at my school. On Thursday, I was glad to see my students and I think some of my students were glad to see me! I have a fabulous student teacher and thank goodness she has kept my students on task and focused.

So, now it is Friday and I am resting. I have a very sore neck. I can't figure out if it is tension or something else. I guess time will tell. I hope all of you have a great weekend. As for me, I think I will do as little as possible. I have had enough excitement for a while! :)

Almost ready

No, I haven't forgotten about updating my post about Phoenix. We had a great time and learned so much and I want to share pictures and information BUT I am attending another workshop for two days in Nashville and I am too crazy right now to be able to take the time I need to post. I promise a big update with pictures SOON!