There is no place like home

Tomorrow I am going home for Christmas. It has been something I have been waiting for since...last year. I leave at 1:30 pm in Salt Lake and arrive at 7:35 pm in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And no, I am not excited. It'll be nice to give everyone a hug, check out the changes mom has made to the house and see all the decorations, then climb into bed between my mom and dad for a few minutes to tease them (I've done it for years), then maybe turn on the gas fireplace and gaze at the Christmas tree with Ruth Ann and Peter for a few minutes and chat (that's if they find that as fun as I do:) I have to admit I am a softy for thecheesy stuff in life, and Christmas is a perfect time for lots of cheese.

Here are some pictures from ONE YEAR AGO. Time has passed quickly!

Celebrating the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ

As the Christmas season has been approaching, I have been reflecting on the birth and life of the Savior. I know that Heavenly Father sent his son Jesus Christ to the earth, to teach us by example how to return to Him. Because of this great sacrifice, seen in Christ's life, the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross, we are able to be able to be return to our Heavenly Father.

THANKSGIVING IN WASHINGTON

Above is the Hawkins family, whom I met and had THANKSGIVING with. We had so much fun! They were celebrating their dad's birthday by getting him (but sounds like it was more for the kids:) a Wii. During the nights we slept by the fire inside the yurt and had yummy extravagant meals during our stay.



We stayed in this "yurt" in central Washington on some forested land they own. Have you ever heard of a yurt? It was such an outdoorsy thing to do and enjoyable!



Hawley taught me how to ride a 100cc motorcycle. After a couple falls and killing it a few times, I got the hang of it. It was VERY cold that day. I remember our fingers feeling numb when this picture was taken. Hawley was so patient. When I had a hard time starting it on my own, I asked Hawley if her 8, 12, and 14 year old sisters could start and drive these motorcycles, and she just smiled and said yes. That was really funny. It sure provided the motivation to learn quickly!

I love my job

Most days at work are pretty routine with having kids come into my room, teaching a sound or language concept, and then various kinds of practice. Some days my phone rings and rings, and there is so much paperwork and mail to deal with on top of therapy. Right now I have EIGHT referrals!!!! I would say each referral can take between 2-5 hours from the complete process of referral to placement. It is a bit unusual to have this many referrals this time of the school year. This will add to the 52 children I work with one, two, or three times each week. Although it is a lot of work, I can say I LOVE working with each of them, even with the tough ones.

Today I have been on cloud nine. Four kids have made RAPID progress in the last month (much faster than usual). For example, a kindergartner started one month ago and is now able to speak in conversation with /k,g,t,d,sh,f,v,p,sp,st,sw,tr,kl,kr,bl,dr,fl,fr/ and maybe some others...those are just the sounds and sound blends I remember him making correctly today while just chatting away) I was just taking data nearly the whole therapy session to see where he was at...and barely had time for therapy! Just 6 weeks ago he would have said ALL of these sounds incorrectly. It is so satisfying to see him sounding better and have his teacher and parents understand him. They are so happy! I love the smiles on their faces, how they want to learn, and the satisfaction felt when they meet their goals. Here is what it all looks like:

Child's Progress= HAPPY TEACHER + HAPPY PARENTS + HAPPY SPEECH THERAPIST + HAPPY CHILD

If it were legal, I would post lots of pictures of the sweet children I work with. But I do not want to get sued:) I value my job more than that.

Stuck on an Escalator

This is a second video that is worth viewing. It is about one minute long. I think many of us are like the people on the escalator, who when something goes wrong, have a hard time taking responsibility and changing. It is funny, funny, funny...

Cowboys Herding Cats

A friend and I watched all the funny videos we know on YouTube recently. Although I rarely watch videos on-line, this was worth taking the time to view. This video was one of the best.

My nephew Sawyer...the apple of my eye

There is ONE Kindt grandchild right now. This little Sawyer is the apple of just about everyone's eye, and it is pretty evident when we are together as a family. Sawyer is now nearing 3 years old. I just adore him! This video of my brother and nephew was taken by my sister-in-law Carrie likely at least year or more ago. Is that right? Kindt grandchild/boy #2 is on its way and will arrive next month.

A Really Touching Quote

Below is a saying I ran across today that just about put me in laughing fit, probably because today was one of those days. Maybe you all can identify with this...having a hard time making blogs interesting for others. Ah well.... so to all of you bloggers out there, here is some deep, heartfelt advice.

Life isn't measured
by the
number of posts you blog,
but by the number of blogs that
take your breath
away.

I think it would be fun to have occasional blogs dedicated to family members or close friends. Why, you ask? Because I love them dearly, it would be fun, and great for personal history. You might be first Peter, or maybe you Ruth Ann. Carrie, Joe, Kelsey, even you Ken, you aren't safe either. Not to mention Mom and Dad. I think you, Jenni Skeen, might even be chosen. Watch out. Maybe I could post blogs that would be so touching you would all start crying uncontrollably. Ya, that's my goal. If I can get you all crying, I'll be happy.