Boring, boring, boring! But after the kid update, I got a request for a Rob and Tamra update, so here goes.
Short update: We're stressed.
Longer update:
Rob
Rob still has his lab job at Children's Hospital, which he enjoys, and is enjoying more and more as time goes on. He applied for a teaching job at the University of Cincinnati (UC), but he hasn't been contacted, so it's almost definitely a No.
The reason that job sounded so inviting is that it would have allowed Rob to stop working 3 and jobs at a time. Rob is teaching an introductory-level Biology class, with lab, every Tuesday and Thursday night at Northern Kentucky University. He LOVES it, but it's hard to be away from family so much. Then, when he's home, he has to prep lectures (though not as much any more, since he's been teaching the same class for almost 2 years now), grade papers, etc. At the same time, he's also teaching an on-line class for UC. Sometimes he teaches 2 sections of it.
These extra jobs allow for several things.
1 - Paying off the grad school debt that we accumulated when we thought Rob would graduate and be working an industry job and raking in $90,000/year. He's making about half that right now. ... Not that making less is a problem, because it's not. But being in debt IS a problem. We're still on track to be debt free (except the house) in 2013, give or take a year. That will be the biggest raise we've ever had. Right now between $700 and $900/mo. is going towards debt re-payment. That's like a second mortgage.
2- It's giving Rob teaching experience. It turns out, though, that this is not helping him stand out from the rest of the job applicant pool. We were told that it would. Those people lied to us. We're not bitter about that, it's just interesting. What it means is that Rob is now more motivated to get some stellar research done. He's working on a publication right now that's due on Tuesday. That's a guaranteed publication, too, so slam dunk for Rob. He has 2 others that he hopes to get out in 2012.
3- It pays for my school tuition.
Rob working for Edith, who is an angel in human form, is one of our greatest blessings. I know I say that a lot, but I say it as much as I can. You guys have no idea how much she has changed our family's life for the better. Rob is just now figuring out that he's good at science, that he can be successful at it, and that he just might want to do this for the rest of his life. Edith is an excellent mentor and boss, and I'm encouraging Rob to stay with her until something Amazing comes his way. Who knows when that will be.
Tamra
School pretty much dominates my life right now. This last week was my week off (Cincinnati State is currently on a 9-week term schedule, but that'll change in Fall 2012), so I've been savoring it. Doing all those things that I haven't done in weeks. Like folding the laundry while humming. And doing a project with the kids. And saying things like, "It'll all be alright," when Rob looks uber-stressed (instead of saying, "Yeah, me, too."). It's been a much-needed break.
I volunteer at the kids' school 4 times a month, which doesn't seem like a lot, and it's probably not, but it's about all I can handle. Otherwise, afternoons are my homework time. Or my time to not do homework because I'm so stressed that I can't even think about it. Rob makes dinner now, which helps me a ton, and I take care of the house except for that, and it works out pretty well.
The large upside to school is that I'm succeeding. Cincinnati State is a community college, which means it's ... not to sound cocky ... below what I'm capable of doing. I ace tests and papers with little effort. I feel for the students who find it difficult. ... I say little effort, but I'm putting in quite a bit of effort. School is a process I enjoy, and I very much dislike doing poorly on any assignment. My lowest grade on anything so far was a 90% on a homework assignment, and I was mad at myself. It's amazing how being 30 and feeling like I don't have time to waste changes my entire perspective. It didn't bother me, dropping out of college when I was 21. That's not an option this time.
I also have lots and lots of opportunities to sign. About every other weekend I'm at some deaf event, signing away for hours. I love it. I've also been interpreting once or twice a month at church. I was able to interpret for a deaf investigator meeting with the missionaries. That was a new experience for me, and I helped more than I hurt, so that's good. ... I'm learning a lot and improving a lot.
Our Family
School for me and 3 jobs for Rob means that our kids are getting the short end of the stick. We re-connect as a family over the weekend, and it's sacred time for all of us. The kids aren't involved in sports or any extra activities except for Miciah's piano on Wednesday nights. That's all we can handle right now. I feel kinda bad about that, but I know that the situation isn't forever. And maybe it's good for them to know that sometimes we can't have everything we want, and that a family sacrifices together. I dunno.
We don't hang out with friends much any more, which sounds sadder than it is. Rob and I hardly find the time to hang out with each other, so hanging out with friends is almost a burden right now. That sounds so friendly of me, right? The situation isn't upsetting or depressing, it just is what it is. Certain things have had to drop for our family to be successful. That's not sad at all. It's necessary.
What's been fascinating to me is seeing how much peace I've had through the whole process. I hate stress. Hate it. I avoid it like ... like something that should be avoided at all costs. Sure, some days I break down. But mostly I'm steady. I have the time to do what most needs to be done, and I don't mind doing it. I need less down time than normal, and I feel like Heavenly Father is strengthening our family. I get the sleep I need. I get and give the hugs I need. And I know that this is worth everything we're putting into it.
It's a good life.
Showing posts with label ASL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASL. Show all posts
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Forgot to post about it
First off:
School shopping - don't like.
My niece, Dea - do like.
Moving on.
The Search for Tank
The best story of the Mammoth Cave trip happened at the campsite. It was morning, and our tour didn't start until 10:45 (which felt like 11:45 because of the time change), so we were being good, relaxed parents and were allowing the kids to wander around the whole of the camping area. It's not very big, and I figure, in reality, most people don't really want to steal my children, especially not 4 of them.
They were sticking together and making walking trips around the camping loop and through the wooded area in-between. No problem. Then they called me over a few camp sites to see a deer. I saw the deer and pretended to be enthusiastic about the obviously-fed-by-people animal (cause pretend enthusiasm is what all the cool moms are doing these days). On my way back to the campsite I started counting kids. Miciah, Dea, and Elijah. No Teancom. I asked them where he was. They didn't know. "He's at the bathroom." "No, Elijah was just in there, and Tank wasn't with him." "He's at the campsite." "No, I was just there." That's a problem.
We tried to stay calm. Chances were that he was fine. Chances were that he wasn't too far away. ... But, you know, he's only 5.
We sent all the kids different ways around the loop and Rob split through the wooded area in the middle. One of the other campers said, "Are you looking for a little boy?" Rob replied that he was. "He went that way." Good start on our search. The best part of the whole thing was what they said next.
"He looked really young to be walking by himself, but he was walking with a purpose. He was banging his stick on the ground and when he walked by he looked at us and said, 'I made this trail!'"
Sure enough, he was just a little further down the line, banging his stick as he walked, so no big deal. And our whole family has since been saying, "I made this trail!"
Elijah
For the first time in his short life, Elijah bore his testimony at church. I loved it. It wasn't the semi-memorized normal spiel about how he knew the church was true and that he knew President Hinckley was a prophet or whatever. (Not to knock that sort of little kid testimony-bearing.) He brought up his set of scriptures and, from what I could understand between the mumbles, said that he'd been reading Joseph Smith History and that he liked it. Then he said that his dad had given his uncle Rick a blessing and that Rick had lived and he liked that, too. And he closed the testimony and sat down.
It was so simple, and yet somehow so powerful. Here's a 7-year-old little boy, bringing up his scriptures, talking about how he was reading Joseph Smith History? That's good stuff. On top of that, I'm his mother, and I see what he does at home. We have a Must Read for Half an Hour to Play the Wii rule, and almost always Elijah brings out his Book of Mormon to read. I don't ask him what he's reading most of the time, and I don't know what he's getting out of it, but holy cow! I often can't find the time to read the Book of Mormon, but my 7-year-old, who is just starting to understand the complexities of the book, he's reading it everyday? Wow, I'm a slacker.
But to me the point isn't really that I'm a slacker. It's that Elijah is amazing. He wants to be good. He wants the Priesthood. He wants to serve in the Church just like his daddy. He wants to pray and receive answers.
It's humbling.
Uncle Rick
You'll remember that I posted about Rick when things were looking pretty grim. Well, he's turned it around and is now recovering nicely. He'll hopefully be home by the end of the week, though he'll still need full-time at-home care for a while yet. His accident was on June 10th and he's been in the hospital for all but 4 days since. That's a long time! He's working on things that we take for granted, like walking further than down the hallway and sitting up without passing out. We're happy he'll come home soon. The kids are SO excited to see him.
Strep?
2 weeks ago I was disastrously sick. Fever for 3 days, my throat killing me. I stayed in bed for what felt like (and almost was) 72 hours straight. I finally went to the doctor and he told me that he thought I had strep even though the Rapid Test was negative. Prescribed an antibiotic and told me to go home and get back in bed. I said, "I've BEEN in bed. I want to get OUT of bed!" The next morning I felt amazingly better, and I've continued to improve from there. I finished up the obnoxious 10-day, 3-a-day antibiotic even though the culture revealed that I did not actually have strep. Interesting.
ASL
Tomorrow is my Beginning ASL 2 final. Hurray! I've got a greater than 100% in the class, which I'm proud of but still, it makes it awkward to do things like, "Hey, I know that the class requirement of extra sign hours outside of class is now only extra credit, and I know that I have a better than perfect score in the class, but I did all the work for that requirement, so I'm turning in my 8 hours." I feel like it makes me a jerk, but heck, I'm working hard. The teacher is probably looking for places to dock me points, but for the life of me I can't show up for things under-prepared.
Aw, maybe I won't turn in those 8 hours.
I keep receiving compliments on my sign. I took Rob to a deaf event (even though he barely knows how to say his name - he's a good sport), and was flattered when other people complimented me to him. Someday this will cease to thrill me, but it just feels like confirmation all over again that I'm in the right place at the right time. I love sign and I'm good at it. It's a good feeling.
And last but not least, this song has been in my head:
The End
School shopping - don't like.
My niece, Dea - do like.
Moving on.
The Search for Tank
The best story of the Mammoth Cave trip happened at the campsite. It was morning, and our tour didn't start until 10:45 (which felt like 11:45 because of the time change), so we were being good, relaxed parents and were allowing the kids to wander around the whole of the camping area. It's not very big, and I figure, in reality, most people don't really want to steal my children, especially not 4 of them.
They were sticking together and making walking trips around the camping loop and through the wooded area in-between. No problem. Then they called me over a few camp sites to see a deer. I saw the deer and pretended to be enthusiastic about the obviously-fed-by-people animal (cause pretend enthusiasm is what all the cool moms are doing these days). On my way back to the campsite I started counting kids. Miciah, Dea, and Elijah. No Teancom. I asked them where he was. They didn't know. "He's at the bathroom." "No, Elijah was just in there, and Tank wasn't with him." "He's at the campsite." "No, I was just there." That's a problem.
We tried to stay calm. Chances were that he was fine. Chances were that he wasn't too far away. ... But, you know, he's only 5.
We sent all the kids different ways around the loop and Rob split through the wooded area in the middle. One of the other campers said, "Are you looking for a little boy?" Rob replied that he was. "He went that way." Good start on our search. The best part of the whole thing was what they said next.
"He looked really young to be walking by himself, but he was walking with a purpose. He was banging his stick on the ground and when he walked by he looked at us and said, 'I made this trail!'"
Sure enough, he was just a little further down the line, banging his stick as he walked, so no big deal. And our whole family has since been saying, "I made this trail!"
Elijah
For the first time in his short life, Elijah bore his testimony at church. I loved it. It wasn't the semi-memorized normal spiel about how he knew the church was true and that he knew President Hinckley was a prophet or whatever. (Not to knock that sort of little kid testimony-bearing.) He brought up his set of scriptures and, from what I could understand between the mumbles, said that he'd been reading Joseph Smith History and that he liked it. Then he said that his dad had given his uncle Rick a blessing and that Rick had lived and he liked that, too. And he closed the testimony and sat down.
It was so simple, and yet somehow so powerful. Here's a 7-year-old little boy, bringing up his scriptures, talking about how he was reading Joseph Smith History? That's good stuff. On top of that, I'm his mother, and I see what he does at home. We have a Must Read for Half an Hour to Play the Wii rule, and almost always Elijah brings out his Book of Mormon to read. I don't ask him what he's reading most of the time, and I don't know what he's getting out of it, but holy cow! I often can't find the time to read the Book of Mormon, but my 7-year-old, who is just starting to understand the complexities of the book, he's reading it everyday? Wow, I'm a slacker.
But to me the point isn't really that I'm a slacker. It's that Elijah is amazing. He wants to be good. He wants the Priesthood. He wants to serve in the Church just like his daddy. He wants to pray and receive answers.
It's humbling.
Uncle Rick
You'll remember that I posted about Rick when things were looking pretty grim. Well, he's turned it around and is now recovering nicely. He'll hopefully be home by the end of the week, though he'll still need full-time at-home care for a while yet. His accident was on June 10th and he's been in the hospital for all but 4 days since. That's a long time! He's working on things that we take for granted, like walking further than down the hallway and sitting up without passing out. We're happy he'll come home soon. The kids are SO excited to see him.
Strep?
2 weeks ago I was disastrously sick. Fever for 3 days, my throat killing me. I stayed in bed for what felt like (and almost was) 72 hours straight. I finally went to the doctor and he told me that he thought I had strep even though the Rapid Test was negative. Prescribed an antibiotic and told me to go home and get back in bed. I said, "I've BEEN in bed. I want to get OUT of bed!" The next morning I felt amazingly better, and I've continued to improve from there. I finished up the obnoxious 10-day, 3-a-day antibiotic even though the culture revealed that I did not actually have strep. Interesting.
ASL
Tomorrow is my Beginning ASL 2 final. Hurray! I've got a greater than 100% in the class, which I'm proud of but still, it makes it awkward to do things like, "Hey, I know that the class requirement of extra sign hours outside of class is now only extra credit, and I know that I have a better than perfect score in the class, but I did all the work for that requirement, so I'm turning in my 8 hours." I feel like it makes me a jerk, but heck, I'm working hard. The teacher is probably looking for places to dock me points, but for the life of me I can't show up for things under-prepared.
Aw, maybe I won't turn in those 8 hours.
I keep receiving compliments on my sign. I took Rob to a deaf event (even though he barely knows how to say his name - he's a good sport), and was flattered when other people complimented me to him. Someday this will cease to thrill me, but it just feels like confirmation all over again that I'm in the right place at the right time. I love sign and I'm good at it. It's a good feeling.
And last but not least, this song has been in my head:
The End
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Happenings (an update)
Life feels better than it did a few weeks ago. Calmer and happier.
Seattle
I went to Seattle at the beginning of July to pick up my niece, Dea, for the summer. First off, Dea is delightful and I would like her to live with us for the rest of her life. So when people say something like, "Don't you have family in town?" it's easy to forget that technically, yes, I do. Dea's just one of the kids, and it's been easy to transition from saying that I have 3 kids to claiming 4.
The Seattle trip was a much-needed break. And Seattle is GORGEOUS. I would move there in a heartbeat. I assumed that it would be brown like California, but no! With all the pine trees, it was a deeper green than the Midwest! LOVED it. The mountains, the ocean, the green-ness. Man, I don't know why we all don't pack up and move to Seattle right now!
Also, it was really fun to see my sister again. We don't get to see each other much since we live so far away. She's a wonderful person. I tend to think that she's prettier than me, so when we're together and people ask if we're twins, it makes me happy. Even if I'm the ugly twin, I'll take it!
Oh, oh! If you ever go to Seattle, think about going on the Underground Seattle tour. There's a whole section of town where a new street level was built, and the buildings were just buried to the second floor. So you can go walk around down there and learn about Seattle history. Awesome, right?!
And bring extra money (or your dad - that's what I did) and eat at the Metropolitan Grill. Buy a steak. Trust me.
School and Sign
School is going really, really well. I feel like my sign skills are getting better and better, and that's always a good feeling. I still feel kind of bad that people in my class struggle when I'm having the time of my life. But, honestly, I work my butt off doing this ASL thing. I practice all the freakin' time, to the point of annoying my family members. It's almost like an involuntary twitch at this point. I have to put my hands in my pockets to remind myself to keep my hands still. I've started pulling it out in Gospel Doctrine, without meaning to, and several people have caught me signing to myself while walking down the church hallway.
I was able to help with the effort to get the Deaf LDS Community in the Tri-State area (Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky) together. On Saturday I organized a potluck. Well, really, I picked a place and time and everyone else did the inviting. People came from Dayton, Columbus, and Danville, KY. They picked the next time to meet and planned it out, along with how they want things to run down the road. They started a Facebook page to try to involve as many Deaf LDS as they can. (The Deaf Community includes pretty much anyone who signs. So interpreters and students get included. Though honestly, I still feel like I'm on the fringe of it all, and I might feel like that for a long time, yet. I'm a facilitator and that's the way it is.)
I'm excited that I've been able to be a part of making this happen. I'm grossly undertrained, so I don't feel that I'm Useful in any real sense (I keep saying to myself), but if what just happened there wasn't Useful, than what is?
I also learned that there's a Bachelor's Degree at Wright State for Interpreter Training. I'm not sure what the full name of it is, but it's designed for people like me who will have finished a 2-year degree in an Interpreter Training Program. Not sure if that's the direction that I'll go with school, but apparently soon the certification requirement will change, and I'll need a bachelors. That's a ways off, but it's good to think about now.
(Also, this is going to sound like bragging, but I'm really happy about it, so I'm going to say it. My teacher today told me that I'm going to be a good interpreter. She said, "As teachers, we can always tell who the good ones will be, and you're going to be a good one." Go me! Though, honestly, my response was, "If I didn't want to be the best, then I wouldn't have started the program. I can be mediocre without a degree.")
Rob's Science Conference
Rob went to Maine for a week and had a great time at a super specialized scientific conference. He's was like, "I got to eat dinner with some of these big name guys!" and "That guy's at the top of the field and he was excited about MY research!" etc. It helped remind Rob that he really truly does like research, which is something he's been doubting ever since the 2 years of hell with his last boss.
It got Rob super motivated to get some science papers out. He and his boss came home with some great ideas for what to work on next. Plus, he spent a delightful week with his boss, talking science and getting to know her better. One of the great things about Edith is that she's not only a great boss, she's also a great person.
Rob brought home a Whoopie Pie cook book. I didn't know there was such a thing as Whoopie Pie. Apparently it's a New England thing. They're like big circle cakes with marshmallow filling. Here's a picture that I just grabbed off the internet:
We made these with the kids, and they loved it. Those things are HUGE though, so it was impossible to eat a whole Whoopie Pie by yourself. I think the most anyone ate was 1/2, but most of us only got through 1/4:
These doubled as Tank's birthday cake:
Rob didn't know about the other thing that whoopie means. We were at a friend's house and I had to preface our family's next activity by describing what a Whoopie Pie is, so that the sentence didn't come out, "Come on, kids. Let's go make whoopies." The pluralizing of the word doesn't make it much better. It's already led to some fun jokes. Like, "Rob and I made whoopies and you guys tried it, too," and, "Come on over! We're making whoopies for dessert." ... I bet jokes like this get old really fast in New England.
Miciah and Dea
They're a great pair. Miciah gets Dea out doing stuff, and Dea keeps Miciah calm for the most part. It's a good arrangement. Since Dea's been here, bedtime has been smooth and Miciah never complains that she's bored.
Elijah
Elijah is significantly less crazy since we put Indoor Behavior rules in place. If he's inside and being crazy, then I ask him once to go outside or downstairs to play. If I have to ask him a second time, it's an automatic reading in his room for 15 minutes. Not a punishment, mind you, just an appropriate indoor activity. It's worked like a charm. Elijah is now manageable and the house is calm. Hurray!
Tank
Is officially 5 years old! New rules for him: No sucking fingers except in his room, at bedtime, and in the car. The day after his birthday we started the new rules. He was so mad at me. He threw a fit at my feet until I threw him in his room and then he napped for a few hours. The second day on the new rules and came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't like this new deal. I didn't make this deal!" I told him it wasn't a deal, it was just the way it is now. He wasn't happy with that at all.
However, we're over a week into the new rules, and it's been great. He's so obedient that he absolutely doesn't suck his fingers unless he's in his room or in the car, and the instances of both are decreasing. Just yesterday he said, "I only really suck my fingers when I'm going to bed now." Yes! That was the idea.
His Kindergarten screening is next week. He hasn't been too into learning about anything except animals, so he doesn't know how to read or write. Which means that he'll actually learn something in Kindergarten. He's coming out of his shell more and more, so we're less and less concerned about his transition to school. I think it also helps that we tell him, "We're all going to school, even Mom and Dad." He likes that.
Random Other
And that's pretty much life here. I like my new glasses. I can see crisper details, which is fun. People will say, "I didn't know you needed glasses," and I'll respond with, "Well, I don't really NEED them..." Glasses make the dark gray words in books appear black and sharp. They make the detail on the TV more crisp. They make the clock across the room more distinct. So it's not like I can now see what I couldn't before, I just can now see better what I could already see. And I like it. It makes my eyes feel more relaxed. Now when I take off my glasses my eyes go, "What are you DOING? Put them back on!"
My Uncle Rick is doing better! He's starting the recovery process. It'll still take a long time, but it's awesome that things are getting better. Thank you for all your prayers and support.
And I have a brand new nephew, born today in Utah! Hurray!!!
The End
Seattle
I went to Seattle at the beginning of July to pick up my niece, Dea, for the summer. First off, Dea is delightful and I would like her to live with us for the rest of her life. So when people say something like, "Don't you have family in town?" it's easy to forget that technically, yes, I do. Dea's just one of the kids, and it's been easy to transition from saying that I have 3 kids to claiming 4.
The Seattle trip was a much-needed break. And Seattle is GORGEOUS. I would move there in a heartbeat. I assumed that it would be brown like California, but no! With all the pine trees, it was a deeper green than the Midwest! LOVED it. The mountains, the ocean, the green-ness. Man, I don't know why we all don't pack up and move to Seattle right now!
Also, it was really fun to see my sister again. We don't get to see each other much since we live so far away. She's a wonderful person. I tend to think that she's prettier than me, so when we're together and people ask if we're twins, it makes me happy. Even if I'm the ugly twin, I'll take it!
Oh, oh! If you ever go to Seattle, think about going on the Underground Seattle tour. There's a whole section of town where a new street level was built, and the buildings were just buried to the second floor. So you can go walk around down there and learn about Seattle history. Awesome, right?!
And bring extra money (or your dad - that's what I did) and eat at the Metropolitan Grill. Buy a steak. Trust me.
School and Sign
School is going really, really well. I feel like my sign skills are getting better and better, and that's always a good feeling. I still feel kind of bad that people in my class struggle when I'm having the time of my life. But, honestly, I work my butt off doing this ASL thing. I practice all the freakin' time, to the point of annoying my family members. It's almost like an involuntary twitch at this point. I have to put my hands in my pockets to remind myself to keep my hands still. I've started pulling it out in Gospel Doctrine, without meaning to, and several people have caught me signing to myself while walking down the church hallway.
I was able to help with the effort to get the Deaf LDS Community in the Tri-State area (Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky) together. On Saturday I organized a potluck. Well, really, I picked a place and time and everyone else did the inviting. People came from Dayton, Columbus, and Danville, KY. They picked the next time to meet and planned it out, along with how they want things to run down the road. They started a Facebook page to try to involve as many Deaf LDS as they can. (The Deaf Community includes pretty much anyone who signs. So interpreters and students get included. Though honestly, I still feel like I'm on the fringe of it all, and I might feel like that for a long time, yet. I'm a facilitator and that's the way it is.)
I'm excited that I've been able to be a part of making this happen. I'm grossly undertrained, so I don't feel that I'm Useful in any real sense (I keep saying to myself), but if what just happened there wasn't Useful, than what is?
I also learned that there's a Bachelor's Degree at Wright State for Interpreter Training. I'm not sure what the full name of it is, but it's designed for people like me who will have finished a 2-year degree in an Interpreter Training Program. Not sure if that's the direction that I'll go with school, but apparently soon the certification requirement will change, and I'll need a bachelors. That's a ways off, but it's good to think about now.
(Also, this is going to sound like bragging, but I'm really happy about it, so I'm going to say it. My teacher today told me that I'm going to be a good interpreter. She said, "As teachers, we can always tell who the good ones will be, and you're going to be a good one." Go me! Though, honestly, my response was, "If I didn't want to be the best, then I wouldn't have started the program. I can be mediocre without a degree.")
Rob's Science Conference
Rob went to Maine for a week and had a great time at a super specialized scientific conference. He's was like, "I got to eat dinner with some of these big name guys!" and "That guy's at the top of the field and he was excited about MY research!" etc. It helped remind Rob that he really truly does like research, which is something he's been doubting ever since the 2 years of hell with his last boss.
It got Rob super motivated to get some science papers out. He and his boss came home with some great ideas for what to work on next. Plus, he spent a delightful week with his boss, talking science and getting to know her better. One of the great things about Edith is that she's not only a great boss, she's also a great person.
Rob brought home a Whoopie Pie cook book. I didn't know there was such a thing as Whoopie Pie. Apparently it's a New England thing. They're like big circle cakes with marshmallow filling. Here's a picture that I just grabbed off the internet:
Rob didn't know about the other thing that whoopie means. We were at a friend's house and I had to preface our family's next activity by describing what a Whoopie Pie is, so that the sentence didn't come out, "Come on, kids. Let's go make whoopies." The pluralizing of the word doesn't make it much better. It's already led to some fun jokes. Like, "Rob and I made whoopies and you guys tried it, too," and, "Come on over! We're making whoopies for dessert." ... I bet jokes like this get old really fast in New England.
Miciah and Dea
They're a great pair. Miciah gets Dea out doing stuff, and Dea keeps Miciah calm for the most part. It's a good arrangement. Since Dea's been here, bedtime has been smooth and Miciah never complains that she's bored.
Elijah
Elijah is significantly less crazy since we put Indoor Behavior rules in place. If he's inside and being crazy, then I ask him once to go outside or downstairs to play. If I have to ask him a second time, it's an automatic reading in his room for 15 minutes. Not a punishment, mind you, just an appropriate indoor activity. It's worked like a charm. Elijah is now manageable and the house is calm. Hurray!
Tank
Is officially 5 years old! New rules for him: No sucking fingers except in his room, at bedtime, and in the car. The day after his birthday we started the new rules. He was so mad at me. He threw a fit at my feet until I threw him in his room and then he napped for a few hours. The second day on the new rules and came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't like this new deal. I didn't make this deal!" I told him it wasn't a deal, it was just the way it is now. He wasn't happy with that at all.
However, we're over a week into the new rules, and it's been great. He's so obedient that he absolutely doesn't suck his fingers unless he's in his room or in the car, and the instances of both are decreasing. Just yesterday he said, "I only really suck my fingers when I'm going to bed now." Yes! That was the idea.
His Kindergarten screening is next week. He hasn't been too into learning about anything except animals, so he doesn't know how to read or write. Which means that he'll actually learn something in Kindergarten. He's coming out of his shell more and more, so we're less and less concerned about his transition to school. I think it also helps that we tell him, "We're all going to school, even Mom and Dad." He likes that.
Random Other
And that's pretty much life here. I like my new glasses. I can see crisper details, which is fun. People will say, "I didn't know you needed glasses," and I'll respond with, "Well, I don't really NEED them..." Glasses make the dark gray words in books appear black and sharp. They make the detail on the TV more crisp. They make the clock across the room more distinct. So it's not like I can now see what I couldn't before, I just can now see better what I could already see. And I like it. It makes my eyes feel more relaxed. Now when I take off my glasses my eyes go, "What are you DOING? Put them back on!"
My Uncle Rick is doing better! He's starting the recovery process. It'll still take a long time, but it's awesome that things are getting better. Thank you for all your prayers and support.
And I have a brand new nephew, born today in Utah! Hurray!!!
The End
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Well, there's that. (an update)
Tamra
I finished class tonight. My final project didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I didn't bomb it, either. We had to sign 15 sentences, which isn't a lot. But we had to sign it one-on-one with the teacher. While being videotaped. Can you think of a more stressful classroom situation? Well, maybe there's a more stressful one, but still, that's a pretty stressful situation, I think you'd agree.
I was on the way home, in the car, thinking about how bumbly my ASL was, despite the fact that I know sign and I'd practiced the project multiple, multiple times. I had most of those sentences memorized. I signed to myself some of the sentences again, just to prove that I'm not an idiot. I suppose that's how it goes.
Anyway, it's over and I have a week break before round 2 starts! Hurray!
I haven't updated anything lately, mainly because I wasn't in the mood. I think not being in the mood was partly because I'm just busier with class. Not that class takes a lot of time, but my practicing outside of class took a bunch of time (I'm required to have 8 hours outside of class, and I easily doubled that, if not tripled it. I humbly only reported 11 hours). I've started making connections, particularly in the LDS deaf / ASL community. That's meant meeting new friends and having them over to our house, etc. I don't mind the decrease in down time, because I love signing, but it's been an adjustment.
Here's another thing (and I know you don't really care, but honestly, I'm not writing this for you): Figuring out how to mesh my two worlds together is an interesting process. Huge kudos to my husband for being ultra-supportive in letting me invite people over to our house, KNOWING that he can't effectively communicate with them. Love that Rob husband. ... I now feel like I have 2 separate sets of friends, and those 2 sets can't even talk to each other. Not because they don't want to, but because they can't. There aren't many people who can bridge the deaf / hearing gap. (But thank you to those who try!)
This is a struggle for me. Mostly, I leave it alone, in my mind, because I don't quite know what to do with it. I suspect it will resolve itself over time, or I'll figure it out in some way. But for now, it's ... somewhat stressful for me. I enjoy the process. I like having new friends. But feeling a gap between two parts of myself that I love? Don't like it. ... Bah.
And that's pretty much my life these days. ASL is now creeping into my everyday speech and thoughts and dreams and just random nothing moments, too. My kids often will say, "What are you saying? Oh. You're just talking to yourself." They are now getting interested in signing for themselves, which I LOVE. Hopefully they can acquire some skill at it, too.
Oh, and I turned 30.
Rob
Finished with classes (sort of)! Over the summer he is teaching 2 sections of an on-line class for Raymond Walters, but he won't have to go anywhere. So our Tuesday / Thursdays without him won't start again until late August. Hurray!
He's had a blast helping coach for Elijah's baseball team. It's been adorable. Elijah has one game left, and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures. Elijah and Rob are both so cute out there.
Miciah
Still wonderful. Now that it's summer and we're not as vigilant about her bedtime, I'm sure she's staying up reading until midnight or later. She'll get up in the morning at 10 or 10:30, which is shamefully late. Even I get up by 9:30 at the latest. ... Tonight Miciah suggested that her name sign (usually the first letter of your name used in some way that reflects your personality or interests - only someone who is deaf can give you a name sign) could be something relating to reading. I thought that was cute.
Elijah
Elijah has a name sign, by the way. It's an E circling by the side of his head. It's for Crazy. Elijah the crazy kid. For how much energy he has. I think it's AWESOME. (Again, I didn't come up with it.)
He asks lots of questions to my deaf friends. Things like, "Can you hear music?" and "Can deaf people hear other deaf people?" I like that last one.
Elijah is LOVING baseball. He was interested in the games. He paid attention. He hit the ball well. He wants to practice throwing and catching. Who knows, we might have found a sport for him.
Tank
Adorable still. Interested in helping me around the house. This has been an interesting summer development with all the kids, actually. I will call them and say, "I need you to do this," and, normally without complaining, they'll do it. Weird, right? And then, when they're done, they'll come and ask what else I need them to do. It's like some sort of alternate reality. ... It makes me wonder if the school process is just a lot for them to handle, at these young ages, along with the other stuff that I want them to do around the house. (I'm still making them do chores when school is back in, either way.)
He still only eats crackers and apples and cheese. Normally dinner gets completely passed over. Oh well. Someday he'll grow and then he'll have to eat!
Tank did have a birthday party, even though his 5th birthday isn't for another month yet. Some of his good friends are moving very soon, and some others were leaving town, so we did it early. Also, the #3 person on his invite list was a 14-year-old. I think that's hilarious.
I have other stories and things to report on, since I haven't in a while. Let me make a short list of what's to come in a/some future post(s):
- "Is it a whale or a dolphin?"
- Elijah and the Book of Mormon
- fights during sacrament meeting
- fireflies and soft, quiet things
- Teancom's fear of babies
Sounds like fun, no?
I finished class tonight. My final project didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I didn't bomb it, either. We had to sign 15 sentences, which isn't a lot. But we had to sign it one-on-one with the teacher. While being videotaped. Can you think of a more stressful classroom situation? Well, maybe there's a more stressful one, but still, that's a pretty stressful situation, I think you'd agree.
I was on the way home, in the car, thinking about how bumbly my ASL was, despite the fact that I know sign and I'd practiced the project multiple, multiple times. I had most of those sentences memorized. I signed to myself some of the sentences again, just to prove that I'm not an idiot. I suppose that's how it goes.
Anyway, it's over and I have a week break before round 2 starts! Hurray!
I haven't updated anything lately, mainly because I wasn't in the mood. I think not being in the mood was partly because I'm just busier with class. Not that class takes a lot of time, but my practicing outside of class took a bunch of time (I'm required to have 8 hours outside of class, and I easily doubled that, if not tripled it. I humbly only reported 11 hours). I've started making connections, particularly in the LDS deaf / ASL community. That's meant meeting new friends and having them over to our house, etc. I don't mind the decrease in down time, because I love signing, but it's been an adjustment.
Here's another thing (and I know you don't really care, but honestly, I'm not writing this for you): Figuring out how to mesh my two worlds together is an interesting process. Huge kudos to my husband for being ultra-supportive in letting me invite people over to our house, KNOWING that he can't effectively communicate with them. Love that Rob husband. ... I now feel like I have 2 separate sets of friends, and those 2 sets can't even talk to each other. Not because they don't want to, but because they can't. There aren't many people who can bridge the deaf / hearing gap. (But thank you to those who try!)
This is a struggle for me. Mostly, I leave it alone, in my mind, because I don't quite know what to do with it. I suspect it will resolve itself over time, or I'll figure it out in some way. But for now, it's ... somewhat stressful for me. I enjoy the process. I like having new friends. But feeling a gap between two parts of myself that I love? Don't like it. ... Bah.
And that's pretty much my life these days. ASL is now creeping into my everyday speech and thoughts and dreams and just random nothing moments, too. My kids often will say, "What are you saying? Oh. You're just talking to yourself." They are now getting interested in signing for themselves, which I LOVE. Hopefully they can acquire some skill at it, too.
Oh, and I turned 30.
Rob
Finished with classes (sort of)! Over the summer he is teaching 2 sections of an on-line class for Raymond Walters, but he won't have to go anywhere. So our Tuesday / Thursdays without him won't start again until late August. Hurray!
He's had a blast helping coach for Elijah's baseball team. It's been adorable. Elijah has one game left, and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures. Elijah and Rob are both so cute out there.
Miciah
Still wonderful. Now that it's summer and we're not as vigilant about her bedtime, I'm sure she's staying up reading until midnight or later. She'll get up in the morning at 10 or 10:30, which is shamefully late. Even I get up by 9:30 at the latest. ... Tonight Miciah suggested that her name sign (usually the first letter of your name used in some way that reflects your personality or interests - only someone who is deaf can give you a name sign) could be something relating to reading. I thought that was cute.
Elijah
Elijah has a name sign, by the way. It's an E circling by the side of his head. It's for Crazy. Elijah the crazy kid. For how much energy he has. I think it's AWESOME. (Again, I didn't come up with it.)
He asks lots of questions to my deaf friends. Things like, "Can you hear music?" and "Can deaf people hear other deaf people?" I like that last one.
Elijah is LOVING baseball. He was interested in the games. He paid attention. He hit the ball well. He wants to practice throwing and catching. Who knows, we might have found a sport for him.
Tank
Adorable still. Interested in helping me around the house. This has been an interesting summer development with all the kids, actually. I will call them and say, "I need you to do this," and, normally without complaining, they'll do it. Weird, right? And then, when they're done, they'll come and ask what else I need them to do. It's like some sort of alternate reality. ... It makes me wonder if the school process is just a lot for them to handle, at these young ages, along with the other stuff that I want them to do around the house. (I'm still making them do chores when school is back in, either way.)
He still only eats crackers and apples and cheese. Normally dinner gets completely passed over. Oh well. Someday he'll grow and then he'll have to eat!
Tank did have a birthday party, even though his 5th birthday isn't for another month yet. Some of his good friends are moving very soon, and some others were leaving town, so we did it early. Also, the #3 person on his invite list was a 14-year-old. I think that's hilarious.
I have other stories and things to report on, since I haven't in a while. Let me make a short list of what's to come in a/some future post(s):
- "Is it a whale or a dolphin?"
- Elijah and the Book of Mormon
- fights during sacrament meeting
- fireflies and soft, quiet things
- Teancom's fear of babies
Sounds like fun, no?
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sign Language
Here's a brief update about my schooling.
I'm more than halfway through my first ASL class, and it's AMAZING. It's so great to practice my sign on a weekly basis. I didn't realize how much I've missed it. (Actually it's quickly replacing soccer as my favorite Release. Weird, right?)
I was hoping to lay low, so they wouldn't know that I already knew sign. But that didn't work. My teacher called me out on day 1. Turns out that there's a lot of sign that beginners don't know. Basics like "right" and "OK" and "good." :) I have now received comments from my classmates like, "How much sign do you know?" and "Teacher's pet," and "I don't know how advanced you are, but can you help me?"
The main reason I started over at the beginning was to correct some of my sign that's off or old or sloppy, and to improve my grammar. And on that scale, class has been very successful. I have corrected things as basic as letters and numbers and days of the week. Re-wiring my brain has been an interesting process.
So class hasn't been a cakewalk. I feel like I'm learning just as much as my classmates, but on a different level. Certainly I'm practicing as much as most of them, working as hard, and signing outside of class just as much (if not more).
It's great to go to outside events and just sign. I've met a deaf man who is also LDS, and that's been fun. He's really nice and he's introduced me to some deaf LDS resources. I've also met lots of other students (logging hours for class, just like me - I have to get 8 hours of sign time outside of class). It's interesting. They'll see me sign and ask where I go to school. When I tell them Cincinnati State, the response is often, "Why haven't I seen you around before?" Then I'll tell them I'm in Beginning Sign 1. One guy said, "No one will ever believe you're in Sign 1." That same guy also complimented my sign, which was very nice of him, and then said, "No, really. You're better than I am." He's at the Advanced level, which is 6 classes above me.
Bottom line: I'm having the time of my life.
I'm more than halfway through my first ASL class, and it's AMAZING. It's so great to practice my sign on a weekly basis. I didn't realize how much I've missed it. (Actually it's quickly replacing soccer as my favorite Release. Weird, right?)
I was hoping to lay low, so they wouldn't know that I already knew sign. But that didn't work. My teacher called me out on day 1. Turns out that there's a lot of sign that beginners don't know. Basics like "right" and "OK" and "good." :) I have now received comments from my classmates like, "How much sign do you know?" and "Teacher's pet," and "I don't know how advanced you are, but can you help me?"
The main reason I started over at the beginning was to correct some of my sign that's off or old or sloppy, and to improve my grammar. And on that scale, class has been very successful. I have corrected things as basic as letters and numbers and days of the week. Re-wiring my brain has been an interesting process.
So class hasn't been a cakewalk. I feel like I'm learning just as much as my classmates, but on a different level. Certainly I'm practicing as much as most of them, working as hard, and signing outside of class just as much (if not more).
It's great to go to outside events and just sign. I've met a deaf man who is also LDS, and that's been fun. He's really nice and he's introduced me to some deaf LDS resources. I've also met lots of other students (logging hours for class, just like me - I have to get 8 hours of sign time outside of class). It's interesting. They'll see me sign and ask where I go to school. When I tell them Cincinnati State, the response is often, "Why haven't I seen you around before?" Then I'll tell them I'm in Beginning Sign 1. One guy said, "No one will ever believe you're in Sign 1." That same guy also complimented my sign, which was very nice of him, and then said, "No, really. You're better than I am." He's at the Advanced level, which is 6 classes above me.
Bottom line: I'm having the time of my life.
Monday, February 28, 2011
An Update at 6 in the Morning
Like I've said before, there isn't really much to report. A lot of sickness around here, plus our lives are pretty typically boring anyway. But I'm going to pretend that I have something important to say because it's 6 in the morning and I'm awake with nothing better to do.
Rob
Rob skipped out on the flu. Probably because he had the flu shot this year (he gets the flu shot because he works at Children's and if you don't get the shot you get fired. They give it to you for free, though). He was coming down with a cold one day, and then over it the next. Lucky him.
Next week he starts Jury Duty. He's so excited about it!!! (Not really. I keep telling him he's excited, just for fun.) Shortly after that he starts teaching his class at UC. Right now his teaching load is light, he's only gone one night a week, and it's been great! It's so fantastic to have the weekends and most week nights as a family, with a Rob who is fully there with us.
Tamra
My waiting is finally over: I have the full-on flu. It hasn't been awful, really. A low-grade fever. I'm really tired. A headache. The headache got so bad that I finally took drugs for it, which is why I'm awake now: the drug has caffeine in it and so it wakes me up (I have to feel pretty miserable to take it at night). But it also broke my fever, so I'm feeling good right now. That's likely to change when the drug wears off in a few hours.
This week I will have the opportunity to testify in court, assuming the case gets on the docket this week. I hope you all get to skip out on this opportunity, as, in my experience, it's already been pretty painful. I'd rather the case not exist, let alone have to talk about it under oath. I'm hoping I'm over the flu by the time I have to go in, cause that's a combo I don't want to do. ... No, I'm not telling you details about the case. And no, it's not about anyone you know. Promise.
Miciah
Miciah has written some pretty good stories lately, so I'll be posting those as I get to it. I love her stories, her creativity. I also love how funny she is, and how funny she thinks she is. She will say something clever and then repeat the entire conversation for us about 10 times. I don't know anyone else who does that (expect myself).
Sign that Miciah is growing up: She asked if she could start taking a shower every day. Weird.
She was Star of the Week in her class 2 weeks ago. I love how much the kids love being Star of the Week. I mean, they just rotate through the class. It's not like it's an honor. But they do get to share special things about themselves, so I can see how it'd be cool. A few months back she got to be Star of the Week for her grade, which is a little more on the "honor" side. There's only 1 kid per grade level per week. She got to be on morning announcements (where the principal got her name wrong. Again), and got all these prizes and stuff. It was pretty cool for her.
Elijah
Elijah is back to his normal energy levels, which is good and bad. We can barely keep up with him! He's kinda crazy. But he's so happy. I'm working on constructive ways to work with his energy, instead of feeling like we're always fighting it. Any suggestions on that front? I could use them.
Our wii is back up and running, which makes Elijah especially happy. We've put in new rules. They now have to read for half an hour every day to get their half an hour wii time (or computer time. Now they'll have to choose). That's all the time they get in a day. On Saturday they get a half hour for free, and then a second half hour if they read. This last Saturday was our trial run, and it was great. The kids read and read, even Teancom. Well, Miciah read to him. And then, when it was time to turn the wii off, they did it without complaining. Excellent!
Teancom
Tank is adorable, as always. Not sure there's much on the announcement side for him. Let's see. We bought him some new pants, cause his old ones were falling apart (Elijah destroys his clothes, so when they get to Tank they're nearly rags). He was upset at the store when I told him the size we needed was 3T. "That's for 3-year-olds!" he told me. Tank is a small kid. I'm sure he'll grow eventually. We had a kid with us for a day who is not yet 3, and they were the same height. This is why Tank can still wear that Frankenstein outfit that he loves and has been wearing for 2 years.
A fun Tank story. As I've been signing more, the kids have become more interested in it. Elijah, like his father, has a hard time seeing the signs and then copying them right. Miciah almost always gets it the first time, Tank right behind, but Elijah just ... struggles. We were trying to get him to do the sign for "no" correctly, and Rob was holding his hands and trying to adjust his fingers how they needed to be. It's a simple sign, and probably most of you know it. What cracked me up was Tank's explanation of the sign to Elijah. "No! 2 on top, 1 on bottom. Chomp, chomp." If you know the sign, you know that that's a perfect description. Never would have thought of it, but it's beautiful.
Kids
Daniel, a boy in our ward, asked if he could come read stories to our kids for a merit badge he's working on. Umm, YES! Our kids were really excited about it. When he arrived yesterday, Tank ran into the living room and shouted, "It's story time!" He read to them for 2 hours. Miciah lost interest before the end, because they were mostly picture books, but she sat on the other couch and read different books.
Daniel's coming back next week to do another 2 hours and finish his time. ... It struck me, when the kids were so excited about it all, that we should read to them more. We read to them on a near daily basis, particularly at bed time, but we often have other things we "need" to do with our time. Maybe Sunday afternoon reading time would be a good tradition to start.
And that's the end of my "updates." Love to you all!
Rob
Rob skipped out on the flu. Probably because he had the flu shot this year (he gets the flu shot because he works at Children's and if you don't get the shot you get fired. They give it to you for free, though). He was coming down with a cold one day, and then over it the next. Lucky him.
Next week he starts Jury Duty. He's so excited about it!!! (Not really. I keep telling him he's excited, just for fun.) Shortly after that he starts teaching his class at UC. Right now his teaching load is light, he's only gone one night a week, and it's been great! It's so fantastic to have the weekends and most week nights as a family, with a Rob who is fully there with us.
Tamra
My waiting is finally over: I have the full-on flu. It hasn't been awful, really. A low-grade fever. I'm really tired. A headache. The headache got so bad that I finally took drugs for it, which is why I'm awake now: the drug has caffeine in it and so it wakes me up (I have to feel pretty miserable to take it at night). But it also broke my fever, so I'm feeling good right now. That's likely to change when the drug wears off in a few hours.
This week I will have the opportunity to testify in court, assuming the case gets on the docket this week. I hope you all get to skip out on this opportunity, as, in my experience, it's already been pretty painful. I'd rather the case not exist, let alone have to talk about it under oath. I'm hoping I'm over the flu by the time I have to go in, cause that's a combo I don't want to do. ... No, I'm not telling you details about the case. And no, it's not about anyone you know. Promise.
Miciah
Miciah has written some pretty good stories lately, so I'll be posting those as I get to it. I love her stories, her creativity. I also love how funny she is, and how funny she thinks she is. She will say something clever and then repeat the entire conversation for us about 10 times. I don't know anyone else who does that (expect myself).
Sign that Miciah is growing up: She asked if she could start taking a shower every day. Weird.
She was Star of the Week in her class 2 weeks ago. I love how much the kids love being Star of the Week. I mean, they just rotate through the class. It's not like it's an honor. But they do get to share special things about themselves, so I can see how it'd be cool. A few months back she got to be Star of the Week for her grade, which is a little more on the "honor" side. There's only 1 kid per grade level per week. She got to be on morning announcements (where the principal got her name wrong. Again), and got all these prizes and stuff. It was pretty cool for her.
Elijah
Elijah is back to his normal energy levels, which is good and bad. We can barely keep up with him! He's kinda crazy. But he's so happy. I'm working on constructive ways to work with his energy, instead of feeling like we're always fighting it. Any suggestions on that front? I could use them.
Our wii is back up and running, which makes Elijah especially happy. We've put in new rules. They now have to read for half an hour every day to get their half an hour wii time (or computer time. Now they'll have to choose). That's all the time they get in a day. On Saturday they get a half hour for free, and then a second half hour if they read. This last Saturday was our trial run, and it was great. The kids read and read, even Teancom. Well, Miciah read to him. And then, when it was time to turn the wii off, they did it without complaining. Excellent!
Teancom
Tank is adorable, as always. Not sure there's much on the announcement side for him. Let's see. We bought him some new pants, cause his old ones were falling apart (Elijah destroys his clothes, so when they get to Tank they're nearly rags). He was upset at the store when I told him the size we needed was 3T. "That's for 3-year-olds!" he told me. Tank is a small kid. I'm sure he'll grow eventually. We had a kid with us for a day who is not yet 3, and they were the same height. This is why Tank can still wear that Frankenstein outfit that he loves and has been wearing for 2 years.
A fun Tank story. As I've been signing more, the kids have become more interested in it. Elijah, like his father, has a hard time seeing the signs and then copying them right. Miciah almost always gets it the first time, Tank right behind, but Elijah just ... struggles. We were trying to get him to do the sign for "no" correctly, and Rob was holding his hands and trying to adjust his fingers how they needed to be. It's a simple sign, and probably most of you know it. What cracked me up was Tank's explanation of the sign to Elijah. "No! 2 on top, 1 on bottom. Chomp, chomp." If you know the sign, you know that that's a perfect description. Never would have thought of it, but it's beautiful.
Kids
Daniel, a boy in our ward, asked if he could come read stories to our kids for a merit badge he's working on. Umm, YES! Our kids were really excited about it. When he arrived yesterday, Tank ran into the living room and shouted, "It's story time!" He read to them for 2 hours. Miciah lost interest before the end, because they were mostly picture books, but she sat on the other couch and read different books.
Daniel's coming back next week to do another 2 hours and finish his time. ... It struck me, when the kids were so excited about it all, that we should read to them more. We read to them on a near daily basis, particularly at bed time, but we often have other things we "need" to do with our time. Maybe Sunday afternoon reading time would be a good tradition to start.
And that's the end of my "updates." Love to you all!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Not Being Perfect
Garden Woes
First off, here's a note to myself: Remember, in January 2012, that nothing's wrong. You're just missing your garden. I give you permission to buy a new house plant or bulb, if needed.
That's exactly what Rob and I did yesterday: planted things. I have 13 amaryllis bulbs, which is a ridiculous number of bulbs. We decided that this year, as soon as a flower spike starts showing, we're going to give 7 of them away. If you'd like to have own an amaryllis, or if you'd just like to have it in your house when it blooms this year, let me know.
Also, I bought a new house plant. The people at the nursery said, "Sounds like you already have quite a few house plants." Yes, but there can't ever be too many, can there? ... I have a garden addiction. It's a problem.
Not Being Perfect
Let's be honest, I have issues. I guess we all do, but I've always been more than ready to accept the idea that I have more than my fair share of them. In fact, usually, it probably wouldn't take much to convince me that I'm literally going insane.
While I was at book group this week, we started talking about journals and blogs, and writing about our kids and our lives. About the fear of our children eventually reading them, and realizing that we weren't perfect or great or even just what they THOUGHT we were.
I thought it was kinda funny, because that's actually why I write. I want my kids to know that I'm just a person trying to figure things out, like they are. And I'm not even CLOSE to perfect. My kids won't ever have that illusion.
Not being perfect, actually, is what keeps me going. There's too much pressure when you're perfect. Hurray for imperfection!
(Probably, when I make it to the other side, God is going to say to me, "You could have tried a little harder, you know." And I'll shrug my shoulders, like I do, say a pathetic, "I'm sorry," and then I'll go hang out for eternity with the slackers. I'm okay with that outcome.)
Signing
Have I ever mentioned that I love Sign Language? Love it. I took my last ASL class in 2001, and then spent a decade slowly getting more and more out of practice. By the time July came, and a deaf couple showed up to church, I hadn't even thought about ASL for years. I could barely ask them how old their kids were.
It turns out, though, that consciously thinking about something is helpful. My sign has returned fairly quickly, my technique is better, my speed has increased. It's great.
It's been super helpful, because I've had a ton of opportunities to use my sign language skills (well, "skills" is used loosely here) in recent months. It's strange to me that I've had zero opportunities for years and years, and now, suddenly, I've have a string of chances. 2 other deaf people have showed up to church and I've been able to interpret for them. Granted, it's been nearly disastrous, but they appreciate the effort, and I'm learning a lot.
Though I think it's really funny that I started signing again and then within 2 weeks broke my arm. Figures, right?
And for those of you who think that my sign is really good when you're watching me at church, it's only because you don't know what I'm saying. Or not saying, really. Today Charles and I had an entire conversation, while the talks were going on, about one of my signs being wrong. He was really nice about it: "You can sign it wrong, that's fine with me. I don't want to offend you." I wanted to laugh. No, I should just sign it right. ... And wanna know what sign it was? A really hard one, you'd expect. It was the word "us." That's how amazing I am.
First off, here's a note to myself: Remember, in January 2012, that nothing's wrong. You're just missing your garden. I give you permission to buy a new house plant or bulb, if needed.
That's exactly what Rob and I did yesterday: planted things. I have 13 amaryllis bulbs, which is a ridiculous number of bulbs. We decided that this year, as soon as a flower spike starts showing, we're going to give 7 of them away. If you'd like to have own an amaryllis, or if you'd just like to have it in your house when it blooms this year, let me know.
Also, I bought a new house plant. The people at the nursery said, "Sounds like you already have quite a few house plants." Yes, but there can't ever be too many, can there? ... I have a garden addiction. It's a problem.
Not Being Perfect
Let's be honest, I have issues. I guess we all do, but I've always been more than ready to accept the idea that I have more than my fair share of them. In fact, usually, it probably wouldn't take much to convince me that I'm literally going insane.
While I was at book group this week, we started talking about journals and blogs, and writing about our kids and our lives. About the fear of our children eventually reading them, and realizing that we weren't perfect or great or even just what they THOUGHT we were.
I thought it was kinda funny, because that's actually why I write. I want my kids to know that I'm just a person trying to figure things out, like they are. And I'm not even CLOSE to perfect. My kids won't ever have that illusion.
Not being perfect, actually, is what keeps me going. There's too much pressure when you're perfect. Hurray for imperfection!
(Probably, when I make it to the other side, God is going to say to me, "You could have tried a little harder, you know." And I'll shrug my shoulders, like I do, say a pathetic, "I'm sorry," and then I'll go hang out for eternity with the slackers. I'm okay with that outcome.)
Signing
Have I ever mentioned that I love Sign Language? Love it. I took my last ASL class in 2001, and then spent a decade slowly getting more and more out of practice. By the time July came, and a deaf couple showed up to church, I hadn't even thought about ASL for years. I could barely ask them how old their kids were.
It turns out, though, that consciously thinking about something is helpful. My sign has returned fairly quickly, my technique is better, my speed has increased. It's great.
It's been super helpful, because I've had a ton of opportunities to use my sign language skills (well, "skills" is used loosely here) in recent months. It's strange to me that I've had zero opportunities for years and years, and now, suddenly, I've have a string of chances. 2 other deaf people have showed up to church and I've been able to interpret for them. Granted, it's been nearly disastrous, but they appreciate the effort, and I'm learning a lot.
Though I think it's really funny that I started signing again and then within 2 weeks broke my arm. Figures, right?
And for those of you who think that my sign is really good when you're watching me at church, it's only because you don't know what I'm saying. Or not saying, really. Today Charles and I had an entire conversation, while the talks were going on, about one of my signs being wrong. He was really nice about it: "You can sign it wrong, that's fine with me. I don't want to offend you." I wanted to laugh. No, I should just sign it right. ... And wanna know what sign it was? A really hard one, you'd expect. It was the word "us." That's how amazing I am.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Mammoth Cave
Heads Up: This is a long post, people, and it's all about Mammoth Cave. Feel free to skim it and just look at the pictures. ... Though I would suggest at least reading the section called 3 - Rob Sings, cause that part was awesome. (I think it was all awesome, which is why I wrote about it all. But that doesn't mean it'll be awesome to read about.)
On Friday Rob and I woke up and got ready for the day. It was weird to pack for a short trip and not have to run around like mad people saying things like, "Did you get enough pull-ups?" and "Do you have their blankies?"
We went to Rob's work, cause he had a meeting. I sat in the awesome small foyer area which has a glass window, floor-to-ceiling, and the room is 2 stories tall. I watched rain come in and hide the city behind a hazy curtain. I finished reading one book and started another. I talked to Rob's used-to-be co-workers, who are our friends. All-in-all, I waited for a little over 2 hours and I didn't once have to say, "Stop climbing on that," or, "I'm sorry that you're bored. That's why I told you to bring a book." Amazing.
Then we were on our way to Mammoth, which is about 3 1/2 hours away. Not too far, and it's a BEAUTIFUL drive through tree-covered Kentucky hills.
Camping
We got there to the park and checked into the campground. We set up our new tent, which took a long time. I was laughing at Rob, cause we bought the tent a month ago or so, and it says in the directions, "Set up the tent before you go on your trip." You know, so that you don't start yelling at each other on your vacation, and so that you know all the pieces are there, etc. Rob's response, "We have some down time right now. What ELSE were we going to do with our time?"
Yep. I can't think of a single thing I would rather do. But it was fun. We laughed a lot. I love my husband.
And the tent is beautiful and spacious and awesome. Family heirloom quality. It will be included in our next family picture.
Star Chamber Tour
On Friday night we did our first of 2 tours. It was a lantern light tour. BEST TOUR EVER. I seriously have not been on a better tour in my life (that I can remember). Our tour guide, Emily, was fantastic. I wish I knew her last name, cause I want to send her fan mail and invite her to family picnics, and personally request her next time I'm going to Mammoth. She not only knew her stuff and how to present it (effective dramatic pauses that gave the cave a History and Purpose and Personality), but she told cave jokes that I've never heard before, and she played really well with the hilarious trick-playing trailing guide, Ranger Rick.
Best cave joke Emily told:
Someone asked about the largest animal living in the cave. She said that it was a rat. A pack rat. It's only about the size of a hamster. It can't see inside the cave (cause nothing can), so it leaves a trail of urine so that it can smell its way back out. Then she said, "Lucky for you guys, Ranger Rick has been doing that for us tonight." Awesome.
The actual area called the Star Chamber was awesome. It was like being inside a canyon, but with a roof instead of sky. And the whole ceiling is black, so it looks like you're outside, inside a canyon, with little dots of white for stars. It's neat.
And I thought that seeing the cave by lantern light would be 1- spookier and 2- not as easy to see the cool stuff. Turns out that you can see nearly as much by lantern light. The Rotunda Room (the huge room when you first enter) was harder to see in its entirety, but you got the impression of it by lantern light. And the cave colors were muted by the dim light, but that wasn't much lost, either. So: DO THE LANTERN TOUR. (Sorry, Key West Friend. You'll have to come again and do it with us. No more holiday weekends for us!)
signing in the cave
Oh, another highlight for me: There was a family there with 2 deaf children. The father interpreted for them (and left a lot out, which made me feel better about my own interpreting efforts). I talked to the parents (in English, not in ASL) about families with deaf children, about how I know many people who are deaf but their families are hearing, and the hearing members don't sign. The father pulled out this statistic. Try to fathom this, guys:
90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.
Only 10% of those parents learn to sign with their kids.
Wrap your head around that.
And now, on to the reason for this Mammoth Cave excursion:
The Wild Cave Tour
There is a 6-hour 6-mile Mammoth Cave tour that takes you crawling around inside the cave, where no other tour takes you. And it was awesome. There were only 14 people allowed on the tour, with 2 tour guides. The guides talk a lot about teamwork and caving techniques, and not freaking out when things get hard.
Fun thing to start: the guide for the Wild Cave tour was Emily, our friend from the Star Chamber tour the night before. Emily is roughly my size, which made me feel better about the fact that I wouldn't freeze to death without a sweatshirt (they give you jump suits to wear over a t-shirt and shorts). And the trailing guide was John, who obviously had done some serious caving in the past. He kept disappearing and re-appearing out of the ceiling, stuff like that. We teased him that he was just trying to skip out on the hard parts. Rob said, "We all know John just can't do it." It was a very laid-back group.
our group. Emily and John are 2nd and 3rd from the left, bottom row. Bailey is 2nd from the right, and her dad, Mark, is above and to the left of her. I am directly above John, and Rob is to my right.
Highlights:
1 - Tight Spots
Rob didn't get stuck in the tight spots. One guy there, Mark, was bigger than Rob and got stuck once. They had to pull him back through and take him around another way. (I told the guides: "You're like math teachers. You show us the hard way and then say, 'There was an easier way all along.'")
Rob and I, waiting for others to get through a particularly tight spot.
These tight squeezes were not actual tight for me, go figure. In one of the spots, Mark, who was directly in front of me, went through and then turned around to coach me through it, too. That's what we were supposed to do, help the person behind us. He was telling me, "Put your arms here and support your weight like a tripod, and then bring your legs through." Well, I was half-hearing that, but mostly surveying the spot I was in. I have extensive experience climbing trees, and I found caving to be very similar: you survey the spot, try to figure out the best way to execute the move, and then do it. So instead of supporting my weight like a tripod, which sounded ridiculous, I swiveled my body around and put my legs down first. Mark said, "Oh. You're small." It helps to be a little person inside a cave.
Then, once I was through, John was shooting back to me, "Help out the person behind you." I just stared at John blankly. The person behind me was Rob. I said, "He's my husband. He doesn't need help." I looked back at Rob and said, "You figuring it out?" "Yep." "Good." And we moved on.
me and Rob chatting on the way.
2 - Crystal
The person right behind Rob was Crystal. Crystal was a little jumpy. For instance, we would joke that some of the really small holes around us were "side passages." And I said, "Yeah, big enough for a rat." And a very concerned Crystal said, "A RAT?!" I said, "I didn't SEE one. I was just saying." She did the same thing later when Rob said something about a snake. And when Rob said, "The tour guide said we're going to have to wade through water up to our waists up ahead." And when Rob said ... You get the point.
this is Crystal, looking at the camera. You can see Rob ahead of her, to the far left. You can sort of see the glittery gypsum in this picture.
Crystal was jumpy, but brave. You could tell that being inside the cave wasn't her favorite thing in the world, but she was determined to get through it. There were moments where I think she made it through ONLY because Rob was there coaching her through it. It was cute to see her leaning on Rob emotionally. That's what a team is for, right?
(Notice how good Rob is at being an emotional rock. What's my natural response? "Take care of it yourself. Figure it out." What's Rob's natural response? "Here's my arm. Grab it if you need to.")
3 - Rob Sings
We got to a certain room in the cave. I don't know what the name is, but it's like the Star Chamber room, a small canyon with a roof, only one side was a dead-end. (None of the rooms or pits had signs. It's off the beaten path.) Emily had us listen to the acoustics of the room for a second or two. Every word echoed. She then had us turn off all our lights so that hopefully someone would be brave enough to sing. Oh! Oh! Rob can sing!
a room like the one Rob sang in. (It could BE the room he sang it. I don't know for sure.)
I happily volunteered my very capable husband. And he sang his showcase piece, Old Man River. ... Every time Rob sings the piece, it's a little bit different. He has to judge his audience and the acoustics of the room, etc. I like it best when he belts it out, but it's not always right for that. This time, though, the room was big enough for his voice. Rob hit the end of the song, belted out the notes, and that final note echoed around the room for another 3 seconds.
It was amazing. I seriously almost cried. Not only because it was so beautiful, but because Rob singing in Mammoth Cave has always been a dream of mine. The Cave has a history of music, and I've always thought Rob should contribute to that history. ... It was incredible. Like singing in a cathedral.
After the song was over, people were speechless. Even Emily. Making a tour guide speechless! That's pretty cool.
Afterwords, on the bus ride back, people said things like, "I'll never forget you. That was amazing." The tour guide said, "I've never heard someone fill the room like that." And someone else said to me, "Does he sing to you often?" I said truthfully, "Every night." And everyone melted into a romantic puddle on the floor at Rob's feet. Seriously. It was awesome. I like it when people think that Rob is the best person in the world. I think so, too.
Rob and I, going down, down, down...
Emily explains to the group HOW to go down, down, down. I'm at the far-right.
4 - John
I didn't know how I'd like caving. We went caving at Carter Caves a few years ago, but most of Carter was cold and wet and not worth it. Mammoth Cave, however, is a different story. However, I still wasn't sure how I'd like the tight spaces. Turns out it was FINE. Granted, the tight spaces weren't tight for me, but I found the whole experience wonderful. I was ready to go another 6 hours. It was like climbing a tree, and all the sudden I was a bouncy 12-year-old looking for the next adventure.
John is an actual caver. He lives in the area and has been caving for years. I was asking him about how to get into these groups that go into caves where no one else goes. He told me how to get started, and then added, "They usually like you to have some experience." ... Figures. ... I still have to decide if I really want to do it. I'm not sure I want to be a hard-core caver, you know? I just like it.
John, dropping down from the ceiling.
At one point, when Mark got stuck in a tight spot, I said, "This is like Roger Brucker in the Final Connection." People behind me laughed, but they didn't really know what I was talking about. John knew, though. He said, "Roger Brucker wasn't in the final connection party." I said, "I know. Because he couldn't make it through The Tight Spot." Then, John said, "Tom Brucker was, though." I said, "No, he wasn't." John disagreed with me and I said, "Don't mess with me, man. I read that book 3 weeks ago!" I gave John a few more details, and he conceded.
He must have been thinking, "What a snotty know-it-all girl."
And then he said, "The first time I met Roger Brucker, I thought, 'He doesn't look like much of a caver.'" (Later Rob said, "He one-upped you. You read the book, but he's actually MET the guy.")
just some cool rock formations on the ceiling.
Later, when John was coaching everyone through a "tricky" part, I paused before starting my turn and said, "John, I'd like it if you gave me my direction with a little more feeling. Like we've been friends since the dawn of time." John smiled and got a really soft look on his face and then said, "If you'd like to, you can put your foot up here." I patted his shoulder and told him thanks. I was also happy that he didn't try to coach me much after that. When you're trying to figure out a puzzle, it's distracting to have too many voices telling you what to do. ... Sometimes I think I'm so clever.
1st picture: me. John is behind me, watching to make sure I do it right.
2nd picture: Rob, at the same "tricky" part.
3rd picture: Rob, at the top of the "tricky" part.
5 - Mark and Bailey
I felt bad for Bailey. She's only 17, and she's not in shape. At the "tricky" part I just mentioned, Bailey freaked out. She kept saying that she couldn't move her body, that she was scared, things like that. Mark, her dad, and John, essentially lifted her up and through the hole, one movement at a time. It was so public, that moment, and she's so young.
Bailey at the "tricky" part.
and Mark at the "tricky" part.
It was interesting to watch them, though. By the end Bailey was exhausted. You could see her sitting there, staring at the wall, eyes vacant. Rob said, "You and I, we had fun. Bailey and Mark, I think it was a life-altering experience for them."
It was nice to have Mark ahead of me. He took very seriously his charge to watch over me, the next in line. He kept saying, "Are you with me, Tamra?" I told him many times that I appreciated having a big guy ahead of me, and a big guy behind me. 2 protectors. (Am I sexist? I'm a little person, and I like having big, strong men around me to protect me. Call me silly, but it's nice. Try it some time!)
6 - Gypsum
Gypsum is a bright white, glittery substance that forms in caves. But in a lot of the main passages, the gypsum is gross. Over time it picks up soot from visitors and their torches (from pre-historic man) and lanterns (think 1800's), and turns anywhere from off-white to black. Yuck.
But in the places we went, we were up close and personal with the gypsum. It was amazing. I said, "I can see why they tore it off the walls. I want to take some home with me, too." I hastily added that I wouldn't, so John and Emily wouldn't arrest me. But it was gorgeous. I wish there was a way to describe it, or do it justice in a picture. But you'll just have to go and see it for yourselves.
the gypsum, looking not-that-impressive
...
This is Dee:
These pictures were all taken on her camera. She was with a group of 4 women. She convinced the other 3 to come. Dee has taken this tour 3 times. She said, "I do it every 5 years, just to prove I can." Go, Dee. (Oh, the tour is a little different every time. The guides told us that you can go probably 100 different ways. Loose parameters.)
When I told Dee that we didn't bring our camera because I don't take it places where it can be easily destroyed, she took down my e-mail address. She was super great and e-mailed me all 80 pictures. Thank you, Dee!
And there you go. That was our (over-described) Mammoth Cave trip. It was awesome, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Love, love, love that cave.
On Friday Rob and I woke up and got ready for the day. It was weird to pack for a short trip and not have to run around like mad people saying things like, "Did you get enough pull-ups?" and "Do you have their blankies?"
We went to Rob's work, cause he had a meeting. I sat in the awesome small foyer area which has a glass window, floor-to-ceiling, and the room is 2 stories tall. I watched rain come in and hide the city behind a hazy curtain. I finished reading one book and started another. I talked to Rob's used-to-be co-workers, who are our friends. All-in-all, I waited for a little over 2 hours and I didn't once have to say, "Stop climbing on that," or, "I'm sorry that you're bored. That's why I told you to bring a book." Amazing.
Then we were on our way to Mammoth, which is about 3 1/2 hours away. Not too far, and it's a BEAUTIFUL drive through tree-covered Kentucky hills.
Camping
We got there to the park and checked into the campground. We set up our new tent, which took a long time. I was laughing at Rob, cause we bought the tent a month ago or so, and it says in the directions, "Set up the tent before you go on your trip." You know, so that you don't start yelling at each other on your vacation, and so that you know all the pieces are there, etc. Rob's response, "We have some down time right now. What ELSE were we going to do with our time?"
Yep. I can't think of a single thing I would rather do. But it was fun. We laughed a lot. I love my husband.
And the tent is beautiful and spacious and awesome. Family heirloom quality. It will be included in our next family picture.
Star Chamber Tour
On Friday night we did our first of 2 tours. It was a lantern light tour. BEST TOUR EVER. I seriously have not been on a better tour in my life (that I can remember). Our tour guide, Emily, was fantastic. I wish I knew her last name, cause I want to send her fan mail and invite her to family picnics, and personally request her next time I'm going to Mammoth. She not only knew her stuff and how to present it (effective dramatic pauses that gave the cave a History and Purpose and Personality), but she told cave jokes that I've never heard before, and she played really well with the hilarious trick-playing trailing guide, Ranger Rick.
Best cave joke Emily told:
Someone asked about the largest animal living in the cave. She said that it was a rat. A pack rat. It's only about the size of a hamster. It can't see inside the cave (cause nothing can), so it leaves a trail of urine so that it can smell its way back out. Then she said, "Lucky for you guys, Ranger Rick has been doing that for us tonight." Awesome.
The actual area called the Star Chamber was awesome. It was like being inside a canyon, but with a roof instead of sky. And the whole ceiling is black, so it looks like you're outside, inside a canyon, with little dots of white for stars. It's neat.
And I thought that seeing the cave by lantern light would be 1- spookier and 2- not as easy to see the cool stuff. Turns out that you can see nearly as much by lantern light. The Rotunda Room (the huge room when you first enter) was harder to see in its entirety, but you got the impression of it by lantern light. And the cave colors were muted by the dim light, but that wasn't much lost, either. So: DO THE LANTERN TOUR. (Sorry, Key West Friend. You'll have to come again and do it with us. No more holiday weekends for us!)
signing in the cave
Oh, another highlight for me: There was a family there with 2 deaf children. The father interpreted for them (and left a lot out, which made me feel better about my own interpreting efforts). I talked to the parents (in English, not in ASL) about families with deaf children, about how I know many people who are deaf but their families are hearing, and the hearing members don't sign. The father pulled out this statistic. Try to fathom this, guys:
90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.
Only 10% of those parents learn to sign with their kids.
Wrap your head around that.
And now, on to the reason for this Mammoth Cave excursion:
The Wild Cave Tour
There is a 6-hour 6-mile Mammoth Cave tour that takes you crawling around inside the cave, where no other tour takes you. And it was awesome. There were only 14 people allowed on the tour, with 2 tour guides. The guides talk a lot about teamwork and caving techniques, and not freaking out when things get hard.
Fun thing to start: the guide for the Wild Cave tour was Emily, our friend from the Star Chamber tour the night before. Emily is roughly my size, which made me feel better about the fact that I wouldn't freeze to death without a sweatshirt (they give you jump suits to wear over a t-shirt and shorts). And the trailing guide was John, who obviously had done some serious caving in the past. He kept disappearing and re-appearing out of the ceiling, stuff like that. We teased him that he was just trying to skip out on the hard parts. Rob said, "We all know John just can't do it." It was a very laid-back group.
Highlights:
1 - Tight Spots
Rob didn't get stuck in the tight spots. One guy there, Mark, was bigger than Rob and got stuck once. They had to pull him back through and take him around another way. (I told the guides: "You're like math teachers. You show us the hard way and then say, 'There was an easier way all along.'")
These tight squeezes were not actual tight for me, go figure. In one of the spots, Mark, who was directly in front of me, went through and then turned around to coach me through it, too. That's what we were supposed to do, help the person behind us. He was telling me, "Put your arms here and support your weight like a tripod, and then bring your legs through." Well, I was half-hearing that, but mostly surveying the spot I was in. I have extensive experience climbing trees, and I found caving to be very similar: you survey the spot, try to figure out the best way to execute the move, and then do it. So instead of supporting my weight like a tripod, which sounded ridiculous, I swiveled my body around and put my legs down first. Mark said, "Oh. You're small." It helps to be a little person inside a cave.
Then, once I was through, John was shooting back to me, "Help out the person behind you." I just stared at John blankly. The person behind me was Rob. I said, "He's my husband. He doesn't need help." I looked back at Rob and said, "You figuring it out?" "Yep." "Good." And we moved on.
2 - Crystal
The person right behind Rob was Crystal. Crystal was a little jumpy. For instance, we would joke that some of the really small holes around us were "side passages." And I said, "Yeah, big enough for a rat." And a very concerned Crystal said, "A RAT?!" I said, "I didn't SEE one. I was just saying." She did the same thing later when Rob said something about a snake. And when Rob said, "The tour guide said we're going to have to wade through water up to our waists up ahead." And when Rob said ... You get the point.
Crystal was jumpy, but brave. You could tell that being inside the cave wasn't her favorite thing in the world, but she was determined to get through it. There were moments where I think she made it through ONLY because Rob was there coaching her through it. It was cute to see her leaning on Rob emotionally. That's what a team is for, right?
(Notice how good Rob is at being an emotional rock. What's my natural response? "Take care of it yourself. Figure it out." What's Rob's natural response? "Here's my arm. Grab it if you need to.")
3 - Rob Sings
We got to a certain room in the cave. I don't know what the name is, but it's like the Star Chamber room, a small canyon with a roof, only one side was a dead-end. (None of the rooms or pits had signs. It's off the beaten path.) Emily had us listen to the acoustics of the room for a second or two. Every word echoed. She then had us turn off all our lights so that hopefully someone would be brave enough to sing. Oh! Oh! Rob can sing!
I happily volunteered my very capable husband. And he sang his showcase piece, Old Man River. ... Every time Rob sings the piece, it's a little bit different. He has to judge his audience and the acoustics of the room, etc. I like it best when he belts it out, but it's not always right for that. This time, though, the room was big enough for his voice. Rob hit the end of the song, belted out the notes, and that final note echoed around the room for another 3 seconds.
It was amazing. I seriously almost cried. Not only because it was so beautiful, but because Rob singing in Mammoth Cave has always been a dream of mine. The Cave has a history of music, and I've always thought Rob should contribute to that history. ... It was incredible. Like singing in a cathedral.
After the song was over, people were speechless. Even Emily. Making a tour guide speechless! That's pretty cool.
Afterwords, on the bus ride back, people said things like, "I'll never forget you. That was amazing." The tour guide said, "I've never heard someone fill the room like that." And someone else said to me, "Does he sing to you often?" I said truthfully, "Every night." And everyone melted into a romantic puddle on the floor at Rob's feet. Seriously. It was awesome. I like it when people think that Rob is the best person in the world. I think so, too.
4 - John
I didn't know how I'd like caving. We went caving at Carter Caves a few years ago, but most of Carter was cold and wet and not worth it. Mammoth Cave, however, is a different story. However, I still wasn't sure how I'd like the tight spaces. Turns out it was FINE. Granted, the tight spaces weren't tight for me, but I found the whole experience wonderful. I was ready to go another 6 hours. It was like climbing a tree, and all the sudden I was a bouncy 12-year-old looking for the next adventure.
John is an actual caver. He lives in the area and has been caving for years. I was asking him about how to get into these groups that go into caves where no one else goes. He told me how to get started, and then added, "They usually like you to have some experience." ... Figures. ... I still have to decide if I really want to do it. I'm not sure I want to be a hard-core caver, you know? I just like it.
At one point, when Mark got stuck in a tight spot, I said, "This is like Roger Brucker in the Final Connection." People behind me laughed, but they didn't really know what I was talking about. John knew, though. He said, "Roger Brucker wasn't in the final connection party." I said, "I know. Because he couldn't make it through The Tight Spot." Then, John said, "Tom Brucker was, though." I said, "No, he wasn't." John disagreed with me and I said, "Don't mess with me, man. I read that book 3 weeks ago!" I gave John a few more details, and he conceded.
He must have been thinking, "What a snotty know-it-all girl."
And then he said, "The first time I met Roger Brucker, I thought, 'He doesn't look like much of a caver.'" (Later Rob said, "He one-upped you. You read the book, but he's actually MET the guy.")
Later, when John was coaching everyone through a "tricky" part, I paused before starting my turn and said, "John, I'd like it if you gave me my direction with a little more feeling. Like we've been friends since the dawn of time." John smiled and got a really soft look on his face and then said, "If you'd like to, you can put your foot up here." I patted his shoulder and told him thanks. I was also happy that he didn't try to coach me much after that. When you're trying to figure out a puzzle, it's distracting to have too many voices telling you what to do. ... Sometimes I think I'm so clever.
2nd picture: Rob, at the same "tricky" part.
3rd picture: Rob, at the top of the "tricky" part.
5 - Mark and Bailey
I felt bad for Bailey. She's only 17, and she's not in shape. At the "tricky" part I just mentioned, Bailey freaked out. She kept saying that she couldn't move her body, that she was scared, things like that. Mark, her dad, and John, essentially lifted her up and through the hole, one movement at a time. It was so public, that moment, and she's so young.
It was interesting to watch them, though. By the end Bailey was exhausted. You could see her sitting there, staring at the wall, eyes vacant. Rob said, "You and I, we had fun. Bailey and Mark, I think it was a life-altering experience for them."
It was nice to have Mark ahead of me. He took very seriously his charge to watch over me, the next in line. He kept saying, "Are you with me, Tamra?" I told him many times that I appreciated having a big guy ahead of me, and a big guy behind me. 2 protectors. (Am I sexist? I'm a little person, and I like having big, strong men around me to protect me. Call me silly, but it's nice. Try it some time!)
6 - Gypsum
Gypsum is a bright white, glittery substance that forms in caves. But in a lot of the main passages, the gypsum is gross. Over time it picks up soot from visitors and their torches (from pre-historic man) and lanterns (think 1800's), and turns anywhere from off-white to black. Yuck.
But in the places we went, we were up close and personal with the gypsum. It was amazing. I said, "I can see why they tore it off the walls. I want to take some home with me, too." I hastily added that I wouldn't, so John and Emily wouldn't arrest me. But it was gorgeous. I wish there was a way to describe it, or do it justice in a picture. But you'll just have to go and see it for yourselves.
...
This is Dee:
These pictures were all taken on her camera. She was with a group of 4 women. She convinced the other 3 to come. Dee has taken this tour 3 times. She said, "I do it every 5 years, just to prove I can." Go, Dee. (Oh, the tour is a little different every time. The guides told us that you can go probably 100 different ways. Loose parameters.)
When I told Dee that we didn't bring our camera because I don't take it places where it can be easily destroyed, she took down my e-mail address. She was super great and e-mailed me all 80 pictures. Thank you, Dee!
And there you go. That was our (over-described) Mammoth Cave trip. It was awesome, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Love, love, love that cave.
Monday, July 12, 2010
This Last Week Was Awesome! (an update)
I miss my kids. Not much else to say about that.
This last week was awesome! A report.
It's a Sign
Last Sunday, right as I was walking out the door for church, Rob called. He said, "There's a man here who just moved into our ward. He's deaf. Could you ..." and before he could say anything else, I said, "... interpret for him? Today? No." Rob said, "No, not interpret. Just talk to him." Oh. Sure. I can talk to him.
I've interpreted before. After taking only 1 year of ASL in college, I had a crash course summer in interpreting. A man showed up to the CA Singles' Ward I attended, and guess who was the only person who knew any sign at all? Me. So I "interpreted." That's sort of a joke. For the first few weeks, we just chatted, because I couldn't interpret anything. But, by the end of the summer, I was markedly better. It was a great experience. But that was 11 years ago.
Fortunately, there's another guy in our ward now who actually interprets for church events. Unfortunately, he's not usually at church these days cause he's really busy. So guess who interpreted this Sunday? Me. (My new line is, "You know what they say: In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is interpreter.") The talks were impossible, though, and I said, "I don't know how to sign that" a lot. The last talk was about the Constitution and freedom of religion. They (the man and his wife, both deaf) taught me the signs for "Constitution" (they weren't sure, either), and "religion", but when the speaker said, "establishment clause," I knew we were toast. I think I was able to convey the idea that it's good to teach your children the Constitution so that then they can distinguish between good laws and bad laws.
God is good. Church is great. Rah rah.
Devin and Jamay are really great, though. Super patient. I think they just appreciate the effort. And I'll get better. I LOVE ASL. I've loved it from the first minute of my first class. ... Did you know you can go to school and take ONLY ASL-centered classes? Woah, man. Sign me up! Cincinnati State, you are now on my radar.
If you now hear me talk about ASL a lot, or if I start signing while speaking, or randomly start reciting colors or numbers or days of the week, you'll know why.
Teeth and Drugs
The dentist I go to is a dentist who caters to scared people. They offer you laughing gas for cleanings, for heaven's sake! I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm terrified of the dentist. I don't need laughing gas for cleanings, but when there's a high-pitched drill involved, hook me up.
On Wednesday I went in for 3 hours and $600 of dental work. I was ... super happy about it. I didn't eat breakfast, because I knew there was a high likelihood that the food wouldn't stay down anyway. On the way there, I was hoping the building had been blown up overnight. I took deep breaths and was trying to find my happy place. When they sat me in the chair, they asked how I was doing. I think this is a joke that dental assistants like. I wanted to reply to this "funny" joke that I wished all dentists would go to Hell where they belong, but instead I laughed and said, "I'm doing great." I looked out the window at the trees and tried, successfully, to not cry.
And then they gave me laughing gas and told me to relax. Relaxing didn't seem possible. At the dentist you don't RELAX. Ever. ... And then the laughing gas hit me. ... Laughing gas is magic.
It gave me bad dreams, if dreams are what they're called. I was in and out of it, and had a hard time distinguishing between my sensory inputs and my thoughts. When I closed my eyes, they all melded together in a weird way that I didn't like. BUT, I didn't curl my toes or clinch my fists even once at the sound of the drill, and that, my friends, is a miracle.
Thursday
July 8th happens to be my dad's birthday. Happy b-day dad. This year it also happened to be the day my house got up to 93 degrees. I've become used to 88 degrees. 90 degrees isn't even so bad. But 93 is hot. Period. Thankfully, just as I was thinking that Hell is Ohio in July without the AC (dentists, prep yourselves), a storm rolled in and my house dropped 5 degrees in half an hour. Thank you, thank you, rain storm.
Also significant about Thursday: Tank went away. Rob and I spent this last weekend at Mammoth Cave by ourselves, so Tank needed a babysitter. Rob's sister, Chiara, came down and picked him up. We ate lunch here (before it got to 93 degrees inside the house) and then Tank was hauled away. ... And I was all alone wondering what in the heck I should do with my time. ... You know, when the kids are around, I can think of a TON of things to do if they weren't crawling all over me. But then, when they're gone, I just want them to come back.
I did do a few significant things without my kids around:
1 - I read a book, uninterrupted.
2 - I only got out my own plate for dinner.
3 - I didn't once, all day, listen to someone whine at me.
Weird, right?
And then our Mammoth Cave adventure started, and that's a different post.
This last week was awesome! A report.
It's a Sign
Last Sunday, right as I was walking out the door for church, Rob called. He said, "There's a man here who just moved into our ward. He's deaf. Could you ..." and before he could say anything else, I said, "... interpret for him? Today? No." Rob said, "No, not interpret. Just talk to him." Oh. Sure. I can talk to him.
I've interpreted before. After taking only 1 year of ASL in college, I had a crash course summer in interpreting. A man showed up to the CA Singles' Ward I attended, and guess who was the only person who knew any sign at all? Me. So I "interpreted." That's sort of a joke. For the first few weeks, we just chatted, because I couldn't interpret anything. But, by the end of the summer, I was markedly better. It was a great experience. But that was 11 years ago.
Fortunately, there's another guy in our ward now who actually interprets for church events. Unfortunately, he's not usually at church these days cause he's really busy. So guess who interpreted this Sunday? Me. (My new line is, "You know what they say: In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is interpreter.") The talks were impossible, though, and I said, "I don't know how to sign that" a lot. The last talk was about the Constitution and freedom of religion. They (the man and his wife, both deaf) taught me the signs for "Constitution" (they weren't sure, either), and "religion", but when the speaker said, "establishment clause," I knew we were toast. I think I was able to convey the idea that it's good to teach your children the Constitution so that then they can distinguish between good laws and bad laws.
God is good. Church is great. Rah rah.
Devin and Jamay are really great, though. Super patient. I think they just appreciate the effort. And I'll get better. I LOVE ASL. I've loved it from the first minute of my first class. ... Did you know you can go to school and take ONLY ASL-centered classes? Woah, man. Sign me up! Cincinnati State, you are now on my radar.
If you now hear me talk about ASL a lot, or if I start signing while speaking, or randomly start reciting colors or numbers or days of the week, you'll know why.
Teeth and Drugs
The dentist I go to is a dentist who caters to scared people. They offer you laughing gas for cleanings, for heaven's sake! I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm terrified of the dentist. I don't need laughing gas for cleanings, but when there's a high-pitched drill involved, hook me up.
On Wednesday I went in for 3 hours and $600 of dental work. I was ... super happy about it. I didn't eat breakfast, because I knew there was a high likelihood that the food wouldn't stay down anyway. On the way there, I was hoping the building had been blown up overnight. I took deep breaths and was trying to find my happy place. When they sat me in the chair, they asked how I was doing. I think this is a joke that dental assistants like. I wanted to reply to this "funny" joke that I wished all dentists would go to Hell where they belong, but instead I laughed and said, "I'm doing great." I looked out the window at the trees and tried, successfully, to not cry.
And then they gave me laughing gas and told me to relax. Relaxing didn't seem possible. At the dentist you don't RELAX. Ever. ... And then the laughing gas hit me. ... Laughing gas is magic.
It gave me bad dreams, if dreams are what they're called. I was in and out of it, and had a hard time distinguishing between my sensory inputs and my thoughts. When I closed my eyes, they all melded together in a weird way that I didn't like. BUT, I didn't curl my toes or clinch my fists even once at the sound of the drill, and that, my friends, is a miracle.
Thursday
July 8th happens to be my dad's birthday. Happy b-day dad. This year it also happened to be the day my house got up to 93 degrees. I've become used to 88 degrees. 90 degrees isn't even so bad. But 93 is hot. Period. Thankfully, just as I was thinking that Hell is Ohio in July without the AC (dentists, prep yourselves), a storm rolled in and my house dropped 5 degrees in half an hour. Thank you, thank you, rain storm.
Also significant about Thursday: Tank went away. Rob and I spent this last weekend at Mammoth Cave by ourselves, so Tank needed a babysitter. Rob's sister, Chiara, came down and picked him up. We ate lunch here (before it got to 93 degrees inside the house) and then Tank was hauled away. ... And I was all alone wondering what in the heck I should do with my time. ... You know, when the kids are around, I can think of a TON of things to do if they weren't crawling all over me. But then, when they're gone, I just want them to come back.
I did do a few significant things without my kids around:
1 - I read a book, uninterrupted.
2 - I only got out my own plate for dinner.
3 - I didn't once, all day, listen to someone whine at me.
Weird, right?
And then our Mammoth Cave adventure started, and that's a different post.
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