July 04, 2008

Happy Birthday America!

Thanksgiving and Independence Day are my favorite holidays. I think for Thanksgiving it's the family getting together that I love and the time of year (fall is my very favorite). And for July 4th it's always been the fireworks over the lake, the way we watched them when I was a kid. I think as an adult I love the 4th, because I get a to flashback to those younger years and I'm filled with joy like a child. I also have a strong passion for early American history and what better holiday to symbolize that than the 4th.

As much as this true American holiday is my favorite, there are things about our country that get under my skin like nothing else. There are so many things I feel like other countries have worked out that we haven't. There are so many other places I often feel a sense of homesickness for, strange but true. When I get stressed, I feel like just running off to Europe and that things will be ok. But on July 4th, I focus on the wonders that our country holds. The basis on which America was founded. I look past the conspiracy theories, the slavery, the persecution based on religion, the poor decisions of our leaders - past and present, the violence, the gangs and the drugs. And I focus on the ambition, the drive, the dream. The freedom. The safety.

I focus on the fact that I am a woman who is allowed to speak when I please and say what I want. I focus on the fact that all people in my life are my equals, regardless of gender, religion, race, or sexuality. I relish in the fact that my vote WILL count come November and that I very well may be alive for a another huge piece of American history as the polls close that day. I focus on the brotherhood our country has developed between those of various roots, and how we come together without blinking when we need to. I focus on what our forefathers tried so hard to lay out for us. I believe that those men, and the women who supported them, had the very best in their hearts for us and truly wanted this new land to be a great success. I focus on that. And I celebrate. I celebrate what our lives are like in this country and I give deep amounts of thanks for all of the people who fought for what's right in the world and created this place that I call home.

And what post about the 4th of July would be complete without a musical montage to my most favorite ever America song? This was the best one I could find - I am so not into the mean looking eagle with the flag waving behind him stuff. This video actually has shots of other parts of America, too (though some of them, like Mt, Rushmore I don't approve of, today is the day I set that aside and celebrate the good). 

I hope you enjoy your holiday and have a moment to reflect on the good in our country and grandeur of our freedom.

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/RINqibpWOzQ&hl=en&fs=1
Posted by Katherine at 12:08:40 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

July 02, 2008

Coupon Queen: Part II

I told you I would report back about how the coupons worked out for us. Well they worked out fabulously!
I did a little extra research to find what stores had deals to go with our coupons so we could get the most out of them. And I wrote down buy one, get one deals on products we like, too.
We did some serious grocery shopping yesterday. We bought stuff for tailgating (Mike went to the Sox game yesterday), we bought pop which we never have in the house, and I bought Nutella also never in the house. We could have passed on that stuff and probably the other 5 or so items that we didn't really need per se, but we didn't. And still our bill was just under $200. We were really impressed with what we got for that amount of money - the cart was so full I made Mike push it! And the best part was that our house is stocked for a good long while and we shopped smart and were able to save $63 and change. The only shopping left to do for a while is fresh stuff and items to create our Once A Month Cooking meals.  Next shopping trip I plan to use lots of online coupons also!

** I thought of doing OAMC last school year when we started eating horribly during the seasons that we are both coaching. It gets a little insane. Instead, this year, I am going to spend one day making several meals that can be frozen and simply dumped in a skillet when we get home from work. OAMC is apparently really big, so there are tons of yummy and fairly healthy (if you look) recipes for me to try. I'm looking forward to it.

Posted by Katherine at 15:44:56 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Chase

I wanted to title this post "Right place at the Right Time" or "Revived Passion" or " My newest Buddy" (as a play on words from the Best Buddies program. Instead, I'm shootin' straight to the point. This post is about my neighbors newborn Chase.
Chase was born 8 days ago. He was a week past his due date, so mom went to be induced early Monday morning. He was a 7lb, 3 oz baby boy with lots of brown hair. He resembles his sister and make the cutest little squishy face. His dad says he looks like an old man when he does that. Chase was born with Down Syndrome. He was born to young parents who had no idea that their son would be different from their almost 4 year old daughter when he was born. From what mom says, they don't have any background in Down Syndrome. I can imagine that they are ridiculously overwhelmed, scared, and disappointed all at the same time. I know, that with a background in special needs, specifically DS, I would still feel a loss for the child that I thought I was bringing into this world.

Thankfully, in my own life I know I have a tremendous support system. And I've got background knowledge and experience that would help me focus on the blessing quickly. I'm trying my best to combine my people skills with what I know about Down Syndrome to help my neighbors as much as I can without being pushy, or making them feel bad because they don't know some things yet. I'm trying my best to make them see the miracle that is their son. It is clear they love him. It is also clear that they are nervous about the hard work that lays in front of them in raising this boy. I'm trying to take some of that pressure away, by mentioning a few things my best friend's mom suggested. My best friend's sister was born with DS 23 years ago and has a lot to show for it. She leads a very full and active life, something I know my neighbors hope for their new son. I'm hoping to be able to set the two moms up to chat soon, but again, it's a delicate situation and I can't be pushy. I'll keep you posted on his progress as he grows - though I'm guessing that most of the growth will be within his parents and adult family members. His sister doesn't understand how/why he is different and frankly, won't care by the time she does understand. I know how eye opening it is to spend time with my best friend's sister and her friends....that's what my neighbors are in for and I can't help but feel warm inside when I think about it. I can just picture this little baby grinning from ear to ear as a toddler and being a little terror to his big sis and bowling with his buddies as he gets older. I can see it, because I have seen it in others. I'll keep trying to show it to his parents, so they can rebuild the dreams they have for their son!

The reason I was going to title this "Right place, Right time" is because I feel immensely connected to God's will at the moment. I mean really, what are the chances that someone with my background (sociology degree emphasis on family, teaching degree with which I taught special ed teacher for 2 years, autism therapist, best friend who's DS sister I've known since she was 9) would end up living in a cornfield where my neighbors have a son with Down Syndrome and the people across the street have a neice with Autism. I feel totally placed here. It is NOT where I picked to live. Not entirely. I thought I was going to be MUCH closer to Chicago when I moved here. When I finally found a job, but didn't like it, I thought that was my cue to pack it up and head to where I wanted to be in the first place. But by the time I came around to doing that, I'd met Mike. And I was settling in here and the hard parts about living in the city were becoming more apparent. So, I decided to be a grown up and buy a house. It happened sooner than I'd intended, I found this house, the one I'm sitting in, very early into my search. But I loved it and I couldn't pass it up, so I made it happen. I wonder now, if it was really my choice at all? I love helping people. I'm glad these are my neighbors. I'm glad we've developed friendships and trust so that I can help. It makes all the choices I've made in my life so far make sense.

The reason I was going to title this post Revived Passion, is because since chatting with my neighbor on that first day she was home, I've felt compelled to learn all I can about DS. I know what my experiences say. I know what I've been educated on from my friend's family. I know the basics of the the cause, but I don't know much more than that. I know from being in the Special Education world that my neighbors needs to get Chase signed up to start therapy when he's the right age. And they need to put him in play groups and what not. And most importantly they need an advocate to help guide them through all of this legal non-sense. It's this side of Chase's life that has caused me to do a lot of Internet research. I've found blogs of families in my neighbors shoes. I've found letters from parents of DS kids sharing their stories of what a joy their children are. I've looked more closely at the Best Buddies, that I'm sure Janet and Kevin will want to sign Chase up for eventually. The best thing I've found is that they've got time. Chase is just a baby. Just a simple little baby, who eats, cries, sleeps, and poos like any other infant - just like the infant they thought they'd be bringng home. I think this is a hidden blessing in Down Syndrome - that it gives parents time to cope with what has been laid in their lap. Chase coming into the world has made me want to be more involved in both the DS world and the Autism world, for which I will always carry a deep passion for. I know my best friend, who I've been talking to everyday regarding Chase, feels that same way. It never ceases to amaze me how twists in turns in life can affect so many. Chase's birth has been truly inspirational.

Now, I just wait for the right opportunities to help where I can. And I get to watch this darling child grow up right next door!


** This has been my favorite site so far, though there are some amazing family blogs out there, too. It has testimonials from parents, one from a sibling, one from a 13 year old girl with Down Syndrome. It also has a link for people like me, the friend, to know what to do/say to help the best way possible. It also includes what NOT to say which I wish all people we required to read. Be sure to click on Welcome to Holland in the first paragraph. It really puts thing in perspective!
Posted by Katherine at 08:55:10 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 29, 2008

The August Adventure

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this until now! I have the most fabulous adventure scheduled for the first two weeks of August. Back at the beginning of the month a co-worker sent me an email detailing a trip she was asked to go along on. She was to be the adult female leader for Venture Crew 402's summer cavalcade at Philmont Scount Ranch, but has broken her ankle and can't go.  Another lady was set to go, but has thrown out her back. They really want their daughters and the other girls to go, so they invited me. The parents want their daughters to go so badly that they kept their money in the pool, so that I only have to supply my gear (which I'm mostly borrowing). 

How it happened:
It really was a bit unbelievable the day I opened the email asking if I could go. I reread it many times before calling Kathy to tell her I was interested. Then I spoke with the family funding my trip and the man in charge of the group going. It all got worked out and I am all signed up to go!

What it is:
Philmont Scout Ranch is the main Boy Scouts of America high adventure camping spot. It is located in the mountains of New Mexico. You can read more about its history here. The trip I'm going on is the horseback cavalcade. There will be 14 of us - 2 adult men, 1 adult female (that's me!), 3 girls, 8 guys. We will leave IL on August 1st and travel to New Mexico via Amtrak. I'm really excited about that seeing as I've never been on Amtrak and love trying new things! We should arrive in NM on August 2nd, where we'll catch a bus for the hour long ride to the base camp. It's been mentioned that there is a Boy Scout museum on the way that we may stop at on our way to camp. We'll stay at base camp for two days. In those two days, we'll participate in a few scout traditions like campfire and we'll get checked in by the physician. We'll also meet our horses and get a review on how to saddle them up and pack them properly. We'll also get a "shake down" of our gear - which is where they will tell me I have to leave my extra underwear (they want us to bring two, I'm packing 5) and face cream (sunscrenn onmy face is disgusting, my face cream has SPF anyway) behind ;) Don't think I'm not going to at least try to get them in my pack. 
Once we are set to go, we'll fill a locker at basecamp with a fresh change of clothes, our cell phones, iPods, and other miscellaneous items we brought for the travel portion of the trek.  I will be leaving a full sized towel (recommended by another adult who's been 10 times), shampoo, smelly good body wash (can't have any smelly stuff on the trail) a fresh change of clean clothes which will probably include flip-flops.
When we start heading up the mountain, we'll be on horseback. We ride from camp to camp taking in the landscape. I'll be taking lots of pictures - though from what I can tell it looks like northern AZ. Maybe I'll take cool pics of my horse! I hope I have a great horse that is my BFF while we're there. I'm nervous about getting a boring horse with no personality. Anyway, we ride, then camp, then pack up and ride to the next camp. There are stops along the way - one of which sells root beer. I'm sure I'll be ready for a mug or two of that. We will cook our own food, wash our own clothes, pack our own horses. The kids are supposed to do all of that. I'm just along to make sure there aren't any cat-fights. I'm sure I'll help. I'll be bored if I don't, but it's their thing to do.
I think there is one day were we do a service project of sorts - rebuilding a trail maybe? I don't really know the details. I figure I'll find out when I get there.
The day at the top we get to chose an activity - things like hiking, shooting, ropes courses, rock climbing. I think that will be fun. I just hope I have energy (and patience) left to do it. I think I will.
Once we get back down the mountain, we'll stay another day at basecamp before returning home on August 12th. I'm just hoping we don't miss our train. I'm sure I'll be ready for a real shower, real food, and my own squishy, not on the ground bed by then.

Getting ready:
To get ready for this adventure hasn't been too much of a big deal. I went horseback riding once to get used to being around horses - and make sure I was comfortable. I was (didn't think I wouldn't be, but still).  The Venutre Crew set up that riding session. It's very close to my house (on the same road actually, benefit of my subdivision being in farm country), so I may go again before we leave. I'm sure no matter how much I ride or condition now, I'll be sore then.
I had to go get a physical...and a tetnus shot. Ugh. The shot was actually not bad at all. It was the days following that were a bear.
I had to buy Western Riding Boots. I struck out in IL, so when I was in TN for a family party I roped a cousin into taking me boot shopping. I thought I was going to strike out there, too. But before I could flip out too much we found just the most perfect pair. I love them and can't wait to wear them (we're doing a mini shake down on Wednesday and I'm totally wearing my boots! ;)).
I've had to organize who I was going to borrow equipment from and make sure that it as stuff I'd be happy with. I still have quite a bit of shopping to do for small items and some clothing I'd like to get especially for this trip. Other than shopping, I'm ready to go.
Oh, and I have to go do an online class for youth protection and one for being a venturing advisor. I don't think they'll be too hard. Just give some basic tips on what to do in an emergency. I'll be a certified adult leader for scouting :)

Venture Crew 402:
So the group itself is made up of youth/young adults (are they really young adults? I am a young adult and supposed to be the leader, so how can they be young adults.....maybe at 29 I'm just a plain ol' adult now. Shudder). The youngest are about to start their junior year of high school and the oldest are about to start sophomore year of college. I think the actual ages you can be are 15 (graduated 8th grade) - 20. They have a handbook just like boy scouts / girl scouts, but not all of the venturers (?) are interested in earning badges. Some of the boys are still working to earn their Eagle Scout recognition, so they are the most active. I'm still not too sure how I fit in with this crew. Though it was a nice surprise when I learned that one of the girls was an old student of mine (and Mike's). I love her, but the the rest of them I'm still feeling out. They just seem to be a little different breed than me - more serious maybe. I'll break them in. They'll be trapped with me on a mountain soon...muwaahhhh. 
I'm thinking when I get home that I'll stay involved with this group and hopefully have the opportunity to go on other adventures with them in the future. The one they did before this was a cruise....SWEET! Mike may get more involved with them, too. He likes the ideas of these types of exciting trips, too.

So there it is. This has been the focus of my summer. I plan to journal while I'm there and post each day when I reutrn. And of course, I'll have some pictures to share. I'm just so grateful that I was asked to do this and that I'm able to do it! 

Posted by Katherine at 21:28:08 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Sunday in the yard

We passed on a hike with friends yesterday. We should have gone. It was a beautiful day to be outside. We just weren't sure if we'd be getting up early enough to go or not. We hung out with our neighbors late into the night on Saturday. Anyway, though it wasn't as great a nice hike with water fountains and all, we made the best of our new fenced in yard and some dog toys. All four of us headed to the backyard and played some soccer. I took some pics. Here are two of my faves. You can see the rest of them by clicking on NEW PICS in the sidebar to the right. 

 

DSC04271.jpg picture by kcbennett


DSC04297.jpg picture by kcbennett
Posted by Katherine at 21:27:17 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

June 24, 2008

Gas Tips

Even though gas prices in my area have gone down a few cents in the past 48 hours, we are still around the $4 mark. I don't know about you, but our household is starting to feel the squeeze from the current economy. We've started clipping coupons to save money on groceries. We've stopped senseless spending. We share meals on the off chance that we do go out. I bought ant $8 tire pump, so that I can get the bike ready for August when I will peddle myself to work. We're really trying to stretch the dollar at this house. So when I came across this little site of helpful gas tips, I thought I'd share. You've probably seen or heard many of these tips, but a reminder is always a good thing.

Click the link below to view the gas saving tips.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/energysavings/savegas/flash.html 
Posted by Katherine at 10:39:48 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

June 23, 2008

Where I'm from

I read a friend's blog this morning and she had a beautiful poem about herself written there. At the end there was link to another site that had the template for it. I thought it would be fun to fill it in with my own personal info. Gayle's is much more poetic than mine, but I'm sharing anyway. I may re-write it in the future, but for now this is what you get.
I'd love to read a poem about you if you've got time to create one! Give it a try :)


I am from Tupperware sippy cups, wagon trains down the street, and Sit-and-Spin in the basement.
I am from 807 Garber Road, with two big trees, a swingset, and baseball in the neighbors yard.
I am from the majestic Saguaro ruling over the desert,
and the Maple with its huge and beautiful fall leaves.
I am from Christmas Eve sleepovers with my brother and laughter out of love.
From chatting with Grandpa Jack while sitting on his "shelf" and pillow-talks with Grandma B, 
from the longing to learn that matches "Rice Grandma" (as my cousins children say),
and from Grandpa Rice, the constant reminder to wear my life jacket long after I'd learned to swim.
From my Mom who danced and sang while she cleaned the house
and my Dad who taught me how to relax, and laugh at life.
I am from the thrifty spenders and the go-getters.
 From smile with your eyes and always tell the truth.
I am United Methodist. Open-minded with an open heart.
I’m from Cincinatti, Muskegon & Tempe, Ireland, and Germany,
Butterscoth pie and Hamburger Helper.
From the farms of Kansas to the county fair in Shelby,
the cabin, the sandy shores and never ending fresh water of Lake Michigan,
the heat and perfect grid streets of AZ, the apartment, the cemetary.
I am from 2148 E. Gemini, IL, Mingus Mountain and marching band.
I am from a place that only I have been, that is all mine, that's made me who I am.

Posted by Katherine at 09:03:22 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

June 22, 2008

Well, we've done it

I ordered the SUnday paper. It came. We clipped. I'm moderately pleased with what we found. I'm going to look onlin for even more stuff that we use in this house. I think the real fun will come when I see how much money we can save!
Posted by Katherine at 11:36:32 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 18, 2008

The Coupon Challenge

Lately it seems that Mike and I are spending money on things we can't even recall buying. We've been trying, for all of 2008, to be more deliberate in our spending on things around the house. Groceries included. We bought a freezer so that we can stock up when there are sales. We're really great at only buying items on sale. We pride ourselves in finding deals and taking advantage of them. However, we've never been able to use coupons properly. We keep a few here and there and then find them months later, after they've expired.

Now, since the cost of living is rising with no sign of slowing, we've decided to put everything we've got into using coupons and getting the most out of our money. We bought a coupon file folder in the dollar row at Target. It's pretty blue and has 13 slots to sort coupons. Today, we sat together and decided what the categories should be for the 12 slots - the first one is for coupons that we are positive we want to us that week, and it also didn't have a tab to label. We did a good job. And we sorted the ten or so coupons we had. I also signed up for the Chicago Tribune to be delivered on Sundays. It's only $1.25 a week and my neighbor says it's loaded with coupons - ones we'll actually use. I know, because I eat lunch with her everyday (she's my co-worker also) and discussed food and healthy eating with her regularly to know that we choose similar foods at the market.

I'm super excited about this coupon challenge (I hope the motivation of saving money keeps me going!). Sunday, I'm meeting up with Emily to coupon clip and get some pointers - she's the queen of saving a buck on grub.

Do you clip coupons? What are your tips and suggestions for me?

Posted by Katherine at 19:05:52 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

June 17, 2008

Tennessee

Howda' Folks,
 I just got back from a weekend in TN with my family. It was a good time. Mostly spent sharing old family stories and memories of each other from years past over a meal. I rode down from IL with my Aunt & Uncle who live here. I read most of the way down, but occasionally have to pick my head up to watch the rain and lightening show out the window. It was crazy how much it rained on our drive down. I loved it! We rolled up to the house just after my parents arrived. They'd flown in from AZ and rented a car. It was nice to see them. It would have been cool if they could've come back to IL to stay a little longer, but I will see them again real soon (my mom is coming in July possibly and I'll be in AZ in Oct for a few days). 

Like I said we mostly sat around my Aunt's house chatting about the good ol' days and watching my cousins' children play. I really enjoyed getting to know my cousins and their children all over again. Finally, I've reached an age where I wasn't banned to the floor so adults could sit on the couch or asked to eat with the little ones. There were new teenagers, my cousins' oldests, who took up that role, leaving me free to include myself in adult conversation. Finally, there isn't such a huge gap betweeen my older cousins and me (my dad is the baby by 9 years I think it is, so obviously, his children, randy and me, are the baby by lots...it happens to be 12 years - i'm closer in age to my cousins kids than to my actual cousins). IT seems 29 has a few operks afterall.

We went to TN to celebrate my Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ken's 50th Wedding Anniversary. FIFTY YEARS! Can you believe it? I think it's amazing. My aunt was married at 19, which just seems absurd to me now, here in 2008, but then it was much more common. The party included a slideshow that started with picture from their wedding. My 8 year old father managed to squeeze out of all the pics, but ironically enough it seems as if he gave my aunt away! Bizarre, huh? Well, now I finally see that my dad truly does look just like my grandpa. There were tons of pics of my cousins growing up, and some of the grandkids. It was really neat.

I appreciated seeing the results of genetics all weekend. I spent a lot of time hanging out with my cousin Jeff's oldest, John. He is very outgoing and simply a hoot. He has a southern drawl and sounds like his dad when he talks, but he talks a lot more than his quiet father. He reminded me of my brother in a million ways, not just physical (tall and thin), but facial expression and body movement to a T match my bro. It was crazy. There were pics all over the house, one showed a little boy who looked so much like my dad....it was my cousin. I looked around often observing similarities. I've concluded one again that while most people think I look exactly like my mom, I certainly do have some of my father's genes as well. I hope I got the good ones ;)

I knew that my cousin Jeff and his wife live on a farm in. John, and his sister Hannah, are raised on the farm. They have horses. I figured no better person in the bunch to take me boot shopping! I needed to get a pair of Western boots for my trip in August, so I asked and he agreed! John and my parents went along with me to get boots. We struck out at the first place and I was becoming frustrated, but the second stop proved to be the jackpot. Not only did I grab a pair of Justin boots (big name, great quality), but they were only $40 - unheard of low! AND they were broken in. Jeff told me that's just how ya want them. I'm super happy with my purchase.

I had a great weekend visiting with family, though it was tiring. I think we did pretty well together. I think it's a lot to ask 15 adults, one of whom went into labor (then she put her feet up and drank some medication to hold off until her c-setcion Monday), and 12 children to all get along for 72 hours. There's just this thing about people with their families, where we all think we're allowed to say whatever it is we want to each other, even if it's something we'd never say to a nonfamily member. Why is that? Anyway, I don't think there was much in the way of hurt feelings or getting irritated. Some, but not lots and it was a great weekend.

You can check out the pics by visiting www.picasaweb.google.com/kbennett807
There is a link on the right that you can use for the photo site in the future. I plan to put more stuff up throughout the year.
Posted by Katherine at 08:54:16 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |