Home

It is difficult to be separated from our oldest daughter, especially in this time of her life where she is having such a major milestone that we cannot be present for.  With two kids in school and the family dog, packing up and driving to MN is too difficult.  The kids cannot miss their final days at school, and there is nobody here that they can stay with.  I live with his guilt daily.

I don't miss our house in Minnesota.  Is it horrible to say that?  The house itself is not what made the memories there.  It was the family in it.

Chad is actually back "home" in Minnesota right now.  He is feeling the same feelings - he drives the familiar routes on the familiar streets, but to him, "home" is where the family is.  Even though our extended family and Courtney are there, home is here, in Texas.

How did I get so lucky?

Unfortunately, many of my communications with family and friends is now through facebook.  I enjoy seeing status updates of what is going on in people's lives, but I also feel isolated.  I have had it explained to me that people aren't intentionally ignoring us, but that it's more of an out of sight/out of mind phenomenon. We knew that this was going to be starting over - a new life, a new opportunity.  However, I was naïve about some things, too.  This is definitely a learning experience.  I wouldn't change a thing, though.  This was meant to happen, and it is supposed to be.  I truly feel that way.

I ♥ Texas

I feel like I should be wearing a I ♥ Texas t-shirt or something!  Silly? Yes.  But I do really love it here.


I am so grateful for the opportunity that Chad was offered, because it really has been a positive move for our family.  Life is not perfect - I have never pretended that my life is perfect or better than anyone else's.  But life has been better for us here and I am so happy to be here.

Chad has been doing extremely well in his new role as RSM at Det-tronics.  I really enjoy hearing about his job and the adventures that it brings him.  He is extremely busy, and he works hard, but it has been worth it.

Carly got her permit a few weeks ago and has been enjoying learning how to drive.  She's actually a really good driver - one of the things that she has going for her is that she is incredibly perceptive about her surroundings.  She always has been.  She's the first to notice when something is new or different in her surroundings, and it translates well into her driving situation.  She will ask questions about things that are appropriate and I am glad that she is asking instead of keeping quiet or making assumptions in her head that turn out to be wrong.  She is enjoying her new cheer gym and getting to know the people there.  She has some neighborhood friends that she hangs out with, too.  She's leading a pretty typical 15 year old life and seems happy here.

Corbin is doing well for the most part.  His autism symptoms have really been presenting themselves lately, and he is ostracized and outcast at school, which makes going there a daily battle for him.  We have found a new therapist to attend and are hoping to get him some tools to cope soon.  He does like it here, though.  He misses his friend Charlie from Minnesota, but other than that, he likes the house and the climate so far in Texas.

As for me, I am looking for employment and am hoping something will come my way soon.  I just wrote to a friend that I am riding the wave and will see where I land.  If something is meant to be, it will come to me sooner or later.  I have faith that all will be well in the employment department.  Until then, I have been busy with home projects and keeping everyone's schedules running smoothly.  I am looking forward to having our oldest join us in the weeks ahead.  That is the only draw back of our move.

 

Speaking of appointments, I am off to bring Corbin to his next doctor's appointment soon.  If you're still reading this blog, I appreciate you stopping by to read it.  I plan to update it again soon!  So long from Texas!

Easter in Houston

I see posts all over Facebook today with families dressed in their Easter finest - little girls in their Easter dresses, kids holding their Easter baskets.  Lots of "He is Risen" posts, reminding us of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the true celebration of Easter.

I think it's pretty traditional for most when I say that Easter is also spending time with family and loved ones.  I feel the absence of our daughter today, who is in Minnesota with my family.  I also feel the absence of our boisterous family - lost of noise and laughter. 

Looking forward to having our first holiday meal in Houston, I prepared a traditional Easter ham, cheesy potatoes, corn, sliced watermelon, dinner rolls, and deviled eggs.  I wanted it to be nice, so I brought out the China that we received from Chad's great Aunt Evelyn, along with all of the accompanying serving dishes that match the China set.

We sat down to our meal, and I said a prayer.  I thanked God for resurrecting Jesus from the dead and giving us hope for an eternal life.  I asked him to bless our family, especially our loved ones who couldn't be with us today.  I asked him to bless our Minnesota family and friends, and I asked him to especially keep Courtney safe.  I thanked him for the food we were about to receive in Jesus' name.  We all said Amen.  That's when my little perfect Easter meal went not so perfect at all.

Corbin does not eat Easter food.  Because he has autism, he only likes about 5 different foods, and let me tell you, what I served today was not on his extremely limited list.  We have always been understanding of this, but it is hard enjoy a zesty meal when he's sitting there with a dinner roll on his plate and nothing else.  As usual, he asked to be excused very early from the meal.  At least he was polite and asked to excuse himself.  Carly got upset and said "that's lame."  Thus, an argument ensued between the two of them, causing Corbin to meltdown.

I tried to continue having our nice meal.  Carly rudely burps.  I try not to let it get to me.  Then, she farts.  Whenever she farts, she calls it a "safety" - thinking that it makes it acceptable, because hey, she said "safety".  I glare at her and she starts to laugh.  I look over at Chad and he's smirking, trying hard not to laugh.  So then I glare at Chad, and he stops and puts on his serious face.

I then begin preaching that we do NOT burp and fart at the dinner table, especially at Easter meal!!!

Not two minutes later, Chad leans over, raises a butt cheek, and lets one rip.  I'm thinking, Really?!?  I'm sure that showed on my face because Carly busts out laughing.  They both think it is very humorous.

I decide that since my perfect Easter meal has been tossed out the window, I might as well lighten up and enjoy the fun.

See, I know many of you think I'm uptight and can't have fun, but I have my moments.  I picked up a forkful of my cheesy potato and flung it across the table right at Chad's face.  THWAP!  Right in Chad's eye.  He never saw it coming.  Carly is of course now howling with laughter.  I feel victorious.

Life is what you make it.  :)  Happy Easter from Houston!

Calico Glen Lane

Well, as of today, it's been 76 days at our Calico Glen Lane house in Houston.  We are finally settled in.  I am officially looking for a job.  I guess it's time to post pictures of the house. 

Disclaimer #1: I took these photos with my crappy cell phone camera.  My good Nikon is still in my closet. So, the quality of the photos is not the best.  Some are unintentionally blurry.

Disclaimer #2: Cali followed me around the house while I was taking photos.  She's in a few of them (sort of like, Where's Waldo?).

So...(Ahem.  Best tour guide voice:)

LOWER LEVEL

Here we have the front door entry way.  From this view, to your left is the garage door and the laundry room door (not visible).



Entry way view from hallway

Aeriel view of the foyer from the upstairs landing

 

To your right, you have the "formal" living room.  As you can see, the formal living room is empty at this point.  If we decide to extend our lease after our year is up, we may decide to fill it with furniture.  However, at this point, it is just an empty space.

Expanded view of front entry/living room space

Here is another look at the living room, from the dining room location.

Living room space from dining room location

Now we're going to flip things around a bit.  Here is the view from the front entry way, standing in the foyer looking into the house, as if you just walked in the front door.



View from foyer

Here is the view of the dining room, standing in the empty living room space, facing the kitchen.

View of dining room from the living room



Peeking into the laundry room.  This is on the lower level, in front of the stairs leading up, next to the garage door.

Continuing on the lower level, if you were to walk straight from the foyer, past the formal living room and dining room that was on your left, you will walk into the family room.



 

View of family room standing in front of the fireplace

 

View of family room from kitchen/eating area

 

Aerial view of family room from upstairs landing

 

Aerial view of family room from landing, showing vaulted ceilings and windows

 

Another aerial view of family room, showing vaulted ceilings and windows

From the family room, to the left is the kitchen and eating area.  This is where we plan to put a small kitchen table.  (Our home in Burnsville only afforded us a combined kitchen/dining area, so only one table was needed.)  This is on our "to-do" list.  Sure would help if we won the lottery. ;)

 

Empty eating area...waiting for a kitchen table

To the left of the eating area is the actual kitchen.  Nice countertops, and you can see my long awaited pantry door for food storage!  Yippee!

 

View of kitchen from eating area

Another view of kitchen

 

Opposite view from kitchen, standing in the doorway from the dining room (next to the pantry door)

Now we're going to head over to the master bedroom area, which is adjacent to the living room.

 



View of family room standing in front of powder room/doorway to master bedroom (Hello, Cali!)

Quick peek into the "powder room."  It's just a stool and pedestal sink.

 

Heading into the master bedroom (still lower level):

Master bedroom (standing in doorway looking in)

Another view of the master bedroom, standing in the corner looking out towards the doorway.  You can see the entrance to the "ensuite" bathroom (fancy name for bathroom that connects to the master bedroom).

Master bedroom view

Bedroom view standing in the suite doors

Walking into the master bath, we have double vanity on the right (only one sink is showing, but there are two), and garden tub on the left.  What isn't really shown in the photo is the glass shower (before the garden tub on the left - you can see part of the glass doors).  Three doors: one is the linen closet (left), one goes into the walk-in closet (middle), and the one on the right goes into the "water closet".

Master bathroom looking in from bedroom door

Bathroom vanity (two sinks)

"water closet"



View of walk-in closet from doorway/master bath

 

 Okay, that was the lower level in a nutshell.  Let's head to the upper level!

 

 

 The stairs to the upper level start from the foyer:

 

 

Stairs leading to the upper level

UPPER LEVEL

Here's the top of the stairs.  I am standing in front of the game room.  To the immediate left is the door to Corbin's bedroom.  The railing to the left overlooks the family room.  The railing on the right overlooks the foyer.  Going down the hall, the doorway on the left is Carly's bedroom.  The middle door is the bathroom.  The door to the right is the "beach room" (guest bedroom/Courtney's room).

View at the top of the stairs on the landing

 

Turning things around, here I am standing on the landing looking towards the game room.  The doorway to Corbin's room is on the right.

Game room

Turning things around, here is a view of the game room standing in the corner.  The door straight ahead goes into Corbin's room.  The railing overlooks the family room.

 

Family room

 

Going through Corbin's door - here is his bedroom (right off the game room):

 

View of Corbin's room standing in the doorway

Corbin's room from the corner, looking out into the game room.   The white door is his closet.

 Taking a virtual walk across the landing, going into the left-hand door is Carly's room:

Carly's room from the doorway

Carly's room from the corner.  The white door peeking from the lower right-hand corner goes into her closet.

If we walked straight from the landing we would go to the kids' bathroom.  Excuse the mess; teenagers live here.

Upstairs bathroom - Corbin and Carly share this bathroom.

View of the upstairs bathroom shower/stool room (tiny - not much to see)

 

 Last but not least, there's the beach room. 


The white door goes into a walk-in closet.  Inside the closet is another half door (looks like a door for a little person).  Chad jokingly called that small door inside the closet the "door to Narnia".  Ever since then, that door, and the space behind it (above the garage) has been called Narnia.  It's also jokingly referred to as the "father-in-law suite", because Chad's step-dad has volunteered to come live above the garage. ;)



View of beach room from the hallway - ahead is the closet door (and the smaller door to Narnia)

View of beach room with closet door closed (and dog walking through)



Beach room (a/k/a Courtney's room/guest bedroom)

 

 

 Exterior Google street view:

 

 

 

 

 We don't have a basketball hoop in the middle of our driveway.  The Google street view shot was taken before we moved in.

 

 

Well folks, that concludes our tour for today.  Please return your trays to their upright position, tip your waitress, try the veal, do the hokey pokey, and have a fabulous day!



AIN'T!

Corbin and Carly both have started using the word "ain't".  Even as I type it, it comes up on my spell check because (as the old adage says) "Ain't ain't a word and you ain't supposed to use it!"

It drives me CRAZY because obviously this is not a word that was used in Minnesota.  I told Corbin that it makes him sound uneducated.  He told me that everyone in Texas uses this word, even his teachers!  I was like, what? Your teachers use this word?!?

I talked to Chad about it, and he too said that it's probably going to be hard for me to get them not to use the word, because he even hears it being used with the adults at the plants he goes to.  (Obviously the higher-up executives don't use this in this company, but it is a common word here.)  Then, he admitted to me that he has caught himself using it because it is so commonly used, you just pick it up without realizing it.

I feel like I find myself complaining about Texas more than I should in this blog, but I'm trying to keep it real.  I'd rather they start using "y'all" more than "ain't".

Pearson VUE and a Tattoo

I really miss my ex-coworkers.  That sounds so bad, like I am divorced from them: my "ex-coworkers".  I left there simply because we relocated to Texas.  If we were living in Minnesota, I would still be employed there.  I LOVED it there.  Why?  Because of the team that I worked with.

When I interviewed at Pearson VUE, I had no idea what the company did.  I had never heard of "computer-based testing".  I had gotten laid off from my previous employer, and was having visions of being laid off for months and months as I struggled to find another job.  Surprisingly, I was only laid off for two weeks when I interviewed and was offered the position at Pearson VUE.

You know when you just click with a group of people, and it feels right?  The team that I worked with there were absolutely wonderful.  My supervisor said it the best when she said, "I think why we work so well together is that we all genuinely like each other."

So true!  I genuinely liked the people that I worked with.  I was closer with some more than others, but we were always laughing and having a good time while we worked.  When you spend eight hours a day with your team, they become your surrogate family.

One of my co-workers, Trinia, knew that I had a tattoo and when I announced that I was leaving the company due to my husband's job relocation, she suggested that we get tattoos together before I left for Texas.  Trinia was like my work sister.  (Trinia's real sister actually works there, too, but that's a different story.)  I came to care about her like I would a real sister, and I thought it was a fabulous idea!

I wasn't planning on getting another tattoo.  You are either a tattoo lover, or you aren't.  Most people that I know personally don't really care for tattoos.  I had gotten a tattoo about 7 years ago on my ankle, and it is a one-of-a-kind tattoo in that it incorporates three letter C's intertwined with each other, representing each of my children whose names all begin with the letter C.  The artist incorporated my vision of the three C's and also put some lovely cherry blossoms in the design.  However, I am not one of those people who get addicted to getting tattoos.  (Most people who get tattoos will tell you that they are addicting.)

When Trinia suggested that we get tattoos together, I knew immediately that I wanted to get a tattoo that incorporated the universal symbol for autism.  Corbin was diagnosed with autism four months before I left Pearson VUE, and it was something deeply personal to me.  Getting an autism-inspired tattoo was how I wanted to honor him, support him, and raise awareness.  Perfect!

The Autism Awareness Ribbon — The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope — hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and appropriate treatments, people with autism will lead fuller, more complete lives. (Source: Autism Society.)

I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo on the top of my foot.  My real step-sister, Lindsey, has a tattoo that she designed herself on the top of her foot and I loved the look of it.  My last day of work was scheduled for January 31.  Monday, January 20, was Martin Luther King Day and Pearson VUE was closed for the holiday.  So, armed with my photo of my autism ribbon, Trinia and I headed to the tattoo shop.  The name of the shop is called Aloha Monkey, and it is the exact same shop that I got my first tattoo at 7 years prior.

The first thing that happened with my tattoo artist was that he told me that the ribbon would have to be very large on my foot, in order to incorporate the ribbon because the puzzle pieces were intricate and you didn't want all of the lines to bleed together.  I was so bummed.  I didn't want a giant tattoo that covered my entire foot.  Tattoos are charged based on intricacy and size.  I didn't have $600 to spend, first of all, and secondly, I just didn't want a ginormous tattoo on my foot!  [After I got my tattoo, I found a photo of exactly what I wanted, which basically proved that my tattoo artist was wrong -- he could have done the size that I was requesting, no problem.]

The artist then suggested that I incorporate the four different colors of the puzzle pieces into a tattoo.  My second choice for a tattoo was the autism butterfly. I started looking though their books to find a butterfly design that I liked.  I was happy if we could somehow link an autism butterfly, or perhaps just a regular butterfly, with the puzzle pieces.

The autism butterfly symbolizes something that is already unique that transforms into something that is more beautiful.  This parallels with people living with autism.  Where we cannot judge what someone would be like in the future as transformations happen throughout their lives as they mature.  As they blossom from their cocoon, their true colors of what they are surface and show their true beauty.  (Source: Autism Society.)

 The tattoo artist drew something up for me.  Although I was disappointed that I didn't get to use my original idea for a design, the alternative was cool.  It had scrolling filigree lines that incorporated a butterfly and the four different color autism puzzle pieces.

Here's the final tattoo:

The stars were a part of the filigree design from the book at the tattoo shop, but it is a way to honor my two NT girls (neuro-typical, for those of you who don't speak autism lingo).  The girls are all-star cheerleaders, and all-star cheerleading is a big part of our lives.

The above photos were taken today, two months after receiving the tattoo.  I needed to wait until my foot healed for a normal photo.  Four days after I got the tattoo, I ended up in Urgent Care with an infected foot.

The photo above shows my normal sized foot (above, left) and my infected foot (above, right).  I had no ankle; it became a "cankle".  Walking on it was extremely painful, causing me to limp like a gimp.  The tattoo itself became extremely hot to the touch, which was one of the signs that it had become infected (in addition to the swelling).  I also had developed a fever.

The doctor told me that it was a puncture wound infection caused by the tattoo needles.  It was a fluke, and was NOT caused by anything the tattoo parlor did wrong.  However, they wanted me to take it seriously because it could have become a blood infection if not treated properly.  They gave me a shot of antibiotics right there in the exam room, and sent me home with oral antibiotics to follow up with.  I was to stay off my feet for the next few days to try to keep the swelling down.

It came at the worst time, because I was supposed to be organizing a move across the country.  It also made me cut my end date for working a day and a half shorter.  The team had organized a goodbye lunch for me so I could say farewell, and it ended up being canceled.  I had to go into the office for about an hour, clean out my desk, and limp away with my tail between my legs.  SO NOT WHAT I WANTED!!!  I had a really great relationship with my work family, and it ended up being very awkward and embarrassing departure.

As I said earlier, I didn't find this picture until AFTER I already got my tattoo.  This is exactly what I originally wanted (without the name Tyler, of course - just the ribbon):

 I'm not really sure if my tattoo artist was unable to see my vision, or was just unable to do the design based on his skill set.  Either way, my tattoo ended up being another original - nobody else has the same design as me.  Since autism is based on the same premise - each case of autism is unique, I guess that is all right by me!

When I look at my tattoo, I am reminded of my son and his daily struggle with autism.  Because his diagnosis is so new, getting him the therapy he needs has been slow in coming.  I cannot wait for the day he turns into a butterfly!!!

I am also reminded of my job at Pearson VUE, because I went with Trinia to get the tattoo. Trinia got a tattoo the same time as I was getting my tattoo. Trinia got a tattoo on her leg in honor of her brother.  It was a gorgeous, colorful bird and it turned out beautiful!  (Trinia did not get an infection, by the way - which also proves that it was a fluke for me.)  I can say with pretty much 100 percent certainty that I won't be getting any more tattoos - but I am grateful for the experience.

Spring Break

We have two visitors for spring break here in Texas!

Carly's friend, Whisper, bravely flew solo to Houston to visit for 5 days, arriving last Friday.  The girls have been inseparable and the giggles have been plenty.  Whisper will be flying home on Wednesday and she has been a joy to have here.

Courtney flew down on Sunday and will be here for 8 days.  Since Carly's spring break was last week, Carly is in school during the day, so Courtney keeps Whisper company during the day.  Courtney and Whisper had an adventure today, driving to Taco Bell solo - Whisper put "Taco Bell" in her GPS and they ended up going to one 19 miles away.  (There is a Taco Bell just down the street from us!)  They ended up on the highway - I have no idea how they managed to avoid the tolls.  Silly girls!

Courtney and Chad will be going to visit Courtney's college on Thursday.   Courtney is looking forward to see where she will be starting college in the fall!  I am just happy to have all of my family together under one roof.  :)