I was tagged
8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Lagoon on the 19th! (Ditto Hil)
2. The actual possibility of going on a cruise in August 2010.
3. Graduating, I'm so done with school. Been doing college nonstop since June 2001, I'll be done with my MEd in December 2010. Almost 10 years of college people, TEN!
4. Going home and spending time with Kiernan and Bryan
5. Getting a new car one day....who knows when.
6. Getting new hearing aids one day....
7. I dream of going to Lake Powell again, hopefully this year?
8. Having a full time job that I will actually enjoy (two more years, two more years)
8 things I did this weekend:
1. Finished my hated class.
2. Did tons of errands.
3. Went out to dinner with Bryan, twice. Yum.
4. Slept, I needed it.
5. Started rereading Harry Potter 5
6. Cleaned the house a bit.
7. Blogged...
8. umm....played with Kiernan
8 things I wish I could do:
1. Be done with school, RIGHT NOW.
2. Take a long vacation, RIGHT NOW.
3. Travel to Europe
4. Have two or three weeks to spend in Brazil with Bryan to full see everything we want to see.
5. Visit my brother and my friends back east
6. Find the time to practice the harp, piano and flute to get my skills back up.
7. Be an awesome photographer
8. Lose 40 lbs in two weeks.
8 shows I watch:
1. Law and Order
2. Law and Order CI
3. Without a Trace
4. CSI
5. Ace of Cakes
6. Food Challenge (I like the cake food challenges myself)
7. The Office
8. 30 Rock
8 places I'd like to travel:
1. Brazil
2. Scotland
3. Ireland
4. England
5. France
6. Italy
7. Switzerland
8. Norway
8 things I am grateful for:
1. My family (all of them!)
2. School (yes I want to be done, but it's giving me lots of opportunities)
3. my friends (though I do miss them all)
4. my job (the flexibility has worked out so well)
5. food...I'm obsessed with food, hence the need to lose 40 lbs
6. My religion
7. My health (though at times I wonder what the heck my immune system is thinking)
8. Sleep (Amen to this Hil)
8 people I tag:
1. Hannah
2. Bryan
3. Chance
4. Jenny
5. Ren
6. Jen
7. Becca
8. JaMay
Friday, August 7, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Kiernan
Baby laughs make my day, sorry about the video quality...it's from a point and shoot camera :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cNxi2DR-4J9a1fIfsD6vKg?feat=directlink
Kiernan's new favorite toy
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YZbyAE3LcV22CBeY9Kr62A?feat=directlink
Kiernan's typical way of talking, it takes a little bit to get there
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/t0d2gTQAh9DMCA4Sae7pNQ?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cNxi2DR-4J9a1fIfsD6vKg?feat=directlink
Kiernan's new favorite toy
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YZbyAE3LcV22CBeY9Kr62A?feat=directlink
Kiernan's typical way of talking, it takes a little bit to get there
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/t0d2gTQAh9DMCA4Sae7pNQ?feat=directlink
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Well...that's done
This past month has been insane. I feel like July consisted of only doing homework, and I'm sure Bryan would agree with me. The class I had for that month was insane, overly intensive, and at times offensive. But that's all I'll say about that, as I'm tired of being frustrated, angry or even talking about it. :)
The holidays were fun. We got to go boating with my family on the 3rd of July and on the 27th of July. Kiernan sleeps VERY well while we're in the boat if I'm holding him. It's like the biggest and bestest rocking chair ever. We enjoyed it a lot. Kiernan "enjoyed" the fire works. He didn't cry...but he sure did kick a lot whenever they went off, especially the whistling ones. Maybe he'll enjoy them more next year :)
Kiernan now has two teeth, and has for a couple of weeks now. He LOVES to talk, and can get very passionate while talking by "screaming". He started pulling himself up earlier this month on to furniture and the entertainment center (which has resulted in him figuring out how to get the DVD player to open).
He doesn't mind diaper changes as much anymore, as long as we're talking/singing/playing with him
He loves his gumball machine, thanks Grandma!
This link is a video of him...CRAWLING. He started full on crawling rather than creeping around a couple of days ago. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xZOI4GsCg1ESFZ6sM6YnXQ?feat=directlink
He loves watching the flash go off on the camera and trying to catch it
He has inherited the unfortunate gene of my big butt
And he loves playing this game of hearing mom or dad making popping noises, and then doing them himself. Sometimes he starts it, and waits for us to do it. He thinks it's great! Below is a video of him doing this, while trying to crawl all over me. The end of it is a typical thing that he does now that he tries to climb on everything (he falls everywhere!).
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mm_oCJTWaRx8PkNmbQLUkg?feat=directlink
The kid sure has grown a lot this past month.
The holidays were fun. We got to go boating with my family on the 3rd of July and on the 27th of July. Kiernan sleeps VERY well while we're in the boat if I'm holding him. It's like the biggest and bestest rocking chair ever. We enjoyed it a lot. Kiernan "enjoyed" the fire works. He didn't cry...but he sure did kick a lot whenever they went off, especially the whistling ones. Maybe he'll enjoy them more next year :)
Kiernan now has two teeth, and has for a couple of weeks now. He LOVES to talk, and can get very passionate while talking by "screaming". He started pulling himself up earlier this month on to furniture and the entertainment center (which has resulted in him figuring out how to get the DVD player to open).
 |
| From 8-9 months |
He doesn't mind diaper changes as much anymore, as long as we're talking/singing/playing with him
 |
| From 8-9 months |
He loves his gumball machine, thanks Grandma!
 |
| From 8-9 months |
This link is a video of him...CRAWLING. He started full on crawling rather than creeping around a couple of days ago. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xZOI4GsCg1ESFZ6sM6YnXQ?feat=directlink
He loves watching the flash go off on the camera and trying to catch it
 |
| From 8-9 months |
He has inherited the unfortunate gene of my big butt
 |
| From 8-9 months |
And he loves playing this game of hearing mom or dad making popping noises, and then doing them himself. Sometimes he starts it, and waits for us to do it. He thinks it's great! Below is a video of him doing this, while trying to crawl all over me. The end of it is a typical thing that he does now that he tries to climb on everything (he falls everywhere!).
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mm_oCJTWaRx8PkNmbQLUkg?feat=directlink
The kid sure has grown a lot this past month.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Food for thought: deaf or blind?
Yes I know, this question has probably been overused, but it's basically what this post is about. Would you rather be deaf or blind?
So I've been taking this deafblind class, and it has been a wealth of very useful information, and opened my eyes to a lot more. I'm currently working on readings and a response journal. I'm in the beginning of it, so I have a ways to go, but I came across this quote that Helen Keller said:
"I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus - the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man. ...If I could live again I should do much more than I have for the deaf. I have found deafness to be a much greater handicap than blindness." - From a letter to Dr. J. Kerr Love, March 31, 1910, reprinted in the souvenir program commemorating Helen Keller's visit to Queensland Adult Deaf and Dumb Mission in 1948, Ackerman, 1990, pp. 191-192.
This totally floors me! Granted, I am deaf, and don't know any different how life could be. But this is coming from someone who has both disabilities. I wonder how many others feel the same way that has deafblindness. I would love your thoughts if you have any.
I cannot even imagine what it's like to be blind, especially because I have had to depend on my vision so much, despite what bryan may think about my visual abilities :) So to imagine that deafness is worse than blindness is a completely foreign thought to me, and something I cannot comprehend. I did grow up oral, and did struggle with language, and did feel isolated in a lot of social situations, and I still do feel isolated in some social situations today. But I have learned to adapt to those things, and it helps to have a husband who is willing to cue, or siblings who are willing to cue. My family also knows how to cue, and so I'm not as clueless as I was about conversations within the home anymore, and if I am, it's because of my own choice for not paying attention or reminding someone to cue if I didn't hear something.
Life without vision, I just cannot even comprehend that. This quote just really did shock me, and made me stop and think....can one really be worse than the other?
What do you think? I promise I won't judge or criticize what you think, even if you have no experience with either disabilities. I'm just curious as to what others reactions are to this quote.
Edited to add: Another quote for you to think about from an individual who is deafblind.
"I can only talk with one person at a time, and only if that person is within my reach. If I am in a crowded room, and no one is within three feet of me, I might as well be in a closet. It is very easy for me to misunderstand, so communication is often very slow." Robbins, 1983, pg. 3.
So I've been taking this deafblind class, and it has been a wealth of very useful information, and opened my eyes to a lot more. I'm currently working on readings and a response journal. I'm in the beginning of it, so I have a ways to go, but I came across this quote that Helen Keller said:
"I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus - the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man. ...If I could live again I should do much more than I have for the deaf. I have found deafness to be a much greater handicap than blindness." - From a letter to Dr. J. Kerr Love, March 31, 1910, reprinted in the souvenir program commemorating Helen Keller's visit to Queensland Adult Deaf and Dumb Mission in 1948, Ackerman, 1990, pp. 191-192.
This totally floors me! Granted, I am deaf, and don't know any different how life could be. But this is coming from someone who has both disabilities. I wonder how many others feel the same way that has deafblindness. I would love your thoughts if you have any.
I cannot even imagine what it's like to be blind, especially because I have had to depend on my vision so much, despite what bryan may think about my visual abilities :) So to imagine that deafness is worse than blindness is a completely foreign thought to me, and something I cannot comprehend. I did grow up oral, and did struggle with language, and did feel isolated in a lot of social situations, and I still do feel isolated in some social situations today. But I have learned to adapt to those things, and it helps to have a husband who is willing to cue, or siblings who are willing to cue. My family also knows how to cue, and so I'm not as clueless as I was about conversations within the home anymore, and if I am, it's because of my own choice for not paying attention or reminding someone to cue if I didn't hear something.
Life without vision, I just cannot even comprehend that. This quote just really did shock me, and made me stop and think....can one really be worse than the other?
What do you think? I promise I won't judge or criticize what you think, even if you have no experience with either disabilities. I'm just curious as to what others reactions are to this quote.
Edited to add: Another quote for you to think about from an individual who is deafblind.
"I can only talk with one person at a time, and only if that person is within my reach. If I am in a crowded room, and no one is within three feet of me, I might as well be in a closet. It is very easy for me to misunderstand, so communication is often very slow." Robbins, 1983, pg. 3.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Ponderings
Religion related stuff, if you don't want to read it, don't :)
Sorry if the post seems a bit disjointed, I really just kind of wrote down my train of thought, which usually does not flow well. :)
It seems to me that a recurring theme that has been popping up over the past week for me is fellowshiping/social activity. I brought this up with Bryan yesterday and asked if he had been getting the same thing. He just gave me a "what the heck are you talking about?" look, so I figured maybe it's something that I personally need to work on, as it really stood out to me.
This past weekend we had an enrichment meeting, and I was going to give a thought, but in all the bustle, it just didn't happen (in other words, no one, including me, remembered). It was to be on fellowshipping. I found a GREAT talk by Elder Ballard from the 80s about Fellowshipping. There were two paragraphs I really liked. The first one:
"As disciples of Christ, we need to feel genuine charity for one another. As we do, new light will come into our own lives. This charity is essential in missionary work, but we must never allow ourselves to treat our neighbors only as potential converts. We have had the sad experience of seeing members of the Church who attempted to convert their neighbors and friends and, when they did not respond, withdrew their friendship and neighborliness. We must not be so anxious to share the gospel that we become insensitive to the feelings of others."
This really stood out to me, because I always took fellowshipping as a sense of being a missionary, and always trying to figure out some way to get people to come to church. After reading this, it was nice to know that sometimes just being a friend, friendly person/coworker is part of fellowshipping. However, I do need to work on the part of sharing the gospel with others. I have *NEVER* shared the gospel outside of people that I knew were already members of the church, and active members at that. I have no idea how missionaries do it. Yeah, I know they have the Lord with them, but dang....it still has to be hard!
The other paragraph that really stuck out to me:
"I encourage you to build personal, meaningful relationships with your nonmember friends and acquaintances. Interest in the gospel may come later as a natural extension of a good friendship. Invitations to participate in gospel-related activities often will strengthen relationships with acquaintances. If they are not interested in the gospel, we should show unconditional love through acts of service and kindness, and never imply that we see an acquaintance only as a potential convert. Members must understand that when a nonmember declines one invitation to investigate the gospel, he has not necessarily rejected the gospel."
That last line really stuck out to me. Just because someone doesn't want to hear about it now, doesn't mean they've rejected the gospel. Interesting thought, and one that actually does make sense to me.
Now what do I need to work on? Being social, being brave enough to discuss the gospel with others, members or not, and learning how to share it appropriately (not too much, not too little, etc). I definitely have to work on the being social part before I can do any of the other things. I think I need to to set a personal goal for myself to be more social. I am actually quite content with my life now, but that doesn't mean I'm doing it right. I'm just afraid that if people see that I'm trying to be social, they might think I have a reason behind it. I really don't other than that I realized I need to do this, and I want to know other people. I've always been shy, and I think a lot of it has to do with being scared of saying the wrong thing. I need to get over it, meet new people, and enrich my life and hopefully add a little something to their lives.
I also need to do this for my own son, so that he can learn how to be social and make friends as well. Heaven knows I'll want him to get out and be with friends as he grows!
Sorry if the post seems a bit disjointed, I really just kind of wrote down my train of thought, which usually does not flow well. :)
It seems to me that a recurring theme that has been popping up over the past week for me is fellowshiping/social activity. I brought this up with Bryan yesterday and asked if he had been getting the same thing. He just gave me a "what the heck are you talking about?" look, so I figured maybe it's something that I personally need to work on, as it really stood out to me.
This past weekend we had an enrichment meeting, and I was going to give a thought, but in all the bustle, it just didn't happen (in other words, no one, including me, remembered). It was to be on fellowshipping. I found a GREAT talk by Elder Ballard from the 80s about Fellowshipping. There were two paragraphs I really liked. The first one:
"As disciples of Christ, we need to feel genuine charity for one another. As we do, new light will come into our own lives. This charity is essential in missionary work, but we must never allow ourselves to treat our neighbors only as potential converts. We have had the sad experience of seeing members of the Church who attempted to convert their neighbors and friends and, when they did not respond, withdrew their friendship and neighborliness. We must not be so anxious to share the gospel that we become insensitive to the feelings of others."
This really stood out to me, because I always took fellowshipping as a sense of being a missionary, and always trying to figure out some way to get people to come to church. After reading this, it was nice to know that sometimes just being a friend, friendly person/coworker is part of fellowshipping. However, I do need to work on the part of sharing the gospel with others. I have *NEVER* shared the gospel outside of people that I knew were already members of the church, and active members at that. I have no idea how missionaries do it. Yeah, I know they have the Lord with them, but dang....it still has to be hard!
The other paragraph that really stuck out to me:
"I encourage you to build personal, meaningful relationships with your nonmember friends and acquaintances. Interest in the gospel may come later as a natural extension of a good friendship. Invitations to participate in gospel-related activities often will strengthen relationships with acquaintances. If they are not interested in the gospel, we should show unconditional love through acts of service and kindness, and never imply that we see an acquaintance only as a potential convert. Members must understand that when a nonmember declines one invitation to investigate the gospel, he has not necessarily rejected the gospel."
That last line really stuck out to me. Just because someone doesn't want to hear about it now, doesn't mean they've rejected the gospel. Interesting thought, and one that actually does make sense to me.
Now what do I need to work on? Being social, being brave enough to discuss the gospel with others, members or not, and learning how to share it appropriately (not too much, not too little, etc). I definitely have to work on the being social part before I can do any of the other things. I think I need to to set a personal goal for myself to be more social. I am actually quite content with my life now, but that doesn't mean I'm doing it right. I'm just afraid that if people see that I'm trying to be social, they might think I have a reason behind it. I really don't other than that I realized I need to do this, and I want to know other people. I've always been shy, and I think a lot of it has to do with being scared of saying the wrong thing. I need to get over it, meet new people, and enrich my life and hopefully add a little something to their lives.
I also need to do this for my own son, so that he can learn how to be social and make friends as well. Heaven knows I'll want him to get out and be with friends as he grows!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Naked Ears?
Recently I've had this external ear infection (swimmer's ear), and seeing as how we're in between insurance companies, I can't quite get to the doctor yet. This means that I've been doing OTC stuff and home remedies. Now, I had one last week, my left ear, and left my hearing aid out for a few days. That seemed to work. The pain was completely gone and my ear was no longer swollen. Two days later it comes back, worse than ever. Last night, my other ear started hurting in just the same way. This means...no hearing aids whatsoever for the time being.
I have naked ears. It feels weird to go about my day without having something in my ear. This is natural to me, since I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 9 months old, or a year old, somewhere around there. Then I realize....this is "normal" if you will, to have naked ears. It's normal to feel the wind go in your ear canal. it's normal to have hair fall into your ear area and make it itch. it's normal for it to feel...empty.
I came to this realization about a week ago while I only had my left ear hurting. I had gone through the drive through at Wendy's (yes, Bryan, I bought myself a lunch one day, I'm completely guilty for it). I go through this drive through because I never have a problem with them, and I can see what I ordered on the big screen. I've never had an issue with them. However, this time, as I approached the speaker....I started realizing my naked ear was the closest to the speaker! Shoot! So I get there, and give them my order. Anytime the person would talk, I would turn my head so that I was basically looking backwards, out the window in order to hear what was going on with just my right ear. I hope people didn't think I was too crazy, and I felt so self-conscious about this that as I drove up to the window to pay, I was prepping myself to apologize for not wearing my hearing aid today. I open the window, and the guy acts like everything is normal. I found myself thinking "why isn't he asking me about me not wearing my hearing aid today?" Duh. It's not normal to wear hearing aids! Why WOULD he ask me about my hearing aids? he doesn't know I'm deaf....for some reason I found this a bit...unsettling. That's not quite the right word, but it'll have to do. It just felt weird to know that....I totally looked like a normal person to that guy that day. I looked like a person who didn't have a hearing loss, because, well....I had a a naked ear. And now, today, I have two naked ears. I feel very self-conscious about it.
Not having them in, made me realize how much i do rely on my hearing aids. Ever since Kiernan was born, I've worn my hearing aids 24/7, with the exception of being in the shower. This is not normal, I used to take them out every night before going to bed. Boy ,I miss those days ,but I'm too paranoid to take them out at night now that Kiernan is in his own room. Last night, I had to bring him into our bedroom because I just couldn't handle wearing one hearing aid at all, it hurt too much. It's not just Kiernan though, it's things that fall, hearing if Bryan called my name, hearing him snore to know if he's really asleep (which I never experienced before), hearing how loudly or quietly I talk. That last part, I'm definitely self-conscious about that. I know I have a tendency to talk a lot quieter with my hearing aids out because I'm paranoid about talking too loudly.
I definitely prefer to have my fully clothed ears, and can't wait to put my hearing aids back in again. I don't know how you all deal with naked ears with the empty space, wind blown, hair itching happening in there.
I have naked ears. It feels weird to go about my day without having something in my ear. This is natural to me, since I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 9 months old, or a year old, somewhere around there. Then I realize....this is "normal" if you will, to have naked ears. It's normal to feel the wind go in your ear canal. it's normal to have hair fall into your ear area and make it itch. it's normal for it to feel...empty.
I came to this realization about a week ago while I only had my left ear hurting. I had gone through the drive through at Wendy's (yes, Bryan, I bought myself a lunch one day, I'm completely guilty for it). I go through this drive through because I never have a problem with them, and I can see what I ordered on the big screen. I've never had an issue with them. However, this time, as I approached the speaker....I started realizing my naked ear was the closest to the speaker! Shoot! So I get there, and give them my order. Anytime the person would talk, I would turn my head so that I was basically looking backwards, out the window in order to hear what was going on with just my right ear. I hope people didn't think I was too crazy, and I felt so self-conscious about this that as I drove up to the window to pay, I was prepping myself to apologize for not wearing my hearing aid today. I open the window, and the guy acts like everything is normal. I found myself thinking "why isn't he asking me about me not wearing my hearing aid today?" Duh. It's not normal to wear hearing aids! Why WOULD he ask me about my hearing aids? he doesn't know I'm deaf....for some reason I found this a bit...unsettling. That's not quite the right word, but it'll have to do. It just felt weird to know that....I totally looked like a normal person to that guy that day. I looked like a person who didn't have a hearing loss, because, well....I had a a naked ear. And now, today, I have two naked ears. I feel very self-conscious about it.
Not having them in, made me realize how much i do rely on my hearing aids. Ever since Kiernan was born, I've worn my hearing aids 24/7, with the exception of being in the shower. This is not normal, I used to take them out every night before going to bed. Boy ,I miss those days ,but I'm too paranoid to take them out at night now that Kiernan is in his own room. Last night, I had to bring him into our bedroom because I just couldn't handle wearing one hearing aid at all, it hurt too much. It's not just Kiernan though, it's things that fall, hearing if Bryan called my name, hearing him snore to know if he's really asleep (which I never experienced before), hearing how loudly or quietly I talk. That last part, I'm definitely self-conscious about that. I know I have a tendency to talk a lot quieter with my hearing aids out because I'm paranoid about talking too loudly.
I definitely prefer to have my fully clothed ears, and can't wait to put my hearing aids back in again. I don't know how you all deal with naked ears with the empty space, wind blown, hair itching happening in there.
Friday, June 5, 2009
My laugh for the day
I apologize in advance if you have seen this already.
This (click here) video, so funny!
Just in case you need explanation, as it took me awhile to figure out. They're just describing what's happening in the video to the tune of the music, in place of the lyrics. Being deaf, I wasn't sure if the "new lyrics" were an approximate to what as being said or what, but then I figured it out that it was nowhere near to the original lyrics, instead it was describing what was going on in the video :)
Edit: For those of you who are deaf, there's a whole section where there are no lyrics shown. This whole time she's saying she's gotta go to the bathroom, and the guy tells her he'll open the doors for her. Then a whole bunch of stuff happens that I can't understand, then right before she sees the choir boys, she says "hey this isn't the ladies room"
Sorry that was all I could help you out with :)
This (click here) video, so funny!
Just in case you need explanation, as it took me awhile to figure out. They're just describing what's happening in the video to the tune of the music, in place of the lyrics. Being deaf, I wasn't sure if the "new lyrics" were an approximate to what as being said or what, but then I figured it out that it was nowhere near to the original lyrics, instead it was describing what was going on in the video :)
Edit: For those of you who are deaf, there's a whole section where there are no lyrics shown. This whole time she's saying she's gotta go to the bathroom, and the guy tells her he'll open the doors for her. Then a whole bunch of stuff happens that I can't understand, then right before she sees the choir boys, she says "hey this isn't the ladies room"
Sorry that was all I could help you out with :)
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