Ha! My multiquote didn't work on that last post... this time I will preview...sorry, rookie mistake!!
yes, yes, more PLEASE!
More is on the way today!
I have the day off today, so I will be sending out installment #2 and working on #3. !!
And it is really fantastic!!
OOH, as soon as you said Best Western, I was worried!! Looks like you made it out of there ok though!!! So funny about the lady at the front door of the school!!! Poor Lauren without her cool wheels!!! At least she had her pillow though!
Yeah...I have never stayed there. In Make-A-Wish's defense, though, they had made me reservations at a "nice" one (they are all individually owned and operated) and I just got there so FAST (did I say that?) that I kept driving. Then I was on my own.
And I didn't really reserach it...AT ALL...so I just stayed there. I was just glad to be all the way and able to sleep all night.
Love it! Love it! Love it!
Can I ask some questions! As in how long have you been working with Lauren and the family, I mean you are their family now and just fit right in! And how did you meet to start working with her! Sorry, I am just so curious! It seems everyone gets along so well.
I definitely don't mind the question. It is actually a very long story...but I will tell you the short version and you guys can me let know if you want to know more.
I started working with special needs kids at a camp in Arkansas. I spent many hours there in High School and fell in love with those kids! Fast forward many years...past college...and I end up going to a church here in town that is fabulous! They had a support group for parents of special needs children. And they needed a babysitter that had a clue to take care of the kids during the class. Honestly, they never used me for the class, I am sure that those parents were not going to leave their kids with some stranger and many of them have support systems that allow for others to keep their kids. So I ended up actually attending several of the meetings. I met Laurens parents through that group.
Then our church, which is very large, decided to launch a satellite campus closer to where I live. I hated to leave the big church location (which was a 30-40 min drive), where I had lots of friends. But I knew I was supposed to. I prayed for friends at the new church...specifically for someone that I could train for a triathlon with (believe me, I needed serious training!) and someone to each lunch with on Sundays (since I am single and bored!). So...the first Sunday I ran into Laurens family. At this point, I only knew the parents. But I begged them to go out to eat (funny, now, looking back). I think Lauren thought I was a crazy person. But if I could talk her parents into eating out, I was OK!
Turns out, they ride road bikes and also wanted to train for a triathlon. So I got BOTH of my prayer requests in one family! (Cool, huh!) Eventually I learned that Laurens dad was sick. That is a long story and not really mine to tell, but eventually Laurens parents had to leave town for 11 days to go to Mayo clinic to get some answers. During that 11 days, I helped both sets of grandparents make sure the kids were taken care of...get ready for school, meals (which were mostly provided by our church), carpool, homework...you know the drill. And I was working my full time job...and it was CRAZY!!!
So...after they got back, I told them I was available to them as much as they needed me till her dad got to feeling better. (He is doing a lot better, by the way!) So, I basically moved in to the upstairs room for several months. I do help with Lauren, but I am also friends with all of them. We have so much fun...Lauren's mom and I are work out buddies. I can now ride a bike over 30 miles without rolling over and dying. And we DID complete a small triathlon!
Now I am actually on the payroll from Medicaid that allows for a nurse assistant to help Lauren a few hours a week. So I do that and have a job now that is only 32 hours a week. This has helped me to be able to have some down time and still help Lauren and her family as much as possible.
Sorry, that was kinda long! And the short version!! If you want a longer version, let me know!
I can't wait to hear more. We call Jonah's chair his hot wheels. Best Westerns aren't always in the best of places either. I definitely understanding running to your room.
becca
Becca, thanks for joining us!!
I have been watching your TR, too!!
Yeah...don't stay at the Best Western by GKTW. When you drive by there, you will see what I mean...it is by all of those strip stores on 192.
Fantastic start!!! I can't wait to hear all about it!! Lauren is beautiful. I am really looking forward to this trip report.
Lauren is beautiful!! She is beautiful on the inside, too!!
And it shows in all that she does.
I can't wait to tell you more about the trip!!