Browse Month: September 2005

How to Build a Better Clinic

Top Left: My Door; Top Right: Fine Motor/Messy Area
Bottom Left: Sensory/Gross Motor Area; Bottom Right: My “Office”
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My clinic is just about finished! I’ve spent the past week reconfiguring my 15’x39′ portable into a safer, more functional space. Now it’s up to the kids to make some cool art projects to decorate the walls. School starts tomorrow…let’s see how it all works out!

Amtrack Century 2005

Jesse, Jimmy, and Pish finished their first Century today. They rode their bicycles from Irvine down to San Diego in 7.5 hours including 4 rest stops and 1 flat tire. The day started really early – waking up at 5:30, leaving the house by 6:30 and starting at 7:00.
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They also had their own personal SAG (Support and Gear) along the ride too. Debbie, Eleen, and I had three cars and we followed each other down – partly alongside them on the bike route and also met up with them at each rest stop. The girls rode in the cars with cell phones, GPS, maps, the route list, and walkie talkies, which really helped!! We even got an emergency call from Jes when he got a flat tire. They called and said, “we’re on the corner of Carlsbad and Beech, can you meet us there?” We punched in the streets, found them, and brought out the bike pump. Who needs the official SAG when the unofficial SAG rocks?!
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It was also a big family affair with Pish’s parents and Debbie’s parents along the way with Debbie’s brother and kids at one cheering stop. We also had dinner at Debbie’s brother’s house in San Marcos afterwards. Overall, they looked really strong out there and conquered the hill at Torrey Pines. The weather was nice, they had a view of the beach every once in a while, and had lots of people to take photos, cheer, and embarrass them throughout the day.
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Fun day. Great job, boys!! What’s next?

Getting ready.

School doesn’t start until September 14th but work has really kicked into gear. I had a bunch of staff meetings today and gave an inservice to the staff. I was actually surprised at how well my presentation went considering that I prepared the powerpoint presentation last night before dinner and rehearsed it in my head this morning during our morning meeting. Not too shabby! 🙂 This afternoon I even stayed until 6:00 to set-up my clinic for next week. I’m not finished yet but it’s coming along nicely. This may sound a bit crazy but I’m actually enjoying work right now and looking forward to the new year. I just hope my enthusiasm doesn’t fade too quickly. It’s going to be a long year.

Happy 30th, Jes!!

Today, our very own Jesse is turning the big 3-0. We had a batman-themed party for him at the pool on Sunday and it was quite a production. There were decorations, party hats, goodie bags, and an ice cream cake. We even played some good ol’ fashioned games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, had a balloon toss, and whacked away at a pinata. The prizes included mini bottles of liquor, lottery scratchers, and gift cards. Jes got a cool batman disc/dart shooter that even beams the batman signal. Later in the evening, we went searching all over Irvine and Costa Mesa for a place to eat and get something to drink. It’s ridiculous how early everything closes around here! We ended up at the TGIFridays in Costa Mesa, just like old times.
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Jason also stayed with us for the long weekend. It was fun having the little brother home again. We spent much of Monday hanging out and shopping. We also went to Home Depot for some PVC pipes and connectors in order to build room dividers for my clinic. That was an interesting hour of playing with tools and trying to snap each other’s fingers off. Later we had dinner with Jes’ parents and grandmother in Cerritos.

That was rough.

I ran 18 miles today. It took me a little over 3 hours. The weather started out great – overcast and breezy – just perfect for running. However, when 10:00 rolled around, the sun came out and it got hot! The last 2 miles were really rough. My legs ached, my hips hurt, and my feet were burning. I’m just glad I made it home in one piece. I was so tempted by mile-17 to stick my thumb out for a ride home. Now it’s time for a nap.

Fishie Massacre

This afternoon, Jes decided to change the water in the fish pond since the water was getting a little green again. So he did the usual new water/old water exchange and went back upstairs for a little bit. After about 10 minutes, I went outside to check on the pond. The water was clear! Yay! A minute later, I went to look at the pond again and was happy that I could see the rocks at the bottom again but…hey! The fish are floating! Oh no!! I think the water put them into complete shock and killed their plump little bodies. So long fishies. *sniff sniff* All seven of you were good pets.